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 .
Priority
Receipt is acknowledged of certified copies of papers required by 37 CFR 1.55.
Information Disclosure Statement
The information disclosure statement (IDS) submitted on 10/20/2023 is in compliance with the provisions of 37 CFR 1.97. Accordingly, the information disclosure statement is being considered by the examiner.
Drawings
The drawings are objected to under 37 CFR 1.83(a). The drawings must show every feature of the invention specified in the claims. Therefore, the “a turn number of the first auxiliary coil is greater than a turn number of the second auxiliary coil” as recited in claim 1, the “a first shielding layer and a second shielding layer, wherein the first shielding layer is located between the first primary coil and the secondary coil, and the second shielding layer is located between the second primary coil and the secondary coil” as claimed in claim 2, the ‘a wire diameter of the first shielding layer and a wire diameter of the second shielding layer are smaller than a wire diameter of the first primary coil, a wire diameter of the second primary coil and a wire diameter of the secondary coil” of claim 3, “the turn number of the first shielding layer and the turn number of the second shielding layer are greater than at least one of the turn number of the first primary coil, the turn number of the second primary coil and the turn number of the secondary coil” as recited in claim 4, “the turn number of the first auxiliary coil is at least three times greater than the turn number of the second auxiliary coil” as claimed in claim 5, “the turn number of the secondary coil is smaller than the turn number of the first primary coil and the turn number of the second primary coil” of claim 6, the “a winding direction of the second primary coil is the same as a winding direction of the first primary coil” as claimed in claim 7, the “the turn number of the second primary coil is different from the turn number of the first primary coil” as recited in claim 8, and the “a sum of the turn number of the first primary coil and the turn number of the second primary coil is four to eight times the turn number of the secondary coil” of claim 9 must be shown or the feature(s) canceled from the claim(s). No new matter should be entered.
Corrected drawing sheets in compliance with 37 CFR 1.121(d) are required in reply to the Office action to avoid abandonment of the application. Any amended replacement drawing sheet should include all of the figures appearing on the immediate prior version of the sheet, even if only one figure is being amended. The figure or figure number of an amended drawing should not be labeled as “amended.” If a drawing figure is to be canceled, the appropriate figure must be removed from the replacement sheet, and where necessary, the remaining figures must be renumbered and appropriate changes made to the brief description of the several views of the drawings for consistency. Additional replacement sheets may be necessary to show the renumbering of the remaining figures. Each drawing sheet submitted after the filing date of an application must be labeled in the top margin as either “Replacement Sheet” or “New Sheet” pursuant to 37 CFR 1.121(d). If the changes are not accepted by the examiner, the applicant will be notified and informed of any required corrective action in the next Office action. The objection to the drawings will not be held in abeyance.
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.
Claims 1, 6 and 7 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by deGroot (U.S. PG. Pub. No. 2016/0181008 A1).
With respect to claim 1, DeGroot teaches a transformer (FIGs. 14 and 15), comprising:
a bobbin 1500a (annotated FIG. 15); and
a plurality of coils1757, 1580, 1582a and 1582b, wound on the bobbin, wherein the plurality of coils comprises:
a first primary coil 1570;
a second primary coil 1574, located above the first primary coil, and electrically connected to the first primary coil (para. [0050] discloses first primary coil 570 and second primary coil 574 connected in series);
a secondary coil 1580, located between the first primary coil and the second primary coil;
a first auxiliary coil 1582a, located above the second primary coil; and
a second auxiliary coil 1582b, located above the first auxiliary coil, and electrically connected the first auxiliary coil, wherein a turn number of the first auxiliary coil is greater than a turn number of the second auxiliary coil (paras. [0092]-[0095]).
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With respect to claim 6, DeGroot teaches the transformer of claim 1, wherein the turn number of the secondary coil is smaller than the turn number of the first primary coil and the turn number of the second primary coil (para. [0053]).
With respect to claim 7, DeGroot teaches the transformer of claim 1, wherein a winding direction of the second primary coil is the same as a winding direction of the first primary coil (para. [0050]).
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, 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.
