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 .
Continued Examination Under 37 CFR 1.114
A request for continued examination under 37 CFR 1.114, including the fee set forth in 37 CFR 1.17(e), was filed in this application after final rejection. Since this application is eligible for continued examination under 37 CFR 1.114, and the fee set forth in 37 CFR 1.17(e) has been timely paid, the finality of the previous Office action has been withdrawn pursuant to 37 CFR 1.114. Applicant's submission filed on 08/06/2026 has been entered.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 112
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.
The following is a quotation of the first paragraph of pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112:
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 of carrying out his invention.
Claims 1 and 3-9 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 112(a) or 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), first paragraph, as failing to comply with the written description requirement. The claim(s) 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, or for applications subject to pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, the inventor(s), at the time the application was filed, had possession of the claimed invention. In claim 1 which recites, “a content of the silicon oxide or the aluminum oxide in the ceramic is at least 90 mass%” does not derive support in the originally filed specification. Applicant points out to para 0039-0041 for the support, but para recites, “the content of the constituent components in the inorganic insulating film 32 is 90 mass% or greater” and not the content of constituent in the ceramic is at least 90 mass%. Thus, claim 1 lack written description requirement.
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, 3-5 and 7-9 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Nakamura et al. (US 2021/0280347) in view of Fujita et al. (US 2022/0392676).
Regarding claims 1, 3-5, Nakamura discloses insulating material coated soft magnetic powder, which is a powder body of an insulating material coated soft magnetic particle 1, includes: a core particle 2 including a base portion 2a that includes a soft magnetic material, and an oxide film 2b that is provided on a surface of the base portion 2a and contains an oxide of an element contained in the soft magnetic material, and an insulating film 3b(corresponds to organic insulating film) in which a plurality of insulating nanoparticles 3a are attached to the core particle 2 (abstract). The insulating nanoparticles 3a corresponds to the inorganic insulating film of the present invention. The nanoparticles preferably contain at least one of aluminum oxide, silicon oxide (claim 3), where aluminum oxide or silicon oxide corresponds to ceramic and thus when either one of the two is present in ceramic, it would be obvious that content of the silicon oxide or aluminum oxide in ceramic would intrinsically be 100 mass%. Nakamura discloses the thickness of the oxide film 2b in the core particle 2 is 5 nm or more and 200 nm or less, the insulating property of the core particle 2 itself is improved (para 0126). The base portion 2a is preferably made of the soft magnetic material as a main raw material. The base portion 2a may contain impurities or additives in addition to the soft magnetic material. Examples of the additives include various metal materials, various non-metal materials, and various metal oxide materials (para 0037). Nakamura discloses a particle size of each nanoparticle is 1/50,000 or more and 1/100 or less relative to a particle size of the core particle (claim 1). Nakamura discloses a thickness of the oxide film is 5 nm or more and 200 nm or less and a thickness of the insulating film is 3 nm or more and 150 nm or less (claims 5-6). Nakamura discloses an insulating material coated soft magnetic powder, a powder magnetic core, a magnetic element, an electronic device, and a moving body (para 0002).
However, Nakamura fails to disclose that the organic film covering the surface of the inorganic insulating film includes a compound derived from a coupling agent having a hydrophobic functional group.
Whereas, Fujita teaches a coated soft magnetic powder comprising a soft magnetic powder; and an insulating coating film covering the particle surface of the soft magnetic powder (abstract); the insulating coating compound having a hydrophobic functional group derived from a coupling agent (para. 0037-0039), wherein the soft magnetic powder has an average particle size (D50) of about 3 mm (Page 11, Table 1-1, Example 1). The coating compound comprises a hydrophobic functional group which is a is a linear alkyl group having from 1 to 6 carbons (Fujita, para. 0039)
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art at the time the application was filed to include hydrophobic functional group derived from a coupling agent as taught by Fujita in the organic insulating film of Nakamura motivated by the desire to have improved wettability properties to soft magnetic powder and to form a uniform coating.
As Nakamura in view of Fujita discloses insulator-coated soft magnetic powder as presently claimed, it therefore would be obvious that the insulator-coated soft magnetic powder would intrinsically have a water content of from 30 ppm to 400 ppm, as measured by the Karl Fischer method at 250°C after the insulator-coated soft magnetic powder is left in an environment of atmospheric pressure, a temperature of 30°C, and a relative humidity of 80% for 24 hours.
Regarding claims 7-9, Nakamura discloses an insulating material coated soft magnetic powder, a powder magnetic core, a magnetic element, an electronic device, and a moving body (para 0002).
Claim(s) 6 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Nakamura et al. (US 2021/0280347) in view of Fujita et al. (US 2022/0392676) as applied to claim 1, further in view of Wakabayashi (US 2022/0250145).
Regarding claim 6, Fujita teaches the claimed insulating coated soft magnetic powder as discussed above, wherein the insulating coating compound comprises a short chain silane, but fails to disclose the hydrophobic functional group is a cylic-structure containing group.
