ELECTRICAL DEVICE ASSEMBLY, CONVERTER, AND POWER CONVERSION DEVICE

Application No. 18/418,483

• Filed: Jan 22, 2024
• Priority: Jan 27, 2023 — JP 2023-010754
• Examiner: WHITTINGTON, KENNETH
• Assignee: Sumitomo Electric Industries Ltd.
• OA Round: 1 (Non-Final)

Office Action

NON-FINAL OFFICE ACTION
This non-final Office action addresses U.S. Application Serial No. 18/418,483, entitled ELECTRICAL DEVICE ASSEMBLY, CONVERTER, AND POWER CONVERSION DEVICE.
Claims 1-10 are pending in this application.
Claims 1 and 4-8 are rejected.
Claims 2, 3, 9 and 10 are objected to.

I. PRIORITY
Examiner acknowledges the claim of foreign priority to Japanese Patent Application No. JP2023-010754, filed January 27, 2023.

II. CLAIM INTERPRETATION
After careful review of the original specification, the prosecution history, and unless expressly noted otherwise by the Examiner, the Examiner is unable to locate any lexicographic definitions (either express or implied) with the required clarity, deliberateness, and precision with regard to pending and examined claims. Because the Examiner is unable to locate any lexicographic definitions with the required clarity, deliberateness, and precision, the Examiner concludes that Applicant is not his own lexicographer for the pending and examined claims. See MPEP §2111.01(IV).
The Examiner further finds that because the pending and examined claims herein recite neither “step for” nor “means for” nor any substitute therefore, the examined claims fail Prong (A) as set forth in MPEP §2181(I). Because all examined claims fail Prong (A) as set forth in MPEP §2181(I), the Examiner concludes that all examined claims do not invoke 35 U.S.C. §112(f). See also Ex parte Miyazaki, 89 USPQ2d 1207, 1215-16 (B.P.A.I. 2008)(precedential)(where the Board did not invoke 35 U.S.C. § 112(f) because “means for” was not recited and because applicant still possessed an opportunity to amend the claims).
Because of the Examiner’s findings above that Applicant is not his own lexicographer and the pending and examined claims do not invoke 35 U.S.C. §112(f) the pending and examined claims will be given the broadest reasonable interpretation consistent with the specification since patentee has an opportunity to amend claims. See MPEP §2111, MPEP §2111.01 and In re Yamamoto et al., 222 USPQ 934 (Fed. Cir. 1984). Under a broadest reasonable interpretation, words of the claim must be given their plain meaning, unless such meaning is inconsistent with the specification. See MPEP §2111.01(I). It is further noted it is improper to import claim limitations from the specification, i.e., a particular embodiment appearing in the written description may not be read into a claim when the claim language is broader than the embodiment. See MPEP §2111.01(II).

III. CLAIM REJECTIONS – 35 U.S.C. §103
The following is a quotation of the appropriate paragraphs of 35 U.S.C. §103 that form the basis for the rejections under this section made 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.

III.A. Obviousness Rejections Applying Aisaka and Lin
Claims are rejected under 35 U.S.C. §103 as being unpatentable over Japanese Publication No. JP2-21-077791 to Yuto Aisaka et al. (hereinafter “Aisaka”) in view of U.S. Patent No. 6,402,449 to Frank Lin (hereinafter “Lin”).
Regarding claim 1, Aisaka teaches:
1. An electrical device assembly comprising:
See Aisaka title “Reactor.” See also Aisaka FIGS. 1 and 2, reprinted below:

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Aisaka FIG.1 Aisaka FIG. 2
an electrical device; and
See Aisaka titled reactor and see FIG. 1 above, reactor coil 3.
a resin member integrated with the electrical device, wherein the resin member includes a socket having a socket hole into which a polygonal nut or a polygonal bolt head is to be fitted, the socket hole includes an opening,

See Aisaka FIGS. 1 and 2 above, note resin member 5 having a nut hole 7 at the end of a protrusion.
a guide surface inclined so as to approach a central axis of the socket hole while extending from the opening toward a back of the socket hole, and

See Aisaka FIG. 2 above note nut hole 7 has a tapered or inclined surface at the outer portion thereof for guiding nut 21 into the hole.
a housing portion connected to the guide surface and having a polygonal shape smaller than the opening in a cross-section orthogonal to the central axis,

See Aisaka FIG. 2 above, note housing portion, i.e., inside of nut hole 7, has a hexagonal shape smaller than the opening in a cross section orthogonal to the central axis of the nut hole 7.
the guide surface has a plurality of segments partitioned by virtual line segments passing through the central axis and

