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 .
Status of Claims and of this Action
Applicant's response filed June 21, 2026 has been entered. Claims 1–20 are pending. Claims 1, 10, and 19 are currently amended.
Upon further consideration, the rejections of claims 1–20 set forth in the previous Office action are withdrawn. New grounds of rejection are set forth below. Because the new grounds are not necessitated by Applicant's amendment — in particular, claim 19 was amended only to address antecedent-basis informalities, and the new grounds against claims 1 and 10 do not arise solely from the amended limitations — this action is made NON-FINAL. For clarity of the record, Sato and Kono, applied in rejections in the previous Office action, are no longer relied upon in any ground of rejection in this action.
Response to Arguments
Applicant's arguments filed with the response have been fully considered but are moot in view of the withdrawal of the previous grounds of rejection and the new grounds of rejection set forth below, which rely on a new primary reference (Inoue, US 2006/0232939) not applied in the previous action. To the extent the arguments are directed to the newly applied combination, they are addressed in the respective grounds below.
It is additionally noted, for the completeness of the record, that several of Applicant's arguments are not commensurate with the scope of the claims: (a) the arguments directed to claim 19 rely on "plate-shaped," "thermally conductive," and clamping-force limitations that claim 19 as amended does not recite; (b) the arguments directed to claim 10 rely on the "clamping force … while limiting deformation" clause that appears only in claim 1; and (c) arguments concerning NVH performance, creepage, A285 steel, and design intent rely on features described in the specification but not recited in the claims. In re Self, 671 F.2d 1344 (CCPA 1982); MPEP 2145(VI). These observations are made for the record; the previous grounds are withdrawn for the independent reasons stated in paragraph 3.
Claim Objections
Claim 19 is objected to because of the following informality: the claim recites "a second side of the rigid member" (last clause) although no "first side" is recited; the claim earlier recites "an upper side and a lower side." It is suggested that "a second side" be amended to "the lower side" (or that "first side"/"second side" terminology be used consistently throughout). For purposes of examination, "a second side" is interpreted as the side of the rigid member opposite the upper side to which the resilient member is affixed. Claim 19 is further objected to because the resilient-member element recites "affixed to an upper side of the rigid member" although "an upper side" is already introduced in the preceding rigid-member element; it is suggested that the second recitation be amended to "the upper side." For purposes of examination, the two recitations are understood to refer to the same upper side.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 112
9. The following is a quotation of the first paragraph of 35 U.S.C. 112(a):
(a) IN GENERAL.—The specification shall contain a written description of the invention, and of the manner and process of making and using it, in such full, clear, concise, and exact terms as to enable any person skilled in the art to which it pertains, or with which it is most nearly connected, to make and use the same, and shall set forth the best mode contemplated by the inventor or joint inventor of carrying out the invention.
Claim 1 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 112(a) as failing to comply with the written description requirement. The claim contains subject matter which was not described in the specification in such a way as to reasonably convey to one skilled in the relevant art that the inventor or a joint inventor, at the time the application was filed, had possession of the claimed invention. Claim 1, as amended, recites that the resilient member is compressed "to generate a clamping force pressing the transistor against the thermally conductive lower surface while limiting deformation of the rigid member." The specification as filed describes the rigid members 375 as configured from A285 steel plate and "used to increase the stiffness of the transistor carrier 320 and to prevent deformation of the transistor carrier 320 resulting from the compression of the resilient members 350" (spec. ¶0027). The specification thus describes the rigid member as limiting deformation of the transistor carrier; it does not describe limiting deformation of the rigid member itself as recited. For purposes of examination, the limitation is interpreted consistent with ¶0027 as reciting that compression of the resilient member is accommodated while deformation attributable to that compression is limited by the rigid member. Claims 2–9 are rejected for their dependence from claim 1. The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 112(b): (b) CONCLUSION.—The specification shall conclude with one or more claims particularly pointing out and distinctly claiming the subject matter which the inventor or a joint inventor regards as the invention.
