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 .
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.
The factual inquiries for establishing a background for determining obviousness under 35 U.S.C. 103 are summarized as follows:
1. Determining the scope and contents of the prior art.
2. Ascertaining the differences between the prior art and the claims at issue.
3. Resolving the level of ordinary skill in the pertinent art.
4. Considering objective evidence present in the application indicating obviousness or nonobviousness.
Claims 1-3 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Ding et al. (US 2020/0227954 A1) in view of Ichikawa et al. (US 2012/0235508 A1).
In regards to claim 1, Ding discloses, in figure 3A, an electronic device (210) comprising: a wireless charging device (110), wherein the wireless charging device (110) comprises: a power transmission coil (320) configured to wirelessly transmit power to the electronic device (210) (Par 0067-0068), and a first coil (312) disposed inside the power transmission coil (320) and configured to form a magnetic field in a first direction (Par 0067, 0070; first coil 312 is an alignment solenoid disposed and wrapped inside the transmission coil 320 as shown in Fig. 3A and driving circuit 330 will direct current through the alignment solenoid 312 in a first direction so as to create a north pole in order to attract the device alignment magnet 212 when the alignment 212 has a south polarity), wherein the electronic device (210) comprises: a power reception coil (322) configured to wirelessly receive power from the power transmission coil (320) (Par 0068), and a second coil (212) disposed inside the power reception coil (322) and configured to form a magnetic field in a second direction opposite to the first direction (Par 0069-0070; alignment magnet 212 is disposed inside the receiving coil 322 as shown in Fig. 3A and the core 314 passes the magnetic field of the device alignment magnet 212 down to the Hall effect sensors 310, thus forms a magnetic field in the opposite direction to the first direction of the alignment 312), and wherein the first coil (312) and the second coil (212) are configured to be matched so that the power transmission coil (320) and the power reception coil (322) are aligned (Par 0068-0070).
Ding does not disclose wherein the electronic device comprises: a second coil.
However, Ichikawa discloses, in figure 1, wherein the electronic device (702) comprises: a second coil (magnetic resonance coil 101; Par 0075, 0082).
Thus, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have replace Ding’s alignment magnet with a magnetic resonance coil as taught by Ichikawa in order to suppress deterioration of the transmission efficiency and lower the transmission efficiency even in the case of the transmission of very close distance (Ichikawa; Par 0041).
In regards to claim 2, Ding and Ichikawa disclose the electronic device of claim 1. Ding further discloses, in figure 3A, wherein the first coil (312) is configured to operate as electromagnets (Par 0067; “the electromagnet 140 (as shown in FIGS. 1-2) is a solenoid (i.e., alignment solenoid 312”).
Ichikawa further discloses, in figure 1, wherein the second coil (magnetic resonance coil 101) is configured to operate as electromagnets (Par 0075, 0082; magnetic resonance coil 101 operates as electromagnets).
Thus, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have replace Ding’s alignment magnet with a magnetic resonance coil as taught by Ichikawa in order to suppress deterioration of the transmission efficiency and lower the transmission efficiency even in the case of the transmission of very close distance (Ichikawa; Par 0041).
In regards to claim 3, Ding and Ichikawa disclose the electronic device of claim 1. Ding further discloses, in figure 3A, wherein the first coil and the second coil are configured to have opposite polarities (Par 0013, 0026).
Claims 4 and 7 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Ding et al. (US 2020/0227954 A1) in view of Ichikawa et al. (US 2012/0235508 A1) in further view of Lee et al. (US 2020/0119576 A1).
In regards to claim 4, Ding and Ichikawa disclose the electronic device of claim 1, but does not disclose wherein the first coil comprises: a first coil pattern disposed on a printed circuit board; and a second coil pattern disposed at a side of the first coil pattern.
However, Lee discloses, in figure 6, wherein the first coil (610) comprises: a first coil pattern (611) disposed on a printed circuit board (520) (Par 0090); and a second coil pattern (612) disposed at a side of the first coil pattern (611) (Par 0090; “The first coil pattern portion 610 may include a plurality of patterns in which a 1-1 (e.g., first first coil) pattern 611 and a 1-2 (e.g., second first coil) pattern 612 are wound in a spiral shape”).
Thus, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have modified Ding’s wireless charger by including wherein the first coil comprises: a first coil pattern disposed on a printed circuit board; and a second coil pattern disposed at a side of the first coil pattern as taught by Lee in order to improve current distribution of the wireless charge coil, to reduce equivalent series resistance (ESR) and parasitic capacitance, and to reduce heat generation (Lee; Par 0100).
