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 .
Priority
Acknowledgment is made of applicant’s claim for foreign priority under 35 U.S.C. 119 (a)-(d). The certified copy has been filed in parent Application No. KR10-2021-0003629, filed on 01/11/2021.
Receipt is acknowledged of certified copies of papers required by 37 CFR 1.55.
Status of the Claims
Claims 1, 9, 14, and 19 are amended. Claims 2-8, 10-12, 15-18, and 20 are as previously presented. Claim 13 has been canceled. Claim 21 is newly added. Therefore, claims 1-12 and 14-21 are currently pending and have been considered below.
Response to Amendment
The amendment filed on February 23, 2026 has been entered.
Response to Arguments
Applicant’s arguments, see Pages 7-11, filed 02/23/2026, with respect to the rejection(s) of claim(s) 1-20 under U.S.C. 103 have been fully considered and are persuasive. Therefore, the rejection has been withdrawn. However, upon further consideration, a new ground(s) of rejection is made in view of applicant’s amendment regarding the fluid isolation of the exhaust passage from the upper space and newly found prior art regarding this feature.
Applicant argues that Yun does not disclose where the front panel has an intake opening that is positioned above an upper end of the door and configured to supply air upward as Yun explains that when the door 12 is closed, the first suction port 18 is not exposed to the outside.
It is the Examiner’s position that this argument is not persuasive as reading the full disclosure of Yun regarding the door being closed, Yun further states, Para. 0056, “Because the door 12 is disposed on the front surface 15 of the oven 10, when the door 12 is closed, the first suction port 18 is not exposed to the outside. However, because there is a gap between the door 12 of the oven 10 and the bottom surface 24 of the cooktop 20, the outside air may be introduced into the first suction port 18 through the space between the door 12 and the bottom surface 24 of the cooktop 20.”, where this is construed as being that the first suction port 18 is blocked direct contact from the outside but is supplied with air between an upper portion of the door. Therefore, the first suction port 18 can supply air upwards and Fig. 7 shows that the port 18 is located at the top of the front surface 15 of the oven 10, and where this means that the port 18 would extend past the upper end of the door as there is a gap between the door and the bottom surface 24 of the cooktop.
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 1-9, 14-15, and 17-20 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Yun et al. (US 20200191406 A1, hereinafter Yun) in view of Chadwick et al. (US 20150260416 A1, hereinafter Chadwick) in further view of Lee et al. (US 20200025390 A1, hereinafter Lee) and Has et al. (DE 102008044234 A1, hereinafter Has).
Regarding claim 1, Yun discloses a cooking appliance (Abstract, “cooking appliance”), comprising:
an oven having a cavity that defines a cooking space therein (Para. 0048, “The oven 10 is formed in a substantially rectangular parallelepiped shape, and a cooking chamber 11 in which food is accommodated is proved in the oven 10.”);
a door disposed at a front side of the cavity and configured to open and close the cooking space (Para. 0049, “door 12 configured to open and close the cooking chamber 11 is provided in the front surface of the oven 10.”);
a cooktop disposed vertically above the oven (Para. 0050, “The cooktop 20 is provided at the upper side of the oven 10 and is formed in a hollow substantially rectangular parallelepiped shape.”), the cooktop comprising:
a top plate that covers an upper portion of the cavity and defines an upper space between the top plate and the cavity (Para. 0103, “the top surface 23…both side surfaces 25 and 26 of the cooktop 20'”, and Para. 0104, “protruding portion 27”, where these areas that include the cooktop and extend outwards create a top plate that covers the upper portion of the cooking cavity and includes a space between the top plate and the cavity), and a cooktop heater that is at least partially disposed in the upper space (Para. 0052, “In addition, an electrical component 30 for controlling the cooktop 20 and the oven 10 may be provided inside the front surface 21 of the cooktop 20.”, where the electrical component 30 is part of the heater system as it can control the cooktop heaters and is construed as satisfying the ‘at least partially’ limitation);
a rear cover that covers a rear side of the oven and a rear side of the cooktop (Para. 0118, “rear surface 16 of the oven 10”, and Para. 0063, “the rear surface 22”, where these two plates make up the rear cover, where 16 and 22 cover the rear of the oven and the cooktop) and defines a rear space between the rear cover and the oven (Para. 0059, “The exhaust duct 80 is disposed on the rear surface 22 of the cooktop 20”, where the exhaust duct creates a space downwards that is the rear space between the cover and the oven), wherein the top plate defines (i) a first exhaust opening that passes a central portion of the rear cover and is disposed between the cooktop heater and the rear cover and (ii) a second exhaust opening in fluid communication with the upper space (Para. 0059, “An exhaust port 81 communicating with the exhaust duct 80 is provided in the top surface 23 of the cooktop 20.”; and Para. 0061, “oven exhaust ducts 90 are in communication with oven outlets 91 provided at a rear portion of the top surface 23 of the cooktop 20, that is, near the rear surface 22 of the cooktop 20.”, where Fig. 8 shows that there are two exhaust ports 81 and 91, where 91 is construed as the first exhaust opening that passes a central portion of the rear cover and is between the heaters 50 and the rear cover 16, where the 81 communicates with the upper space through the connection duct 75, Para. 0067, “The connection duct 75 is formed to connect the first cooling duct 60 and the second cooling duct 70.”); and