Claim 18 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 112(b) as being indefinite. Claim 18 recites "the lower surface of the switching transistor." There is insufficient antecedent basis for "the switching transistor" in the claim: claim 10, from which claim 18 depends, recites "a transistor" and does not recite a switching transistor. For purposes of examination, "the switching transistor" is interpreted as referring to the transistor recited in claim 10. Appropriate correction is required.
Claim Interpretation
13. The following claim interpretations are placed on the record and are applied in the grounds of rejection below:
(a) Orientation terms. The terms "upper," "lower," "above," and "below" as recited in the claims are relative orientation terms. The claims do not recite a frame of reference (e.g., a gravitational reference or a mounting orientation) fixing these directions. Under the broadest reasonable interpretation, such relative orientation terms do not distinguish a prior art structure that discloses the claimed elements in the claimed relative arrangement but depicted in a different absolute orientation (e.g., inverted). The mappings below therefore identify prior art structures whose depicted orientation is inverted relative to the claim wording; the claimed relative arrangement of the elements is nonetheless fully met.
(b) "In contact with." The limitation "the thermally conductive lower surface is in contact with an upper surface of the transistor" is met by the direct-abutment arrangement of Inoue at ¶0305–0306 (metallic heat radiating plate of the module in contact with the heat sink; module-side plate set to the same electric potential as the heat sink). To the extent an embodiment interposes a thermally conductive interface layer, it is noted that Applicant's own disclosure describes pressing the upper surface of the switching transistor against the lower surface of the coolant pocket, the positive pressure assuring contact between the coolant pocket and the switching transistors (spec. ¶0028, 0030–0031); the direct-contact embodiment of Inoue is relied upon in any event.
(c) "Silicon pad" (claims 8, 13) is interpreted, consistent with the specification's description of the resilient member as "a silicon pad or an integrated spring" (spec. ¶0028), as encompassing a silicone-based resilient pad. Inoue's "insulation heat radiating sheet of a silicone system" and "silicone rubber sheet" (¶0268, ¶0277) fall within this interpretation.
(d) Statements of intended use (claim 5). A recitation of the intended use of the claimed invention must result in a structural difference between the claimed invention and the prior art in order to distinguish the claimed invention from the prior art. If the prior art structure is capable of performing the intended use, it meets the claim. MPEP 2114(II).
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.
Claims 1, 2, 3, 6, 8, 10, 11, 13, 16, and 17 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Inoue (US 2006/0232939) in view of Onishi (US 2023/0046160).
Re claim 1: Inoue discloses An inverter module (three-phase inverter device of figs. 44, 47–48; ¶0244–0250, 0262) comprising: a rigid frame having an aperture (heat sink 110 having a pair of side wall portions 111 projected on both sides of the semiconductor module, the region between the side wall portions receiving the module; ¶0302; fig. 53; see also stopper 1101 regulating lateral position, ¶0308); a plate-shaped rigid member mechanically affixed to the rigid frame within the aperture (fixing member 112 formed by a metallic plate having a beam portion 1121 and leg portions 1122, fixed to the heat sink by screws 113; ¶0264, 0273, 0302; figs. 49, 53; the fixing member is made of a metallic material such as Cu or aluminum, ¶0271); a transistor positioned within the aperture (card-type semiconductor module 150 containing semiconductor switching element 222, an NMOS transistor; ¶0245–0246, 0264; positioned between the side wall portions 111, fig. 53); a thermally conductive resilient member arranged within the aperture between a lower surface of the transistor and an upper surface of the rigid member (insulation heat conducting member 120 — an insulation heat radiating sheet of a silicone system / silicone rubber sheet — arranged between the metallic heat radiating plate of module 150 