DETAILED ACTION
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
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.
(a)(2) the claimed invention was described in a patent issued under section 151, or in an application for patent published or deemed published under section 122(b), in which the patent or application, as the case may be, names another inventor and was effectively filed before the effective filing date of the claimed invention.
Claims 1-5, 7-8, 10, 13, 18 and 20 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Mrad (US 20220270805 A1).
Regarding Claim 1:
Mrad teaches that an inductor assembly, comprising:
an inductor housing (1 and 2 formed the housing in Fig. 6; para 0029-0056) comprising a housing (2, Fig. 6) and a connecting member (22) which are integrally formed, wherein the housing is a sealed structure (construed from Fig. 7), the connecting member is located outside the housing, the housing is hollow (28, para 0056) and provided with a wiring hole (16), and the connecting member is configured to connect to an object to be installed; and an inductor module (i.e. element 12 and 3 formed the module) fixedly installed in the housing, and comprising a magnetic core (32) and a coil (3).
Regarding Claim 2:
As applied to claim 1, Mrad teaches that a support plate (not labeled; i.e. two rectangular elements next to element 16 in Fig. 6) fixedly installed inside the housing, wherein the support plate is configured to limit the inductor module inside the housing.
Regarding Claim 3:
As applied to claim 1, Mrad teaches that a conductive plate (5-6, Fig. 6), wherein the conductive plate is fixedly disposed on the support plate (see Fig. 7), a connecting terminal (33) of the coil is electrically connected to the conductive plate, and the conductive plate is configured to be electrically connected to a wiring harness (35, Fig. 2; para 0054) passing through the wiring hole.
Regarding Claim 4:
As applied to claim 3, Mrad teaches that two conductive plates are provided (see Fig. 6), and are spaced apart from each other by a block fixedly disposed on the support plate, the two conductive plates are in one-to-one correspondence to two connecting terminals of two coils, and each of the two connecting terminals are electrically connected to a respective one of the two conductive plates (construed form Fig. 7).
Regarding Claim 5:
As applied to claim 3, Mrad teaches that a top surface of the support plate has an installation recess (construed from Fig. 6), and the conductive plate is fixed in the installation recess (see Fig. 7).
Regarding Claim 7:
As applied to claim 2, Mrad teaches that a top surface of the support plate is
provided with a support structure configured to support a wiring harness passing through the wiring hole (construed from Fig. 7).
Regarding Claim 8:
As applied to claim 2, Mrad teaches that at least one wall of the housing has a
cooling channel (not shown; construed from the words “cooling” and “isothermal lines” in para 0040 and 0042, respectively).
Regarding Claim 10:
As applied to claim 1, Mrad teaches that a wiring harness connector (35, Fig. 2), wherein the wiring harness connector is fixedly connected to an outer wall (claim does not require that it directly connect to the outer wall) of the housing and has a support hole in communication with the wiring hole, and the support hole is configured for a wiring harness to pass through (construed from Fig. 2).
Regarding Claim 13:
As applied to claim 1, Mrad teaches that the support plate has at least one heat
dissipation structure (22, see para 0031), and the heat dissipation structure is provided to run through the support plate in a thickness direction of the support plate.
Regarding Claim 18:
As applied to claim 1, Mrad teaches that a support column (36, Fig. 8a) is provided in the housing, and the support plate is supported on the support column
Regarding Claim 20:
As applied to claim 1, Mrad teaches that a wiring harness (35), wherein one end of the wiring harness passes through the wiring hole of the inductor assembly and is electrically connected to the coil of the inductor module (construed from Fig. 7).
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 103
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 of this title, 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 6 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Mrad in view of Morita (US 20030164608 A1).
Regarding Claim 6:
As applied to claim 3, Mrad teaches the conductive plate has a connecting through hole terminal and harness except a terminal bolt, wherein the conductive plate has a connecting through hole, the terminal bolt passes through the connecting through hole and is threadedly connected to the support plate, and the terminal bolt is configured to be in contact with the wiring harness.
However, those features are very well known in industry as taught Morita by in para 0069 that the first connecting pin 61 has a bolt with a head and is inserted through first holes 35, 35 formed in the left and right support side plates 34, 34, the left and right elongate holes 43, 43 formed in the movable bracket 41, and between the pair of pin guide surfaces 81, 81.
