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 § 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) 1-5, and 7-10 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over US 2017/0158042 to Miyazawa in view of WO 2022/194452 to Pavlicek.
As to claim 1, Miyazawa discloses; (Fig.4) a power converter (IN1) mounted on a drive device (1) for a vehicle, the drive device comprising a motor unit (MG) and a gear unit (TM), the power converter comprising; a power module (PM) comprising at least one power semiconductor element (SW, fig.3);
a plate ([0059] ln.5) being in thermal connection with the at least one power semiconductor element, and a flow path defining member (CL) defining a coolant flow path (fig. 5, 44) together with the plate,
the flow path defining member (CL) is integrated into the plate (fig. 5), wherein a coolant ([0089], lines 2-3 cooling water) flows through the coolant flow path, and the power converter (IN1) is arranged together with the motor unit (MG) and the gear unit (TM) along a vehicle width direction of the vehicle (see fig. 1, all elements arranged on axis A1 which is in the vehicle width direction, similarly if a two story building is along a road, both the first and second story are along the road, the road being the widthwise A1 axis). Miyazawa fails to disclose; a metal plate being in thermal connection with the at least one power semiconductor element, and a flow path defining member including a plastic material and defining a coolant flow path together with the metal plate, the flow path defining member is integrated into the metal plate. Pavlicek teaches a power converter comprising; a metal plate (fig. 3, 108) being in thermal connection with a power semiconductor element (112), a flow path defining member (121) including a plastic material (p.10, l. 5-7) and defining a coolant flow path (the space where fluid 116 travels) together with the metal plate, and the flow path defining member is integrated into the metal plate (p. 10, l. 24-25). It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art at the time of the effective filing date of the filing to modify the power converter of Miyazawa with that of Pavlicek to facilitate ease in assembly, a light weight product, and allow efficient cooling as taught by Pavlicek (p. 2, l. 13-16).
As to claim 9, Miyazawa discloses a drive device for a vehicle, comprising: a motor unit (MG) comprising a motor configured to drive a wheel of the vehicle ([0046] l. 3); a gear unit (TM) comprising at least one gear; and a power converter (IN1) electrically connected to the motor ([0046] l. 3, fig. 4) and arranged together with the motor unit (EN) and the gear unit (TM) along a vehicle width direction of the vehicle (fig. 1, all elements arranged on axis A1 which is in the vehicle width direction), wherein the power converter comprises: a power module (PM) comprising at least one semiconductor element (SW, fig. 3). Miyazawa fails to disclose a metal plate thermally connected with the at least one power semiconductor element; and a flow path defining member including a plastic material, integrated into the metal plate and defining a coolant flow path together with the metal plate such that a coolant flows through the coolant flow path. Pavlicek teaches a power converter comprising a metal plate (fig. 3, 108) thermally connected with a power semiconductor element (112); and a flow path defining member (121) including a plastic material (p. 10, ll. 23-24) and defining a coolant flow path together with the metal plate such that coolant (116) flows through the coolant flow path. It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art at the time of the effective filing date of the filing to modify the power converter of Miyazawa with that of Pavlicek to facilitate ease in assembly, a light weight product, and allow efficient cooling as taught by Pavlicek (p. 2, l. 13-16).
Modified Miyazawa disclose all of the limitations of claim 1. Modified Miyazawa fails to disclose;
As to claim 2, the power converter according to claim 1, wherein the flow path defining member is integrated into the metal plate by holding an end of an outer edge of the metal plate.
As to claim 3, the power converter according to claim 2, wherein the flow path defining member is integrated into the metal plate by insert molding.
As to claim 4, the power converter according to claim 3, wherein the flow path defining member comprises a sidewall portion surrounding the metal plate along the outer edge of the metal plate and defining a recess defined by the metal plate and the sidewall portion.
As to claim 5, The power converter according to claim 4, further comprising a cover member including a plastic material and closing an opening of the recess.
Pavlicek teaches;
As to claim 2, the power converter according to claim 1, wherein the flow path defining member is integrated into the metal plate by holding an end (fig. 3 left and right sides of 108) of an outer edge of the metal plate (as seen in fig. 3, where element 121 supports the left and right sides of the base of plate 108).
As to claim 3, the power converter according to claim 2, wherein the flow path defining member is integrated into the metal plate by insert molding (p. 10, ll. 19-25).
As to claim 4, the power converter according to claim 3, wherein the flow path defining member comprises a sidewall portion (fig. 3 121) surrounding the metal plate along the outer edge of the metal plate and defining a recess defined by the metal plate and the sidewall portion.
As to claim 5, The power converter according to claim 4, further comprising a cover member (122) including a plastic material and closing an opening (fig. 3, bottom between two left and right sidewalls 121) of the recess.
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art at the time of the effective filing date of the filing to modify the power converter of Miyazawa with that of Pavlicek to facilitate ease in assembly, a light weight product, and allow efficient cooling as taught by Pavlicek (p. 2, l. 13-16).
As to claim 7, modified Miyazawa discloses the power converter according to claim 1, and a motor (MG) configured to be driven by power supplied through the power converter ([0046] l. 3).
As to claim 8, modified Miyazawa discloses the drive device of claim 7, wherein the drive device is configured to drive a vehicle wheel ([0046] l. 3).
As to claim 10, modified Miyazawa discloses the drive device according to claim 9, wherein the motor unit (MG) further comprises a motor housing that houses the motor (fig. 4) the gear unit (TM) further comprises a gear housing (fig. 1) that houses the at least one gear, the power converter (IN1) further comprises a converter housing (fig. 4, 60,66) that houses the power module (PM), and the motor housing, the gear housing and the converter housing are fixed together and arranged along the vehicle width direction (fig. 1, all elements are arranged on axis A1 which is in the vehicle width direction, similarly if a two story building is along a road, both the first and second story are along the road, the road being the widthwise A1 axis).
Claim(s) 6 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over US 2022/0087062 to Kuriyagawa et al. in view of US 2015/0008574 to Gohara et al.
As to claim 6, Kuriyagawa discloses a method comprising preparing an assembly base by integrally molding ([0070] ll. 11-14) a flow path defining member (3) including a plastic material ([0070] l. 13 resin) into a metal plate (2) to be thermally connected with a heat generating component ([0058] l. 1) , the flow path defining member defining a coolant flow path ([0012] l. 1) for a coolant together with the metal plate. Kuriyagawa is silent as to after preparing the assembly base assembling a power module onto the assembly base. Gohara teaches a power module (10, fig.2) being cooled in a similar fashion. It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art at the time of the effective filing date of the filing to modify the cooling device of Kuriyagawa with a power module as taught by Gohara for the purposes of cooling the power module by liquid cooling.
Conclusion
Applicant's amendment necessitated the new ground(s) of rejection presented in this Office action. Accordingly, THIS ACTION IS MADE FINAL. See MPEP § 706.07(a). Applicant is reminded of the extension of time policy as set forth in 37 CFR 1.136(a).
A shortened statutory period for reply to this final action is set to expire THREE MONTHS from the mailing date of this action. In the event a first reply is filed within TWO MONTHS of the mailing date of this final action and the advisory action is not mailed until after the end of the THREE-MONTH shortened statutory period, then the shortened statutory period will expire on the date the advisory action is mailed, and any nonprovisional extension fee (37 CFR 1.17(a)) pursuant to 37 CFR 1.136(a) will be calculated from the mailing date of the advisory action. In no event, however, will the statutory period for reply expire later than SIX MONTHS from the mailing date of this final action.
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/JAMIL ALEXANDER DECKER/ Examiner, Art Unit 2835
/ROBERT J HOFFBERG/ Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2835
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