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 (IDS) submitted on 3/27/2025 seems to be in compliance with the provisions of 37 CFR 1.97. Accordingly, the information disclosure statement is being considered by the examiner.
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 1-3 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Jin et al. US Publication 20210083575 (Jin) in view of Yoshioka et al. US Publication 20170345551 (Yoshioka) in further view of Chu et. al. CN 116598102 (Chu).
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Regarding claim 1, Jin discloses a DC-DC converter (i.e., 11) (Fig. 2A) comprising:
a first input terminal (i.e., see added reference FIT) (Fig. 2A) and a second input terminal (i.e., see added reference SIT) (Fig. 2A);
a first output terminal (i.e., Vo+) (Fig. 2A) and a second output terminal (i.e., Vo-) (Fig. 2A);
a first switching element (i.e., M11) (Fig. 2A) connected to the first input terminal (i.e., FIT) (Fig. 2A);
a first circuit provided between the first switching element (i.e., M11) (Fig. 2A) and the first output terminal (i.e., Vo+) (Fig. 2A), and including a first capacitor (i.e., Cb) (Fig. 2A) and a first inductor (i.e., L1) (Fig. 2A) connected in series in this order and a second switching element (i.e., 21) (Fig. 2A) connected between the first capacitor (i.e., Cb) (Fig. 2A) and the first inductor (i.e., L1) (Fig. 2A);
a second circuit provided between the first switching element (i.e., M11) (Fig. 2A) and the first output terminal (i.e., Vo+) (Fig. 2A) in parallel with the first circuit, and including a third switching element (i.e., 12) (Fig. 2A) and a second inductor (i.e., L2) (Fig. 2A) connected in series in this order and a fourth switching element (i.e., 22) (Fig. 2A) connected between the third switching element (i.e., 12) (Fig. 2A) and the second inductor (i.e., L2) (Fig. 2A); and
a second capacitor (i.e., Cb) (Fig. 2A) connected between the first output terminal (i.e., Vo+) (Fig. 2A) and the second output terminal (i.e., Vo-) (Fig. 2A),
wherein at least one of the first inductor (i.e., L1) (Fig. 2A) and the second inductor (i.e., L2) (Fig. 2A) is an inductance element (i.e., 4) (Fig. 2A) including a first coil conductor (i.e., 41) (Fig. 2A), a magnetic body adjacent (i.e., 43,44) (Fig. 2A) to the first coil conductor (i.e., 41) (Fig. 2A),
Jin fails to disclose a magnetic resin internally including the first coil conductor and the magnetic body and wherein the magnetic body has a laminated structure with a plurality of magnetic thin strips laminated, and each magnetic thin strip is not divided into small pieces by a crack.
Yoshioka, in the same field of endeavor, disclose the use of magnetic resin for ensuring appropriate inductance (for example see paragraph 36).
Further, Chu discloses magnetic body (i.e. 1) (Fig. 3) having a laminated structure with a plurality of magnetic thin strips laminated, and each magnetic thin strip is not divided into small pieces by a crack in order to ensure inductance under a large current.
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have optionally provide a magnetic resin internally including the first coil conductor and the magnetic body in Jin, as taught Yoshioka, in order to ensure appropriate inductance and wherein the magnetic body has a laminated structure with a plurality of magnetic thin strips laminated, and each magnetic thin strip is not divided into small pieces in Jin, as taught by Chu in order to ensure inductance under a large current.
Regarding claim 2, Jin in view of Yoshioka in further view of Chu, as applied above, fail to disclose wherein the inductance element includes the first coil conductor configuring one of the first inductor and the second inductor, and further includes a second coil conductor configuring the other of the first inductor and the second inductor, wherein the second coil conductor is internally included in the magnetic resin and is adjacent to the magnetic body.
However , as applied above, Yoshioka, in the same field of endeavor, disclose the use of magnetic resin for ensuring appropriate inductance (for example see paragraph 36).
Further, Chu discloses magnetic body (i.e. 1) (Fig. 3) having a laminated structure with a plurality of magnetic thin strips laminated, and each magnetic thin strip is not divided into small pieces by a crack in order to ensure inductance under a large current.
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have optionally provide a magnetic resin internally including the second coil conductor and the magnetic body in Jin, as taught Yoshioka, in order to ensure appropriate inductance.
