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and the fee set forth in 37 CFR 1.17(e) has been timely paid, the finality of the previous Office action has been withdrawn pursuant to 37 CFR 1.114.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 17 October 2025 has been entered.
Response to Amendment
This is an office action in response to Applicant’s arguments filed on 18 March 2026. Claims 4-10 are pending in the application. Claims 1-3 and 11 are cancelled. Claims 4-10 are being examined herein.
Response to Amendment
The rejection of claims 4-10 under USC § 112(b) are withdrawn in view of amendments.
The rejection of claims 4-10 under USC § 103 in view of Kaita (US 20190353607 A1) and Hamada (EP 3618566 A1) are withdrawn in view of amendments.
Response to Arguments
Applicant’s arguments, see remarks pages 4-5, filed 18 March 2026, with respect to the rejection(s) of claim(s) 4-10 under USC § 103 in view of Kaita (US 20190353607 A1) and Hamada (EP 3618566 A1) 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 Therefore, the rejection has been withdrawn.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 Gaviot, et. al. (WO 9635237 A1).
Applicant argues that the alternating pattern of the thick and thin meander lines of Hamada do not read on the specifics of newly amended claim 4. Examiner agrees.
Applicant provides no further argument for claims 5-10 outside of their dependence on claim 4.
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.
Claims 4 and 6 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Gaviot, et. al. (WO 9635237 A1; citations made with respect to attached machine translation and original copy).
Regarding claim 4, Gaviot teaches a sensitive heat sensor comprising an upper, measurement/target surface (Abstract) wherein the upper/measurement surface comprises a resistive meandering line (pg. 9, par. 01). Gaviot teaches a device comprising an upper, measurement/target surface that lies above a lower, sensitive surface (Fig. 2b1-2b3; pg. 3, par. 06-pg. 4, par. 01). Gaviot teaches upper surface comprises measurement device 2 and lower surface comprises control device 1 (Fig. 2b1-2b3; pg. 8, par. 03-04). Gaviot teaches measurement device 2 is a gold film resistive line 2 which converts electromagnetic radiation absorbed by the upper surface into thermal energy creating a thermal gradient between the upper surface and lower surface (pg. 9, par. 01-05) (a heater meander). Looking specifically to Figure 2b3 (provided below), Gaviot teaches resistive line 2 has a meander structure, wherein the lines of the meander structure alternate between a thick line for the entire length of the meander line and a thin line for the entire length of the meander line (to wherein the meander structure comprises meander lines forming a two- dimensional pattern of alternating thin and thick whole meander lines, wherein the thin meander lines are thinner than the thick meander lines in a dimension of the meander lines in the two-dimensional pattern perpendicular to a main extension direction of the meander lines, wherein each whole meander line is either thick or thin, and wherein, always alternating between each other, a thin whole meander line and a thick whole meander line alternate across the entire pattern).
Regarding claim 6, Gaviot teaches line 2 is a resistive heater converting electromagnetic radiation absorbed by the upper surface into thermal energy (pg. 9, par. 01-05) (wherein the heater meander is a resistor heater).
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 103
The text of those sections of Title 35, U.S. Code not included in this action can be found in a prior Office action.
Claims 4 and 6-10 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Kaita (US 20190353607 A1) in view of Gaviot, et. al. (WO 9635237 A1; citations made with respect to attached machine translation and original copy).
Regarding claim 4, Kaita teaches a gas sensor to detect concentration of a single gas analyte from a gaseous mixture (Abstract). The device as taught by Kaita discloses a contact combustion gas sensor that is heated by a heater resistor with a meander structure (page 2, paragraph 0040; Fig. 2, part MH1) (a heater meander comprising: a meander structure).
Kaita is silent to wherein the meander structure comprises meander lines forming a two- dimensional pattern of alternating thin and thick whole meander lines, wherein the thin meander lines are thinner than the thick meander lines in a dimension of the meander lines in the two-dimensional pattern perpendicular to a main extension direction of the meander lines, wherein each whole meander line is either thick or thin, and wherein, always alternating between each other, a thin whole meander line and a thick whole meander line alternate across the entire pattern.