a plate section that is disposed at an upper portion of the top plate and covers the exhaust opening (Para. 0099, “the other ends of the oven exhaust ducts 90 are in communication with oven outlets 91 provided at a rear portion of the top surface of the cooktop 20, that is, near the rear surface 22 of the cooktop 20.”), wherein a gap is defined between the cavity and the rear cover and disposed rearward relative to the upper space, the rear space being opened upward to the gap (Para. 0096, “One end of the second duct section 62 is connected to the first duct section 61, and the other end of the second duct section 62 is connected to a connecting section 63 in which the exhaust fan 41 is disposed.”, where between the second duct section 62 and the connecting section 63 is a gap that is between the cavity and the rear cover, where Fig. 9 shows that the rear space in the exhaust duct 80 leads upwards), and
wherein the top plate is connected to the rear cover, the top plate being disposed above and covering the upper space and the gap (Para. 0097, “An exhaust port 81 communicating with the exhaust duct 80 is provided in the top surface 23 of the cooktop 20'.”, where the top surface 23 is connected to the rear cover 22, where it covers the upper space that contains the electrical component 30 and gap between the second duct 62 and connecting section 63);
an exhaust duct having (i) a lower end portion connected to the cooking space and (ii) an upper end portion connected to the first exhaust opening, the exhaust duct defining an exhaust passage from the cooking space to the first exhaust opening of the top plate (Para. 0061, “Two oven exhaust ducts 90 to communicate with the cooking chamber 11 of the oven 10 may be provided at left and right sides of the first cooling duct 60 and the exhaust duct 80. In detail, one ends of the oven exhaust ducts 90 are in communication with an upper portion of the cooking chamber 11 of the oven 10, and the other ends of the oven exhaust ducts 90 are in communication with oven outlets 91 provided at a rear portion of the top surface 23 of the cooktop 20, that is, near the rear surface 22 of the cooktop 20.”, where the exhaust duct are 90 located on the left and right side of the cooling duct 60, where the exhaust ducts create an exhaust passage that connects the cooking space to the exhaust opening of the top plate; where the exhaust duct 80 is connected to the upper space; where the duct connecting the cooking space to the first exhaust passage is not disclosed as the duct that connects the cooking space goes to a second exhaust opening, however this feature is shown in the secondary reference Has);
a front panel disposed between the door and the cavity, wherein at least a portion of the front panel blocks a front side of the upper space, and the front panel defines an intake opening provided at a position above an upper end of the door and configured to supply air upward to the upper space (Para. 0056, “The first suction port 18 may be provided as a plurality of slits at the upper portion of the front surface 15 of the oven 10 as illustrated in FIG. 7. Therefore, the outside air may be introduced into the first cooling duct 60 through the first suction port 18. Because the door 12 is disposed on the front surface 15 of the oven 10, when the door 12 is closed, the first suction port 18 is not exposed to the outside. However, because there is a gap between the door 12 of the oven 10 and the bottom surface 24 of the cooktop 20, the outside air may be introduced into the first suction port 18 through the space between the door 12 and the bottom surface 24 of the cooktop 20.”, where not being exposed is construed to mean that the suction port 18 is covered by the door but can still allow air to flow as there is a gap, where Fig. 7 shows that the ports 18 go all the way to the top of the front surface and where the door does not cover the top of the front surface, where this means that the front panel that includes the ports 18 at a position above the upper end of the door and supplies air upwards); and
a cooling fan disposed in the upper space and outside the exhaust passage adjacent to the rear cover and configured to generate an air flow passing through the upper space (Para. 0060, “The exhaust fan 41 is disposed in a connecting section 63 between the first cooling duct 60 and the exhaust duct 80. The exhaust fan 41 is disposed inside the connecting section 63 to which the rear end of the first cooling duct 60 and one end of the exhaust duct 80 are connected, and is configured to generate a suction force to suck outside air into the first cooling duct 60.”, where the exhaust duct 80 is a separate structure from the exhaust ducts 90 that is outside of the exhaust ducts 90, where duct 80 is connected to the upper space and includes an air circulation fan).
