DETAILED ACTION
1. This action is in response to applicant's amendment received on 3/30/2026. Amended claims 1-5 and 7-20 are acknowledged and the following new grounds of rejection below are formulated.
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 § 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.
Claim(s) 1-20 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Yamada et al. (U.S. Publication 2001/0039941), hereinafter “Yamada”.
Regarding claim 1, Yamada discloses the same invention substantially as claimed such as an ignition system, comprising: an ignition coil assembly (13) having: an ignition transformer with primary (L1) and secondary (L2) windings; a local control unit (33) adapted to regulate ignition timing of the ignition transformer for generating a spark at a spark apparatus (17) to ignite a fuel-air mixture in an engine cylinder (paragraphs 23-25); a central control unit (21) in electronic communication with the local control unit (33) for monitoring the ignition transformer (paragraph 23), but is silent to disclose a second ignition coil assembly that is exactly the same as the first ignition coil assembly. However, it would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of when the invention was made to provide a second ignition coil assembly that is the same as the first ignition coil assembly for another cylinder in the engine, since it has been held that mere duplication of the essential working parts of a device involves only routine skill in the art. St. Regis Paper Co. v. Bemis Co., 193 USPQ 8. Examiner notes that an engine contains multiple cylinders and it would be obvious to have the same ignition coil assembly construction for a second or third cylinder with a central control unit controlling the local control units of the ignition coils. Paragraph 24 of Yamada also mentions multiple cylinders.
Regarding claim 2 and 5-6, Yamada discloses the same invention substantially as claimed such as wherein the first ignition coil assembly steps up a final primary drive within the ignition coil assembly, such that a higher primary drive voltage is provided (paragraphs 26-27), but is silent to disclose that the voltage is provided using a low-voltage cable like and Ethernet cable. However, the examiner takes Official Notice that it is well known in the art to use ethernet as a low voltage cable for the ignition system for the purpose of providing precise timing control, diagnostics, and data logging. Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of when the invention was made to modify Yamada by incorporating a low voltage cable like ethernet for the purpose of providing precise timing control, diagnostics, and data logging.
Regarding claim 3, Yamada discloses the system of claim 2, wherein the first ignition coil assembly includes a power supply (23) to step up the final primary drive.
Regarding claim 4, Yamada discloses the system of claim 2, wherein the central control unit provides 50V or less to the first ignition coil assembly (paragraph 26 states 5 Volts), which steps up the final primary drive to 400V or more.
Regarding claim 7, Yamada discloses the system of claim 1, wherein the first spark apparatus comprises a spark plug (17).
Regarding claim 8, Yamada discloses the system of claim 1, further comprising: a third ignition coil assembly having: a third ignition transformer with primary and secondary windings; a third local control unit adapted to regulate ignition timing of the ignition transformer for generating a spark at a third spark apparatus to ignite a fuel-air mixture in a third engine cylinder (paragraph 24 mentions the same assembly provided to each of the plurality of cylinders). Rejection of claim 1 mentions the duplication of parts and a third cylinder would have the same ignition coil assembly construction as the first ignition coil assembly.
Regarding claim 9, Yamada discloses an engine system, comprising: an engine; the ignition system of claim 1 (mentioned in claim 1).
Regarding claim 10, Yamada discloses the system of claim 1, wherein: the first ignition coil assembly includes at least one measured value, such that the first local control unit regulates ignition timing based on the at least one measured value (crank angle sensor, paragraph 43); the central control unit is in electronic communication with the first local control unit over a twisted pair cable (as rejected in claims 2 and 5-6 above).
Regarding claim 11, Yamada discloses a method for controlling an ignition system, comprising: providing a first ignition coil assembly having: a first ignition transformer with primary and secondary windings; a first local control unit; providing a second ignition coil assembly having: a second ignition transformer with primary and secondary windings; a second local control unit; regulating ignition timing of the first ignition transformer with the first local control unit to generate a spark at a first spark apparatus to ignite a fuel-air mixture in a first engine cylinder; regulating ignition timing of the second ignition transformer with the second local control unit to generate a spark at a second spark apparatus to ignite a fuel-air mixture in a second engine cylinder; monitoring the first ignition transformer and the second ignition transformer with a central control unit. Refer to the rejection of claim 1 for further details since the limitations are similar.
