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 § 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) 1, 4, 6, 8 and 16-18 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Irion et al (US 2004/0160020) in view of Kimata et al (US 12,209,526). Regarding claim 1, Irion discloses, par. 0019-par. 0020, an induction heating coil unit comprises an induction heating coil (26) wherein conductors are wound around a predetermined axis line (Figure 1); and end wall portions ( 34+ 42) made of a soft magnetic material (par. 0020), the end wall portions (34+ 42) being disposed to cover at least a part of end portions on both sides of the induction heating coil (26) in an axial direction. However, Irion does not disclose each of conductors has an opposing surface opposing to an outer peripheral surface or an inner peripheral surface of the heating object, and wherein the opposing surface comprises a parallel portion extending parallel to the axis line. Kimata discloses, par. 0072-par. 0074, an induction heating coil unit each of conductors (4) has an opposing surface opposing to an outer peripheral surface or an inner peripheral surface of the heating object (1), and wherein the opposing surface comprises a parallel portion extending parallel to the axis line (Figure 7). It would have been obvious to one ordinary skill in the art before the effective filling date of the invention was made to utilize in Irion each of conductors has an opposing surface opposing to an outer peripheral surface or an inner peripheral surface of the heating object, and wherein the opposing surface comprises a parallel portion extending parallel to the axis line as taught by Kimata in order to heat the outer peripheral surface of the heating object. Regarding claim 4, Irion discloses a parallel part is provided over the entire (“at lest half”) extension width of an induction heating coil (Figure 1). Regarding claims 6 and 8, Irion discloses in a direction orthogonal to an axis, end wall parts mutually protrude from an inner edge and outer edge end sections of a coil (in particular, refer to the magnetic-pole piece (34) in Figure 1); and the induction heating coil unit has a magnetic shielding part (44) (‘back wall”) that is positioned so as to cover at least a part of the back thereof, and is configured by using a soft magnetic material. Regarding claims 16-18, Kimata discloses an exhaust-gas purification device 6 (“induction heating device”) that performs induction heating is provided with a honeycomb structure (1) (“object to be heated”) in which an induction heating coil unit is positioned on the outer periphery, the honeycomb structure (1) being induction-heated by an induction heating coil: the object to be heated is a honeycomb structure having a honeycomb structure part that has an outer peripheral wall (11) (“outer peripheral wall”) that is positioned inside of the outer peripheral wall, the partition wall (12) partitioning and forming cells (15) (“cell”) that form a flow path extending the honeycomb structure has magnetic particle (21) (“magnetic particles”).
Claim(s) 2-3 and 7 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Irion et al (US 2004/0160020) in view of Kimata et al (US 12,209,526), and further in view of JPS57195796U cited by applicant. Regarding claims 2-3, Irion/Kimata discloses substantially all features of the claimed invention except at least one of conductors each having corners in a cross section and conductors each having a flat cross section are wound around a predetermined axis. JPS57195796U discloses a conductor provided to an induction heating coil unit is fashioned into a flat shape having corners in the cross-section, and a parallel surface is provided to a surface facing an object to be heated (page 2, lines 12 to page 4, line 20, figures 1-2). It would have been obvious to one ordinary skill in the art before the effective filling date of the invention was made to utilize in Irion/Kimata a conductor provided to an induction heating coil unit is fashioned into a flat shape having corners in the cross-section, and a parallel surface is provided to a surface facing an object to be heated as taught by JPS57195796U in order to heat the outer peripheral surface of the heating object. Regarding claim 7, JPS57195796U discloses a configuration in which a conductor provided to an induction heating coil unit is formed into a sheet form that is thin in a direction orthogonal to an axis, and is wound in so as to be layered in said direction is a conventionally known feature (page 2, line 12 to page 4, line 20, Figure 1 and 2).