Yun does not disclose:
a vent grille that is disposed at an upper portion of the top plate and covers the first exhaust opening and the second exhaust opening;
an exhaust duct having (i) a lower end portion connected to the cooking space and (ii) an upper end portion connected to the first exhaust opening, the exhaust duct defining an exhaust passage from the cooking space to the first exhaust opening of the top plate and fluidly isolating the exhaust passage from the upper space;
a cooling fan that is disposed in the upper space, that is disposed outside the exhaust passage, and that is disposed adjacent to the rear cover, the cooling fan being configured to generate an air flow upward from the intake opening to the upper space and discharge the air from the upper space through the second exhaust opening.
However, Chadwick discloses, in the similar field of cooking apparatuses (Abstract, “cooking appliance”), where a similar rear exhaust vent is provided that includes a vent grill on the upper portion of the top plate (Para. 0054, “As shown in FIG. 1, the housing 102 can include a rear vent trim 120 on the top of the housing 102 and at a rear side of the cooking surface 106.”). It would have been obvious for one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filling date of the claimed invention to have modified the rear exhaust opening in Yun to include the vent grille as taught by Chadwick.
One of ordinary skill in the art would have been motivated to make this modification in order to gain the advantage of allowing a user to have greater control over the air flow exiting from the apparatus, where the air flow can be directed to lower the temperatures in order to comply with industry standards and regulations, as stated by Chadwick, Para. 0056, “rear vent trim 120 controls and manages the air flow by directing the flow of air ( e.g., Al, A2, A3) from the rear vent trim 120 forward and away from a combustible back wall 16 of the kitchen (e.g., away from a 90° angle with respect to the upper surface of the cooking surface), thereby minimizing temperatures on the combustible back wall 16 of the kitchen and improving compliance with industry standards and regulations.”.
Examiner presents an additional reference Lee to strength Yun and to show that having an exhaust duct connected to the cooking space and another exhaust duct with a fan connected to an upper space is known in the prior art. Further, Lee discloses, in the similar field of cooking appliances (Abstract, “A cooking appliance”), where there is an exhaust duct with a lower end connected to a cooking space and an upper end connected to the exhaust opening (Para. 0046, “The first inlet 42 is formed at the lower end of the lower section 41a. The first inlet 42 forms a passage that is connected with the cooking chamber 31 of the oven unit 30 at one end of the first duct body 41, i.e., the end of the lower section 41a”, and Para. 0047, “the first exhaust opening 43 is formed at the upper end of the upper section 41b.”), where another exhaust duct is connected to an upper space and includes a cooling fan (Para. 0063, “The blowing unit 60 forms air currents in which air introduced into the electric chamber 50 is discharged out of the exhaust vent 25 through the cool air-exhaust duct 45.”, and Para. 0050, “A space is formed between the oven unit 30 and the cooktop heating unit 23 in the upper portion of the oven unit 30. In the embodiment, the electric chamber 50 exemplifies the space.”, where the exhaust duct 45 contain the cooling fan within the upper space of the electric chamber, where the exhaust duct 45 are separate and located outside the exhaust passage of the exhaust duct 41), where the cooling fan generates an air flow passing through the upper space (Para. 0064, “The blowing unit 60 suctions air introduced into the electric chamber 50 through the cool air passage at the front of the cooking appliance, and introduces the air into the cool air-exhaust duct 45”). It would have been obvious for one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filling date of the claimed invention to have modified the exhaust duct in modified Yun to include the separated exhaust ducts for the upper space with cooling fans as taught by Lee.
One of ordinary skill in the art would have been motivated to make this modification in order to gain the advantage of a separate exhaust duct for introducing air to cool the electric components located in the upper space, where this air would have a lower temperature than the exhaust air coming from the cooking space and allow for sufficient cooling to occur, as stated by Lee, Para. 0095, “temperature of the air introduced into the cool air-exhaust duct 45 rises slightly while passing through the electric chamber 50, but is much lower than that of the combustion gases that are discharged through the exhaust duct 40.”.
