DETAILED ACTION
Notice of Pre-AIA or AIA Status
The present application, filed on or after March 16, 2013, is being examined under the first inventor to file provisions of the AIA .
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 102
In the event the determination of the status of the application as subject to AIA 35 U.S.C. 102 and 103 (or as subject to pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 102 and 103) is incorrect, any correction of the statutory basis (i.e., changing from AIA to pre-AIA ) for the rejection will not be considered a new ground of rejection if the prior art relied upon, and the rationale supporting the rejection, would be the same under either status.
The following is a quotation of the appropriate paragraphs of 35 U.S.C. 102 that form the basis for the rejections under this section made in this Office action:
A person shall be entitled to a patent unless –
(a)(1) the claimed invention was patented, described in a printed publication, or in public use, on sale, or otherwise available to the public before the effective filing date of the claimed invention.
Claim(s) 1-4, 8-10, 14-17 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Esguerra (2018/0342348).
Regarding claim 1, Esguerra teaches an arrangement for inductively supplying energy, comprising: a transmitter coil (9) being on-site embedded in or on top of a magnetizable asphalt mixture (2) below a surface of a drivable civil structure (1) and configured to provide a magnetic field (4) to transfer energy to a receiver coil (6); wherein the magnetizable asphalt mixture comprises an asphalt binding substance and soft magnetic particles, and a volume fraction of the soft magnetic particles is not smaller than 35% of a total mixture volume of the magnetizable asphalt mixture (paragraph [0027]).
Regarding claim 2, Esguerra teaches the volume fraction of the soft ferrite particles in the magnetizable asphalt mixture ranges from 35% to 90% (paragraph [0027]).
Regarding claim 3, Esguerra teaches the volume fraction of the soft ferrite particles is 70% to 85% (paragraph [0011]).
Regarding claim 4, Esguerra teaches the soft magnetic particles comprise soft ferrite particles of at least two different sizes (paragraph [0012]); the binding substance comprises at least one of an asphalt binder, epoxy, silicon or a binder comprising natural or synthetic non-crystalline materials (paragraph [0010]).
Regarding claim 8, Esguerra teaches aggregate particles of the magnetizable asphalt mixture are different from aggregate particles of a surrounding asphalt mixture. The magnetic particles in the magnetizable asphalt mixture is not present as an aggregate in the surrounding asphalt.
Regarding claim 9, Esguerra teaches the binding substance in the magnetizable asphalt mixture is compatible with the surrounding asphalt mixture (paragraph [0013]).
Regarding claim 10, Esguerra teaches the magnetizable asphalt mixture is shaped to ensure field focusing of the magnetic field (paragraph [0032]).
Regarding claim 14, Esguerra teaches a method for manufacturing an arrangement for inductively supplying energy, comprising: preparing a magnetizable asphalt mixture (2) and a surrounding asphalt mixture (1); compacting the magnetizable asphalt mixture and the surrounding asphalt mixture on a base of a drivable civil structure to make the surrounding asphalt mixture surround the magnetizable asphalt mixture; providing, on a freshly-placed layer of the magnetizable asphalt mix mixture, a transmitter coil (9) to make the transmitter coil embedded in or on top of the magnetizable asphalt mixture; and providing a top layer (1) covering the magnetizable asphalt mixture and the surrounding asphalt mixture and the transmitter coil (paragraph [0028]); wherein the transmitter coil is configured to provide a magnetic field to transfer energy to a receiver coil (6) ; wherein the magnetizable asphalt mixture comprises an asphalt binding substance and soft magnetic particles, and a volume fraction of the soft magnetic particles is not smaller than 35% of a total mixture volume of the magnetizable asphalt mixture (paragraph [0027]).
Regarding claim 16, Esguerra teaches the volume fraction of the soft ferrite particles in the magnetizable asphalt mixture ranges from 35% to 90% (paragraph [0027]).
Regarding claim 17, Esguerra teaches the soft magnetic particles comprise soft ferrite particles of at least two different sizes (paragraph [0012]); the binding substance comprises at least one of an asphalt binder, epoxy, silicon or a binder comprising natural or synthetic non-crystalline materials (paragraph [0010]).
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 103
In the event the determination of the status of the application as subject to AIA 35 U.S.C. 102 and 103 (or as subject to pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 102 and 103) is incorrect, any correction of the statutory basis (i.e., changing from AIA to pre-AIA ) for the rejection will not be considered a new ground of rejection if the prior art relied upon, and the rationale supporting the rejection, would be the same under either status.
