For 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 .
Claims 1-2, 4-9, and 11-12 are pending in this application. Claims 3 and 10 are canceled. Claims 1-2, 4, 9, and 11 are amended.
Continued Examination Under 37 CFR 1.114
A request for continued examination under 37 CFR 1.114, including the fee set forth in 37 CFR 1.17(e), was filed in this application after final rejection. Since this application is eligible for continued examination under 37 CFR 1.114, and the fee set forth in 37 CFR 1.17(e) has been timely paid, the finality of the previous Office action has been withdrawn pursuant to 37 CFR 1.114. Applicant's submission filed on 04/15/26 has been entered.
Election/Restrictions
Claim 8 withdrawn from further consideration pursuant to 37 CFR 1.142(b) as being drawn to a nonelected Species 2, there being no allowable generic or linking claim. Election was made without traverse in the reply filed on 08/15/2025.
Drawings
The drawings were received on 12/17/25. These drawings are acceptable. Previous drawing objection is withdrawn.
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.
Claims 1-2 and 4-5 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Shudarek (US20060250207A1) and further in view of Njiende et al. (US 20170054378 A1), hereinafter Njiende.
Regarding claim 1, Shudarek discloses an inductor (figs 2, three-phase inductor 18) comprising: a magnetic member (fig 2, common core 30) comprising a first portion (fig 2, core leg 34), a second portion (fig 2, core leg 36), a third portion (fig 2, core leg 35), a first connecting portion, and a second connecting portion (fig 2, first core bridge 31 and second core bridge 32) the first and second connecting portions connecting the first portion, the second portion and the third portion (fig 2, first and second core bridges connect the first second and third core legs in the same manner as connecting portions 14a and 14b of fig 1A in the instant application; 31 runs horizontally on top of the three cores and 32 runs horizontally on the bottom connecting the three core between the two bridges), the first and second connecting portions allowing formation of a magnetic flux circulating between the first portion and the third portion, a magnetic flux circulating between the second portion and the third portion, and a magnetic flux circulating between the first portion and the second portion (par [0024] “the magnetic flux produced by each coil flows in the same direction through the first core bridge 31 and in the same direction in the second core bridge 32 as represented by the dashed lines with arrows”; see dashed lines with arrows in fig 2; The core bridge 31 (top yoke) and second core bridge 32 (middle yoke) complete the magnetic circuit, enabling three distinct circulation paths for the magnetic flux generated by the windings. Left Inner Loop circulates locally between the first vertical leg 34 and the third center leg 35. Right Inner Loop circulates locally between the second vertical leg 36 and the third center leg 35. Outer Boundary Loop circulates along the entire outer perimeter, directly linking the first leg 34 and the second leg 36); the first portion and the second portion being spaced apart from each other in a first direction, the third portion being located between the first portion and the second portion in the first direction (fig 2, horizontally spaced is considered the first direction. first vertical leg 34 and second vertical leg 36 are horizontally spaced apart, with the third vertical leg 35 positioned directly between them in the middle), the first connecting portion and the second connecting portion being spaced apart from each other in a second direction perpendicular to the first direction, the first connecting portion being continuous with one end of each of the first portion, the second portion, and the third portion (fig 2 shows gaps 41, 42, and 47 that would make 31 not continuous with legs 34, 35, and 36, however pars [0022-0023] offer alternative placement of these gaps which would allow each core bridge 31/32 to be continuous with the legs 34,35,and 36), the first connecting portion extending in the first direction, the second connecting portion being continuous with another end of each of the first portion, the second portion, and the third portion, the second connecting portion extending in the first direction (fig 2, vertical arrangement can be considered the second direction; The first core bridge 31 and second core bridge 31 are spaced apart vertically, which is perpendicular to the horizontal legs. 31 runs horizontally and connects the top ends of all three legs 34, 35, and 36. 32 runs horizontally and connects the bottom ends of all three legs 34, 35, and 36); a first winding (fig 2, 21) wound around the first portion (fig 2, shown wound around 34); a second winding (fig 2, 23) wound around the second portion (fig 2, shown wound around 36); and a third winding (fig 2, 22) wound around the third portion (fig 2, shown wound around 35) and connected between the first winding and the second winding (fig 2, winding 22 shown connected between windings 21 and 23), a direction of a magnetic flux generated in the third portion by a current flowing through the first winding and a direction of a magnetic flux generated in the third portion by a current flowing through the second winding being opposite to each other (fig 2, see dashed line with arrows; directions flowing through core 35 are opposite left in the down direction and right in the up direction; fig 2 inductor 18 is substantially identical to the instant application fig 1A; par [0026] “Current flowing through the pair of inductor coils (21, 24), (22, 25) or (23, 26) for a given electrical phase produces magnetic flux that flows”; Magnetic flux is generated by passing an electric current through the coils/windings and is channeled through the magnetic core structure, flowing along the closed-loop paths indicated by the dashed arrows; claim 18 “magnetic fluxes in each of the first, second, third, fourth, fifth and-sixth legs”).
Shudarek does not show connections of the winding in fig. 2 and therefore does not disclose one end of the third winding being connected to the first winding and another end of the third winding being connected to the second winding.