and the lower face of the beam portion 1121 of the fixing member; ¶0268 (contact face 116), 0274, 0277; figs. 48–49; the member is expressly heat conducting and is a resilient silicone sheet) (orientation inverted per Interpretation ¶13(a): the claimed "lower surface of the transistor" corresponds to the module surface facing the fixing member, and the claimed "upper surface of the rigid member" corresponds to the beam face facing the module); and a coolant pocket having a thermally conductive lower surface in contact with an upper surface of the transistor, wherein the resilient member is compressed between the lower surface of the transistor and the upper surface of the rigid member in response to the coolant pocket being affixed to the rigid frame (heat sink 110 is a metallic (aluminum) body of a water cooling structure forming a cooling flow path therein, ¶0263, 0324 (water cooling flow path 160 arranged within the heat sink; fig. 58); the module's heat-sink-side metallic heat radiating plate is in contact with the upper face of the heat sink, ¶0305–0306, fig. 54; when the fixing member 112 is fastened to the heat sink 110 by the screws 113, the semiconductor module 150 is strongly pressed against the heat sink through the compressed heat conducting members, ¶0264, 0276; figs. 48–49) to generate a clamping force pressing the transistor against the thermally conductive lower surface (the compression of the resilient member is what generates the pressing force: upon fastening, the semiconductor module 150 is strongly pressed against the heat sink 110 by the hard heat conducting member 120, ¶0276; ¶0264: "The fixing members 112 individually press the semiconductor modules 150, 250 against an upper face of the heat sink 110"; figs. 48–49) while limiting deformation of the rigid member (the beam-type fixing member of fig. 49 is a rigid metallic beam whose legs seat on the heat sink such that fastening compresses the interposed conducting members rather than deforming the beam; see also ¶0300, in which the beam portion has a large elastic modulus in the thickness direction of the semiconductor module). Inoue thus discloses every structural and functional element of the claimed clamping stack. Inoue does not explicitly disclose (i) the coolant pocket being mechanically affixed to the rigid frame (in Inoue the flow-path-containing portion and the side wall portions are portions of the same heat sink body), or (ii) the compression being described as occurring "in response to the coolant pocket being affixed to the rigid frame" (in Inoue the compression arises upon fastening the fixing member to the heat sink — i.e., upon the final fastening of the same clamped assembly, with the coolant-carrying body as the stationary part). Onishi discloses an inverter semiconductor module in which the coolant pocket is mechanically affixed to the remainder of the module: cooling case 220 encloses coolant channels 230a, 230b and coolant flowing therein (¶0048–0049, 0051, 0058; figs. 1B, 1D), and the cooling case is fastened to the casing 60 and heat-dissipation base 10 by fasteners 70a, 70b passing through aligned openings 234 (¶0100–0103; figs. 7A–7B), the fasteners making the cooling case easier to fix (¶0103), and the cooling case forms a portion of the outer housing (¶0048, 0051, 0103–0104). It would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify the inverter device of Inoue such that the coolant-carrying portion of the heat sink is provided as a coolant pocket mechanically fastened to the frame portion, as taught by Onishi, in order to permit the coolant-carrying case to be manufactured and sealed separately and attached by fasteners, which Onishi teaches makes the cooling case easier to fix (¶0103), with a sealing material interposed at the mating surfaces (¶0104), and because making integral parts separable, or separable parts integral, is within the level of ordinary skill absent a showing of criticality, MPEP 2144.04(V). With the coolant pocket so provided as the separately affixed part, the compression of the resilient member arises "in response to the coolant pocket being affixed" in the combined device: fastening the clamped assembly together is what generates the compression in Inoue (¶0276), and it is not inventive to select which member of a mutually fastened clamp stack is held stationary and