Gaviot teaches a sensitive heat sensor comprising an upper, measurement/target surface (Abstract) wherein the upper/measurement surface comprises a resistive meandering line (pg. 9, par. 01). Gaviot teaches a device comprising an upper, measurement/target surface that lies above a lower, sensitive surface (Fig. 2b1-2b3; pg. 3, par. 06-pg. 4, par. 01). Gaviot teaches upper surface comprises measurement device 2 and lower surface comprises control device 1 (Fig. 2b1-2b3; pg. 8, par. 03-04). Gaviot teaches measurement device 2 is a gold film resistive line 2 which converts electromagnetic radiation absorbed by the upper surface into thermal energy creating a thermal gradient between the upper surface and lower surface (pg. 9, par. 01-05) (a heater meander). Looking specifically to Figure 2b3 (provided below), Gaviot teaches resistive line 2 has a meander structure, wherein the lines of the meander structure alternate between a thick line for the entire length of the meander line and a thin line for the entire length of the meander line (to wherein the meander structure comprises meander lines forming a two- dimensional pattern of alternating thin and thick whole meander lines, wherein the thin meander lines are thinner than the thick meander lines in a dimension of the meander lines in the two-dimensional pattern perpendicular to a main extension direction of the meander lines, wherein each whole meander line is either thick or thin, and wherein, always alternating between each other, a thin whole meander line and a thick whole meander line alternate across the entire pattern). Gaviot teaches the pairing resistive line in circuit allows for sensitive determination of temperature and temperature variation of surfaces (pg. 10, par. 06).
It would have been obvious for one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing day of the invention to substitute the meander heats of Kaita with resistive heating lines with an alternating thick and thin line pattern of Gaviot. One would be motivated to do so because the patterned resistive lines allow for sensitive determination of temperature across surface(s) and this involves a simple substitution of one known element (heater meanders) for another (resistive line with a unique pattern) to obtain predictable results (increased sensitivity). MPEP 2143(I)(B).
Regarding claim 6, modified Kaita teaches the heaters are resistor heaters (Kaita, par. 0040) and Gaviot teaches line 2 is a resistive heater converting electromagnetic radiation absorbed by the upper surface into thermal energy (Gaviot, pg. 9, par. 01-05) (wherein the heater meander is a resistor heater).
Regarding claim 7, modified Kaita teaches a contact combustion gas sensor (page 2, paragraph 0038) that is heated by a heater resistor with a meander structure (page 2, paragraph 0040; Fig. 2, part MH1) (gas concentration sensor comprising: the heater meander according to claim 4).
Regarding claim 8, modified Kaita teaches in one embodiment of the device a thermistor is present near the sensor S1 and Rd1 (Fig. 1; par. 0011) (further comprising a thermistor arranged adjacent to a sensing area of the heater meander).
Regarding claim 9, modified Kaita teaches an embodiment of the gas sensor with two sensors (par. 0011) (a first sensor unit and a second sensor unit). The first sensor is a contact combustion type gas sensor and near the first sensor is a first thermistor (S1 and Rd1) (Fig. 1; par. 0038) and the first sensor is heated by the first heater resistor MH1 (Fig. 1; par. 0040). The second sensor is a heat conduction type sensor is adjacent to a second thermistor (S2 and Rd2) (Fig. 1; par. 0042) and is heated by a second heater resistor MH2 (Fig. 1; par. 0044) (wherein each of the first sensor unit and the second sensor unit comprises the heat meander and the thermistor).
Regarding claim 10, modified Kaita teaches an embodiment of the gas sensor where the first thermistor is coated with a catalyst (par. 0038) (the first thermistor of the first sensor unit is covered with a catalyst), and the second thermistor is coated in a dummy catalyst (par. 0038) (and wherein the second thermistor of the second sensor unit is covered with a dummy catalyst).
Claim 5 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Kaita (US 20190353607 A1) in view of Gaviot, et. al. (WO 9635237 A1; citations made with respect to attached machine translation and original copy) as applied to claim 5, in further view of Hamada (EP 3618566 A1; citations made with respect copy provided with Office Action dated 13 January 2026).
Regarding claim 5, modified Kaita teaches the predetermined area is a sensing area (Kaita, Fig. 1; par. 0038-0040) (temperature field in a sensing area).
Modified Kaita is silent to wherein the meander structure is configured to obtain a homogeneous temperature field.
Hamada teaches an embedded heat-generating resistor with a meandering pattern to heat a surface for use in gas-heating purposes or oxygen sensors (Abstract, par. 0001). Hamada teaches a configuration of the heat-generating resistor 2 that comprises two meandering resistor lines 21, 22 wherein resistor lines 21, 22 have varying width (Fig. 4). Hamada teaches as the resistor meanders, the distance (width) of the folder portion (as indicated by the arrows in provided Figure 4 below) makes it possible to attain a uniform temperature distribution and increased durability (par. 0027-0028). Hamada teaches the shape of the heat-generating resistors are increasingly durable by preventing uneven heating (par. 0006-0007).
It would have been obvious for one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the invention to take the teaching of the shape and width of resistor lines makes attaining a uniform temperature distribution across a surface as taught by Hamada, and apply the concept of that teaching to the modified resistive meander lines of modified Kaita in view of Gaviot to arrive at the same uniform temperature distribution because doing so would not only allow for a surface to have uniform heating, but increases the durability of the device by preventing uneven heating. MPEP 2143(I)(G).
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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/M.T.H./Examiner, Art Unit 1758
/SAMUEL P SIEFKE/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 1758
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