Has discloses, in the similar field of cooking appliances (Abstract, “a cooking chamber (2) of a cooking device (1) i.e. baking-oven.”), where an exhaust duct has a lower end connected to the cooking space and an upper end connected to a first exhaust opening, where the exhaust duct defines an exhaust passage from the cooking space to the first exhaust opening and fluidly isolates the exhaust passage from the upper space (Modified Fig. 1, where the exhaust duct is shown connecting the cooking space to the first exhaust opening; Page 4, Para. 3 from end, “This from the oven 2 outflowing medium 6 is through a medium channel 7 of the cooking appliance 1 directed.”, and Page 4, Para. 2 from end, “An example is a partition wall 11 shown which the medium channel 7 from the cooling air channel 8th separated, with the dividing wall 11 both channels 7 respectively. 8th is associated.”), where a cooling fan is located in an upper space and generates an air flow upwards from the intake opening to the upper space and discharges the air through a second exhaust opening (Modified Fig. 1, where the upper space is shown with the cooling fan 9, where the air flows upwards and out through another exhaust opening; Page 4, Para. 3 from end, “cooling air duct 8th in which a cooling fan 9 is arranged, which through openings in the housing of the cooking appliance 1 cooling air 10 can suck in from the outside.”). It would have been obvious for one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filling date of the claimed invention to have modified the two exhaust ducts 90 and 80 in modified Yun to have the fluidly isolated configuration with the connections as taught by Has.
One of ordinary skill in the art would have been motivated to make this modification in order to gain the advantage of a partition between the two exhaust passages so that a temperature sensor can accurately detect temperature, as stated by Has, Page 3, last Para., “In particular, at least the sensor is arranged on an outer side of the medium channel. It is preferably provided that the device for detecting the temperature of the sensor is arranged on a side of the sensor facing away from the outside of the medium channel on this sensor. at Such a configuration is thus the device for temperature detection of the sensor, in particular the temperature sensor, arranged contactlessly with the medium channel. A temperature falsification by the temperature of the temperature sensor through the partition can be avoided.”.
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Modified Figure 1, Has
Regarding claim 2, modified Yun teaches the apparatus according to claim 1, as set forth above, discloses wherein the top plate comprises: a main plate that is disposed above and covers an upper portion of the upper space (Yun, Para. 0103, “both side surfaces 25 and 26 of the cooktop 20'”, and Para. 0104, “protruding portion 27”, where these three areas make up a main plate); and
an extension plate that extends rearward from the main plate and covers the gap (Yun, Para. 0097, “An exhaust port 81 communicating with the exhaust duct 80 is provided in the top surface 23 of the cooktop 20'.”, where the top surface 23 is connected to the rear cover 22, where it covers the upper space that contains the electrical component 30 and gap between the second duct 62 and connecting section 63, where the top surface 23 is an extension from the surfaces 25-27).
Regarding claim 3, modified Yun teaches the apparatus according to claim 2, as set forth above, discloses wherein the main plate and the extension plate are coplanar and define one surface that covers the upper space and the gap (Yun, Fig. 4, where the main plate made up of 25-27 and the extension plate 23 located in the rear are shown to be coplanar; where Fig. 2 shows that the cooktop 20 includes the plates 23 and 25-27 that create a surface in which the upper space and gap are covered).
Regarding claim 4, modified Yun teaches the apparatus according to claim 2, as set forth above, discloses wherein the extension plate is coupled to the rear cover at a position behind the upper space and the gap (Yun, Fig. 5, where the extension plate 23 is connected with the rear cover 22 at the rear of the appliance, where this location is shown in Fig. 9 to be behind the upper space and gap).
Regarding claim 5, modified Yun teaches the apparatus according to claim 2, as set forth above, wherein at least the portion of the main plate and the extension plate are connected to each other and cover the upper space and the gap (Yun, Fig. 4, where the main plate made up of 25-27 and the extension plate 23 located in the rear are shown to be connected; where Fig. 2 shows that the cooktop 20 includes the plates 23 and 25-27 that create a surface in which the upper space and gap are covered).
Modified Yun does not disclose:
wherein the vent grille has a vent hole that vertically passes therethrough and exposes at least a portion of the main plate.
However, Chadwick discloses where the vent grille includes vent holes that vertically pass through the grille (Para. 0057, “The rear vent trim 120 includes a third opening or set of openings in communication with one or more oven flues (not shown in FIG. 2) to provide a third zone (Zone 3; shown by A3)”)It would have been obvious for one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filling date of the claimed invention to have modified the rear exhaust opening in modified Yun to include the vent grille as taught by Chadwick, where this vent grille would expose the part of the extension plate from Yun.
One of ordinary skill in the art would have been motivated to make this modification in order to gain the advantage of allowing a user to have greater control over the air flow exiting from the apparatus, where the air flow can be directed to lower the temperatures in order to comply with industry standards and regulations, as stated by Chadwick, Para. 0056, “rear vent trim 120 controls and manages the air flow by directing the flow of air ( e.g., Al, A2, A3) from the rear vent trim 120 forward and away from a combustible back wall 16 of the kitchen (e.g., away from a 90° angle with respect to the upper surface of the cooking surface), thereby minimizing temperatures on the combustible back wall 16 of the kitchen and improving compliance with industry standards and regulations.”.
