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 .
Claim Interpretation
The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 112(f):
(f) Element in Claim for a Combination. – An element in a claim for a combination may be expressed as a means or step for performing a specified function without the recital of structure, material, or acts in support thereof, and such claim shall be construed to cover the corresponding structure, material, or acts described in the specification and equivalents thereof.
The claims in this application are given their broadest reasonable interpretation using the plain meaning of the claim language in light of the specification as it would be understood by one of ordinary skill in the art. The broadest reasonable interpretation of a claim element (also commonly referred to as a claim limitation) is limited by the description in the specification when 35 U.S.C. 112(f) or pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, sixth paragraph, is invoked.
As explained in MPEP § 2181, subsection I, claim limitations that meet the following three-prong test will be interpreted under 35 U.S.C. 112(f) or pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, sixth paragraph:
(A) the claim limitation uses the term “means” or “step” or a term used as a substitute for “means” that is a generic placeholder (also called a nonce term or a non-structural term having no specific structural meaning) for performing the claimed function;
(B) the term “means” or “step” or the generic placeholder is modified by functional language, typically, but not always linked by the transition word “for” (e.g., “means for”) or another linking word or phrase, such as “configured to” or “so that”; and
(C) the term “means” or “step” or the generic placeholder is not modified by sufficient structure, material, or acts for performing the claimed function.
Use of the word “means” (or “step”) in a claim with functional language creates a rebuttable presumption that the claim limitation is to be treated in accordance with 35 U.S.C. 112(f) or pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, sixth paragraph. The presumption that the claim limitation is interpreted under 35 U.S.C. 112(f) or pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, sixth paragraph, is rebutted when the claim limitation recites sufficient structure, material, or acts to entirely perform the recited function.
Absence of the word “means” (or “step”) in a claim creates a rebuttable presumption that the claim limitation is not to be treated in accordance with 35 U.S.C. 112(f) or pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, sixth paragraph. The presumption that the claim limitation is not interpreted under 35 U.S.C. 112(f) or pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, sixth paragraph, is rebutted when the claim limitation recites function without reciting sufficient structure, material or acts to entirely perform the recited function.
Claim limitations in this application that use the word “means” (or “step”) are being interpreted under 35 U.S.C. 112(f) or pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, sixth paragraph, except as otherwise indicated in an Office action. Conversely, claim limitations in this application that do not use the word “means” (or “step”) are not being interpreted under 35 U.S.C. 112(f) or pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, sixth paragraph, except as otherwise indicated in an Office action.
This application includes one or more claim limitations that do not use the word “means,” but are nonetheless being interpreted under 35 U.S.C. 112(f) or pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, sixth paragraph, because the claim limitations use a generic placeholder that is coupled with functional language without reciting sufficient structure to perform the recited function and the generic placeholder is not preceded by a structural modifier. Such claim limitations are: “cooling device” and “insulating device” in claim 1.
Because these claim limitations are being interpreted under 35 U.S.C. 112(f) or pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, sixth paragraph, they are being interpreted to cover the corresponding structure described in the specification as performing the claimed function, and equivalents thereof.
The specification describes the cooling device as follows: The cooling device 30 may include a first sleeve 32 installed on the outer surface of a connection part where the heating cable 14 and the connecting cable 31 are connected to each other. The cooling device 30 may further include a first bobbin 33 having a first sleeve 32 installed therein, and a first shielding member 34 configured to shield the first bobbin 33 by surrounding an outer portion of the first bobbin 33.
The specification describes the insulating device as follows: The insulating device 40 may include a second sleeve 42 in which the connection part between the lead wire 41 connected to the terminal unit 18 and the connecting cable 31 is installed, a second bobbin 43 formed therein with a space where the second sleeve 42 is installed, and a second shielding member 44 configured to shield the second bobbin 43 by surrounding the outside of the second bobbin 43.
