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 .
Continued Examination Under 37 CFR 1.114
A request for continued examination under 37 CFR 1.114, including the fee set forth in 37 CFR 1.17(e), was filed in this application after final rejection. Since this application is eligible for continued examination under 37 CFR 1.114, and the fee set forth in 37 CFR 1.17(e) has been timely paid, the finality of the previous Office action has been withdrawn pursuant to 37 CFR 1.114. Applicant's submission filed on 06/01/2026 has been entered.
Status of the Claims
Claims 1, 2, and 13 are currently pending and are subject to this office action. Claims 1, 2, and 13 are amended. Claims 3-12 are canceled. This office action is in response to Applicant’s amendment filed on 04/24/2026.
Response to Amendments
Examiner acknowledges Applicant’s response filed on 04/24/2026 containing amendments and remarks to the claims.
In response to Applicant’s amendments filed 04/24/2026 , the Examiner withdraws the objection over the specification for new matter.
In response to Applicant’s amendments filed 04/24/2026 , the Examiner withdraws the 35 U.S.C. 112(a) rejection for failing to comply with the written description requirement.
In response to Applicant’s amendments filed 04/24/2026 , the Examiner withdraws the 35 U.S.C. 112(b) rejection for being indefinite.
In response to Applicant’s amendments filed 04/24/2026 , the Examiner withdraws the 35 U.S.C. 101 rejection for claiming an abstract idea.
Response to Arguments
Applicant’s arguments, on pages 4-7, filed 04/24/2026, with respect to the rejection of claim 1 under 35 U.S.C. 112(a) have been fully considered and are persuasive. The Applicant has amended claim 1 to delete language from another distinct method of the specification.
Applicant’s arguments, on pages 4-7, filed 04/24/2026, with respect to the rejection of claim 1 under 35 U.S.C. 101 have been fully considered and are persuasive. The Applicant has amended claim 1 to clarify the claimed subject matter and define physical components of the device.
Applicant’s arguments, on pages 4-7, filed 04/24/2026, with respect to the rejection of claim 1 under 35 U.S.C. 101 have been fully considered and are persuasive. The Applicant has amended claim 1 to include a limitation that was not previously presented, specifically, “an additional parameter, the additional parameter being an electrical parameter of the heating element indicative of a current in the heating element, or a heater coil resistance; varying by the controller, using pulse width modulation, PWM , a duty cycle”. However, upon further consideration, a new ground(s) of rejection is made in view of Alarcon (US 20160057811 A1).
The following are modified rejections based on Applicant’s amendments to the claims.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 102
The following is a quotation of the appropriate paragraphs of 35 U.S.C. 102 that form the basis for the rejections under this section made in this Office action:
A person shall be entitled to a patent unless –
(a)(1) the claimed invention was patented, described in a printed publication, or in public use, on sale, or otherwise available to the public before the effective filing date of the claimed invention.
(a)(2) the claimed invention was described in a patent issued under section 151, or in an application for patent published or deemed published under section 122(b), in which the patent or application, as the case may be, names another inventor and was effectively filed before the effective filing date of the claimed invention.
Claims 1, 2, and 13 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) and 102(a)(2) as being anticipated by Alarcon (US 20160057811 A1, as cited in IDS dated 05/06/2022).
With regard to Claim 1, Alarcon, directed to method for controlling a heating element, teaches (i) wherein a voltage sensor may be provided to detect an internal voltage of a heater and a current sensor may be provided to detect an internal current of the heater [0041]. (ii) A controller may be configured to generate a power control signal to control power supplied to the heater from a battery [0040].
(iii) The current sensor may be provided to detect an internal current of the heater [0041]. (iv) The voltage level signal received from the battery can be transferred to the controller to create a power control signal [0040]. (v) The controller may be configured to generate a power control signal from determined a pulse-width modulation duty cycle to control the power supplied to the heater [0006 & 0040]. (vi) The controller can determine the pulse width modulation for the heater control based of heater parameters [0055], wherein the heater parameters include current level, voltage levels, heating duration, etc. [0041].
With regard to Claim 2, Alarcon teaches wherein a field effect transistor can source current to the heater through the MCU [0046], wherein the MCU may be configured to generate a power control signal to control power supplied to the heater from a battery [0029 & 0040].
With regard to Claim 13, Alarcon teaches wherein (i) the device comprises a battery having a voltage source [0006, 0071]. (ii) A controller may be configured to generate a power control signal to control power supplied to the heater from the battery [0040].
Conclusion
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/O.O.D./Examiner, Art Unit 1755
/RUSSELL E SPARKS/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 1755
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