Regarding claim 6, modified Yun teaches the apparatus according to claim 2, as set forth above.
Modified Yun does not disclose:
wherein the top plate further comprises a coupling part that extends from the extension plate and is coupled to the rear cover.
However, Chadwick discloses where the vent grille, which would be placed onto of the extension plate from Yun, can include coupling parts that connect the vent grille to the rear cover (Para. 0058, “As shown in FIG. 3, the rear vent trim 120 includes a rear facing mounting surface 122, which is arranged to be coupled to the housing 102 of the appliance, for example, using one or more screw holes 138.”). It would have been obvious for one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filling date of the claimed invention to have modified the extension plate in modified Yun to include the screw connection to the rear cover as taught by Chadwick.
One of ordinary skill in the art would have been motivated to make this modification in order to gain the advantage of being able to allow the extension plate to have additional support for coupling to the appliance, where Yun shows that coupling could occur to side surfaces that make up the top surface, where Chadwick shows that a similar feature could be done with the rear cover, as stated by Chadwick, Para. 0058, “rear vent trim 120 includes a rear facing mounting surface 122, which is arranged to be coupled to the housing 102 of the appliance, for example, using one or more screw holes 138.”.
Regarding claim 7, modified Yun teaches the apparatus according to claim 6, as set forth above, discloses wherein the coupling part extends from the extension plate in a direction parallel to the rear cover, and wherein the coupling part is coupled to the rear cover and contacts the rear cover in a front-rear direction (Teaching from Chadwick, Para. 0058, “the rear vent trim 120 includes a rear facing mounting surface 122, which is arranged to be coupled to the housing 102 of the appliance, for example, using one or more screw holes 138.”, where Fig. 3A shows that the screw holes 138 are in a section of plate that extends downwards parallel to the rear cover, where the coupling location with the rear cover would be in a front-rear direction).
Regarding claim 8, modified Yun teaches the apparatus according to claim 6, as set forth above, discloses wherein the main plate and the extension plate are coplanar (Yun, Fig. 4, where the main plate made up of 25-27 and the extension plate 23 located in the rear are shown to be coplanar; where Fig. 2 shows that the cooktop 20 includes the plates 23 and 25-27 that create a surface in which the upper space and gap are covered), and
wherein the main plate, the extension plate, and the coupling part are parts of one component, the coupling part extending downward from an end portion of a rear of the extension plate (Teaching from Chadwick, Para. 0058, “As shown in FIG. 3, the rear vent trim 120 includes a rear facing mounting surface 122, which is arranged to be coupled to the housing 102 of the appliance, for example, using one or more screw holes 138.”, where this teaching would allow a user to have the extension part from Yun to include a downward section in the rear of the extension part in order to connect to the rear cover, where the extension part is connected to the downward coupling section and is connected to the main plate).
Regarding claim 9, modified Yun teaches the apparatus according to claim 1, as set forth above, discloses further comprising:
a control panel disposed above the door, the control panel comprising a display (Yun, Para. 0052, “The front surface 21 of the cooktop 20 is provided with a plurality of rotary switches 51 that can control the plurality of heating sources 50 of the cooktop 20… At this time, as illustrated in FIG. 6, the front surface of the display 30 is exposed to the outside through an opening 21a provided in the front surface 21 of the cooktop 20.”).
Regarding claim 14, modified Yun teaches the apparatus according to claim 1, as set forth above, discloses wherein the cooling fan is disposed rearward relative to the cooktop heater (Yun, modified Fig. 9, where the cooling fan is shown to be in the upper space that is between the oven and the top plate, where the cooling fan is behind the cooktop heater 50; Para. 0051, “plurality of heating sources 50 capable of heating a container containing food.”; where from Yun and the teaching of Lee, the fan can be positioned outside of the exhaust duct).
Regarding claim 15, modified Yun teaches the apparatus according to claim 1, as set forth above, discloses further comprising at least one electronic component disposed in the rear space and configured to at least one of supply power, provide light to the cavity, cause convection of air in the cavity, or supply gas to the oven or the cooktop heater (Yun, where the rear space is construed as the width of the exhaust 81 and downwards, where a cooling fan is located within that area for convention of air in the cavity shown through modified Fig. 9.1, Para. 0058, “One end of the second duct section 62 is connected to the first duct section 61, and the other end of the second duct section 62 is connected to a connecting section in which the exhaust fan 41 is disposed.”), and
wherein the top plate is located above and covers the at least one electronic component disposed in the rear space (Yun, Para. 0059, “An exhaust port 81 communicating with the exhaust duct 80 is provided in the top surface 23 of the cooktop 20.”, where the top surface 23 is part of the top plate and covers the cooling fan located in the rear space).