which is attached last; such a reversal or re-ordering of the parts of an assembly, without any change in their claimed cooperation, is an obvious matter of design choice. MPEP 2144.04(VI)(A) (In re Gazda).Re claim 10: Inoue in view of Onishi renders obvious a method of arranging an inverter module comprising: mechanically affixing a plate-shaped rigid member to a rigid frame (fixing member 112 fastened by screws 113 to heat sink 110 / side wall portions 111; ¶0264, 0273, 0302; figs. 48–49, 53); positioning a thermally conductive resilient member on the rigid member within an aperture of the rigid frame (insulation heat conducting member 120 positioned against the beam portion 1121; ¶0274; fig. 49); positioning a transistor on the resilient member such that a lower surface of the transistor is in contact with an upper surface of the resilient member (module 150 nipped between the heat sink and the beam with the conducting member 120 against the module's plate; ¶0273–0274; fig. 49); and rigidly affixing a coolant pocket having a thermally conductive lower surface to the rigid frame such that the thermally conductive lower surface is in contact with an upper surface of the transistor and wherein the resilient member is compressed between the lower surface of the transistor and an upper surface of the rigid member in response to the coolant pocket being affixed (the heat sink 110 is a metallic body of a water cooling structure forming a cooling flow path therein, ¶0263, 0324, figs. 48, 58; the module's heat-sink-side metallic heat radiating plate is in contact with the upper face of the heat sink, ¶0305–0306, fig. 54; when the fixing member 112 is fastened to the heat sink 110 by the screws 113, the semiconductor module 150 is strongly pressed against the heat sink through the compressed heat conducting members, ¶0264, 0276, figs. 48–49). Inoue thus discloses each recited act of arranging the clamped stack. Inoue does not explicitly disclose (i) the coolant pocket being rigidly affixed to the rigid frame as a separately provided part (in Inoue the flow-path-containing portion and the side wall portions are portions of the same heat sink body), or (ii) the compression occurring "in response to the coolant pocket being affixed" (in Inoue the compression arises upon fastening the fixing member to the heat sink — i.e., upon the final fastening of the same clamped assembly, with the coolant-carrying body as the stationary part). Onishi discloses an inverter semiconductor module in which the coolant pocket is mechanically affixed to the remainder of the module: cooling case 220 encloses coolant channels 230a, 230b and coolant flowing therein (¶0048–0049, 0051, 0058; figs. 1B, 1D), and the cooling case is fastened to the casing 60 and heat-dissipation base 10 by fasteners 70a, 70b passing through aligned openings 234 (¶0100–0103; figs. 7A–7B), the fasteners making the cooling case easier to fix (¶0103). It would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to perform the method of Inoue with the coolant-carrying portion of the heat sink provided as a coolant pocket rigidly affixed to the frame portion by fasteners, as taught by Onishi, in order to permit the coolant-carrying case to be manufactured and sealed separately and attached by fasteners, which Onishi teaches makes the cooling case easier to fix (¶0103), with a sealing material interposed at the mating surfaces (¶0104), and because making integral parts separable, or separable parts integral, is within the level of ordinary skill absent a showing of criticality, MPEP 2144.04(V). With the coolant pocket so provided as the separately affixed part, the compression of the resilient member arises "in response to the coolant pocket being affixed" in the combined method: fastening the clamped assembly together is what generates the compression in Inoue (¶0276), and it is not inventive to select which member of a mutually fastened clamp stack is held stationary and which is attached last; such a reversal or re-ordering of the parts of an assembly, without any change in their claimed cooperation, is an obvious matter of design choice. MPEP 2144.04(VI)(A) (In re Gazda). To the extent claim 10 is construed to require the recited order of steps, selection of the order of performing assembly steps of a clamped fastened stack, where the steps cooperate