Ryota Hashimoto

Patent Trials and Appeals Board

Jul 26, 2019

14823385 - (D) (P.T.A.B. Jul. 26, 2019)

UNITED STATES PATENT AND TRADEMARK OFFICE
UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
United States Patent and Trademark Office
Address: COMMISSIONER FOR PATENTS
P.O. Box 1450
Alexandria, Virginia 22313-1450
www.uspto.gov
APPLICATION NO. FILING DATE FIRST NAMED INVENTOR ATTORNEY DOCKET NO. CONFIRMATION NO.
14/823,385 08/11/2015 Ryota HASHIMOTO 002000-000227 2850
78198 7590 07/26/2019
Studebaker & Brackett PC
8255 Greensboro Drive
Suite 300
Tysons, VA 22102
EXAMINER
BARNES, MALCOLM
ART UNIT PAPER NUMBER
2837
NOTIFICATION DATE DELIVERY MODE
07/26/2019 ELECTRONIC
Please find below and/or attached an Office communication concerning this application or proceeding.
The time period for reply, if any, is set in the attached communication.
Notice of the Office communication was sent electronically on above-indicated "Notification Date" to the
following e-mail address(es):
info@sbpatentlaw.com
PTOL-90A (Rev. 04/07)
UNITED STATES PATENT AND TRADEMARK OFFICE
____________

BEFORE THE PATENT TRIAL AND APPEAL BOARD
____________

Ex parte RYOTA HASHIMOTO
____________

Appeal 2018-008755
Application 14/823,385
Technology Center 2800
____________

Before LINDA M. GAUDETTE, BRIAN D. RANGE, and
MERRELL C. CASHION, Jr., Administrative Patent Judges.

GAUDETTE, Administrative Patent Judge.

DECISION ON APPEAL1

1 This Decision includes citations to the following documents: Specification filed
August 11, 2015 (“Spec.”); Non-Final Office Action dated October 19, 2017
(“Act.”); Appeal Brief filed March 19, 2018 (“Appeal Br.”); Examiner’s Answer
dated July 13, 2018 (“Ans.”); and Reply Brief filed August 31, 2018 (“Reply Br.”).
Appeal 2018-008755
Application 14/823,385

2
The Appellant2 appeals under 35 U.S.C. § 134(a) from the Examiner’s
decision rejecting claims 1–3.3
For the reasons explained below, we AFFIRM the rejections of claims 1–3,
but denominate the affirmed rejections as NEW GROUNDS OF REJECTION
pursuant to 37 C.F.R. § 41.50(b).
The invention relates to “a common mode choke coil capable of increasing a
rated current value.” Spec. ¶ 7. Claim 1, the sole independent claim on appeal, is
reproduced below.
1. A common mode choke coil comprising:
a core; and
a first winding, a second winding, and a third winding that are
wrapped around the core,
a number of turns in the third winding being less than a number
of turns in the first winding and a number of turns in the second
winding, such that the resistance of the third winding is lower than the
resistances of each of the first and second windings.
Appeal Br. 6 (Claims Appendix).
The Examiner rejected claims 1–3 under 35 U.S.C. § 103 as follows: (1)
claims 1 and 2 over Lamesch (US 2015/0345998 A1, published December 3, 2015)
in view of Vieira (US 2007/0129043 A1, published June 7, 2007); and claim 3
over Lamesch in view of Vieira and Tai (US 2014/0292467 A1, published October
2, 2014). Act. 3–6. The Examiner found Lamesch discloses the invention as recited
in claim 1, with the exception that
Lamesch does not explicitly teach, a number of turns in the third
winding being less than a number of turns in the first winding and a
number of turns in the second winding, and such that the resistance of

2 The Appellant is the Applicant, Murata Manufacturing Co., Ltd., also identified
as the real party in interest. Appeal Br. 2.
3 We have jurisdiction under 35 U.S.C. § 6(b).
Appeal 2018-008755
Application 14/823,385

3
the third winding is lower than the resistances of each of the first and
second windings.
Act. 3–4.
However, as found by the Examiner, id. at 3, Lamesch discloses that “[i]f 1-to-l
transformation between the third winding and each of the first and second
windings is not required, the third winding may have a number of turns different
from a number of turns of the first winding and the second winding, respectively,”
Lamesch ¶ 17 (emphasis added). Lamesch discloses that
[i]f the common mode choke has a transformer ratio of 1:1:1, then the
amplifier 21 has unity gain, i.e. it merely buffers the AC voltage onto
the shield conductor. However, if the number of turns of the third
winding is different from the number of turns of the first and second
winding, respectively, then the gain or attenuation (gain