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 § 112
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.
The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), second paragraph:
The specification shall conclude with one or more claims particularly pointing out and distinctly claiming the subject matter which the applicant regards as his invention.
Claims 1-10 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 112(b) or 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), second paragraph, as being indefinite for failing to particularly point out and distinctly claim the subject matter which the inventor or a joint inventor (or for applications subject to pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, the applicant), regards as the invention.
Claim 1 recites “…in a welded joint, in particular a lap weld”. It’s unclear if “a lap weld” is required by the claim. In order to examine this application, examiner will assume the limitation is “…in a lap welded joint”.
Claim 1 recites “…via lugs…the power module lug and a lug”. It’s not clear which lug is which. In order to examine this limitation, examiner will assume the limitation is “…via a power module lug and a DC link capacitor lug… the power module lug and the DC link capacitor lug”.
Claims 2-10 depends on claim 1.
Claim 2 recites many “and/or”, and it appears each subsequent “and/or” require the previous “and/or”. For example, lug leg or a transition section, then it appears to require “the lug leg” in later limitation. Furthermore, claim 3 appear to require lug base and lug leg.
Claims 3-8 depends on claim 2.
Claim 8 also has similar issue as claim 2 above.
Claim 10 appear to recite the limitation of claim 1 again. It’s unclear how claim 10 is further limiting from claim 1. It’s also unclear which “opposite the lug” the claim is referring to.
Claim Objections
Claims 1-2, 6 and 10 are objected to because of the following informalities:
Claim 1 recites “acts as a counterholder.”, which should have been “acts as the counterholder.” Instead.
Claim 2 recites “a lap weld”, which should have been “the lap weld” instead.
Claim 6 recites “the capacitor lug”, which should have been “the DC link capacitor lug” instead.
Claim 10 recites “a power module for a pulse inverter… a hard encapsulation body…a lap weld to a lug leading to a DC link capacitor… a load-bearing hard encapsulation material… a counterholder…”, which should have been “the power module for the pulse inverter… the hard encapsulation body…the lap weld to the lug leading to the DC link capacitor… the load-bearing hard encapsulation material… the counterholder…” instead.
Appropriate correction is required.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 102
In the event the determination of the status of the application as subject to AIA 35 U.S.C. 102 and 103 (or as subject to pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 102 and 103) is incorrect, any correction of the statutory basis (i.e., changing from AIA to pre-AIA ) for the rejection will not be considered a new ground of rejection if the prior art relied upon, and the rationale supporting the rejection, would be the same under either status.
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)(1) the claimed invention was patented, described in a printed publication, or in public use, on sale, or otherwise available to the public before the effective filing date of the claimed invention.
Claims 1-3, 7-8 and 10 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Applicant’s Admitted Prior Art (Figs. 6-9 of this instant application; hereinafter “AAPA”).
Regarding claim 1 as best understood, AAPA discloses a pulse inverter for a drive unit of an electrically powered vehicle (Figs. 6-9; [00023-00030,00036]), comprising:
a mounting support (1, Figs. 6-8) to which a DC link capacitor (3, Figs. 6-8) and at least one power module (5, Figs. 6-8) are attached, which are in a welded joint, in particular a lap weld ([00025]: “…lap weld…”), via a power module lug (11, Figs. 6-9) and a DC link capacitor lug (19, Figs. 6-8), the power module comprising a hard encapsulation body (7, Figs. 6-9) in which the power module lug is embedded (11 partially embedded as shown in Figs. 6-9), the pulse inverter being manufactured in the following process steps (note this is a product-by-process claim; see note below):
a premounting step (Fig. 7) in which the DC link capacitor and the power module are premounted on the mounting support;
a welding step (Fig. 8), in which the power module lug and a lug, overlapping therewith and leading to the DC link capacitor, are pressed onto a counterholder (27 in Figs. 6-8 or part of 7 below 15 and 14 in Fig. 9) using a hold-down device (25, Fig. 8) with the formation of a zero gap, and then welded together ([00027]),
wherein the counterholder is a materially uniform and integral component of the hard encapsulation body so that in the welding step the overlapping lugs are supported on the load-bearing hard encapsulation material (see part of 7 below 15 and 14 in Fig. 9), which acts as the counterholder ([00036]: “…the two contact lugs 11, 19 are pressed onto the load-bearing hard encapsulation material of hard encapsulation body 7 by means of the hold-down device 25, which material acts as a counterholder…”).
*Note that the limitation after “manufactured in the following process steps” is considered a product-by-process claim. “[E]ven though product-by process claims are limited by and defined by the process, determination of patentability is based on the product itself. The patentability of a product does not depend on its method of production. If the product in the product-by-process claim is the same as or obvious from a product of the prior art, the claim is unpatentable even though the prior product was made by a different process.” In re Thorpe, 777 F.2d 695, 698, 227 USPQ 964, 966 (Fed. Cir. 1985).
Regarding claim 2, AAPA discloses the pulse inverter according to claim 1, and AAPA further discloses wherein a printed circuit board (9, Figs. 6-9) made of ceramic with power transistors positioned thereon is embedded in the hard encapsulation body, and/or wherein the power module lug has a lug base (13, Figs. 6-9) which is in contact with a trace (16, Figs. 6-9) of the printed circuit board, and wherein the lug base merges into a lug leg (15, Figs. 6-9) or a transition section (14, Figs. 6-9), and/or wherein the lug leg has a terminal surface (17, Figs. 6-9) which is exposed by the hard encapsulation material of the hard encapsulation body and is connected in the lap weld to the lug leading to the DC link capacitor, and/or wherein the lug leg with the terminal surface formed thereon is spaced from the printed circuit board so that the hold-down force does not act directly on the printed circuit board during the welding process (as shown in Fig. 8).