identically in any order of attachment, is prima facie obvious absent new or unexpected results. MPEP 2144.04(IV)(C) (In re Burhans). In the combination, the coolant pocket, being the separately fastened part per Onishi, is affixed as the final compressing step.Re claim 2: Inoue discloses wherein a compression of the resilient member results in an orthogonal force between the thermally conductive lower surface and the upper surface of the rigid member (fastening the screws presses the module against the heat sink face through the compressed member 120, generating a normal (orthogonal) clamping force through the stack; ¶0264, 0276; figs. 48–49).Re claim 3: Inoue discloses further including a switching control module for controlling the transistor to generate a three-phase alternating current for coupling to an electric motor (controller 130 outputs a control voltage to the gate electrode of each semiconductor element of the three-phase inverter circuit, which supplies electric power to three-phase alternating current motor 229; ¶0244–0251, 0267; fig. 44).Re claim 6: Onishi discloses wherein the coolant pocket further includes a coolant inlet (230a; fig. 1D; ¶0058, 0060) and a coolant outlet (230b; fig. 1D; ¶0058, 0061) and a plurality of fluid channels (cooling fins 210 forming a plurality of passages where the coolant flows; ¶0049, 0057; figs. 1B, 1D) for controlling a flow of a coolant such that heat is transferred between the coolant and the thermally conductive lower surface (¶0048–0049; fig. 1B). Inoue likewise discloses internal coolant passages (¶0324; fig. 58). The motivation to combine is set forth in the rejection of claim 1.Re claims 8 and 13: Inoue discloses wherein the resilient member is a silicon pad (insulation heat radiating sheet of a silicone system / silicone rubber sheet; ¶0268, 0277; figs. 48–49; see Interpretation ¶13(c)) configured to assert a force between the transistor and the rigid member in response to a compression of the silicon pad (the sheet is compressed between the module and the beam upon fastening and transmits the clamping force; ¶0274, 0276; fig. 49).Re claim 11: Onishi discloses wherein the inverter module includes an outer housing and wherein the coolant pocket forms a portion of the outer housing (cooling case 220 covers the lower and side surfaces of the cooling fins and forms the exterior bottom of module 100; ¶0048, 0051, 0103–0104; figs. 1B, 7A–7B). The motivation to combine is set forth in the rejection of claim 1.Re claim 16: Inoue discloses wherein the rigid member is an aluminum plate (the fixing member 112 is made by a metallic material having a good heat conducting property, e.g., Cu and aluminum; ¶0271; figs. 47–49; formed as a metallic plate, ¶0302; fig. 53).Re claim 17: Inoue discloses wherein the coolant pocket encloses a fluid coolant for extracting heat from the thermally conductive lower surface (water cooling structure forming a cooling flow path therein; cooling water of the water cooling flow path 160; ¶0263, 0324–0325; fig. 58); see also Onishi (coolant within cooling case 220; ¶0048–0049; fig. 1B).
Claims 9 and 15 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Inoue (US 2006/0232939) in view of Onishi (US 2023/0046160) as applied to claims 1 and 10 above.Re claims 9, 15: Inoue discloses wherein the rigid member is a metallic plate (¶0271, 0302; figs. 49, 53), including expressly an aluminum plate, but does not explicitly disclose wherein the plate is a steel plate. However, it would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to form the plate-shaped rigid member of Inoue of steel, in order to provide increased stiffness and strength so that the clamping force is applied to the transistor without undesired deflection of the pressing member — the very function Inoue assigns to the member by giving its beam portion a large elastic modulus in the thickness direction (¶0300) — since it has been held to be within the general skill of a worker in the art to select a known material on the basis of its suitability for the intended use as a matter of obvious engineering choice. In re Leshin, 125 USPQ 416. Steel is a conventional structural plate material of higher stiffness (elastic modulus) than aluminum, and its selection for a clamping beam requiring rigidity is a routine material substitution among known equivalents for that purpose.