In regards to claim 7, Ding and Ichikawa disclose the electronic device of claim 1, but does not disclose wherein the second coil comprises: a first coil pattern disposed on a printed circuit board; and a second coil pattern disposed at a side of the first coil pattern.
However, Lee discloses, in figure 6, wherein the second coil (620) comprises: a first coil pattern (621) disposed on a printed circuit board (520); and a second coil pattern (622) disposed at a side of the first coil pattern (621) (Par 0091; “the second coil pattern portion 620 may be disposed beneath the printed circuit board 520 (e.g., on a second side of the printed circuit board opposite the first side). The second coil pattern portion 620 may include a plurality of patterns in which a 2-1 (e.g., first second coil) pattern 621 and a 2-2 (e.g., second second coil) pattern 622 are wound in a helical shape”).
Thus, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have modified Ding’s wireless charger by including wherein the second coil comprises: a first coil pattern disposed on a printed circuit board; and a second coil pattern disposed at a side of the first coil pattern as taught by Lee in order to improve current distribution of the wireless charge coil, to reduce equivalent series resistance (ESR) and parasitic capacitance, and to reduce heat generation (Lee; Par 0100).
Claims 5-6 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Ding et al. (US 2020/0227954 A1) in view of Ichikawa et al. (US 2012/0235508 A1) in further view of Lee et al. (US 2020/0119576 A1) in further view of Madawala et al. (US 2025/0007328 A1).
In regards to claim 5, Ding, Ichikawa, and Lee disclose the electronic device of claim 4. Lee further discloses, in figure 6, wherein the second coil pattern (612) comprises a coil wound at least once on a plane of the printed circuit board (520) (Par 0090; second coil pattern 612 is a 1-2 pattern wound in a spiral shape on a plane of the printed circuit board 520), but does not disclose wherein the first coil pattern comprises a coil wound at least once in an upward direction of the printed circuit board.
However, Madawala discloses, in figure 1, wherein the first coil pattern (5) comprises a coil wound at least once in an upward direction of the printed circuit board (Par 0226; “the coil 5 is vertically oriented, i.e. it is arranged or provided in a vertical plane that extend along the lengthwise axis of the field forming conductor 20”).
Thus, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have modified Ding’s wireless charger by including wherein the first coil pattern comprises a coil wound at least once in an upward direction of the printed circuit board as taught by Madawala in order to capture most of the produced flux by the primary, which significantly benefits dynamic wireless charging for applications such as moving EVs (Madawala; Par 0228).
In regards to claim 6, Ding, Ichikawa, Lee and Madawala disclose the electronic device of claim 5. Lee further discloses, in figure 6, wherein magnetic fields of the first coil pattern (5 as taught by Madwala) and the second coil pattern (612) are configured to face different directions (second coil pattern 612 taught by Lee and coil 5 taught by Madawala face different directions because the coil 5 is vertically oriented and second coil pattern 612 is wounded on a plane of the printed circuit board 520).
Claims 8-9 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Ding et al. (US 2020/0227954 A1) in view of Ichikawa et al. (US 2012/0235508 A1) in further view of Lee et al. (US 2020/0119576 A1) in further view of OO et al. (US 2016/0141097 A1).
In regards to claim 8, Ding, Ichikawa, and Lee disclose the electronic device of claim 7. Lee further discloses, in figure 6, wherein the second coil pattern (622) comprises a coil wound at least once on a plane of the printed circuit board (520 (Par 0091; second coil pattern 622 is a 2-2 pattern wound in a helical shape on a plane of the printed circuit board 520), but does not disclose wherein the first coil pattern comprises a coil wound at least once in an upward direction of the printed circuit board.
However, OO discloses, in figure 3, wherein the first coil pattern (302) comprises a coil wound at least once in an upward direction of the printed circuit board (Par 0026; “A receiving coil 302 includes a first planar section 304, which is oriented vertically”).
Thus, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have modified Ding’s wireless charger by including wherein the first coil pattern comprises a coil wound at least once in an upward direction of the printed circuit board as taught by OO in order to assure efficient charging in a wireless charger for different orientations of a device in a charging area of a wireless charger (OO; Par 0005).
