Lee International

The invention in the subject application relates to a wireless power transmission device for a vehicle.  The Korean Intellectual Property Office (KIPO) finally rejected the subject application on the ground that the claimed invention lacks an inventive step.  However, Lee International appealed the Final Rejection to the Intellectual Property Trial and Appeal Board (IPTAB), and successfully persuaded the IPTAB to concede that the claimed invention is different from the Cited References in terms of the technical field, the features and functions of the invention, and the technical problem to be solved, and thus, has an inventive step over the Cited References.  As a result, the IPTAB reversed the Final Rejection on November 14, 2024 and remanded the case to KIPO. 

The wireless power transmission device for a vehicle of the claimed invention comprises a support unit and a charging unit, each of which comprises a connector and a terminal, wherein even if the charging unit is rotated at any angle with respect to the support unit, electrical connection between the terminals is maintained.  However, KIPO asserted that the technical feature of the claimed invention could have been readily derived by one of ordinary skill in the art from the ball joint for a vehicle chassis of the Cited Reference through a simple design modification to obtain an optimal result, and thus, the technical feature of the claimed invention could have been readily derived from Cited References.

In this regard, Lee International argued that (i) the claimed invention is in a different technical field from Cited Reference in that the claimed invention is directed to a wireless power transmission device for a vehicle, whereas Cited Reference is directed to a ball joint for a vehicle chassis; (ii) although the features in Cited Reference appear to be similar to the features in the claimed invention, the two inventions are different in terms of features and functions in that the charging units and the support units of the claimed invention are electrically connected to each other via the respective terminals, whereas the support cell  surrounding the ball in Cited Reference electrically insulates the electrode through the inner layer, and (iii) the technical problem to be solved by the claimed invention is also different from that of Cited Reference in that even if the charging unit of the claimed invention is rotated at any angle with respect to the support unit, electrical connection between the terminals is maintained, whereas the electrode of Cited Reference is placed between the insulators to prevent wear measurement errors occurring at the ball joint. 

Although the claimed invention is clearly distinguished from Cited Reference for the reasons above, KIPO finally rejected the subject application.  In response, Lee International appealed the Final Rejection to the IPTAB.  During the appeal, Lee International meticulously compared the descriptions and drawings of the subject application to those in the Cited References, and explained in detail the differences in features to ensure that the core technical points were not overlooked.  Furthermore, to emphasize the technical significance of the claimed invention based on the differences in features, Lee International emphasized the technical effect achieved from the claimed invention, i.e., even if the charging unit is rotated at any angle with respect to the support unit, electrical connection between the terminals is maintained.  Accordingly, the IPTAB was persuaded by Lee International’s arguments, resulting in a reversal of the Final Rejection. 

This case serves as a noteworthy example of an invention, which was initially rejected for lack of inventive step on the ground that the technical features of the claimed invention appear to be similar to those of the Cited References, but successfully overcame the rejection by highlighting differences in the technical field, the distinguishing features and functions of the claimed invention, and the technical effects resulting from its distinguishing features.