Claim 18 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Inoue (US 2006/0232939) in view of Onishi (US 2023/0046160) as applied to claim 10 above, and further in view of Best (US 2010/0226096).Re claim 18: Inoue in view of Onishi discloses the method of claim 10, in which the resilient member transmits the clamping force between the rigid member and the transistor upon fastening (Inoue ¶0264, 0276; figs. 48–49), but does not explicitly disclose wherein the resilient member is configured to apply a force of 80 newtons. Best discloses a clamping member for pressing power semiconductor components against a cooling surface (title; ¶0002: pressing power components, particularly semiconductors such as transistors, against a cooling surface of a cooling flange) and expressly teaches that the contact pressure force between a power semiconductor and a cooling surface is a recognized, result-effective variable: "high pressure forces are required in order to ensure good heat transfer between the power semiconductor and the cooling surface," and the clamping member is configured such that "the necessary pressure force can be variably set" (¶0003, 0005); the clamping force is set by the tightening torque of the expanding screw to a defined pressure force (¶0008, 0023; expanding screw 18, figs. 1–2). It would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to configure the resilient member of the Inoue/Onishi module to apply a particular clamping force, such as 80 newtons, between the rigid member and the lower surface of the switching transistor, since Best establishes that clamping pressure at a semiconductor-to-cooling-surface interface is an art-recognized result-effective variable directly governing heat transfer, and it has been held that discovering an optimum value of a result-effective variable involves only routine skill in the art. In re Boesch, 617 F.2d 272, 205 USPQ 215 (CCPA 1980); MPEP 2144.05(II)(B). It is further noted that Applicant's specification presents 80 newtons as an exemplary value ("a desired force against the switching transistor 330, such as 80 Newtons"; spec. ¶0028) without any assertion or evidence of criticality of that particular value.
Claims 4, 7, 12, 14, and 19 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Inoue (US 2006/0232939) in view of Onishi (US 2023/0046160) as applied above, and further in view of Song (CN 110581656 — see translation of record).Re claim 19: Inoue discloses An inverter module (figs. 44, 47–48; ¶0244–0250, 0262) comprising: a coolant pocket having a coolant input, a coolant outlet and a plurality of coolant channels for controlling a flow of a coolant across an interior side of a thermally conductive wall of the coolant pocket (heat sink 110 of a water cooling structure forming a cooling flow path therein, ¶0263; water cooling flow path 160 within the heat sink, ¶0324–0325; fig. 58). To the extent Inoue's water cooling structure is not regarded as expressly disclosing the coolant input, the coolant outlet, and the plurality of coolant channels, Onishi discloses a coolant pocket having a coolant input (coolant channel 230a with opening 232a, through which coolant enters the cooling case; ¶0058, 0060; fig. 1D), a coolant outlet (coolant channel 230b with opening 232b, through which coolant flows out; ¶0058, 0061; fig. 1D), and a plurality of coolant channels for controlling a flow of a coolant across an interior side of a thermally conductive wall (cooling fins 210 forming a plurality of passages where the coolant flows within cooling case 220, the fins connected to the lower surface of the heat-dissipation base through which heat is dissipated; ¶0048–0049, 0051, 0057; figs. 1B, 1D). It would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to provide the water cooling structure of Inoue's heat sink with a coolant input, a coolant outlet, and a plurality of internal coolant channels as taught by Onishi, in order to circulate the coolant between an external apparatus and the cooling structure and to distribute the coolant flow across the heat-transferring wall for effective heat dissipation (Onishi ¶0048, 0060–0061); a rigid member having an upper side and a lower side (fixing member 112 having a beam portion 1121 with a module-facing face and an opposite face; ¶0273; fig. 49); a resilient member affixed to an upper side of the rigid member (insulation heat conducting member 120 arranged against the module-facing face of the beam portion; ¶0274; fig. 49) (orientation per Interpretation ¶13(a)); a transistor having a lower surface in contact with the resilient member and an upper surface in contact with an exterior side of the thermally conductive wall of the coolant pocket (module 150 containing switching element 222, one metallic heat radiating plate against member 120 and the opposite metallic heat radiating plate in contact with the upper face of the heat sink; ¶0274, 0305–0306; figs. 49, 54); a plurality of mechanical fasteners for mechanically affixing the rigid member to the coolant pocket such that the resilient member is compressed between the lower surface of the transistor and the upper side of the rigid member in response to the coolant pocket being affixed to the rigid member (screws 113 passing through holes in each of the leg portions 1122 and fastened to the heat sink 110; when the fixing member is fastened to the heat sink by the screws, the module is strongly pressed and the interposed conducting members are compressed; ¶0273, 0276; ¶0264; figs. 48–49). Inoue does not explicitly disclose a printed circuit board rigidly affixed to a second