Regarding claim 17, modified Yun teaches the apparatus according to claim 1, as set forth above, discloses wherein the top plate defines a recess that is recessed toward the upper space and accommodates the cooktop heater (Yun, where conventional ovens with cooktops were shown to include a recess toward the upper space for the heaters, Para. 0007, “cooktop 110, the temperature of the inside of the cooktop 110 is increased by the radiant heat of a burner 111.”, where the location of the burner 111 has a recess in the plate of the cooktop; where a similar feature is present in Yun’s cooktop from Fig. 9, where the cooktop plate 20 and side extensions are construed as being part of the top plate, where a recess is present to hold the burners 50).
Regarding claim 18, modified Yun teaches the apparatus according to claim 17, as set forth above, discloses further comprising a plurality of gas burners that are disposed in the recess and include the cooktop heater (Yun, Para. 0051, “The top surface 23 of the cooktop 20 is provided with a plurality of heating sources 50 capable of heating a container containing food. In the case of the embodiment illustrated in FIGS. 2 and 3, six gas burners are used as the heating sources 50.”).
Regarding claim 19, modified Yun teaches the apparatus according to claim 1, as set forth above, discloses wherein the exhaust duct is disposed in the upper space and disposed below the top plate, the exhaust duct extending rearward to the first exhaust opening (Yun, Para. 0057, “The first cooling duct 60 may include a first duct section 61 connected to the first suction port 18 and a second duct section 62 connected to the first duct section 61.”, where the first cooling duct is within the upper space and below the top plate, where it extends rearward to the exhaust opening shown in Fig. 9, Para. 0059, “The exhaust duct 80 is disposed on the rear surface 22 of the cooktop 20 and is connected to the rear end of the first cooling duct 60.”).
Regarding claim 20, modified Yun teaches the apparatus according to claim 19, as set forth above, discloses wherein the exhaust duct is disposed at a rear portion of the upper space and inclined upward with respect to a bottom surface of the top plate (Yun, where the exhaust duct extends into the rear of the upper space and inclines upwards, Para. 0058, “The second duct section 62 is formed to have a height that gradually increases in the advancing direction of the outside air than the first duct section 61. In detail, the height of one end of the second duct section 62 is the same as the height of the first duct section 61, and the height of the other end of the second duct section 62 connected to the exhaust fan 41 is higher than the height of the first duct section 61.”).
Claims 10-12 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Yun et al. (US 20200191406 A1, hereinafter Yun) in view of Chadwick et al. (US 20150260416 A1, hereinafter Chadwick) in further view of Lee et al. (US 20200025390 A1, hereinafter Lee) and Has et al. (DE 102008044234 A1, hereinafter Has) in further view of Nuss (US 3893442 A1).
Regarding claim 10, modified Yun teaches the apparatus according to claim 9, as set forth above, discloses wherein the door has: a path defined in the door and configured to guide air (Yun, Para. 0049, “A door air passage 13 through which outside air passes is provided inside the door 12. Openings 12a and 12b are provided at the upper and lower ends, respectively, of the
door 12 to allow air to be introduced into the door air passage 13.”); and
a discharge hole defined at an upper surface of the door facing the control panel (Yun, Para. 0077, “The outside air (arrow B3) sucked into the opening 12a provided at the lower end of the door 12 passes through the door air passage 13 of the door 12 and moves to the upper end of the door 12.”), and wherein the control panel further comprises a control panel cover that accommodates the display (Yun, Para. 0052, “At this time, as illustrated in FIG. 6, the front surface of the display 30 is exposed to the outside through an opening 21a provided in the front surface 21 of the cooktop 20.”, where the front surface 21 is construed to be the control panel cover that accommodates the display).
Modified Yun does not disclose:
the discharge hole being configured to discharge the air from the path;
where the control panel covers a portion between the discharge hole and the display.
However, Nuss discloses, in the similar field of cooking apparatuses (Abstract, “baking and broiling oven”), where an air path within the door can be present and where there is a discharge hole to discharge air from the path (Section 3, lines 63-66, “front air channel 70 such that this cool air will hug the inner surface of the window pane 60 as it flows upwardly through the air channel 72 until it discharges from the air outlet openings 78 in the top flange 48.”). It would have been obvious for one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filling date of the claimed invention to have modified the door structure in modified Yun to include the discharge hole as taught by Nuss, where this discharge hole would be below the control panel of modified Yun and where the display would be above the control panel.
