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 .
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)(2) the claimed invention was described in a patent issued under section 151, or in an application for patent published or deemed published under section 122(b), in which the patent or application, as the case may be, names another inventor and was effectively filed before the effective filing date of the claimed invention.
Claim(s) 1-3 and 10 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(2) as being anticipated by Tominaga et al. [US 5,821,844].
Regarding claim 1, Tominaga et al. discloses a device [figure 9], comprising:
a first magnetic core with at least one annular path for a magnetic flux, wherein the first magnetic core has two interconnected annular paths for a magnetic flux formed by three legs and interconnections of first ends of the three legs [11e, 11e, 1c] and interconnections of second ends of the legs, wherein the first magnetic core comprises a main air gap [sheet 52], which is arranged in a third leg of the legs;
a first magnet [4a] arrangement having at least one permanent magnet in the at least one annular path of the first magnetic core; and
a first coil [3] being wound around the first magnetic core, wherein the at least one annular path has a first section with parallel sub paths, wherein a first sub path of the sub paths comprises a first bypass air gap [sheet 51] and a second sub path of the sub paths is a continuous path comprising the first magnet arrangement [figure 9].
Regarding claim 2, Tominaga et al. discloses a first leg [11e] of the legs comprises the first section (S1) with the parallel sub paths [figure 9], wherein a second leg [11e] of the legs comprises a second section with parallel sub paths [figure 9], wherein a first-third sub path of the sub paths comprises a second bypass air gap [filled by sheet 51] and a second-fourth sub path of the sub paths is a continuous path comprising a second magnet arrangement having at least one permanent magnet [4], wherein the first coil [3] is wound around the third leg [1c] and wherein the first magnet arrangement and the second magnet arrangement cause a magnetic flux in the same rotational sense.
Regarding claim 3, Tominaga et al. discloses in the first section the first sub path is straight, and the second sub path does not overlap the first sub path; and/or in the second section the first sub path is straight and the second sub path does not overlap the first sub path [figure 9].
Regarding claim 10, Tominaga the coil [3] arranged in proximate at the main gap of the third core leg [figure 9].
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) 4-8 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Tominaga et al. in view of Chen et al. [CN 106057395].
Regarding claim 4, Tominaga et al. disclose the instant claimed invention except for the specific arrangement of the permanent magnet.
Chen et al. discloses a magnetic core structure [figure 2] having three legs with gaps formed in the three legs. Chen et al. further discloses the first section the second sub path comprises a first part being arranged perpendicular to the first straight sub path, a second part adjacent to the first part being arranged parallel to the first straight sub path and a third part adjacent to the second part being arranged perpendicular to the first straight sub path; and/or, in the second section the second sub path comprises a first part being arranged perpendicular to the first straight sub path, a second part adjacent to the first part being arranged parallel to the first straight sub path and a third part adjacent to the second part being arranged perpendicular to the first straight sub path [figure 2].
It would have been an obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art, before the effective filing date of the claimed invention, to use the permanent magnet arrangement of Chen et al. in Tominaga et al. for the purpose of improving magnetic loops/flux/field desired.
Regarding claim 6, Chen et al. discloses the use of permanent magnets and magnetic core [figure 2].
Regarding claims 5, and 7-8, Chen et al. discloses the use of permanent magnets and other permanent magnets arrange [figures 3-16]. The specific use of permanent magnets arrangement would have been an obvious design consideration for the purpose of improving magnetic fields/flux. The specific length of the gap relative to the permanent magnets would have been an obvious design consideration for the purpose of facilitating different desired magnetic flux/field.
Claim(s) 9 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Tominaga et al. in view of JP2553017Y2.
Regarding claim 9, Tominaga et al. disclose the instant claimed invention except for the specific of the main gap.
JP2553017Y2 discloses a magnetic core for a magnetic device [figures 1-5] having a third leg [2, 21, 34] with a main gap, wherein the main gap having stepping structure [figures 1-5].
It would have been an obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art, before the effective filing date of the claimed invention, to use the stepping structure design of JP2553017Y2 in Tominaga et al. for the purpose of improving strength and/or reducing breakage.
Claim(s) 11-13 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Tominaga et al.
Regarding claim 11, Tominaga et al. discloses the use of soft magnetic material for the magnetic core. Iron is a known material use for the magnetic core.
The specific material use for the permanent magnet(s) would have been an obvious design consideration for the purpose providing a lighter device. Also, neodymium is a known permanent magnet use in a gapped inductor structure.
Regarding claims 12-13, the specific use of the device in other applications such as an arrangement of a switching device or electric circuit connected to a DC grid would have been an obvious design consideration based on the intended applications and/or environments uses.
Conclusion
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/TUYEN T NGUYEN/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2837
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