UNITED STATES PATENT AND TRADEMARK OFFICE
`
`
`
`UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
`United States Patent and Trademark Office
`Address: COMMISSIONER FOR PATENTS
`PO. Box 1450
`Alexandria, Virginia 2231371450
`www.uspto.gov
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`16/119,254
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`08/31/2018
`
`Toshiharu KONOMI
`
`731056.432
`
`8870
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`Seed IP Law Group LLP/Panason1e
`701 Fifth Avenue, Suite 5400
`Seattle, WA 98104
`
`PELTON' NATHANIEL R
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`ART UNIT
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`2859
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`PAPER NUMBER
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`NOTIFICATION DATE
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`DELIVERY MODE
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`11/18/2019
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`ELECTRONIC
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`Please find below and/or attached an Office communication concerning this application or proceeding.
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`The time period for reply, if any, is set in the attached communication.
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`Notice of the Office communication was sent electronically on above—indicated "Notification Date" to the
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`following e—mail address(es):
`US PTOeACtion @ SeedIP .Com
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`pairlinkdktg @ seedip .eom
`
`PTOL-90A (Rev. 04/07)
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`

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`0,7709 A0170” Summary
`
`Application No.
`16/119,254
`Examiner
`NATHANIEL R PELTON
`
`Applicant(s)
`KONOMI, Toshiharu
`Art Unit
`AIA (FITF) Status
`2859
`Yes
`
`- The MAILING DA TE of this communication appears on the cover sheet wit/7 the correspondence address -
`Period for Reply
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`A SHORTENED STATUTORY PERIOD FOR REPLY IS SET TO EXPIRE g MONTHS FROM THE MAILING
`DATE OF THIS COMMUNICATION.
`Extensions of time may be available under the provisions of 37 CFR 1.136(a). In no event, however, may a reply be timely filed after SIX (6) MONTHS from the mailing
`date of this communication.
`|f NO period for reply is specified above, the maximum statutory period will apply and will expire SIX (6) MONTHS from the mailing date of this communication.
`-
`- Failure to reply within the set or extended period for reply will, by statute, cause the application to become ABANDONED (35 U.S.C. § 133).
`Any reply received by the Office later than three months after the mailing date of this communication, even if timely filed, may reduce any earned patent term
`adjustment. See 37 CFR 1.704(b).
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`Status
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`1). Responsive to communication(s) filed on application filed on 08/31/2018.
`[:1 A declaration(s)/affidavit(s) under 37 CFR 1.130(b) was/were filed on
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`2a)D This action is FINAL.
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`2b)
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`This action is non-final.
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`3)[:] An election was made by the applicant in response to a restriction requirement set forth during the interview on
`; the restriction requirement and election have been incorporated into this action.
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`4)[:] Since this application is in condition for allowance except for formal matters, prosecution as to the merits is
`closed in accordance with the practice under Expat/7e Quay/e, 1935 CD. 11, 453 O.G. 213.
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`Disposition of Claims*
`5)
`Claim(s)
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`1—11 is/are pending in the application.
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`5a) Of the above claim(s)
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`is/are withdrawn from consideration.
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`E] Claim(s)
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`is/are allowed.
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`Claim(s) fl is/are rejected.
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`[:1 Claim(s) _ is/are objected to.
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`) ) ) )
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`6 7
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`8
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`
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`are subject to restriction and/or election requirement
`[j Claim(s)
`9
`* If any claims have been determined aflowabte. you may be eligible to benefit from the Patent Prosecution Highway program at a
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`participating intellectual property office for the corresponding application. For more information, please see
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`http://www.uspto.gov/patents/init events/pph/index.jsp or send an inquiry to PPeredback@uspto.gov.
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`Application Papers
`10). The specification is objected to by the Examiner.
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`11). The drawing(s) filed on 08/31/2018 is/are: a). accepted or b)[:] objected to by the Examiner.
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`Applicant may not request that any objection to the drawing(s) be held in abeyance. See 37 CFR 1.85(a).
`Replacement drawing sheet(s) including the correction is required if the drawing(s) is objected to. See 37 CFR 1.121 (d).
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`Priority under 35 U.S.C. § 119
`12). Acknowledgment is made of a claim for foreign priority under 35 U.S.C. § 119(a)-(d) or (f).
`Certified copies:
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`a). All
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`b)D Some**
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`C)D None of the:
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`1.. Certified copies of the priority documents have been received.
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`2.[:] Certified copies of the priority documents have been received in Application No.
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`3:] Copies of the certified copies of the priority documents have been received in this National Stage
`application from the International Bureau (PCT Rule 17.2(a)).
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`** See the attached detailed Office action for a list of the certified copies not received.
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`Attachment(s)
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`1)
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`Notice of References Cited (PTO-892)
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`Information Disclosure Statement(s) (PTO/SB/08a and/or PTO/SB/08b)
`2)
`Paper No(s)/Mai| Date 08/31/2018, 01/22/2019
`U.S. Patent and Trademark Office
`
`3) C] Interview Summary (PTO-413)
`Paper No(s)/Mail Date
`4) CI Other-
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`PTOL-326 (Rev. 11-13)
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`Office Action Summary
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`Part of Paper No./Mai| Date 20191112
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`

