DETAILED ACTION
This office action is in response to the application filed on 07/24/2024.
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 .
Information Disclosure Statement
The information disclosure statement (IDS) submitted on 07/24/2024 has been considered by the examiner.
Specification
The title of the invention is not descriptive. A new title is required that is clearly indicative of the invention to which the claims are directed.
The lengthy specification has not been checked to the extent necessary to determine the presence of all possible minor errors. Applicant’s cooperation is requested in correcting any errors of which applicant may become aware in the specification.
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 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) 1-2 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Fukumasu US 2016/0020707 in view of Kudo JP 2021048752.
Regarding Claim 1, Fukumasu teaches (Figures 1-3) A power conversion apparatus (Figure 1) comprising: a direct current/direct current converter (10) for transforming direct current power input from a direct current power supply (1); an inverter (40) and configured to convert the direct current power transformed by the direct current/direct current converter into alternating current power (from 43) to supply the alternating current power to a load (60); a capacitor (c4) arranged on the inverter side (Fig. 2) and connected to the direct current/direct current converter (10); and a first busbar (31) arranged in an electrically insulating housing (101) accommodating the capacitor (c4) and configured to serve as wiring for electrically connecting the direct current/direct current converter (10) to the direct current power supply (battery 1) arranged on the inverter side (top part in fig. 2). (For example: See par. 22-36)
Fukumasu does not teach an inverter arranged at a position facing the direct current/direct current converter.
Kudo teaches (Figure 1) an inverter (13) arranged at a position facing the direct current/direct current converter (11).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filling date of the claimed invention to modify the circuit of Fukumasu to include an inverter arranged at a position facing the direct current/direct current converter as taught by Kudo to reduce size and improve cooling.
Regarding Claim 2, Fukumasu teaches (Figures 1-3) the inverter and the DC/dc converter.
Fukumasu does not teach further comprising a cooler arranged between the inverter and the direct current/direct current converter and configured to cool the inverter and the direct current/direct current converter, wherein the direct current/direct current converter is arranged on one side of the cooler, and the direct current power supply and the inverter are arranged on another side of the cooler.
Kudo teaches (Figure 1) further comprising a cooler (with 20) arranged between the inverter and the direct current/direct current converter (fig. 1 between 13 and11) and configured to cool the inverter and the direct current/direct current converter, wherein the direct current/direct current converter (at 11) is arranged on one side of the cooler (See fig. 1), and the direct current power supply and the inverter (at 13) are arranged on another side of the cooler (See fig. 1). (For example: Par. 5-15)
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filling date of the claimed invention to modify the circuit of Fukumasu to include further comprising a cooler arranged between the inverter and the direct current/direct current converter and configured to cool the inverter and the direct current/direct current converter, wherein the direct current/direct current converter is arranged on one side of the cooler, and the direct current power supply and the inverter are arranged on another side of the cooler, as taught by Kudo to reduce size and improve cooling.
Claim(s) 3-4 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Fukumasu US 2016/0020707 in view of Kudo JP 2021048752 and further in view of Kosuga et al. US 2021/0287855.
Regarding Claims 3-4, Fukumasu teaches (Figures 1-3) the apparatus.
Fukumasu does not teach wherein the housing is formed of an electrically insulating resin material, and includes a groove on an exterior surface of the housing; and the first busbar is arranged in the groove; and wherein the groove has a groove width greater than a thickness of the first busbar, and includes a contact part on an interior-side surface of the groove in contact with the first busbar.
Kosuga teaches (Figures 1a-b) wherein the housing (fig. 1a) is formed of an electrically insulating resin material (400, par. 67), and includes a groove (308) on an exterior surface of the housing (with the protrusions); and the first busbar (200) is arranged in the groove; and wherein the groove has a groove width greater than a thickness of the first busbar (par .40), and includes a contact part on an interior-side surface of the groove in contact with the first busbar (at 200, fig. 1b). (For example: See par. 36-43)
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filling date of the claimed invention to modify the circuit of Fukumasu to include wherein the housing is formed of an electrically insulating resin material, and includes a groove on an exterior surface of the housing; and the first busbar is arranged in the groove; and wherein the groove has a groove width greater than a thickness of the first busbar, and includes a contact part on an interior-side surface of the groove in contact with the first busbar, as taught by Kosuga to improve the mounting strength of the apparatus.
Allowable Subject Matter
Claim 5-9 are objected to as being dependent upon a rejected base claim, but would be allowable if rewritten in independent form including all of the limitations of the base claim and any intervening claims.
Reasons for Indicating Allowable Subject Matter
The following is an examiner’s statement of reasons for indicating Allowable Subject Matter:
Claim 5; prior art of record fails to disclose either by itself or in combination: “…wherein the contact part includes a plurality of contact parts arranged at different positions from each other in an extension direction of the groove on both interior-side surfaces in a width direction of the groove.”
These features taken alone or in combination are neither disclosed nor suggested by the prior art of record.
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to GUSTAVO A ROSARIO-BENITEZ whose telephone number is (571)270-7888. The examiner can normally be reached M-F 9AM-5PM.
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If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, MONICA LEWIS can be reached at 5712721838. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/GUSTAVO A ROSARIO-BENITEZ/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2838
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