Regarding claim 3, Jin in view of Yoshioka in further view of Chu, as applied above, disclose the claim invention, more particularly Jin, wherein the magnetic body of the inductance element (i.e. 5) (Fig. 10A) is interposed between the first coil conductor (i.e. 51) (Fig. 10A) and the second coil conductor (i.e. 53) (Fig. 10A).
Claim 5 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Jin et al. US Publication 20210083575 (Jin) in view of Yoshioka et al. US Publication 20170345551 (Yoshioka) in further view of Chu et. al. CN Publication 116598102 (Chu) and Williams CN Publication 101647182 (Williams).
Regarding claim 5, Jin in view of Yoshioka in further view of Chu, as applied above, fail to disclose wherein the step- down ratio is 0.1 or less.
Williams, in the same field of endeavor, discloses that by varying the duty factor the ratio in a step-down converter is controlled to be 0,1 or less (for example see Fig. 25).
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art at the time the invention was made to provide a step-down ratio of 0.1 or less, in Jin in view of Yoshioka in further view of Chu, as taught by Williams, since it has been held that discovering an optimum value of a result effective variable involves only routine skill in the art (for example the adjustment of duty cycle as taught by Williams). In re Boesch, 617 F.2d 272, 205 USPQ 215 (CCPA 1980).
Claim 6 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Jin et al. US Publication 20210083575 (Jin) in view of Yoshioka et al. US Publication 20170345551 (Yoshioka) in further view of Chu et. al. CN Publication 116598102 (Chu) and Yoshida JP Publication 2009219333 (Yoshida).
Regarding claim 6, Jin in view of Yoshioka in further view of Chu, as applied above, fail to disclose wherein the switching frequency is 100 kHz or more..
Yoshida, in the same field of endeavor, discloses the ideal switching frequency for a step-down DC/DC converter to be 100 kHz.
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art at the time the invention was made to provide the switching frequency to be 100 kHz, in Jin in view of Yoshioka in further view of Chu, as taught by Yoshida since in the ideal the switching frequency for a step-down DC/DC converter.
Claim 7 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Jin et al. US Publication 20210083575 (Jin) in view of Yoshioka et al. US Publication 20170345551 (Yoshioka) in further view of Chu et. al. CN Publication 116598102 (Chu) and Khayat et al. US Patent 9306458 (Khayat).
Regarding claim 7, Jin in view of Yoshioka in further view of Chu, as applied above, fail to disclose an input power supply configured to input a DC voltage of 10V or more between the first input terminal and the second input terminal.
Khayat, in the same field of endeavor, discloses an input power supply configured to input a DC voltage of 10V or more between the first input terminal and the second input terminal as the source for a converter.
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art at the time the invention was made to provide an input power supply configured to input a DC voltage of 10V or more between the first input terminal and the second input terminal as the source for a converter, in Jin in view of Yoshioka in further view of Chu, as taught by Khayat in order to provide a source for the converter.
Allowable Subject Matter
Claim 4 is 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 a statement of reasons for the indication of allowable subject matter:
Regarding claim 4, Jin, alone or in combination, as applied above, fail to disclose “the magnetic body of the inductance element including a first magnetic block, a second magnetic block, and a third magnetic block, wherein the first magnetic block is interposed between the first coil conductor and the second coil conductor, the second magnetic block is disposed on an opposite side of the first magnetic block side with respect to the first coil conductor, and the third magnetic block is disposed on an opposite side of the first magnetic block side with respect to the second coil conductor” in combination with all the recited elements with liking claims.
Further, the prior art of record, alone or in combination, as applied above, fail to disclose “the magnetic body of the inductance element including a first magnetic block, a second magnetic block, and a third magnetic block, wherein the first magnetic block is interposed between the first coil conductor and the second coil conductor, the second magnetic block is disposed on an opposite side of the first magnetic block side with respect to the first coil conductor, and the third magnetic block is disposed on an opposite side of the first magnetic block side with respect to the second coil conductor” in combination with all the recited elements with liking claims.
Conclusion
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/YAHVEH COMAS TORRES/Examiner, Art Unit 2838
/THIENVU V TRAN/ Supervisory Patent Examiner, Art Unit 2838
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