It would have been obvious before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to a person having ordinary skill in the art to have a terminal bolt, wherein the conductive plate has a connecting through hole, the terminal bolt passes through the connecting through hole and is threadedly connected to the support plate, and the terminal bolt is configured to be in contact with the wiring harness to provide a better and secure connection for the terminal with electronic device.
Claim 9 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Mrad in view of Liu (US 20200395159 A1).
Regarding Claim 9:
As applied to claim 8, Mrad teaches cooling channel except a plurality of cooling channels are provided and are communicated sequentially, and a port of the plurality of cooling channels is connected with a cooling water nozzle.
However, Liu teaches that a plurality of cooling channels (131-132, Fig. 6; para 0047) are provided and are communicated sequentially, and a port of the plurality of cooling channels is connected with a cooling water nozzle (11-12; para 0037).
It would have been obvious before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to a person having ordinary skill in the art to have a plurality of cooling channels are provided and are communicated sequentially, and a port of the plurality of cooling channels is connected with a cooling water nozzle that dissipate heat from device during normal operation.
Claims 11-12 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Mrad in view of Lu (US 20210358673 A1).
Regarding Claim 11:
As applied to claim 1, Mrad teaches the connecting member (22, Fig. 6) and insulation hole (at the corner of the element 22 in Fig. 6) except the connecting member is in a shape of a U-shaped plate, and is provided with an installation hole.
However, Lu teaches that the connecting member (41, Fig. 10; para 0072) is in a shape of a U-shaped plate (see Fig. 6),
It would have been obvious before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to a person having ordinary skill in the art to have the connecting member is in a shape of a U-shaped plate, and is provided with an installation hole as claimed to meet design requirements for certain application.
Regarding Claim 12:
As applied to claim 11, Mrad teaches the inductor housing further comprises a reinforcing plate (4, Fig. 10) connected to the connecting member and the housing separately (construed from Fig. 10).
Claim 19 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Mrad in view of Ronning (US 6392519 B1).
Regarding Claim 19:
As applied to claim 2, Mrad teaches the inductor module except a thermally conductive pad disposed between the inductor module and at least one inner wall of the housing.
However, Ronning teaches that a thermally conductive pad (38, Fig. 2; Col. 3, lines 42-50) disposed between the inductor module (16) and at least one inner wall of the housing (22).
It would have been obvious before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to a person having ordinary skill in the art to have a thermally conductive pad disposed between the inductor module and at least one inner wall of the housing to provides improved thermal conduction from the magnetic core to a heat sink to thereby maintain relatively cooler magnetic cores/windings (see Col. 2, lines 28-30).
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 14-17 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.
The following is a statement of reasons for the indication of allowable subject matter:
Claim 14 recites, the housing comprises a lower housing and an upper cover plate connected to an opening of the lower housing in a sealed manner, the upper cover plate is connected to the lower housing by a bolt, a top end of the lower housing further has a sealing groove, and a sealing ring is installed in the sealing groove.
Claim 16 recites, the magnetic core comprises a magnetic core upper yoke, a magnetic core lower yoke, a magnetic core central column, an upper insulation plate, and a lower insulation plate, the coil is wound on the magnetic core central column, the magnetic core upper yoke abuts an end of the magnetic core central column, the upper insulation plate is sleeved on the magnetic core central column and located between the magnetic core upper yoke and the coil, the magnetic core lower yoke abuts another end of the magnetic core central column, the lower insulation plate is sleeved on the magnetic core central column and located between the magnetic core lower yoke and the coil.
The references of record do not teach or suggest the aforementioned limitations, nor would it be obvious to modify those references to include such limitations.
Any comments considered necessary by applicant must be submitted no later than the payment of the issue fee and, to avoid processing delays, should preferably accompany the issue fee. Such submissions should be clearly labeled “Comments on Statement of Reasons for Allowance.”
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Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure. A list of pertinent prior art is attached in form 892.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to Kazi Hossain whose telephone number is 571-272-8182. The examiner can normally be reached on Monday-Thursday from Monday to Thursday 8:00 AM to 4:30 PM (EST).
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/KAZI HOSSAIN/
Examiner, Art Unit 2837
/SHAWKI S ISMAIL/Supervisory Patent Examiner, Art Unit 2837
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