DETAILED ACTION
This action is in reply to Applicant’s Reply submitted 4 December 2025.
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 .
Response to Arguments
Applicant’s arguments with respect to Claim 1 have been considered but are moot because the new ground of rejection does not rely on all references 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.
Claims 1, 4-6, 8-10, and 21 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Kitamura et al. US 2015/0263528, in view of Patron et al. US 11,552,505.
Regarding Claims 1 and 21, Kitamura teaches
a wireless power receiving device (secondary circuit 40, figs. 2A and 3), comprising:
a first power receiving coil (second auxiliary coil 47, figs. 2A, 2B, and 3) and
a second power receiving coil (first auxiliary coil 45, figs. 2A, 2B, and 3) each configured to generate a power receiving current by being coupled to an external magnetic field,
the first power receiving coil being a spiral coil of a planar shape (second auxiliary coil 47, figs. 2A, 2B, and 3),
the second power receiving coil being a solenoid coil of a cylindrical shape (first auxiliary coil 45, figs. 2A, 2B, and 3) , and
the first power receiving coil and the second power receiving coil are in a state where a direction orthogonal to a plane of the spiral coil and an axis of the cylindrical shape of the solenoid coil are not parallel to each other (see figs. 2A and 2B);
a load (oscillation generator 35, fig. 3) configured to be driven by power based on the power receiving current;
a first power receiving resonance circuit (capacitor 48 and second auxiliary coil 47, fig. 3) configured to include the first power receiving coil and a first resonance capacitor (capacitor 48, fig. 3);
a second power receiving resonance circuit (capacitor 46 and first auxiliary coil 45, fig. 3) configured to include the second power receiving coil and a second resonance capacitor (capacitor 46, fig. 3).
Kitamura however is silent regarding a first rectifier circuit connected to the first power receiving resonance circuit and configured to rectify a resonance current of the first power receiving resonance circuit and supply power to the load; a second rectifier circuit connected to the second power receiving resonance circuit and configured to rectify a resonance current of the second power receiving resonance circuit and supply power to the load; and a current adding circuit at a subsequent stage of the first rectifier circuit and the second rectifier circuit, the current adding circuit being configured to add a current rectified by the first rectifier circuit and a current rectified by the second rectifier circuit, and to supply power to the load.
Patron teaches a first rectifier circuit (rectifier 1 404, fig. 4) connected to the first power receiving resonance circuit and configured to rectify a resonance current of the first power receiving resonance circuit and supply power to the load;
a second rectifier circuit (rectifier 2 408, fig. 4) connected to the second power receiving resonance circuit and configured to rectify a resonance current of the second power receiving resonance circuit and supply power to the load; and
a current adding circuit (DC/DC converter 414, fig. 4) at a subsequent stage of the first rectifier circuit and the second rectifier circuit, the current adding circuit being configured to add a current rectified by the first rectifier circuit and a current rectified by the second rectifier circuit, and to supply power to the load (The current combination device receives the direct current from the first rectifier and the second rectifier and combines the two direct currents to produce a single charging current which may then be used to charge the battery of the implantable device., refer to col. 6, lines 5-10).
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art at the effective filing date of the claimed invention to include the arrangement as taught by Patron with the wireless power receiving device of Kitamura in order to provide power required by the system.
Regarding Claim 4, the combination of Kitamura and Patron teaches all of the limitations of Claim 1 above and further teaches wherein the plane of the spiral coil and the axis of the cylindrical shape of the solenoid coil are orthogonal to each other (see figs. 2A and 2B of Kitamura).
Regarding Claim 5, the combination of Kitamura and Patron teaches all of the limitations of Claim 1 above and further teaches, wherein the spiral coil includes a wound linear conductor and a magnetic sheet in parallel to the wound linear conductor (see figs. 2A, 2B and 4 of Kitamura).
Regarding Claim 6, the combination of Kitamura and Patron teaches all of the limitations of Claim 1 above and further teaches wherein the solenoid coil includes a spiral linear conductor and a magnetic core inside the spiral linear conductor. (refer to [0008]-[0011] of Kitamura).
Regarding Claim 8, the combination of Kitamura and Patron teaches all of the limitations of Claim 1 above and further teaches wherein a first resonance frequency of the first power receiving resonance circuit and a second resonance frequency of the second power receiving resonance circuit are the same (refer to [0078]-[0095] of Kitamura).
