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 .
Information Disclosure Statement
The information disclosure statement (IDS) submitted on 04/30/2026 is in compliance with the provisions of 37 CFR 1.97. Accordingly, the information disclosure statement is being considered by the examiner.
Drawings
The drawings are objected to under 37 CFR 1.83(a). The drawings must show every feature of the invention specified in the claims. Therefore, the “the first, the second, and the third electrical windings are closer to the magnetic core than the fourth electrical winding” as recited in claim 1 and similar limitations in claim 6, “the upper and lower traces of the fourth electrical winding are wider than the upper and lower traces of the first, the second, and the third electrical windings” as claimed in claim 2 and similar limitations in claim 7, the “the upper traces of the first, the second, and the third electrical windings are on a different layer of the insulating substrate than the upper traces of the fourth electrical winding, and the lower traces of the first, the second, and the third electrical windings are on a different layer than the upper traces of the fourth electrical winding” of claim 4 and similar limitations in claim 9 and “a third winding extending through the hole, around the magnetic core, and around a portion of the first winding; wherein the first and the third windings only extend around the first half of the magnetic core; and at least one first turn of the second winding extends around the second half of the magnetic core” as recited in claim 11 must be shown or the feature(s) canceled from the claim(s). No new matter should be entered.
Corrected drawing sheets in compliance with 37 CFR 1.121(d) are required in reply to the Office action to avoid abandonment of the application. Any amended replacement drawing sheet should include all of the figures appearing on the immediate prior version of the sheet, even if only one figure is being amended. The figure or figure number of an amended drawing should not be labeled as “amended.” If a drawing figure is to be canceled, the appropriate figure must be removed from the replacement sheet, and where necessary, the remaining figures must be renumbered and appropriate changes made to the brief description of the several views of the drawings for consistency. Additional replacement sheets may be necessary to show the renumbering of the remaining figures. Each drawing sheet submitted after the filing date of an application must be labeled in the top margin as either “Replacement Sheet” or “New Sheet” pursuant to 37 CFR 1.121(d). If the changes are not accepted by the examiner, the applicant will be notified and informed of any required corrective action in the next Office action. The objection to the drawings will not be held in abeyance.
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.
Claims 11 and 13-15 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Kneller (U.S. PG. Pub. No. 2016/0111197 A1).
With respect to Claim 11, Kneller teaches a device (FIGs. 1A-3) comprising:
a substrate 301;
a magnetic core 304 in the substrate, including a hole 306, and divided into a first half 310 and 330 and a second half 320 opposite to the first half;
a first winding (“primary winding” para. [0051]) extending through the hole and around the magnetic core;
a second winding (“more than one auxiliary winding” para. [para. [0056] or “secondary winding” para. [0054]) extending through the hole and around the magnetic core; and
a third winding (“auxiliary winding” para. [0055]) extending through the hole, around the magnetic core, and around (“around” as claimed here is interpreted as “in or near one’s present place or situation” https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/around) a portion of the first winding; wherein
the first and the third windings only extend around the first half of the magnetic core; and
at least one first turn of the second winding extends around the second half of the magnetic core (paras. [0035], [0051], [0054]-[0056] and [0059]).
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With respect to claim 13, Kneller teaches the device of claim 11, wherein at least one second turn of the second winding extends around the first half of the magnetic core (paras. [0054] and or [0056]).
With respect to claim 14, Kneller teaches a module (FIGs. 1A-3) comprising:
a module substrate (“printed circuit board” (para. [0015]); and
the device of claim 11 mounted to the module substrate (paras. [0035], [0051], [0054]-[0056]).
With respect to claim 15, The module of claim 14, further comprising a synchronous rectifier; wherein
the second winding is connected to a gate of the synchronous rectifier (para. [0056]).
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.
The factual inquiries for establishing a background for determining obviousness under 35 U.S.C. 103 are summarized as follows:
1. Determining the scope and contents of the prior art.
2. Ascertaining the differences between the prior art and the claims at issue.
3. Resolving the level of ordinary skill in the pertinent art.
4. Considering objective evidence present in the application indicating obviousness or nonobviousness.
Claim 12 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Kneller, as applied to claim 11, in view of Cates, Jr. (U.S. Patent No. 9,190,204 B1, hereinafter “Cates”).