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`Application/Control Number: 16/119,254
`Art Unit: 2859
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`Page 2
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`DETAILED ACTION
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`Notice of Pre-AIA or AIA Status
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`The present application, filed on or after March 16, 2013, is being examined under the first
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`inventor to file provisions of the AIA.
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`Specification
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`The title of the invention is not descriptive. A new title is required that is clearly indicative of
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`the invention to which the claims are directed. The Examiner recommends that Applicant include the
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`inventive concept that is being claimed, related to the inverted phases of multiple coils.
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`Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 103
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`The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 103 which forms the basis for all obviousness rejections
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`set forth in this Office action:
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`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.
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`Claim(s) 1, 3-5, 10, and 11 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over
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`Akuzawa et al. [US 2015/0280446] in view of Brzezinski et al. [US 2018/0064224].
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`With respect to claim 1, Akuzawa teaches a non-contact charging apparatus comprising: a first
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`feed coil [23] that generates a first magnetic flux for performing electric-power feeding to a first
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`secondary side device [43]; a second feed coil [2b] that generates a second magnetic flux for performing
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`electric-power feeding to the second secondary side device [4b]; and a controller that controls a first
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`excitation current that is supplied to the first feed coil and a second excitation current that is supplied to
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`the second feed coil such that the first magnetic flux and the second magnetic flux have inverted phases
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`from each other [Fig. 3; par. 0022-0024]. However, Akuzawa fails to explicitly address the housing
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`structure of the wireless power system. Brzezinski teaches a wireless charging system wherein a main
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`

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`Application/Control Number: 16/119,254
`Art Unit: 2859
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`Page 3
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`body is utilized on which a first secondary side device and a second secondary side device are placed
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`[722/724 and likewise 7403/740b are placed on 720 which receives wireless power from 710].
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`Therefore it would have been obvious to a person having ordinary skill in the art before the
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`effective filing date of the instant invention to modify Akuzawa such that the wireless system comprised
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`a main body on which the secondary devices are place for the benefit of providing a secure structure
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`and to more easily allow the alignment of the coils thereby improving efficiency.
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`With respect to claim 3, Akuzawa as modified above further discloses wherein the first
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`secondary side device has a first receiving coil, wherein the second secondary side device has a second
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`receiving coil, and wherein the first secondary side device and the second secondary side device
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`are each placed on the main body such that a gap between the first feed coil and the first receiving coil
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`and the gap between the second feed coil and the second receiving coil are shorter than a gap between
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`the first feed coil and the second feed coil [for example Brzezinski’s housing discloses the receiving
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`elements 122/124 are at opposite ends of the housing whereas the housing is placed on a charging
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`mat, see par. 0037 and Figs 1 and 6].
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`Therefore it would have been obvious to a person having ordinary skill in the art before the
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`effective filing date of the instant invention to modify Akuzawa such that the transmitter/receiver coils
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`are arranged closer together than the secondary devices for the benefit of improving the efficiency of
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`the wireless power transfer (i.e. it is known in the art that the farther apart the receiving/transmitting
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`coils are in wireless power transfer the less efficiency the system has).
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`With respect to claims 4 and 5, Akuzawa further discloses wherein the first feed coil has a first
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`core around which a first electric wire is wound, wherein the second feed coil has a second core around
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`which a second electric wire is wound, wherein the first electric wire is wound around the first core so
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`

