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 .
Specification
The title of the invention is not descriptive. A new title is required that is clearly indicative of the invention to which the claims are directed.
The following title is suggested: A POWER CONVERTER.
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.
Claim(s) 1, 4-6, 8-16, 18 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102a(1) as being anticipated by Zou et al. (U.S. 2022/0256700), hereafter Zou submitted by the applicant.
As to claims 1 and 11-12, Zou discloses a power converter (100A, para-0034) comprising:
a stack of circuit layers, which is a multilayer PCB (claims 11-12) (a PCB 101A having a plurality of layers, para-0055+) having a first surface (a top surface) and a hole (112, 114a, 114b) which extends through each of the circuit layers (101A), a portion of the circuit layers forming an energy transfer element (a transformer 10), the energy transfer element (10) comprising an input winding (11) having at least one winding layer (1401, para-0144) and an output winding (12) having at least one winding layer (1402), each winding layer including a winding and connections for electrical connectivity;
a magnetic core (131, 132, para-0136) positioned within the hole (112, 114) substantially perpendicular to the stack;
an area of the stack of circuit layers (PCB 101A) coplanar with the first surface and encompassing the windings (1401, 1402) and connections for electrical connectivity of the input and output windings (11, 12); and
power converter circuit (i.e. the components formed in the converter circuit 10) components mounted on a first surface of the stack (PCB 101A), the power converter circuit components comprising,
input circuit components (Cin, 4, Q1, and 6A) mounted within the area of the stack and external to the magnetic core (131, 132), wherein the input circuit components are electrically connected to the input winding (11); and
output circuit components (Cout, Q2, 7A, 8) mounted within the area of the stack and external to the magnetic core (131, 132), wherein the output circuit components are electrically connected to the output winding (12).
As to claim 13, Zou discloses a power converter (100A) comprising:
a magnetic core (131, 132) having a window;
a stack of circuit layers (101A) positioned within the window, a portion of the circuit layers forming an energy transfer element (10), the energy transfer element (10) comprising an input winding (11) having at least one winding layer (1401) and an output winding (12) having at least one winding layer (1402), each winding layer (1401, 1402) including a planar winding and connections for electrical connectivity;
an area of the stack (the area of the PCB 101A) encompassing the planar windings and connections for electrical connectivity of the input winding (11) and output winding (12);
power converter circuit components (Cin, Q1, 4, 6A, Cout, Q2, 7A, 8) mounted on a first surface of the stack and electrically connected to one of the input and output windings (11, 12), wherein the power converter circuit components (Cin, Q1, 4, 6A, Cout, Q2, 7A, 8) are mounted within the area of the stack and external to the magnetic core.
As to claims 4 and 15, Zou discloses a portion of the power converter circuit
components (i.e. element 6A or 7A, figure 1A) is mounted over a portion of the windings of the input and output windings (11, 12).
As to claim 5, Zou discloses the portion of the power converter circuit
Components (i.e. element 6A or 7A) is further mounted over a portion of the connections for electrical connectivity of the input and output windings (11, 12).
As to claims 6 and 16, Zou discloses a portion of the power converter circuits
components (i.e. elements 6A or 7A) is mounted over a portion of the connections for electrical connectivity of the input winding and the output winding.
As to claims 8-9, Zou discloses the magnetic core (131, 132) is an E-E shaped core, para-0137 or an E-I shaped core, para-0140.
As to claims 10 and 18, Zou discloses the power converter circuit components (100A) comprising a power switch (Q), a synchronous rectifier, a controller, a filter circuit, a sensing circuit, and a feedback circuit, para-0042-0063.
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) 2, 7, 14, 17 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Zou (‘700) in view of Jitaru (U.S. Patent 6,466,454).
Regarding claims 2 and 14, Zou disclose the first and second surfaces are substantially parallel to each other except for the power converter circuit components are further mounted on a second surface of the stack of circuit layers.
Jitaru teaches a power converter comprising a multilayer PCB (28) having top components (20a) mounted on the top surface, and bottom components (20b) mounted on the bottom surface, see figures 5A-5B.
It would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filling date to have a teaching of Jitaru employed in the power converter of Zou in order to enable complex circuit functionality in a compact space.
Regarding claims 7 and 17, Zou discloses all of the limitations of claimed invention except for a housing surrounding the stack, the magnetic core, and the power converter circuit components.
Jitaru teaches a housing (5) surrounding the stack (3), the magnetic core (9c), and the power converter circuit components (9a).
It would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filling date to have a teaching of Jitaru employed in the power converter of Zou in order to protect the power converter away from external impacts.
Allowable Subject Matter
Claim 3 is 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.
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/TUAN T DINH/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2848