Whereas, Wakabayashi discloses additive manufacturing powder includes: a metal powder; and a coating film provided on a particle surface of the metal powder and containing a compound derived from a coupling agent having a functional group. The additive manufacturing powder has an average particle diameter of 3.0 μm or more and 30.0 μm or less. The functional group includes a cyclic structure-containing group, a fluoroalkyl group, or a fluoroaryl group (abstract). Wakabayashi teaches silanes comprising an alkyl linear groups or a cyclic group are functionally equivalent as the insulating coating compounds for metal powder (Wakabayashi, para. 0085-0087 and 0092-0104).
It would have been obvious to expand the coating compound taught by Fujita to include silane having cyclic group as taught by Wakabayashi and include in the organic insulating film of Nakamura motivated by the desire to have excellent fluidity, good hydrophobicity and good heat resistance (para 0065-0066).
Claim(s) 1, 3-4 and 6-9 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Nakamura et al. (US 2021/0280347) in view of Wakabayashi (US 2022/0250145).
Regarding claims 1, 3-4, 6-9 Nakamura discloses insulating material coated soft magnetic powder, which is a powder body of an insulating material coated soft magnetic particle 1, includes: a core particle 2 including a base portion 2a that includes a soft magnetic material, and an oxide film 2b that is provided on a surface of the base portion 2a and contains an oxide of an element contained in the soft magnetic material, and an insulating film 3b(corresponds to organic insulating film) in which a plurality of insulating nanoparticles 3a are attached to the core particle 2 (abstract). The insulating nanoparticles 3a corresponds to the inorganic insulating film of the present invention. The nanoparticles preferably contain at least one of aluminum oxide, silicon oxide (claim 3), where aluminum oxide or silicon oxide corresponds to ceramic and thus when either one of the two is present in ceramic, it would be obvious that content of the silicon oxide or aluminum oxide in ceramic would intrinsically be 100 mass%. Nakamura discloses the thickness of the oxide film 2b in the core particle 2 is 5 nm or more and 200 nm or less, the insulating property of the core particle 2 itself is improved (para 0126). The base portion 2a is preferably made of the soft magnetic material as a main raw material. The base portion 2a may contain impurities or additives in addition to the soft magnetic material. Examples of the additives include various metal materials, various non-metal materials, and various metal oxide materials (para 0037). Nakamura discloses a particle size of each nanoparticle is 1/50,000 or more and 1/100 or less relative to a particle size of the core particle (claim 1). Nakamura discloses a thickness of the oxide film is 5 nm or more and 200 nm or less and a thickness of the insulating film is 3 nm or more and 150 nm or less (claims 5-6). Nakamura discloses an insulating material coated soft magnetic powder, a powder magnetic core, a magnetic element, an electronic device, and a moving body (para 0002).
However, Nakamura fails to disclose that the organic film covering the surface of the inorganic insulating film includes a compound derived from a coupling agent having a hydrophobic functional group.
Whereas, Wakabayashi discloses additive manufacturing powder includes: a metal powder; and a coating film provided on a particle surface of the metal powder and containing a compound derived from a coupling agent having a functional group. The additive manufacturing powder has an average particle diameter of 3.0 μm or more and 30.0 μm or less. The functional group includes a cyclic structure-containing group, a fluoroalkyl group, or a fluoroaryl group (abstract). Wakabayashi teaches silanes comprising an alkyl linear groups or a cyclic group are functionally equivalent as the insulating coating compounds for metal powder (Wakabayashi, para. 0085-0087 and 0092-0104).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art at the time the application was filed to include silane having cyclic group as taught by Wakabayashi in the organic insulating film of Nakamura motivated by the desire to have excellent fluidity, good hydrophobicity and good heat resistance (para 0065-0066).
As Nakamura in view of Wakabayashi discloses insulator-coated soft magnetic powder as presently claimed, it therefore would be obvious that the insulator-coated soft magnetic powder would intrinsically have a water content of from 30 ppm to 400 ppm, as measured by the Karl Fischer method at 250°C after the insulator-coated soft magnetic powder is left in an environment of atmospheric pressure, a temperature of 30°C, and a relative humidity of 80% for 24 hours.
Response to Arguments
Applicant’s arguments filed on 01/16/2026 have been fully considered, but they are moot in view of new grounds of rejection as stated above.
Applicant argues that the content of the above constituent components in the inorganic insulating film 32 is preferably 50 mass % or greater, more preferably 70 mass % or greater, and even more preferably 90 mass % or greater. This gives the inorganic insulating film 32 particularly good insulating property." Thus, the Applicant's Specification describes a criticality of the claimed feature.
However, it should be noted that as Nakamura discloses inorganic insulating film comprising silica or alumina in claimed amount as presently claimed, therefore silica or alumina would intrinsically have good insulating property.
Conclusion
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/RONAK C PATEL/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 1788
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