Regarding claim 3, AAPA discloses the pulse inverter according to claim 2, and AAPA further discloses wherein the lug base and the lug leg, with the exception of at least its terminal surface, are embedded in the hard encapsulation body, and wherein an underside of the lug leg, said underside facing away from the exposed terminal surface, is in a bonded molded connection with the supporting hard encapsulation material (see Fig. 9).
Regarding claim 7, AAPA discloses the pulse inverter according to claim 2, and AAPA further discloses wherein the printed circuit board is embedded in a lower plane (9 in lower plane as shown in Figs. 6-9) of the hard encapsulation body when viewed in the power module thickness direction, and the lug leg is embedded vertically offset thereto in an upper plane of the hard encapsulation body (15 is partially embedded vertically offset on upper plane of 7 as shown in Figs. 6-9).
Regarding claim 8 as best understood, AAPA discloses the pulse inverter according to claim 2, and AAPA further discloses wherein the terminal surface of the power module lug and the printed circuit board are aligned plane-parallel to each other (as shown in Figs. 6-9), and/or wherein the power module lug is formed of the lug leg, which merges into the lug base via a transition section oriented in the thickness direction (as shown in Figs. 6-9), and/or wherein, when viewed in the power module thickness direction, the lug leg, formed with the terminal surface and the printed circuit board overlap one another by an overlap dimension, whereby a distance between the DC link capacitor and the printed circuit board (see Figs. 6-8) and thus the leakage inductance is reduced (same structure as claimed, so leakage inductance is reduced).
Regarding claim 10 as best understood, AAPA discloses the power module for the pulse inverter according to claim 1, wherein the power module has the hard encapsulation body in which at least one power module lug is embedded, which is connected in the lap weld to the lug leading to the DC link capacitor, and wherein the power module lug is supported on its side, opposite the lug, on the load-bearing hard encapsulation material of the hard encapsulation body, which material acts as the counterholder in the welding process (Fig. 9; [00036]: “…the two contact lugs 11, 19 are pressed onto the load-bearing hard encapsulation material of hard encapsulation body 7 by means of the hold-down device 25, which material acts as a counterholder…”).
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 4-6 and 9 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over AAPA, and further in view of Hinata et al. (US 2022/0208652; hereinafter “Hinata”).
Regarding claims 4-6, AAPA teaches the pulse inverter according to claim 2. AAPA does not teach wherein the hard encapsulation body has a material recess set back with a profile depth from the outer contour of the hard encapsulation body, the bottom of which recess is formed by the terminal surface of the power module lug, wherein the material recess is defined by hard encapsulation side walls, which are raised from the bottom by the profile depth, wherein the material recess formed in the hard encapsulation body is formed in the direction of the DC link capacitor without a raised hard encapsulation side wall or with a laterally open access area through which the capacitor lug protrudes into the material recess. However, Hinata teaches a hard encapsulation body (12, Fig. 1) has a material recess set back with a profile depth from an outer contour of the hard encapsulation body (see recess contour on top left of 12 in Fig.1), a bottom of which recess is formed by a terminal surface (top surface of 14, Fig. 1) of a power module lug (14 of 10 Fig. 1), wherein the material recess is defined by hard encapsulation side walls (see raised wall at the recess in 12 in Fig.1 ), which are raised from the bottom by the profile depth, wherein the material recess formed in the hard encapsulation body is formed in the direction of a DC link capacitor (30, Fig. 1) without a raised hard encapsulation side wall or with a laterally open access area through which a capacitor lug (34, Fig. 1) protrudes into the material recess (as shown in Fig. 1). It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have the hard encapsulation body has a material recess set back with a profile depth from the outer contour of the hard encapsulation body, the bottom of which recess is formed by the terminal surface of the power module lug, wherein the material recess is defined by hard encapsulation side walls, which are raised from the bottom by the profile depth, wherein the material recess formed in the hard encapsulation body is formed in the direction of the DC link capacitor without a raised hard encapsulation side wall or with a laterally open access area through which the capacitor lug protrudes into the material recess in AAPA, as taught by Hinata, in order to prevent heat of the laser weld to deform or crack the hard encapsulation body.
Regarding claim 9, AAPA teaches the pulse inverter according to claim 1, and AAPA further discloses wherein the hard encapsulation body is formed cuboid in shape ([00024]), and wherein the power module has a plurality of power module lugs which are arranged on the same cuboid side of the hard encapsulation body (inherent in AAPA’s Figs. 6-9). AAPA does not explicitly teach wherein each terminal surface of the power module lugs is assigned its own material recess in the hard encapsulation body, which recesses are spaced apart via hard encapsulation webs, and wherein the hard encapsulation webs form the hard encapsulation side walls. However, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have each terminal surface of the power module lugs is assigned its own material recess in the hard encapsulation body, which recesses are spaced apart via hard encapsulation webs, and wherein the hard encapsulation webs form the hard encapsulation side walls in AAPA in view of Hinata, since all the claimed elements were known in the prior art and one skilled in the art could have combined the elements as claimed by known methods with no change in their respective functions, and the combination would have yielded predictable results to one of ordinary skill in the art. See KSR International Co. v. Teleflex Inc., 82 USPQ2d 1385 (2007). In this case, having hard encapsulation webs can prevent adjacent lugs to be short circuited, and this yields predictable results to one of ordinary skill in the art.
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure:
SÖHNLE (US 2024/0055781) discloses an inverter, comprising: a hard encapsulation body has material recess with a profile depth from the outer contour of the hard encapsulation body, which recesses are spaced apart via hard encapsulation webs (Figs. 1, 2).
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to JAMES WU whose telephone number is (571)270-7974. The examiner can normally be reached Monday - Friday, 9:00AM - 5:00PM.
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/JAMES WU/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2841
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