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 .
Response to Arguments
Applicant’s amendments filed 5/19/2026 have addressed the objection to the title and the indefiniteness type rejection of the claims.
Applicant's arguments filed 5/19/2026 with respect to the prior art rejections have been fully considered but they are not persuasive. Applicant argues Cheon fails to disclose wherein the third winding comprises a first end part and a second end part, the first end part and the second end part are horizontally crossed, and a projection overlapping area is formed. As can be seen in Figure 3, the end parts of the winding 22’-23’ are shown terminating at the connector on layers 22-1 and 23-2. It is clear from Figure 3 that the end parts must cross in the horizontal direction in the vicinity between the connector holes where the clockwise trace projects from the winding to the second connector hole overlaps the counterclockwise projection from the winding to the first connector hole.
Applicant argues the external circuits of primary and secondary sides are electrically isolated and the ends of the windings are not disposed on the same port of the channel. However, the secondary winding 24’ is not the identified first, second or third winding, instead the windings 21, 25’ and 26’ are used. A new secondary reference has been introduced in the rejections below to address the new limitations of the claimed plurality of switches.
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.
Claim(s) 1 and 3-4 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Cheon (US 2019/0027293) in view of Simbeck (US 2023/0017174).
With respect to claim 1, Cheon discloses a power conversion device, comprising: a magnetic component (Fig. 2 100), wherein the magnetic component comprises a magnetically permeable core (Fig. 2 111,112) and three windings (Fig. 3 21,25’,26’), the magnetically permeable core comprises two core plates (Fig. 2 111,112) and at least two magnetic legs (Fig. 2 111b,111a,112a,112b), the at least two magnetic legs are arranged between the two core plates, and a channel (Fig. 2 space between 111b and 111a; space between 112a,112b) between every two adjacent magnetic legs is a winding channel; wherein the magnetically permeable core further comprises a first port (Fig. 2 end of channel) of the channel and a second port (Fig. 2 other end of channel) of the channel which are opposite to each other, the first port of the channel and the second port of the channel are located between two side faces (Fig. 2 front and back sides of 111, 112) of two core plates, and the winding channel penetrates through the first port of the channel and the second port of the channel; wherein the three windings (Fig. 3 22-23,25’,26’) penetrate through the winding channel respectively, each winding in the three windings comprises a first end and a second end (Fig. 3 beginning and termination ends); wherein the three windings are respectively a first winding (Fig. 3 25’), a second winding (Fig. 3 26’) and a third winding (Fig. 3 21), and the second end (Fig. 3 non via end of 25’) of the first winding and the second end (Fig. 3 non via end of 26’) of the second winding have different polarities (Fig. 3 25’ and 26’ wound opposite directions) and are electrically connected (Fig. 3 25’ and 26’ connected at connector);
wherein the first end (Fig. 3 via end of 21,25, and 26) and the second end of each of the first winding, the second winding and the third winding (Fig. 3 21,25,26) are disposed on a first port (Fig. 3 primary side port) of the channel; wherein the third winding (Fig. 3 21) comprises a first end part (Fig. 3 connector end of 22’ on 22-1) and a second end part (Fig. 3 connector end of 23’ on 23-2), the first end part and the second end part are horizontally crossed, and a projection overlapping area is formed (Fig. 3 crossed at the connector terminals), wherein the power conversion device further comprises:
a winding substrate (Fig. 3 21,25,26), wherein the three windings are arranged in the winding substrate, the winding substrate comprises only one magnetically-permeable-core hole (Fig. 3 129), and the magnetically-permeable-core hole is configured to allow the magnetic legs to pass through; wherein the first winding, the second winding and the third winding are configured to be electrically connected devices through the connector. Cheon does not disclose more than one magnetically-permeable-core hole and remains silent as the devices connected to the three windings.