Njiende discloses an integrated magnetic component including series resonant inductors and parallel inductors and with multiple windings around multiple core legs with a configuration such that the magnetic flux is reduced by flux cancellation resulting in increased power density and reduce copper and core losses. Njiende discloses one end of the third winding (fig 4, See node leaving first winding 123 connecting third winding S1/P1) being connected to the first winding (fig 4, winding 123) and another end of the third winding being connected to the second winding (fig 4, See node leaving third winding S1/P1 connecting second winding 124)(fig. 4 produced below, see nodes boxed in Red). Additionally, Njiende discloses continuous/adjoining core elements between two choke elements par [0015] however air gaps may be placed (this teaching suggests that air gaps are a design choice and optional).
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It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify the teachings of Shudarak and incorporate the connection of windings as taught by Njiende. The advantage of this design is that the windings can be connected in such a way to be able to reduce magnetic flux by flux cancellation.
Regarding claim 2, Shudarek and Njiende disclose the inductor according to claim 1, wherein a distance between the first portion and the third portion is equal to a distance between the second portion and the third portion (Shudarek fig 2, first core and second core are spaced identical to what is shown in fig 1A in the instant application; third core 35 is shown between first core 34 and second core 36; the distance between cores appears to be substantially equal, identical to instant application fig 1A).
Regarding claim 4, Shudarek and Njiende disclose the inductor according to claim 1, wherein a cross-sectional area of the first portion is same as a cross-sectional area of the second portion (Shudarek fig 2, cross-section area of first core 34 and second core 36 appear to be equal).
Regarding claim 5, Shudarek and Njiende disclose the inductor according to claim 1, wherein a number of turns of the first winding is equal to a number of turns of the second winding (Shudarek fig 2, the number of turns of the first 21 and second 23 windings appear to be equal).
Claims 6-7, 9, and 11-12 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Shudarek (US20060250207A1) and Njiende et al. (US 20170054378 A1) as applied to claim 1 above, and further in view of Lu et al (US 20210083590 A1), hereinafter Lu.
Regarding claim 6, Shudarek and Njiende disclose the inductor according to claim 1.
Shudarek and Njiende fail to disclose a power conversion circuit comprising: an inverter circuit; an output circuit; the inductor connected between the inverter circuit and the output circuit; and a capacitor connected between an output node of the inverter circuit and at least one of the first winding and the second winding.
Lu discloses an isolated resonant converter that includes a first side circuit, a second side circuit, and a resonant tank circuit. Lu discloses a power conversion circuit (fig 18 shows three-phase bidirectional isolated resonant converter) comprising: an inverter circuit (fig 18, inverter circuit to the left of the three integrated magnetic elements); an output circuit (fig 18, output circuit to the right of the three integrated magnetic elements); the inductor (fig 18, inductor components of three integrated magnetic elements) connected between the inverter circuit and the output circuit (fig 18, inverter circuit to the left of the inductor components and the output circuit to the right of the inductor components with inductor components appearing in the middle of the two circuits); and a capacitor (fig 18, C.sub.r11) connected between (fig 18, shown between) an output node of the inverter circuit (fig 18, see each branch between the first side circuit and inductor components) and at least one of the first winding and the second winding (fig 18, capacitor C.sub.r11 connected between first side circuit and inductor windings).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify the teachings of Shudarek and Njiende and incorporate power conversion circuit as taught by Lu. The advantage of this design is to include an integrated magnetic inductor with multiple windings and cores into a conventional resonant power converter.
Regarding claim 7, Shudarek, Njiende, and Lu disclose the power conversion circuit according to claim 6, wherein the capacitor arrangement (see Lu fig 18, capacitors C.sub.r11, C.sub.r21, and C.sub.r31) comprises a first capacitor (Lu fig 18, capacitor C.sub.r11) connected to the first winding (Lu fig 18, L.sub.r11) and a second capacitor (Lu fig 18, capacitor C.sub.r21) connected to the second winding (Lu fig 18, L.sub.r21).
Regarding claim 9, Shudarek, Njiende, and Lu disclose the power conversion circuit according to claim 6, wherein the first core and the second core are spaced apart from each other in a first direction (Shudarek fig 2, first core and second core are spaced identical to what is shown in fig 1A in the instant application), the third core is located between the first core and the second core in the first direction (Shudarek fig 2, third core 35 is shown between first core 34 and second core 36), and a distance between the first core and the third core is equal to a distance between the second core and the third core (see Shudarek fig 2, the distance between cores appears to be substantially equal, identical to instant application fig 1A).
Regarding claim 11, Shudarek, Njiende, and Lu disclose the power conversion circuit according to claim 6, wherein a cross-sectional area of the first portion is same as a cross-sectional area of the second portion (Shudarek fig 2, cross-section area of first core 34 and second core 36 appear to be equal).
Regarding claim 12, Shudarek, Njiende, and Lu disclose the power conversion circuit according to claim 6, wherein a number of turns of the first winding is equal to a number of turns of the second winding (Shudarek fig 2, the number of turns of the first 21 and second 23 windings appear to be equal).
Conclusion
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/LAUREN ASHLEY SHAW/Examiner, Art Unit 2838
/THIENVU V TRAN/ Supervisory Patent Examiner, Art Unit 2838
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