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`Application/Control Number: 16/119,254
`Art Unit: 2859
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`Page 4
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`as to be close to a side of the first secondary side device placed on the main body, and wherein the
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`second electric wire is wound around the second core so as to be close to a side of the second
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`secondary side device placed on the main body [53/5b and 63/6b illustrate the first and second coils
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`having wound configuration, the placement would be "close" since placing them far apart would
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`render the operation of wireless power transfer inoperable and/or inefficient, i.e. separate by
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`thickness of the housings].
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`With respect to claims 10 and 11, Akuzawa further discloses wherein the controller includes a
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`first excitation current controller that controls a magnitude of the first excitation current, which is
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`supplied to the first feed coil, in a variable manner [23], and a second excitation current controller that
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`controls a magnitude of the second excitation current, which is supplied to the second feed coil, in a
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`variable manner [2b], wherein the controller controls the first excitation current controller and the
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`second excitation current controller such that a deviation between the first excitation current and the
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`second excitation current is a predetermined value or less [as illustrated in Figs 2 and 4].
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`Claim 2 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Akuzawa et al. [US
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`2015/0280446] and Brzezinski et al. [US 2018/0064224] as applied above, and further in view of
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`Abdolkhani et al. [US 2017/0310164].
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`With respect to claim 2, Akuzawa fails to explicitly disclose serially connecting coils. However,
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`Abdolkhani teaches wherein first and second feed coils are connected to each other in series while still
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`utilizing the inverted phase technology [par. 0093].
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`Therefore it would have been obvious to a person having ordinary skill in the art before the
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`effective filing date of the instant invention to modify Akuzawa to alternately utilize a serial connection
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`of the coils for the benefit of using fewer circuitry components as stated by Abdolkhani.
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`

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`Application/Control Number: 16/119,254
`Art Unit: 2859
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`Page 5
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`Claims 6 and 7 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Akuzawa et al. [US
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`2015/0280446] and Brzezinski et al. [US 2018/0064224] as applied above, and further in view of
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`Higgins et al. [US 2018/0123367].
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`With respect to claims 6 and 7, Akuzawa as modified above teaches generating the first and
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`second fluxes and a lid that opens and closes the main body [ear bud housing has a lid] but fails to
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`disclose the charging operation being dependent on the opening or closing of the lid as claimed.
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`Higgins teaches a sensor that detects opening and closing of the lid, wherein, when a closed
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`state of the lid is detected, the controller generates a charging signal and wherein, when an open state
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`of the lid is detected, the controller ends charging [par. 0030].
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`Therefore it would have been obvious to a person having ordinary skill in the art before the
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`effective filing date of the instant invention to modify Akuzawa to only allow charging when the lid is
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`closed for the benefit of ensuring the device is not in the process of being removed/inserted/aligned
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`with the transmitting coils thereby preserving energy and increasing efficiency.
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`Claims 8 and 9 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Akuzawa et al. [US
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`2015/0280446] and Brzezinski et al. [US 2018/0064224] as applied above, and further in view of
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`Boesen [US 2018/0014109].
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`With respect to claims 8 and 9, Akuzawa fails to disclose the housing having a display to indicate
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`charging states as claimed. However, utilizing displays is well-known in the art. For example, Boesen
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`teaches wherein a main body includes a display, and wherein the controller performs display that
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`indicates charging on the display and wherein the controller performs display that indicates a full charge
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`on the display [par. 0026].
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`

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`Application/Control Number: 16/119,254
`Art Unit: 2859
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`Page 6
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`Therefore it would have been obvious to a person having ordinary skill in the art before the
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`effective filing date of the instant invention to modify Akuzawa to include a display on the housing for
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`the benefit of easily allowing a user to see the status of the charging operation.
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`Conclusion
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`Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner
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`should be directed to NATHANIEL R PELTON whose telephone number is (571)270-1761. The examiner
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`can normally be reached on M-F 9am to 5pm.
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`Examiner interviews are available via telephone, in-person, and video conferencing using a
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`USPTO supplied web-based collaboration tool. To schedule an interview, applicant is encouraged to use
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`the USPTO Automated Interview Request (AIR) at http://www.uspto.gov/interviewpractice.
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`If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor,
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`Ricardo Isla can be reached on 571-272-5056. The fax phone number for the organization where this
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`application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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`Information regarding the status of an application may be obtained from the Patent Application
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`Information Retrieval (PAIR) system. Status information for published applications may be obtained
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`from either Private PAIR or Public PAIR. Status information for unpublished applications is available
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`through Private PAIR only. For more information about the PAIR system, see http://pair-
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`direct.uspto.gov. Should you have questions on access to the Private PAIR system, contact the Electronic
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`Business Center (EBC) at 866-217-9197 (toll-free). If you would like assistance from a USPTO Customer
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`Service Representative or access to the automated information system, call 800-786-9199 (IN USA OR
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`CANADA) or 571-272-1000.
`
`/NATHANIEL R PELTON/
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`Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2859
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`