See Aisaka FIG. 2 above, note inclined/tapered surface of the nut hole 7 has a plurality of segments that can be partitioned by “virtual” line segments.
However, while the housing portion of Aisaka has a hexagon cross section, Aisaka does not teach opened corners.
Nevertheless, in a similar field of endeavor involving hexagonal socket connectors, Lim discloses in FIG. 4, reprinted below, a socket connector for socket head having a hexagonal opening/housing portion for receiving a hexagonal tool,

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Lim FIG. 4
Wherein respective corner portions of the housing portion when viewed in a direction along the central axis, at least one of the segments is a first segment, the first segment includes a first end portion and a second end portion each serving as a boundary with another segment when viewed in a direction along the central axis, and a central portion located between the first end portion and the second end portion, and the central portion protrudes so as to be closer to the opening than the first end portion and the second end portion are.

See Lim FIG. 4 wherein the hexagonal opening/housing portion 1 for receiving a hexagonal tool has opened and rounded corner portions 12 with central portions between. Thus, Lim teaches each side segment of the hexagonal opening/housing portion has two rounded end portions with a central portion in between which is closer to the opening than the end portions. It would have been obvious at the time the invention was made to incorporate the opened and rounded portions as taught by Lin in the hexagonal housing portion of Aisaka. One having ordinary skill in the art would do so to distribute the stress “in an attempt to prevent cracking as frequently occurred in a conventional screw.” See Lim col. 1, lines 42-46.
Regarding claim 4, Aisaka and Lim teach the device of claim 1 and further:
4. The electrical device assembly according to claim 1, wherein the plurality of segments include two segments arranged at symmetrical positions when viewed in a direction along the central axis, and the two segments are each the first segment.

Note combination of Aisaka and Lim for claim 1. Further note that the hexagonal opening/housing portion in each reference has six symmetrical sides.
Regarding claim 5, Aisaka and Lim teach the device of claim 1 and further:
5. The electrical device assembly according to claim 1, wherein the corner portions are each shaped as an arc protruding away from the central axis.

Note combination of Aisaka and Lim for claim 1. Further see Lim FIG. 4 above, note each rounded corner portions 12 which protrude away from the central axis.
Regarding claim 6, Aisaka and Lim teach the device of claim 1 and further:
6. The electrical device assembly according to claim 1, wherein the electrical device is a set of a coil and a core that constitute a reactor, and the resin member is a resin molded member that integrates the coil and the core with each other.

Note combination of Aisaka and Lim for claim 1. Further see Aisaka FIGS. 1 and 2 above, note device shown is a reactor and has a coil 3 and a core 4 provided in a resin housing 5.
Regarding claim 7, Aisaka and Lim teach the device of claim 6 and further:
7. A converter comprising the electrical device assembly according to claim 6.

See discussion of features for claim 6 above.
Regarding claim 8, Aisaka and Lim teach the device of claim 7 and further:
8. A power conversion device comprising the converter according to claim 7.

See discussion of features for claim 7 above.

IV. ALLOWABLE SUBJECT MATTER
Claims 2, 3, 9 and 10 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. Regarding these claims, the prior art cited in this application does not shown or teach portions connecting the central portion to the end portions are inclined surfaces as recited in the claims an in combination with the other features of the claims.

V. INFORMATION MATERIAL TO PATENTABILITY
Applicant is reminded of the continuing obligation under 37 C.F.R. §1.56 to timely apprise the Office of any information which is material to patentability of the claims under consideration in this application.

VI. CONCLUSION
Claims 1 and 4-8 are rejected.
Claims 2, 3, 9 and 10 are objected to.
The prior art made of record which is considered pertinent to Applicant’s disclosure is listed on the document titled ‘Notice of Reference Cited’ (“PTO-892”). Unless expressly noted otherwise by the Examiners, all documents listed on the PTO-892 are cited in their entirety.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the Examiner should be directed to KENNETH WHITTINGTON whose telephone number is [phone]. The Examiner can normally be reached on 8:30am - 5:00pm, Monday - Friday.
If attempts to reach the Examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the Examiner’s supervisor, Andrew J. Fischer, SPE Art Unit 3992, can be reached at [phone]. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is [phone].
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/KENNETH WHITTINGTON/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3992

Prosecution Timeline

• Jan 22, 2024: Application Filed
• Sep 24, 2026: Non-Final Rejection mailed — §103 (current)