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 .
Information Disclosure Statement
The information disclosure statement filed on September 26, 2024, March 4, 2025, May 20, 2025, September 16, 2025, December 11, 2025 and January 26, 2026 have been considered by the Examiner.
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.
This application currently names joint inventors. In considering patentability of the claims the examiner presumes that the subject matter of the various claims was commonly owned as of the effective filing date of the claimed invention(s) absent any evidence to the contrary. Applicant is advised of the obligation under 37 CFR 1.56 to point out the inventor and effective filing dates of each claim that was not commonly owned as of the effective filing date of the later invention in order for the examiner to consider the applicability of 35 U.S.C. 102(b)(2)(C) for any potential 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(2) prior art against the later invention.
Claims 1, 4, 6-11 and 14-20 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Long et al (US 12,159,745; hereinafter Long) in view of Partovi et al (US 2011/0050164; cited in the IDS; hereinafter Partovi).
Regarding claim 1, Long discloses a wireless power transfer assembly (see figures 1a-1c), comprising: a flexible printed circuit board (703) comprising a litz winding (column 1 line 32-column 2 line 3), the litz winding having multiple layers of electrically insulated strands (column 1 line 51-column 2 line 3; Litz wiring; see figures 7 and 9); and heat sink (707; column 13 lines 35-58; heat removal) arranged relative to the flexible printed circuit board (703) in a manner that dissipates heat away from the litz winding (column 13 lines 35-38); but Long lacks the heat sink being a ceramic heat sink. Partovi teaches a system for use with power supplies having a ceramic heat sink (paragraph 0104 and 0143; see figure 18 ; ceramic). It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to make Long’s heat sink as a ceramic heat sink as taught by Partovi to provide a heat sink that will rapidly dissipate any heat generated by the printed circuit board.
Regarding claim 4, Long discloses the wireless power transfer assembly (see figures 1a-1c), wherein the litz winding (column 1 line 51-column 2 line 3), is comprised of a bendable, electrically conductive material (column 15 lines 34-43; flexible printed circuit board).
Regarding claim 6, Long discloses the wireless power transfer assembly (see figures 1a-1c), wherein the litz winding (column 1 lines 51-column 2 line 3) is comprised of the electrically insulated strands that are connected in a spiral or helical manner (column 6 lines 55-58; spiral).
Regarding claim 7, Long discloses the wireless power transfer assembly (see figures 1a-1c), wherein a first layer and a second layer of the multiple layers of the electrically insulated strands are connected using vias (103; column 7 lines 2-9).
Regarding claim 8, the modified Long discloses the wireless power transfer assembly (see figures 1a-1c), wherein the ceramic heat sink (as taught by Partovi) comprises one or more fluid-carrying channels (column 13 lines 47-58).
Regarding claim 9, the modified Long discloses the wireless power transfer assembly (see figures 1a-1c), wherein the ceramic heat sink (as taught by Partovi) is in contact with the flexible printed circuit board (703), the ceramic heat sink (as taught by Partovi) arranged adjacent to the flexible printed circuit board (see paragraph 0143; see figure 18c; as taught by Partovi).
Regarding claim 10, the modified Long discloses the wireless power transfer assembly (see figures 1a-1c), further comprising an additional ceramic heat sink (see figures 7, 9 and column 13 lines 35-58), wherein the certain heat sink (707) and the additional ceramic heat sink are in contact with the flexible printed circuit board (703), the ceramic heat sink arranged adjacent to one side of the flexible printed circuit board and the additional ceramic heat sink arranged adjacent to another side of the flexible printed circuit board (see figures 7, 9 and column 13 lines 35-58).
Regarding claim 11, Long discloses a wireless power transfer system (see figures 1a-1c), comprising: a transmit unit or receive unit having an input stage, a resonator (see abstract), and an assembly, the assembly comprising: a flexible printed circuit board (703; column 15 lines 34-43; flexible printed circuit board) having a litz winding, the litz winding having multiple layers of electrically insulated strands (column 1 line 51-column 2 line 3; Litz wiring; see figures 7 and 9); and a heat sink (707; column 13 lines 35-58; heat removal) arranged relative to the flexible printed circuit board (707) in a manner that dissipates heat away from the litz winding (column 13 lines 35-38); but Long lacks the heat sink being a ceramic heat sink. Partovi teaches a system for use with power supplies having a ceramic heat sink (paragraph 0104 and 0143; see figure 18; ceramic). It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to make Long’s heat sink as a ceramic heat sink as taught by Partovi to provide a heat sink that will rapidly dissipate any heat generated by the printed circuit board.