side of the rigid member and electrically coupled to the transistor through an aperture in the rigid member for coupling a direct current and a control signal to the transistor and for receiving a switched current from the transistor. Inoue does disclose a controller 130 arranged in parallel with the heat sink above the semiconductor modules and connected to the control electrode terminals of the modules (¶0251, fig. 44; ¶0267). Song discloses a printed circuit board (gate drive printed circuit board 160; fig. 1) rigidly affixed on the side of a rigid member (locator 140) opposite the transistors and electrically coupled to the transistors (125) through apertures in the rigid member (slits 142; the transistor leads 130 extend through the locator 140 and the laminated bus bar 150 to couple to the printed circuit board 160; fig. 1), for coupling a direct current (positive/negative DC inputs 152, 154 via laminated bus bar 150; fig. 1) and a control signal (the gate drive printed circuit board generates and provides control signals to switch the transistors on and off) to the transistors and for receiving a switched current from the transistors (the transistors convert the direct current into alternating current provided at output terminal 155 to drive an AC motor; fig. 1). (Song paragraph citations are to the numbered paragraphs of the CN 110581656 A publication, read with the English translation of record: ¶0027, 0030–0031, 0034–0037, 0066.) It would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to arrange the control board of Inoue as a printed circuit board rigidly affixed to the side of the rigid member opposite the transistor and electrically coupled to the transistor through an aperture in the rigid member, as taught by Song, in order to minimize the lead length between the transistors and their gate-drive circuitry and thereby improve switching performance, and to provide a compact vertically integrated module in which the board is supported directly on the clamping structure rather than requiring separate standoffs, consistent with Inoue's own teaching of arranging the controller directly above and parallel to the modules (¶0267).Re claim 4: Inoue discloses a printed circuit board electrically coupled to the transistor (controller 130 connected to the control electrode terminals; ¶0251, 0267; fig. 44) positioned above the modules such that the transistor, the rigid member, and the resilient member are positioned between the printed circuit board and the thermally conductive lower surface of the coolant pocket (controller 130 arranged in parallel with the heat sink above the semiconductor modules; ¶0267). Inoue does not explicitly disclose the printed circuit board affixed to the rigid frame. Song discloses a printed circuit board affixed within the module structure above the transistor stack (printed circuit board 160 secured in the stack via the dielectric gel tray 165 and fasteners 167; ¶0038; fig. 1). It would have been obvious to affix the board of Inoue to the frame as taught by Song for the reasons set forth for claim 19.Re claim 7: Inoue does not explicitly disclose wherein the resilient member is a spring finger. Song discloses resilient members in the form of spring clamps having finger portions engaging the transistors (spring clamps 145 coupled to the locator 140 and the side portions of the transistors 125 to hold and compress the respective transistors in place; ¶0031; fig. 1), and further teaches spring clips of metal material (spring clip 315 may include metal materials or alloy materials; ¶0052; fig. 3). It would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to form the resilient member of the Inoue/Onishi module as a spring finger as taught by Song, in order to apply a defined restoring force to hold the transistor in place while accommodating dimensional tolerances, as Song teaches for retaining transistors under compression.Re claim 12: Inoue discloses a thermally conductive resilient member configured to assert a force between the transistor and the rigid member in response to its compression (member 120; ¶0274, 0276; fig. 49) but does not explicitly disclose the resilient member being a spring finger. Song discloses spring-clamp retention of transistors under compression (spring clamps 145; ¶0031; fig. 1) and teaches that spring clips of the module may include metal materials (spring clip 315; ¶0052; fig. 3), metal spring elements being inherently thermally conductive. It would have been obvious to substitute or supplement the resilient sheet of Inoue with a thermally conductive (metal) spring finger as taught by Song, as the use of a metallic spring element provides the same clamping function while itself conducting heat, a known equivalence among resilient thermal-path elements (Inoue itself teaching both compliant sheets and elastically deforming metallic pressing members, ¶0300, 0302–0303; fig. 53).Re claim 14: Inoue discloses a controller arranged in parallel with the heat sink above the module stack (¶0267) but does not explicitly disclose the board affixed to the rigid frame with the transistor electrically coupled to the board through the aperture of the rigid frame through a plurality of leads. Song discloses a printed circuit board to which the transistors are coupled through a plurality of leads (leads 130 of transistors 125 extending through the locator 140 and laminated bus bar 150 to the printed circuit board 160; ¶0027, 0037; fig. 1). It would have been obvious to combine as set forth for claim 19, in order to minimize lead length and improve switching performance.