One of ordinary skill in the art would have been motivated to make this modification in order to gain the advantage of being able have a discharge hole in order to reduce temperatures of a front surface of the oven, as stated by Nuss, Section 3, lines 65-68, “it discharges from the air outlet openings 78 in the top flange 48. Of course, this assists in holding down the maximum temperature of the front window pane 60.”.
Regarding claim 11, modified Yun teaches the apparatus according to claim 10, as set forth above, discloses wherein the control panel cover defines a space that accommodates the display, the space being connected to the upper space (Yun, Para. 0052, “At this time, as illustrated in FIG. 6, the front surface of the display 30 is exposed to the outside through an opening 21a provided in the front surface 21 of the cooktop 20.”, where the opening 21a is a space within the control panel, where this space holds the display and is connected to the upper space through the back as shown in Fig. 6).
Regarding claim 12, modified Yun teaches the apparatus according to claim 11, as set forth above, discloses wherein an upper end opening is defined between the cavity and the rear cover (Yun, modified Fig. 9, where the upper end opening is shown to be between the cavity and the rear cover), the upper end opening being opened upward and disposed rearward relative to the upper space (Yun, modified Fig. 9, where the upper end opening is shown to be opening upwards and in the rear of the upper space), wherein the top plate is disposed above and covers the upper space and the upper end opening (Yun, Para. 0097, “An exhaust port 81 communicating with the exhaust duct 80 is provided in the top surface 23 of the cooktop 20'”), and wherein the cooling fan is disposed in a sealed space (Yun, Para. 0096, “a connecting section 63 in which the exhaust fan 41 is disposed”) and surrounded by the top plate, the rear cover, and the cavity (Yun, modified Fig. 9, where the top plate, rear cover, and cavity enclose the cooling fan).
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Modified Fig. 9, Yun
Claims 16 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Yun et al. (US 20200191406 A1, hereinafter Yun) in view of Chadwick et al. (US 20150260416 A1, hereinafter Chadwick) in further view of Lee et al. (US 20200025390 A1, hereinafter Lee) and Has et al. (DE 102008044234 A1, hereinafter Has) in further view of Marchand (CA 2738398 A1) and Steier et al. (WO 2020102916 A1, hereinafter Steier).
Regarding claim 16, modified Yun teaches the apparatus according to claim 1, as set forth above, discloses further comprising: a convection motor disposed in the rear space and configured to rotate a convection fan (Yun, where the rear space is construed as the width of the exhaust 81 and downwards, where a cooling fan is located within that area for convention of air in the cavity shown through modified Fig. 9.1, Para. 0058, “One end of the second duct section 62 is connected to the first duct section 61, and the other end of the second duct section 62 is connected to a connecting section in which the exhaust fan 41 is disposed.”, where conventional ovens have disclosed that exhaust fans include motors for control, Para. 0005, “cooling passage 106 is provided with a fan motor 107”).
Modified Yun does not disclose:
a circuit board disposed in the rear space and configured to control supply of power to the cooking appliance;
a lighting device disposed in the oven, at least a portion of the lighting device being disposed in the rear space.
However, Marchand discloses, in the similar field of cooking apparatuses (Para. 0005, “cooktop cooking appliance”), where a circuit board can be located in any location within the chassis (Para. 0038, “The control circuits 70 are typically provided on a printed circuit board that is mounted within the chassis of the cooking appliance 10. The control circuits 70 can be located near the user interface 20 or be positioned in other regions within the chassis.”), where the circuit boards control a supply of power to the cooking appliance (Para. 0037, “The controls 22 are input devices that allow the user to control the operation of the cooking appliance 10. For example, the controls 22 can be touchpad controls that allow the user to activate heating elements 74”, and Para. 0038, “Within the chassis of the cooking appliance 10 are control circuits 70 that are operatively connected with the controls 22 and display devices 68 of the user interface 20.”), and where the circuit boards should be placed in areas that have airflow (Para. 0038, “One or more air inlets 54 can be located close to the control circuits 70 so that relatively cool outside air flows over the control circuits 70.”). It would have been obvious for one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filling date of the claimed invention to have modified the rear section of modified Yun to include a circuit board as taught by Marchand, where the rear section is near an air flow driven by the cooling fan and would be a potential location to cool the circuit board.
One of ordinary skill in the art would have been motivated to make this modification in order to gain the advantage of being able to have a circuit board that controls the cooking appliance in a location that is ventilated, in order to prevent overheating, as stated by Marchand, Para. 0038, “Ventilation of the control circuits 70 helps decrease the temperature of the control circuits 70 that occurs as a result of heat generated by the heating elements 74.”.