Claim(s) 5 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Irion et al (US 2004/0160020) in view of Kimata et al (US 12,209,526), and further in view of WO 2010/079570A1 cited by applicant. Regarding claim 5, Irion/Kimata discloses substantially all features of the claimed invention except each of the end wall portions has a plurality of spaced walls spaced apart from each other in a circumferential direction of the induction heating coil. WO 2010/079570A1 discloses, par. 0026-par. 0032, a first ferrite (98) (“end wall part”) that is provided to an electromagnetic induction heating unit (6) (“induction heating coil unit”) has plurality of separation walls arranged by being separated from each other in the circumferential direction of a coil (68) (“induction heating coil”). It would have been obvious to one ordinary skill in the art before the effective filling date of the invention was made to utilize in Irion/Kimata each of the end wall portions has a plurality of spaced walls spaced apart from each other in a circumferential direction of the induction heating coil as taught by WO 2010/079570A1 in order to provide shielding between the conductors of the coil.
Claim(s) 9 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Irion et al (US 2004/0160020) in view of Kimata et al (US 12,209,526), and further in view of JP2001-242727A cited by applicant. Regarding claim 9, Irion/Kimata discloses substantially all features of the claimed invention including Irion discloses a plurality of first intermediate walls made of a soft magnetic material (par. 0020), but does not disclose the first intermediate walls being spaced apart from each other in the extending direction of the axis line so as to be located between the conductors and extending in the direction orthogonal to the axis line. JP2001-242727A discloses, par. 0015, an induction heating coil unit has a plurality of ferrite caps (21) (“first intermediate walls”) that are separated from each other in the direction in which an axis extends so as to be positioned between conductors of coil (14s), and that extend in a direction orthogonal to the axis (Figure 5). It would have been obvious to one ordinary skill in the art before the effective filling date of the invention was made to utilize in Irion/Kimata the first intermediate walls being spaced apart from each other in the extending direction of the axis line so as to be located between the conductors and extending in the direction orthogonal to the axis line as taught by JP2001-242727A in order to provide shielding between the conductors of the coil.
Claim(s) 10 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Irion et al (US 2004/0160020) in view of Kimata et al (US 12,209,526), and further in view of JP 2011-124115A cited by applicant. Regarding claim 10, Irion/Kimata discloses substantially all features of the claimed invention except a plurality of second intermediate walls made of a soft magnetic material, the second intermediate walls being spaced apart from each other in the direction orthogonal to the axis line so as to be located between the conductors and extending in the extending direction of the axis line. JP 2011-124115A discloses, par. 0026-par. 0037, an induction heating coil unit has a plurality of magnetic body (7) (“intermediate walls”) that are configured by using soft magnetic bodies (“soft magnetic materials”), separated from each other in a direction orthogonal to an axis so as to be located between electric conductors (5), and extended in the direction in which the axis extends. It would have been obvious to one ordinary skill in the art before the effective filling date of the invention was made to utilize in Irion/Kimata a plurality of second intermediate walls made of a soft magnetic material, the second intermediate walls being spaced apart from each other in the direction orthogonal to the axis line so as to be located between the conductors and extending in the extending direction of the axis line as taught by JP 2011-124115A in order to provide shielding between the conductors of the coil.
Claim(s) 11-15 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Irion et al (US 2004/0160020) in view of Kimata et al (US 12,209,526), and further in view of JP2015-65081 cited by applicant. Regarding claim 11, Irion/Kimata discloses substantially all features of the claimed invention except each of surfaces of the conductors is covered with a soft magnetic material. JP2015-65081 discloses a surface of a center conductor (1) (“conductor”) of a high-frequency coil (70) is covered by a soft magnetic layer (2) (soft magnetic material”). It would have been obvious to one ordinary skill in the art before the effective filling date of the invention was made to utilize in Irion/Kimata the conductors is covered with a soft magnetic material as taught by JP2015-65081 in order to guide magnetic flux, suppress electromagnetic interference and reduce energy losses. Regarding claims 12-15, selecting the magnetic permeability of a soft magnetic material, the distances that an induction heating coil, end par, and end wall part are provided so as to have, and the thickness of a conductor are design matters that person skilled art could select, as appropriate.
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure: Tailor et al (US 2013/0341320) discloses induction heating apparatus for pipeline connections. Thomas et al (US 2003/0038130) discloses method an apparatus for delivery of induction heating to a workpiece.
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/QUANG T VAN/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3761 August 31, 2026
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