Simbeck discloses wherein the power conversion device further comprises: a winding substrate (Fig. 2 16), wherein the windings are arranged in the winding substrate, the winding substrate comprises at least two magnetically-permeable-core holes (Fig. 2 holes in 16 to receive 20), and the magnetically-permeable-core holes are configured to allow the magnetic legs (Fig. 2 legs of 20) to pass through; wherein the windings are configured to be electrically connected to a plurality of devices (Fig. 7 components connected to windings in 10); wherein the plurality of devices are disposed on the winding substrate (Fig. 7 substrate) and at the same side (Fig. 7 same side as 10) of the magnetically permeable core. It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to implement wherein the power conversion device further comprises: a winding substrate, wherein the three windings are arranged in the winding substrate, the winding substrate comprises at least two magnetically-permeable-core holes, and the magnetically-permeable-core holes are configured to allow the magnetic megs to pass through; wherein the first winding, the second winding and the third winding are configured to be electrically connected to a plurality of switches; wherein the plurality of switches are disposed on the winding substrate and at the same side of the magnetically permeable core, in order to reduce the size of the power conversion device and to use switches to efficiently convert the power to the windings and arrange the switches adjacent to the windings to utilize the available space.
With respect to claim 3, Cheon in view of Simbeck make obvious the power conversion device of claim 1 as set forth above, wherein the first winding and the second winding respectively comprise a first end part (Fig. 3 end of 25’ and 26’ near the via), and the first end part (Fig. 3 end part of 25’ near the via) of the first winding and the first end part (Fig. 3 end part of 26’ near the via) of the second winding are not horizontally crossed (Fig. 3 space between via ends of 25’ and 26’) to form a projection overlapping area.
With respect to claim 4, Cheon in view of Simbeck make obvious the power conversion device of claim 1, wherein the number of the at least two magnetic legs is three (Fig. 2 legs 111b,111a and 112b), the three magnetic legs are respectively a first side leg, a middle leg and a second side leg, the first side leg, the middle leg and the second side leg are arranged in the same direction (Fig. 2 legs arranged front to back), and a channel between every two adjacent magnetic legs is a winding channel (Fig. 2 channels between E legs); wherein each winding (Fig. 3 windings) sequentially passes through the two winding channels and is wound around the middle leg for at least one circle.
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 2 and 6-13 are objected to for being dependent upon a rejected claim, but would be allowable if rewritten in independent form including all of the limitations of the base claim and the intervening claim. See the action dated 2/19/2026 for the reasons for indicating allowable subject matter for claim 6. The following is a statement of reasons for the indication of allowable subject matter for claim 2:
With respect to claim 2, the prior art does not disclose or suggest, in combination with the limitations of the base claim and any intervening claims, primarily, wherein the plurality of switches include an upper switch, a middle switch and a lower switch; wherein the upper switch, the middle switch and the lower switch are sequentially and electrically connected in series to form a switch bridge arm.
The aforementioned limitations in combination with all remaining limitations of the respective claims are believed to render the aforementioned indicated claim and any dependent claims thereof patentable over the art of record.
Conclusion
Applicant's amendment necessitated the new ground(s) of rejection presented in this Office action. Accordingly, THIS ACTION IS MADE FINAL. See MPEP § 706.07(a). Applicant is reminded of the extension of time policy as set forth in 37 CFR 1.136(a).
A shortened statutory period for reply to this final action is set to expire THREE MONTHS from the mailing date of this action. In the event a first reply is filed within TWO MONTHS of the mailing date of this final action and the advisory action is not mailed until after the end of the THREE-MONTH shortened statutory period, then the shortened statutory period will expire on the date the advisory action is mailed, and any nonprovisional extension fee (37 CFR 1.17(a)) pursuant to 37 CFR 1.136(a) will be calculated from the mailing date of the advisory action. In no event, however, will the statutory period for reply expire later than SIX MONTHS from the mailing date of this final action.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to HARRY RAYMOND BEHM whose telephone number is (571)272-8929. The examiner can normally be reached M-F: 8-5 EST.
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/HARRY R BEHM/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2838
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