Regarding Claims 9 and 10, the combination of Kitamura and Patron teaches all of the limitations of Claim 1 above and further teaches wherein the load includes a secondary battery and a charge/discharge control circuit configured to control charging of the secondary battery; wherein the secondary battery is a thin battery (refer to [0046]-[0049] of Kitamura).
Claims 2-3, 7, 11-17, and 19-20 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Kitamura et al. US 2015/0263528, in view of Patron et al. US 11,552,505, in view of Lee et al. US 2016/0338646.
Regarding Claim 2, the combination of Kitamura and Patron teaches all of the limitations of Claim 1 above, however is silent wherein the current adding circuit includes an OR circuit.
Lee teaches wherein the current adding circuit includes an OR circuit.(refer to [0068] and [0083]).
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art at the effective filing date of the claimed invention to include the arrangement as taught by Lee with the wireless power receiving device of the combination of Kitamura and Patron in order to further improve the efficiency of the system.
Regarding Claim 3, the combination of Kitamura, Patron, and Lee teaches all of the limitations of Claim 2 above and further teaches wherein the OR circuit includes a diode (refer to [0068] and [0083] of Lee)
Regarding Claim 7, the combination of Kitamura and Patron teaches all of the limitations of Claim 1 above, however is silent wherein the external magnetic field has a frequency of 6.78 MHz or 13.56 MHz.
Lee teaches wherein the external magnetic field has a frequency of 6.78 MHz or 13.56 MHz (refer to [0068] and [0083] of Lee).
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art at the effective filing date of the claimed invention to include the arrangement as taught by Lee with the wireless power receiving device of the combination of Kitamura and Patron in order to further improve the efficiency of the system.
Regarding Claim 11, the combination of Kitamura, Patron, and Lee teaches all of the limitations of Claim 2 above and further teaches, wherein the plane of the spiral coil and the axis of the cylindrical shape of the solenoid coil are orthogonal to each other (see figs. 2A and 2B of Kitamura).
Regarding Claim 12, the combination of Kitamura, Patron, and Lee teaches all of the limitations of Claim 3 above and further teaches wherein the plane of the spiral coil and the axis of the cylindrical shape of the solenoid coil are orthogonal to each other (see figs. 2A and 2B of Kitamura).
Regarding Claim 13, the combination of Kitamura, Patron, and Lee teaches all of the limitations of Claim 2 above and further teaches wherein the spiral coil includes a wound linear conductor and a magnetic sheet in parallel to the wound linear conductor (see figs. 2A, 2B and 4 of Kitamura).
Regarding Claim 14, the combination of Kitamura, Patron, and Lee teaches all of the limitations of Claim 3 above and further teaches wherein the spiral coil includes a wound linear conductor and a magnetic sheet in parallel to the wound linear conductor (see figs. 2A, 2B and 4 of Kitamura).
Regarding Claim 15, the combination of Kitamura, Patron, and Lee teaches all of the limitations of Claim 2 above and further teaches wherein the solenoid coil includes a spiral linear conductor and a magnetic core inside the spiral linear conductor. refer to [0008]-[0011] of Kitamura)
Regarding Claim 16, the combination of Kitamura, Patron, and Lee teaches all of the limitations of Claim 3 above and further teaches wherein the solenoid coil includes a spiral linear conductor and a magnetic core inside the spiral linear conductor. (refer to [0008]-[0011] of Kitamura)
Regarding Claim 17, the combination of Kitamura, Patron, and Lee teaches all of the limitations of Claim 2 above and further teaches wherein the external magnetic field has a frequency of 6.78 MHz or 13.56 MHz. (refer to [0068] and [0083] of Lee)
Regarding Claim 19, the combination of Kitamura, Patron, and Lee teaches all of the limitations of Claim 2 above and further teaches wherein a first resonance frequency of the first power receiving resonance circuit and a second resonance frequency of the second power receiving resonance circuit are the same (refer to [0078]-[0095] of Kitamura).
Regarding Claim 20, the combination of Kitamura, Patron, and Lee teaches all of the limitations of Claim 2 above and further teaches wherein the load includes a secondary battery and a charge/discharge control circuit configured to control charging of the secondary battery (refer to [0046]-[0049] of Kitamura).
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to BRIAN K BAXTER whose telephone number is (571)270-0258. The examiner can normally be reached 10-7:00 PM Monday-Thursday.
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/BRIAN K BAXTER/Examiner, Art Unit 2836
31 December 2025
/DANIEL CAVALLARI/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2836