DETAILED ACTION
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and the fee set forth in 37 CFR 1.17(e) has been timely paid, the finality of the previous Office action has been withdrawn pursuant to 37 CFR 1.114.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 8/24/2026 has been entered.
Response to Arguments
Applicant’s arguments with respect to newly presented claim 4 and amended claim 3 have been considered but are moot because the new ground of rejection does not rely on any reference applied in the prior rejection of record for any teaching or matter specifically challenged in the argument.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 103
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 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.
The factual inquiries for establishing a background for determining obviousness under 35 U.S.C. 103 are summarized as follows:
1. Determining the scope and contents of the prior art.
2. Ascertaining the differences between the prior art and the claims at issue.
3. Resolving the level of ordinary skill in the pertinent art.
4. Considering objective evidence present in the application indicating obviousness or nonobviousness.
Claim(s) 3-4 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over the US Patent US 11,313,881 by Krummenacher et al., (Krummenacher hereafter) in view of the US Patent US 7,868,612 by Konno et al., (Konno hereafter).
Regarding claim 4, Krummenacher teaches in Figure 2, a current detector comprising:
a bus bar (60) through which a current to be measured flows, the bus bar including a first bus bar (portion towards the right of 261 in the direction of arrow 65, labeled “A” in annotated Figure 2 below) and a second bus bar (portion towards the left of 261 in the direction of arrow 66, labeled “B” in annotated Figure 2 below);
a plurality of current sensors including a first current sensor (261) and a second current sensor (221 + unlabeled board on which 221 is mounted) the plurality of current sensors being provided on a path of the bus bar through which the current flows from one end surface side to another end surface side of the bus bar and being operable to detect the current by different detection methods (as illustrated in Figure 2, the current sensors are positioned on the current flow path so as to sense the current resistively and magnetically);
the first current sensor includes:
a first measurement terminal (surface of 261 disposed so as to contact the first bus bar) disposed on the first bus bar;
a second measurement terminal (surface of 261 disposed to as to contact the second bus bar) disposed on the second bus bar; and
a resistive element (resistive material within 261) joined between the first bus bar and the second bus bar so as to be disposed between the first measurement terminal and the second measurement terminal (see Fig. 2 and/or 4);
the first current sensor being operable to receive a current flowing through the first bus bar and the second bus bar and being operable to detect a magnitude of the current from a voltage across the resistive element (the first current sensor act as a shunt resistor connected to the first and second bus bars, in order to acquire a potential value that is used in calculating the current. See for example, col. 1, 15-24 and col. 5, lines 49-60);
the second current sensor includes a magnetic sensor (see col. 2, lines 54-57) that is spaced apart and out of contact with the first measurement terminal, the second measurement terminal and the resistive element (as shown in Figure 2), and the magnetic sensor being disposed above one of the first bus bar and the second bus bar (the magnetic sensor is disposed on above the second bus bar);
the magnetic sensor includes a substrate (circuit board upon which element 221 is mounted; see col. 5, lines 16-20) a magnetic detection sensor (221), and the magnetic sensor being operable to detect a magnetic-field component generated by the current flowing through the first bus bar or the second bus bar (in the manner illustrated in Figure 3, showing the magnetic sensor sensing flux induced by the flow of current).
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Annotated Fig. 2
Although Krummenacher shows the magnetic sensor includes a substrate (printed circuit board upon which sensing unit 221 is mounted) which is positioned and secured on top of the second bus bar, Krummenacher doesn’t explicitly mention the use a resin disposed only between an upper surface of the second bus bar and a lower surface of the substrate.
However, the use of resin as a joining material between electrical component is well known in the art. For example, Konno teaches the use of a resin (22 in Figure 2 or 35 in Figure 5) as a joining material (see abstract) between a magnetic sensor (13c in Figure 2 or 31 in Figure 5) and an additional component (substrate 11 in Fig. 2 or conductor 34 in Figure 5 ).
It would have been obvious to a person having ordinary skill in the art before the invention was effectively filed, to apply the teaching of resin as a joining material as taught by Konno, and use resin between the magnetic sensor (including the substrate) and the bus bar in the device/system/method of Krummenacher, in order to gain the advantage of add an additional layer of support to the magnetic sensor, adding stability and preventing movement that could affect accuracy of readings.
As to claim 3, Krummenacher teaches the magnetic sensor (221 + unlabeled board on which 221 is mounted) is provided at a linearly-formed position of the path of the first bus bar or second bus bar (see Figure 2).
Conclusion
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/RICHARD ISLA/Primary Patent Examiner, Art Unit 2858 September 10, 2026
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