The factual inquiries for establishing a background for determining obviousness under 35 U.S.C. 103 are summarized as follows:
1. Determining the scope and contents of the prior art.
2. Ascertaining the differences between the prior art and the claims at issue.
3. Resolving the level of ordinary skill in the pertinent art.
4. Considering objective evidence present in the application indicating obviousness or nonobviousness.
Claims 2-4 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over DeGroot, as applied to claim 1 above, and further in view of Mi (U.S. PG. Pub. No. 2022/0037077 A1).
With respect to claim 2, DeGroot teaches the transformer of claim 1. DeGroot does not expressly teach
a first shielding layer and a second shielding layer, wherein the first shielding layer is located between the first primary coil and the secondary coil, and the second shielding layer is located between the second primary coil and the secondary coil.
Mi teaches a transformer 802 (FIG. 8A), comprising:
a first shielding layer 812 and a second shielding layer 816, wherein the first shielding layer is located between the first primary coil and the secondary coil, and the second shielding layer is located between the second primary coil and the secondary coil (para. [0040]). It would have been obvious before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to a person having ordinary skill in the art to incorporate the shielding layers as taught by Mi to the transformer of DeGroot to eliminate common mode noise (para. [0040]).
With respect to claim 3, DeGroot in view of Mi teaches the transformer of claim 2, wherein a wire diameter of the first shielding layer and a wire diameter of the second shielding layer are smaller than a wire diameter of the first primary coil, a wire diameter of the second primary coil and a wire diameter of the secondary coil (Mi, paras. [0040] and [0046]).
With respect to claim 4, DeGroot in view of Mi teaches the transformer of claim 2, wherein the turn number of the first shielding layer and the turn number of the second shielding layer are greater than at least one of the turn number of the first primary coil, the turn number of the second primary coil and the turn number of the secondary coil (Mi, paras. [0040] and [0046]).
Claim 5 is are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over DeGroot.
With respect to claim 5, DeGroot teaches the transformer of claim 1. DeGroot does not expressly teach the turn number of the first auxiliary coil is at least three times greater than the turn number of the second auxiliary coil. However, DeGroot expressly teaches the turn number of the first auxiliary coil is mor than two times greater than the turn number of the second auxiliary coil. Accordingly, it would be within the skill of a person with ordinary skill in the art to increase the number turns of the first auxiliary coils to provide the required electrical characteristics to the transformer. Therefore, 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 claimed auxiliary coils to provide the necessary voltage for the controller (para. [0094]) to meet design requirements.
Claims 8 and 9 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over DeGroot, as applied to claim 1 above, and further in view of Kitamura et al. (U.S. PG. Pub. No. 2006/0244398 A1, hereinafter “Kitamura”).
With respect to claim 8, DeGroot teaches the transformer of claim 1. DeGroot does not expressly teach the turn number of the second primary coil is different from the turn number of the first primary coil.
Kitamura teaches a transformer (FIG. 1), wherein the turn number of the second primary coil 2b is different from the turn number of the first primary coil 2a (para. [0024]). It would have been obvious before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to a person having ordinary skill in the art to provide the different turns of the first primary and second primary coils as taught by Kitamura to the transformer of DeGroot to increase the mutual inductance between the first primary coils and the secondary coil (para. [0024]).
With respect to claim 9, DeGroot teaches the transformer of claim 1. DeGroot does not expressly teach a sum of the turn number of the first primary coil and the turn number of the second primary coil is four to eight times the turn number of the secondary coil.
Kitamura teaches a transformer (FIG. 1), wherein a sum of the turn number of the first primary coil and the turn number of the second primary coil is four to eight times the turn number of the secondary coil (para. [0024] and by visual inspection). 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 number of turns of the primary and secondary coils as taught by Kitamura to the transformer of DeGroot to provide the required turn ratios to meet design requirements.
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 PTO-892.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to MANGTIN LIAN whose telephone number is (571)270-5729. The examiner can normally be reached Monday-Friday 0800-1700.
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If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Shawki S. Ismail can be reached at 571-272-3985. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/MANG TIN BIK LIAN/ Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2837
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