Claim 5 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Inoue (US 2006/0232939) in view of Onishi (US 2023/0046160) as applied to claim 1 above.Re claim 5: As interpreted at ¶13(d) above, Inoue further discloses wherein the inverter module is configured to generate a three phase alternating current (the inverter converts direct-current power into three-phase alternating-current power and outputs it to the electric motor, ¶0244–0251; fig. 44). The recitation "for driving an electric motor assisted centrifugal compressor" is a statement of the intended use of the claimed inverter module. A recitation of intended use must result in a structural difference to distinguish over the prior art; Inoue's inverter module, being configured to generate three-phase alternating current for driving an electric motor, is fully capable of driving the electric motor of an electric-motor-assisted centrifugal compressor. See MPEP 2114.
Claim 20 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Inoue (US 2006/0232939) in view of Onishi (US 2023/0046160) and Song (CN 110581656) as applied to claim 19 above, and further in view of Sakota (US 2020/0256343) and Asai (US 2010/0247349).
Re claim 20: Inoue in view of Onishi and Song teaches the inverter module of claim 19 as set forth above, wherein the switched current is coupled to an electric motor (Inoue ¶0244–0251; fig. 44). Inoue, Onishi, and Song do not expressly disclose the electric motor driving an impeller in a centrifugal compressor, or wherein the inverter module forms a portion of a housing of the centrifugal compressor. Sakota discloses a vehicular electric supercharger comprising a centrifugal compressor having a compressor impeller (31) on a rotary shaft (4), an electric motor (5) that rotates the shaft, and an inverter (6) that controls the rotational drive of the motor (figs. 1–2; ¶0018–0019, 0021–0023, 0027; see also ¶0029, the inverter 6 comprising IGBT/MOSFET switching elements cooled by an inverter cooling portion 10b of the machine's coolant line, fig. 1); Sakota further discloses that the centrifugal compressor may comprise an electric supercharger which does not include a turbine, being substantially driven by the electric motor (¶0020, 0071). Asai discloses an inverter accommodating section (4) integrally formed on the outer peripheral surface of the compressor housing (2) constituting the outer shell of an electric compressor (¶0056, ¶0059), the section connecting with the housing wall such that the power semiconductor devices are cooled through the housing wall (¶0061, ¶0073–0074). It would have been obvious to employ the inverter module of the Inoue/Onishi/Song combination as the inverter driving the electric motor of Sakota's centrifugal compressor, as the use of a known inverter module for its established function of driving a vehicular AC motor, in the known application Sakota provides; and to integrate that inverter module with the compressor housing as taught by Asai, to achieve the size reduction, compactness, and enhanced mountability demanded in dense vehicle engine compartments (Asai ¶0007).
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure:
US 2014/0291833 – is considered pertinent because this reference describes a semiconductor device.
US 2015/0282383 – is considered pertinent because this reference describes an electronic assembly for an inverter.
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/ZHENGFU J FENG/
Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2835 August 30, 2026
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