With respect to claim 12, Kneller teaches the device of claim 11, wherein
each of the first, the second, and the third windings (upper conductive traces 410-430 and upper conductive trace of “more than one auxiliary winding”) includes top and bottom traces connected by inner and outer traces;
the inner vias of the first, the second, and the third windings are located within the hole; and
the outer vias of the first, the second, and the third windings are located on an exterior of the magnetic core (paras. [0051], [0054]-[0056] and [0059]).
Cates teaches a device (FIGs. 1a-1c), wherein
the top traces 18a of the first winding 29 and the top traces 20a of the third winding 25 are on different layers of the substrate;
the bottom traces 18b of the first winding and the bottom traces 20a of the third winding are on different layers of the substrate (col. 6, lines 18-31). It would have been obvious before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to a person having ordinary skill in the art to use the different winding trace layers as taught by Cates to the device of Kneller to improve insulation that can tolerate higher temperature (col. 3, lines 62-67).
Claims 1, 4-6, 9 and 10 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Kneller in view of Cates.
With respect to claim 1, Kneller teaches an embedded magnetic component device (FIGs. 1A-3) comprising:
an insulating substrate 301 including a first side (upper side), a second side (lower side) opposite the first side, and a cavity 302;
a magnetic core 304 included in the cavity and including an inner periphery (inner side wall) and an outer periphery (outer side wall);
a first electrical winding (“primary winding” para. [0051]) that extends through the insulating substrate and around the magnetic core;
a second electrical winding (“secondary winding” para. [0054]) that extends through the insulating substrate and around the magnetic core;
a third electrical winding (“auxiliary winding” para. [0055]) that extends through the insulating substrate and around the magnetic core; and
a fourth electrical winding (“more than one auxiliary winding” para. [0056]) that extends through the insulating substrate and around the magnetic core, wherein
each of the first, the second, the third, and the fourth electrical windings includes:
upper traces (upper conductive traces 410-430 and upper conductive trace of “more than one auxiliary winding”) located on the first side of the insulating substrate;
lower traces (lower conductive traces 410-430 and lower conductive trace of “more than one auxiliary winding”) located on the second side of the insulating substrate;
inner conductive connectors (via conductors 312, 322, 332 and inner via conductors of “more than one auxiliary winding) extending through the insulating substrate adjacent to the inner periphery of the magnetic core, the inner conductive connectors respectively defining electrical connections between respective upper traces and respective lower traces; and
outer conductive connectors (via conductors311, 321, 331 and outer via conductors of “more than one auxiliary winding) extending through the insulating substrate adjacent to the outer periphery of the magnetic core, the outer conductive connectors respectively define electrical connections between respective first upper traces and respective first lower traces (paras. [0035], [0051], [0054]-[0056] and [0059]).
Kneller does not expressly teach
the first, the second, and the third electrical windings are closer to the magnetic core than the fourth electrical winding.
Cates teaches an embedded magnetic component (FIGs. 1a-1c), wherein
the first, the second, and the third electrical windings 29, 27 and 25 are closer to the magnetic core 33 than the fourth electrical winding 23 (col. 6, lines 18-31). It would have been obvious before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to a person having ordinary skill in the art to use the first to fourth windings as taught by Cates to the embedded magnetic component of Kneller to improve insulation that can tolerate higher temperature (col. 3, lines 62-67).
With respect to claim 4, Kneller in view of Cates teaches the embedded magnetic component device of claim 1, wherein
the upper traces of the first, the second, and the third electrical windings are on a different layer of the insulating substrate than the upper traces of the fourth electrical winding, and
the lower traces of the first, the second, and the third electrical windings are on a different layer than the upper traces of the fourth electrical winding (Cates, col. 6, lines 18-31).
With respect to claim 5, Kneller in view of Cates teaches the electrical circuit comprising:
a circuit substrate (“printed circuit board” para. [0015]); and
the embedded magnetic component device of claim 1 (claim 1 rejection above) mounted to a first surface of the circuit substrate (Kneller, para. [0015]).