Further, Steier discloses, in the similar field of cooking apparatuses (Abstract, “A household oven comprises a cooking chamber”), where a lighting device is disposed in the oven (Page 5, lines 20-24, “An illumination assembly 14 comprising at least one LED light source is arranged e.g. at a side wall of cooking chamber 6 to shine line into the interior of the chamber.”), where a portion of that lighting device can be located in a rear space in order to cool it down (Page 6, lines 17-22, “fan 10 is a radial ventilator aspiring air from section 12c of the air duct below cooking chamber 6 and section 12a of the air duct behind cooking chamber 6 and expelling it into section 12b of the air duct above cooking chamber 6, with heat sink 16 being located in section 12b.”, where the portion of the lighting device in the rear space is the heat sink 16, shown in Fig. 1 to be in a rear location of the oven). It would have been obvious for one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filling date of the claimed invention to have modified the rear space of the modified Yun, which already includes a cooling fan, to accommodate a heat sink of a lighting device as taught by Steier.
One of ordinary skill in the art would have been motivated to make this modification in order to gain the advantage of allowing a lighting device to be included within the oven, which can be beneficial for a user to see what is inside the oven, as stated by Steier, Claim 1, “an LED light source (20) arranged on said light source mount (31) to shine light into said cooking chamber ( 6)”, where the device can be prevented from overheating through a fan, as stated by Steier, Page 10, lines 15-16, “In the embodiments shown, fan 10 is used for cooling heat sink 6”.
Claims 21 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Yun et al. (US 20200191406 A1, hereinafter Yun) in view of Chadwick et al. (US 20150260416 A1, hereinafter Chadwick) in further view of Lee et al. (US 20200025390 A1, hereinafter Lee) and Has et al. (DE 102008044234 A1, hereinafter Has) and Hasslberger et al. (US 9696042 B2, hereinafter Hasslberger).
Regarding claim 21, modified Yun teaches the apparatus according to claim 1, as set forth above.
Modified Yun does not disclose:
wherein at least a portion of the intake opening is configured to be exposed to an outside of the door in a state in which the door is closed.
However, Hasslberger discloses, in the similar field of cooking appliances (Abstract, “ventilation system of an oven”), where an intake opening is located above an upper end of the door and is exposed to the outside when the door is closed (Section 2, lines 32-34, “A ventilation panel 3 which has a first subsidiary air inlet aperture 4 in the form of a first set of air inlet slots”, and Section 3, lines 22-24, “Fresh air is sucked out of the fresh air duct 20 formed by the switch strip 7 and the oven door 9 into the first, upper subsidiary air inlet aperture 4.”, and Fig. 3 shows that the door is closed and the upper aperture 4 is completely exposed to the outside to allow air to flow). It would have been obvious for one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filling date of the claimed invention to have modified a portion of the intake opening in modified Yun to be exposed when the door is closed as taught by Hasslberger.
One of ordinary skill in the art would have been motivated to make this modification in order to gain the advantage of being able to use the partially exposed air duct to allow for a ramp configuration that allows for improved air flow, as stated by Hasslberger, Section 4, lines 1-4, “Direction of the fresh air into the first, upper subsidiary air inlet aperture 4 (here in the form of an upper row of slots) is improved by the ramp-like contour of the top of the shaped projection.”, and to allow for an intake separation to allow for insulation of components to be achieved, Section 2, lines 60-64, “For this reason the first subsidiary ventilation duct 12 is separated from the muffle by the second subsidiary ventilation duct 13, thus achieving insulation of the components 15 from the heat from the muffle 8”.
Conclusion
Applicant's amendment necessitated the new ground(s) of rejection presented in this Office action. Accordingly, THIS ACTION IS MADE FINAL. See MPEP § 706.07(a). Applicant is reminded of the extension of time policy as set forth in 37 CFR 1.136(a).
A shortened statutory period for reply to this final action is set to expire THREE MONTHS from the mailing date of this action. In the event a first reply is filed within TWO MONTHS of the mailing date of this final action and the advisory action is not mailed until after the end of the THREE-MONTH shortened statutory period, then the shortened statutory period will expire on the date the advisory action is mailed, and any nonprovisional extension fee (37 CFR 1.17(a)) pursuant to 37 CFR 1.136(a) will be calculated from the mailing date of the advisory action. In no event, however, will the statutory period for reply expire later than SIX MONTHS from the mailing date of this final action.
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/KEVIN GUANHUA WEN/Examiner, Art Unit 3761
04/20/2026
/IBRAHIME A ABRAHAM/Supervisory Patent Examiner, Art Unit 3761
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