The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 103 which forms the basis for all obviousness rejections set forth in this Office action:
A patent for a claimed invention may not be obtained, notwithstanding that the claimed invention is not identically disclosed as set forth in section 102, if the differences between the claimed invention and the prior art are such that the claimed invention as a whole would have been obvious before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to a person having ordinary skill in the art to which the claimed invention pertains. Patentability shall not be negated by the manner in which the invention was made.
Claim(s) 5-7, 18-19 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Esguerra (2018/0342348) in view of Hanawa.
Regarding claim 5, Esguerra teaches the invention as described above but fails to explicitly teach the transmitter coil is a pre-shaped coil made using a rigid hollow conductive material, and the transmitter coil is sheathed by a protective coating material which is selected from class of Ethylene Propylene Diene Monomer (EPDM) and a silicone rubber material. Hanawa teaches coils for use in transmitting energy in a road wherein the transmitter coil is a pre-shaped coil made using a rigid hollow conductive material, and the transmitter coil is sheathed by a protective coating material which is selected from class of Ethylene Propylene Diene Monomer (EPDM) and a silicone rubber material (paragraph II). It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to substitute the transmitter coil of Hanawa for the transmitter coil of Esguerra as it is obvious to use a known technique to improve similar devices in the same way.
Regarding claim 6, Esguerra teaches the invention as described above but fails to explicitly teach the transmitter coil is a conductive wire. Hanawa teaches coils for use in transmitting energy in a road wherein the transmitter coil isa conductive wire. It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to substitute the transmitter coil of Hanawa for the transmitter coil of Esguerra as it is obvious to use a known technique to improve similar devices in the same way.
Regarding claim 7, Esguerra as modified by Hanawa teaches the conductive wire is Litz wire (paragraph II).
Regarding claim 18, Esguerra teaches the invention as described above but fails to explicitly teach the transmitter coil is a pre-shaped coil made using a rigid hollow conductive material, and the transmitter coil is sheathed by a protective coating material which is selected from class of Ethylene Propylene Diene Monomer (EPDM) and a silicone rubber material. Hanawa teaches coils for use in transmitting energy in a road wherein the transmitter coil is a pre-shaped coil made using a rigid hollow conductive material, and the transmitter coil is sheathed by a protective coating material which is selected from class of Ethylene Propylene Diene Monomer (EPDM) and a silicone rubber material (paragraph II). It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to substitute the transmitter coil of Hanawa for the transmitter coil of Esguerra as it is obvious to use a known technique to improve similar devices in the same way.
Regarding claim 19, Esguerra teaches the invention as described above but fails to explicitly teach the transmitter coil is a conductive wire. Hanawa teaches coils for use in transmitting energy in a road wherein the transmitter coil isa conductive wire. It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to substitute the transmitter coil of Hanawa for the transmitter coil of Esguerra as it is obvious to use a known technique to improve similar devices in the same way.
Claim(s) 11-13 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Esguerra (2018/0342348) in view of Liu.
Regarding claim 11, Esguerra teaches a smart pavement system, comprising: an arrangement for inductively supplying energy, the arrangement comprising: a transmitter coil (9) being on-site embedded in or on top of a magnetizable asphalt mixture (2) below a surface of a drivable civil structure (1) and configured to provide a magnetic field to transfer energy to a receiver coil (6); wherein the magnetizable asphalt mixture comprises an asphalt binding substance and soft magnetic particles, and a volume fraction of the soft magnetic particles is not smaller than 35% of a total mixture volume of the magnetizable asphalt mixture (paragraph [0027]); wherein the smart pavement system further comprises a top layer of the drivable civil structure. Esguerra fails to teach a top layer of healing asphalt mixture. Liu teaches an electromagnetic induction pavement wherein the top layer comprising an inductive healing asphalt mixture; wherein the transmitter coil is configured to provide heating energy to the top layer in response to presence of cracks (page 2). It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to make the top layer of Esguerra an inductive healing asphalt as taught by Liu as it is obvious to use a known technique to improve similar devices in the same way.
Regarding claim 13, Esguerra as modified by Liu teaches an open circuit secondary coil placed on a vehicle used for a self-healing process and configured to trigger the transmitter coil to generate a magnegic field for providing heating energy to the inductive healing asphalt mixture.
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 12, 15, 20 are objected to as being dependent upon a rejected base claim, but would be allowable if rewritten in independent form including all of the limitations of the base claim and any intervening claims.
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure is listed on the attached PTO-892. Pantic teaches a magnetizable concrete with inductive coils.
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/ABIGAIL A RISIC/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3671 May 13, 2026
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