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) 1-9 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Ikeda (US 20190357392 A1) in view of Iwagami (US 20220158567 A1).
As to claim 1, Ikeda discloses:
A power conversion device 3 (Fig. 4) comprising:
a first module (31c and/or 35) that is a heating element (inductor/reactor; par. 0052, 0067; and/or smoothing capacitor; par. 0068);
a second module 37 that is a heating element (power module; par. 0053)
a housing 60 having an accommodation space (within 60 above 88a) in which the first module and the second module are accommodated; and
a refrigerant flow path 107, 78, 91 through which a refrigerant flows, wherein the housing includes a lid 5, 15 that covers the accommodation space, and the refrigerant flow path includes:
a first flow path portion 107, 78 that is disposed outside the accommodation space and cools the first module via the lid 63, 77 (par. 0060); and
a second flow path portion 91 that is disposed inside the accommodation space and cools the second module.
Ikeda dose not explicitly disclose:
the second module having a larger calorific value than the first module.
However, Iwagami discloses:
the second module (power module 40) having a larger calorific value (par. 0076) than the first module (capacitor module, capacitors 31 or 32);
in order to utilize an IGBT 41 generates a larger amount of heat than the capacitors (par. 0069); and/or
in order to provide a power module that generates a greater amount of heat than the capacitor module (par. 0076).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the related art(s) before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify the device of Ikeda as suggested by Iwagami, e.g., providing:
the second module having a larger calorific value than the first module;
in order to provide a power module with IGBT(s) that generate a larger amount of heat than the capacitor(s) and/or inductor(s); and/or
in order to provide a power module that generates a greater amount of heat than the capacitor module and/or inductor module.
Additionally, all claimed elements were known in the prior art and one skilled in the art could have combined/modified the elements as claimed by known methods with no change in their respective functions, and the combination/modification would have yielded predictable results to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention. See KSR International Co. v. Teleflex Inc., 550 U.S.___, 82 USPQ2d 1385 (2007).
As to claim 2, Ikeda in view of Iwagami discloses:
wherein the first flow path portion 107, 78 (Ikeda) is a hole provided in the lid (within 63, or within 63 and 77), and the first module 31c, 35 is in contact (par. 0067, 0068) with the lid and overlaps the first flow path portion when viewed from a thickness direction of the lid (see Fig. 4).
As to claim 3, Ikeda in view of Iwagami discloses:
wherein the lid has an outer surface facing an opposite side of the accommodation space, the outer surface is provided with a protrusion 85 (Ikeda) protruding toward an outside of the accommodation space, and the first flow path portion 107, 78 is located inside the protrusion.
As to claim 4, Ikeda in view of Iwagami discloses:
wherein the first flow path portion is one flow path extending linearly (Fig. 4; Ikeda).
In the current embodiment/modification, Ikeda in view of Iwagami does not explicitly disclose:
the first module includes a plurality of heat generating elements, and a plurality of the heat generating elements are arranged side by side along a direction in which the first flow path portion extends.
However, Iwagami discloses:
the first module includes a plurality of heat generating elements 31, 32, and a plurality of the heat generating elements are arranged side by side along a direction in which the first flow path portion extends (see path R in Fig. 3);
in order to provide a plurality of capacitors and/or different types of capacitors with different heat generating capacity’s, and cool them (par. 0036-0039).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the related art(s) before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify the device of Ikeda in view of Iwagami as further suggested by Iwagami, e.g., providing:
the first module includes a plurality of heat generating elements, and a plurality of the heat generating elements are arranged side by side along a direction (left-to-right; Fig. 4; Ikeda) in which the first flow path portion extends (both portions 91 and 107, 78 extend in this direction);
in order to provide a plurality of capacitors and/or different types of capacitors with different heat generating capacity’s, and cool them.
As to claim 5, Ikeda in view of Iwagami discloses:
wherein the lid has an inner surface facing the accommodation space side, the inner surface is provided with a recess (within 68, 62; Ikeda), the second flow path portion 91 is provided in a space surrounded by an inner wall 68, 62 of the recess and a covering portion 88 covering the recess, and the covering portion is a part of the second module (support plate of second module; par. 0029, 0062-0063).
As to claim 6, Ikeda in view of Iwagami discloses:
wherein the lid has an outer surface facing an opposite side of the accommodation space, the outer surface is provided with a fin 74, 77 (both 74 and 77 define projections or fins; Ikeda) protruding toward an outside of the accommodation space, and the fin overlaps the second flow path portion when viewed from a thickness direction of the lid (the left edge of 7 overlaps second flow path 91; substantially all of 74 overlaps 91).
As to claim 7, Ikeda in view of Iwagami discloses:
wherein the second flow path portion is disposed on a downstream side of the first flow path portion (see Fig. 4, Ikeda).
As to claim 8, Ikeda in view of Iwagami discloses:
wherein the first module is a capacitor module 35 (par. 0068; Ikeda), and the second module is a power module 37 (par. 0053).
As to claim 9, Ikeda in view of Iwagami discloses:
A drive device (Fig. 1; Ikeda) comprising: the power conversion device according to claim 1; and a rotary electric machine (e.g., electric vehicle or motor/wheels of electric vehicle, par. 0047-0050; Ikeda) connected to the power conversion device.
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure.
Nishizawa (US 20200007026 A1), Tanabe (US 20210175771 A1), and Suzuki (US 20150163962 A1) disclose conventional power conversion devices.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to JACOB R CRUM whose telephone number is (571)270-7665. The examiner can normally be reached Monday - Friday 9:00 am - 5:00 pm.
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If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Jayprakash Gandhi can be reached at (571) 272-3740. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/JACOB R CRUM/ Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2835
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