Regarding claim 12, Yamada discloses the method of claim 11, wherein: the first ignition coil assembly includes at least one measured value, such that the first local control unit regulates ignition timing based on the at least one measured value; the central control unit is in electronic communication with the first local control unit over a twisted pair cable. Refer to the rejection of claim 10 for further details since the limitations are similar.
Regarding claim 13, Yamada discloses A plurality of ignition coil assemblies, comprising: a first ignition coil assembly including: a first ignition transformer with primary and secondary windings; a first local control unit adapted to regulate ignition timing of the first ignition transformer for generating a spark at a first spark apparatus for igniting a fuel-air mixture in first engine cylinder; the first local control unit adapted to be in electronic communication with a central control unit that monitors the first ignition transformer; and a second ignition coil assembly including: a second ignition transformer with primary and secondary windings; a second local control unit adapted to regulate ignition timing of the second ignition transformer for generating a spark at a second spark apparatus for igniting a fuel-air mixture in a second engine cylinder; the second local control unit adapted to be in electronic communication with the central control unit, the central control unit monitors the second ignition transformer. Refer to the rejection of claim 1 for further details since the limitations are similar.
Regarding claim 14, Yamada discloses the plurality of ignition coil assemblies of claim 13, wherein: the first ignition coil assembly includes a power supply to step up the final primary drive in the first ignition coil assembly, such that a higher primary drive voltage is provided while using low-voltage cabling with the central control unit. Refer to the rejection of claim 2 for further details since the limitations are similar.
Regarding claim 15, Yamada discloses the plurality of ignition coil assemblies of claim 13, wherein: the first ignition coil assembly includes at least one measured value, such that the first local control unit regulates ignition timing based on the at least one measured value. Refer to the rejection of claim 10 for further details since the limitations are similar.
Regarding claim 16, Yamada discloses the plurality of ignition coil assemblies of claim 15, wherein: the first ignition coil assembly includes at least one sensor for sensing the at least one measured value (paragraph 43).
Regarding claim 17, Yamada discloses the plurality of ignition coil assemblies of claim 15, wherein the at least one measured value comprises position data of an engine crank shaft (paragraph 43).
Regarding claim 18, Yamada discloses the engine ignition system, comprising: an engine having a plurality of cylinders; each of the plurality of cylinders having an associated one of the plurality of ignition coil assemblies of claim 13; and the central control unit. Refer to the rejection of claims 5 and 8 for further details since the limitations are similar.
Regarding claim 19, Yamada discloses the system of claim 18, wherein the central control unit receives a diagnostic measurement of the first ignition coil assembly and modifies operation of the second ignition coil assembly based at least in part on the diagnostic measurement (paragraphs 26-28). The addition of the second ignition coil assembly would be obvious.
Regarding claim 20, Yamada discloses the system of claim 18, wherein: the first local control unit increases voltage of a primary drive within one of the first ignition coil assembly; the central control unit is in electronic communication with the first local control unit over a twisted pair cable (paragraph 26).
Response to Arguments
Applicant's arguments filed on 2/17/2026 have been fully considered but they are not persuasive. Applicant argues that Yamada does not teach the second ignition coil assembly. However, it would be obvious to provide the second ignition coil assembly exactly the same as the first ignition coil assembly for a second cylinder within the same engine. Applicant argues that Yamada cannot and do not disclose that the ECU 21 is in electronic communication with a first ignition controller 33 and a second ignition coil controller. However, examiner has changed it to a 103 rejection and states it would be obvious to has the central ECU 21 control a second coil controller for a second cylinder.
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure. Refer to PTO-892.
THIS ACTION IS MADE FINAL. Applicant is reminded of the extension of time policy as set forth in 37 CFR 1.136(a).
A shortened statutory period for reply to this final action is set to expire THREE MONTHS from the mailing date of this action. In the event a first reply is filed within TWO MONTHS of the mailing date of this final action and the advisory action is not mailed until after the end of the THREE-MONTH shortened statutory period, then the shortened statutory period will expire on the date the advisory action is mailed, and any nonprovisional extension fee (37 CFR 1.17(a)) pursuant to 37 CFR 1.136(a) will be calculated from the mailing date of the advisory action. In no event, however, will the statutory period for reply expire later than SIX MONTHS from the mailing date of this final action.
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/SYED O HASAN/ Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3747 5/26/2026
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