In regards to claim 9, Ding, Ichikawa, Lee, and OO disclose the electronic device of claim 8. Lee further discloses, in figure 6, wherein magnetic fields of the first coil pattern (302 as taught by OO) and the second coil pattern (622) are configured to face different directions (second coil pattern 622 taught by Lee and receiving coil 302 taught by OO face different directions because the receiving coil 302 is vertically oriented and second coil pattern 622 is wounded on a plane of the printed circuit board 520).
Claims 13-15 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Ding et al. (US 2020/0227954 A1) in view of Ichikawa et al. (US 2012/0235508 A1) in further view of Bosshard et al. (US 2015/0280455 A1).
In regards to claim 13, Ding and Ichikawa disclose the electronic device of claim 1, but does not disclose wherein the wireless charging device comprises: a first rectification circuit configured to convert alternating current received from a power supply to direct current; and a first converter configured to: convert power rectified by the first rectification circuit, and transmit the converted power to the power transmission coil and the first coil.
However, Bosshard discloses, in figure 1a, wherein the wireless charging device (8) comprises: a first rectification circuit (11) configured to convert alternating current received from a power supply (1) to direct current (Par 0061-0062); and a first converter configured to: convert power rectified by the first rectification circuit (11) (Par 0011; “the adjustable dc-bus voltage is produced by a dc-to-dc-converter connected in series to a PFC rectifier”), and transmit the converted power to the power transmission coil (3) (Par 0060) and the first coil (first coil 312 as discussed in Ding).
Thus, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have modified Ding’s wireless charger by including wherein the wireless charging device comprises: a first rectification circuit configured to convert alternating current received from a power supply to direct current; and a first converter configured to: convert power rectified by the first rectification circuit, and transmit the converted power to the power transmission coil and the first coil as taught by Bosshard in order to ensure that the power transfer efficiency is at a maximum (Bosshard; Par 0031).
In regards to claim 14, Ding, Ichikawa, and Bosshard disclose the electronic device of claim 13.
Ding further discloses wherein the wireless charging device (110) further comprises: an inverter (not shown) configured to convert direct current received via the first converter to alternating current (Par 0067).
Ding does not disclose a first impedance compensation circuit configured to: compensate for impedance of alternating power transmitted via the inverter, and transmit the impedance-compensated alternating power to the power transmission coil.
However, Bosshard discloses, in figure 1a, a first impedance compensation circuit (5) configured to: compensate for impedance of alternating power transmitted via the inverter (9), and transmit the impedance-compensated alternating power to the power transmission coil (3) (Par 0060-0061; “A transmitter-side resonant compensation 5 is connected to the transmitter coil 3. The transmitter-side resonant compensation 5 includes at least one resonant capacitor which can be connected to the transmitter coil 3 in series”).
Thus, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have modified Ding’s wireless charger by including a first impedance compensation circuit configured to: compensate for impedance of alternating power transmitted via the inverter, and transmit the impedance-compensated alternating power to the power transmission coil as taught by Bosshard in order to ensure that the power transfer efficiency is at a maximum (Bosshard; Par 0031).
In regards to claim 15, Ding and Ichikawa, disclose the electronic device of claim 1.
Bosshard further discloses, in figure 1a, a second impedance compensation circuit (6) configured to compensate for impedance of wireless power received via the power reception coil (4) (Par 0060-0061; “the transmitter coil 3 and the receiver coil 4, the transmitter-side resonant compensation 5 and the receiver-side resonant compensation 6 form a resonant circuit 7 with a resonant frequency f.sub.0 at which an input impedance of the resonant circuit 7 is ohmic.”); a second rectification circuit (13) configured to convert alternating current transmitted via the second impedance compensation circuit (6) to direct current (Par 0063); and a second converter (15) configured to: convert power rectified by the second rectification circuit (13) (Par 0063), and transmit the converted power to a battery (2) (Par 0063).
Thus, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have modified Ding’s wireless charger by including a second impedance compensation circuit configured to compensate for impedance of wireless power received via the power reception coil; a second rectification circuit configured to convert alternating current transmitted via the second impedance compensation circuit to direct current; and a second converter configured to: convert power rectified by the second rectification circuit, and transmit the converted power to a battery as taught by Bosshard in order to ensure that the power transfer efficiency is at a maximum (Bosshard; Par 0031).
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 10-12 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.
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to ALEX WONG LAM whose telephone number is (571)272-3409. The examiner can normally be reached Mon-Fri 7:30-5:00.
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/ALEX W LAM/Examiner, Art Unit 2836
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