With respect to claim 6, Kneller teaches a method of manufacturing an embedded magnetic component device (FIGs. 1A-3, FIG. 3 is provided for convenience), the method comprising:
forming a cavity 302 in an insulating substrate 301 that includes a first side (upper side) and a second side (lower side) opposite the first side;
installing a magnetic core 304 in the cavity, the magnetic core including an inner periphery (inner wall) and an outer periphery (outer wall);
forming a first electrical winding (“primary winding” para. [0051]) that extends through the insulating substrate and around the magnetic core;
forming a second electrical winding (“secondary winding” para. [0054]) that extends through the insulating substrate and around the magnetic core;
forming a third electrical winding (“auxiliary winding” para. [0055]) that extends through the insulating substrate and around the magnetic core; and
forming a fourth electrical winding (“more than one auxiliary winding” para. [0056]) that extends through the insulating substrate and around the magnetic core; wherein
each of the first, the second, the third, and the fourth electrical windings includes:
upper traces (upper conductive traces 410-430 and upper conductive trace of “more than one auxiliary winding”) located on the first side of the insulating substrate;
lower traces (lower conductive traces 410-430 and lower conductive trace of “more than one auxiliary winding”) located on the second side of the insulating substrate;
inner conductive connectors (via conductors 312, 322, 332 and inner via conductors of “more than one auxiliary winding) extending through the insulating substrate adjacent to the inner periphery of the magnetic core, the inner conductive connectors respectively defining electrical connections between respective upper traces and respective lower traces; and
outer conductive connectors (via conductors311, 321, 331 and outer via conductors of “more than one auxiliary winding) extending through the insulating substrate adjacent to the outer periphery of the magnetic core, the outer conductive connectors respectively defining electrical connections between respective first upper traces and respective first lower conductive traces (paras. [0035], [0051], [0054]-[0056] and [0059]).
Kneller does not expressly teach
the first, the second, and the third electrical winding are closer to the magnetic core than the fourth electrical winding.
Cates teaches a method of manufacturing an embedded magnetic component device (FIGs. 1a-1c), wherein
the first, the second, and the third electrical windings 29, 27 and 25 are closer to the magnetic core 33 than the fourth electrical winding 23 (col. 6, lines 18-31). It would have been obvious before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to a person having ordinary skill in the art to use the first to fourth windings as taught by Cates to the method of manufacturing an embedded magnetic component device of Kneller to improve insulation that can tolerate higher temperature (col. 3, lines 62-67).
With respect to claim 9, Kneller in view of Cates teaches the method of any claim 6, wherein
the upper traces connected to the first, the second, and the third electrical winding are on a different layer than the upper traces connected to the fourth electrical winding, and
the lower traces connected to the first, the second, and the third electrical winding are on a different layer than the lower traces connected to the fourth electrical winding (Cates, col. 6, lines 18-31).
With respect to claim 10, Kneller in view of Cates teaches a method of providing an electrical circuit, the method comprising:
providing a circuit substrate (Kneller, “printed circuit board” para. [0015]); and
mounting the embedded magnetic component device of claim 6 (claim 1 rejection above) to the circuit substrate (Kneller, para. [0015]).
Claims 2, 3, 7 and 8 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Kneller in view of Cates, as applied to claims 1 and 6 above, and further in view of Tange (U.S. PG. Pub. No. 2023/0335335 A1).
With respect to claims 2 and 7, Kneller in view of Cates teaches the embedded magnetic component device of claim 1 and the method of claim 6, respectively. Kneller in view of Cates does not expressly teach the upper and lower traces of the fourth electrical winding are wider than the upper and lower traces of the first, the second, and the third electrical windings.
Tange teaches an embedded magnetic component device (FIG. 6), wherein the upper and lower traces of the fourth electrical winding 130 are wider than the upper and lower traces of the first, the second, and the third electrical windings 120 (para. [0063]). It would have been obvious before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to a person having ordinary skill in the art to use the conductive traces as taught by Tange to the embedded magnetic component device or the method of Kneller in view of Cates to provide the required current density to meet design requirements.
With respect to claims 3 and 8, Kneller in view of Cates teaches the embedded magnetic component device of claim 1 and the method of claim 6, respectively. Kneller in view of Cates does not expressly teach the fourth electrical winding includes two outer conductive connectors between each respective first upper trace and respective first lower trace.
Tange teaches an embedded magnetic component device (FIG. 6), wherein the fourth electrical winding 130 includes two outer conductive connectors (two outer pillars) between each respective first upper trace and respective first lower trace (para. [0063]). It would have been obvious before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to a person having ordinary skill in the art to use two outer conductive connectors as taught by Tange to the embedded magnetic component device and or the method of Kneller in view of Cates to improve mechanical strength.
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure. A list of pertinent prior art is attached in form PTO-892.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to MANGTIN LIAN whose telephone number is (571)270-5729. The examiner can normally be reached Monday-Friday 0800-1700.
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/MANG TIN BIK LIAN/ Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2837
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