Ex Parte Ulrich et al - Page 9



            Appeal 2007-2869                                                                                
            Application 10/286,535                                                                          
            coil assembly…of McGaffigan, in order to reduce external radiation of magnetic                  
            flux to prevent damages” as taught by McGaffigan (Answer 4).  Appellants                        
            contend that the Examiner has not presented a prima facie case of obviousness                   
            “because the proposed modification changes the intended purpose of McGaffigan                   
            and produces an inoperable result” (Appeal Br. 13).  More specifically, Appellants              
            contend “if one were to place a wound element within the coil structure 30 of                   
            McGaffigan to cure a varnish disposed thereon…the result would be a core having                 
            no ferromagnetic properties” which would be inoperable in a motor or a generator                
            (Appeal Br. 14).  We disagree with the Appellants’ narrow reading of McGaffigan.                
            McGaffigan discloses, in one embodiment, that the induction device is capable of                
            causing a ferromagnetic material to be heated to approximately its effective Curie              
            temperature, “if Curie temperature regulation is desired,” thus suggesting that other           
            operating temperatures are contemplated (Finding of Fact 8).  Thus, heating a                   
            ferromagnetic material to its effective Curie temperature is optional, and the                  
            induction heating device of McGaffigan does not require such a result.  As such, if             
            one were to place a wound element within the coil structure 30 of McGaffigan to                 
            cure the coating disposed thereon, and one skilled in the art was aware that it is              
            desirable to maintain the ferromagnetic properties of the core, then the induction              
            device of McGaffigan is capable of heating the wound core to below its effective                
            Curie temperature to retain such ferromagnetic properties, while also gaining the               
            benefit of reducing external radiation, as taught by McGaffigan.                                
                   Appellants further contend that the combination of Sakayanagi and                        
            McGaffigan “can not achieve the claimed wound core ‘to be cured by heat                         

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