Regarding claim 14, Long discloses the wireless power transfer system (see figures 1a-1c), wherein the litz winding (column 1 line 51-column 2 line 3), is comprised of a bendable, electrically conductive material (column 15 lines 34-43; flexible printed circuit board).
Regarding claim 15, Long discloses the wireless power transfer system (see figures 1a-1c), wherein the assembly operates in a range of approximately 90 kHz to 200 kHz (column 1 line 32-35). Furthermore, it has been held that where the general conditions of a claim are disclosed in the prior art, it is not inventive to discover the optimum or workable ranges by routine experimentation. In re Aller, 220 F.2d 454, 456, 105 USPQ 233, 235.
Regarding claim 16, Long discloses the wireless power transfer system (see figures 1a-1c), wherein the litz winding (column 1 lines 51-column 2 line 3) is comprised of the electrically insulated strands that are connected in a spiral or helical manner (column 6 lines 55-58; spiral) .
Regarding claim 17, Long discloses the wireless power transfer system (see figures 1a-1c), wherein a first layer and a second layer of the multiple layers of the electrically insulated strands are connected using vias (103; column 7 lines 2-9).
Regarding claim 18, the modified Long discloses the wireless power transfer system (see figures 1a-1c), wherein the ceramic heat sink (as taught by Partovi) comprises one or more fluid-carrying channels (column 13 lines 47-58).
Regarding claim 19, the modified Long discloses the wireless power transfer system (see figures 1a-1c), wherein the ceramic heat sink (as taught by Partovi) is in contact with the flexible printed circuit board (703), the ceramic heat sink (as taught by Partovi) arranged adjacent to the flexible printed circuit board (see paragraph 0143; see figure 18c; as taught by Partovi).
Regarding claim 20, the modified Long discloses the wireless power transfer system (see figures 1a-1c), further comprising an additional ceramic heat sink (see figures 7, 9 and column 13 lines 35-58), wherein the certain heat sink (707) and the additional ceramic heat sink are in contact with the flexible printed circuit board (703), the ceramic heat sink arranged adjacent to one side of the flexible printed circuit board and the additional ceramic heat sink arranged adjacent to another side of the flexible printed circuit board (see figures 7, 9 and column 13 lines 35-58).
Claim 5 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Long et al (US 12,159,745; hereinafter Long) in view of Partovi et al (US 2011/0050164; cited in the IDS; hereinafter Partovi), as applied in claim 4; and further in view of Baarman et al (US 7,973,635; cited in the IDS; hereinafter Baarman).
Regarding claim 5, the modified Long discloses the claimed invention except for the litz winding is comprised of an annealed copper. Baarman teaches a power transfer assembly (see figure 1b) wherein the litz winding is comprised of an annealed copper (column 5 lines 43-56; copper layer) . It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to make the litz winding comprising an annealed copper as taught by Baarman to make the winding of an easier to bend and more conductive material. Furthermore, it has been held to be within the general skill of a worker in the art to select a known material on the basis of its suitability for the intended use as a matter of obvious design choice. In re Leshin, 125 USPQ 416.
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 2, 3, 12 and 13 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.
The following is an examiner's statement of reasons for allowance: The primary reasons for the indication of the allowability of claims 2, 3, 12 and 13 are:
Regarding claims 2 and 3, the prior art does not teach or fairly suggest in combination with the other claimed limitations the wireless power transfer system, wherein the flexible printed circuit board comprises a flexible insulating material, wherein at least two layers of the multiple layers are separated by the flexible insulating material, the flexible insulating material disposed between the at least two layers comprising a minimum thickness within a range of approximately 1 mil to 10 mil.
Regarding claims 12 and 13, the prior art does not teach or fairly suggest in combination with the other claimed limitations the wireless power transfer assembly, wherein the flexible printed circuit board comprises a flexible insulating material, wherein at least two layers of the multiple layers are separated by the flexible insulating material, the flexible insulating material disposed between the at least two layers comprising a minimum thickness within a range of approximately 1 mil to 10 mil.
These limitations are found in claims 2, 3 , 12 and 13, and are neither disclosed nor taught by the prior art of record, alone or in combination.
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure. Wang (US 9,704,644 and US 8,879,276), Takei (US 6,885,354), Doty (US 6,060,882), Rossi et al (US 4,799,119), and Noh et al (US 10,658,740) disclose a flexible printed circuit board.
Any inquiry concerning this communication should be directed to Angel R. Estrada at telephone number (571) 272-1973. The Examiner can normally be reached on Monday-Friday (8:30am -5:00pm).
If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Imani N. Hayman can be reached on (571) 270-5528. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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August 25, 2026
/ANGEL R ESTRADA/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2841
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