If applicant does not intend to have these limitations interpreted under 35 U.S.C. 112(f) or pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, sixth paragraph, applicant may: (1) amend the claim limitation(s) to avoid it/them being interpreted under 35 U.S.C. 112(f) or pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, sixth paragraph (e.g., by reciting sufficient structure to perform the claimed function); or (2) present a sufficient showing that the claim limitations recite sufficient structure to perform the claimed function so as to avoid them being interpreted under 35 U.S.C. 112(f) or pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, sixth paragraph.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 112
The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 112(b):
(b) CONCLUSION.—The specification shall conclude with one or more claims particularly pointing out and distinctly claiming the subject matter which the inventor or a joint inventor regards as the invention.
Claims 2-7 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 112(b) or 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), second paragraph, as being indefinite for failing to particularly point out and distinctly claim the subject matter which the inventor or a joint inventor (or for applications subject to pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, the applicant), regards as the invention.
Claim 2 recites the limitation "the flexible pipe" in claim 2. There is insufficient antecedent basis for this limitation in the claim.
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.
Claims 1-2 and 8 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Cho (KR 20190126030A), and further in view of Kim (US 2010/0193503) and Koerzel (DE 102010049374).
Regarding claim 1, Cho KR 20190126030A teaches a heating cable connecting device (Abstract) that insulates a heating cable (Fig. 1 insulative layer 2) applied to a flexible heater (Paragraph 0023, flexible heater described with a triple structure) and an insulating device configured to insulate an opposite end of the connecting cable (Paragraph 0056, insulating material (80)).
Except wherein, Cho KR 20190126030A does not teach to connect the heating cable to a terminal unit, the heating cable connecting device comprising: a cooling device configured to connect one end of the heating cable to one end of a connecting cable to form a cooling section; to connect an opposite end of a lead wire having one end connected to the terminal unit to the opposite end of the connecting cable.
Kim teaches to connect the heating cable to a terminal unit (Paragraph 0023 heating wires connected to terminal unit) and to connect an opposite end of a lead wire having one end connected to the terminal unit to the opposite end of the connecting cable (Paragraph 0023, heating wires are combined to form a double structure, and a terminal unit is electrically connected to the double structure.).
Cho KR 20190126030A and Kim are analogous since both inventions teach temperature-controlled devices that have heating wires or cables. It would be obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date to explicitly state that the heating cable can connect to a terminal unit since this would make the device safer to use since the magnetic field generated by the heating wires would be offset by the opposite current flowing from the terminal unit wires.
Koerzel teaches a cooling device (Paragraph 0011 heating and cooling bands can be connected together) configured to connect one end of the heating cable (Fig. 3 heating elements 41) to one end of a connecting cable to form a cooling section (Fig. 3 cooling fins 43).
Cho KR 20190126030A and Koerzel are analogous since both inventions teach heating apparatuses. It would be obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date to add a cooling device since this would allow the device to not overheat and cause safety issues for the user.
Regarding claim 2, Cho KR 20190126030A teaches the heating cable connecting device of claim 1 and electrically connected to one end of the heating cable disposed on the flexible pipe (Paragraph 0007, can be connected to exhaust line, vacuum pump, semiconductor process chamber, etc).
Except wherein, Cho KR 20190126030A does not teach wherein the connecting cable is prepared using a cable identical to the heating cable.
Kim teaches wherein the connecting cable is prepared using a cable identical to the heating cable (Paragraph 0023, heating wires are combined to form a double structure, and a terminal unit is electrically connected to the double structure).
Cho KR 20190126030A and Kim are analogous since both inventions teach temperature-controlled devices that have heating wires or cables. It would be obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date to explicitly state the connecting cable is identical to the heating cable since this would allow the apparatus to have multiple options for connecting the heater.
Regarding claim 8, Cho KR 20190126030A teaches a flexible heater employing a heating cable connecting device (Paragraph 0007, can be connected to exhaust line, vacuum pump, semiconductor process chamber, etc), which connects a heating cable (Fig. 4 heater 60) to a power supply line (Paragraph 0077, heater can heat through the flexible pipe by receiving power) by thermally and electrically insulating the heating cable (Paragraph 0056, insulating material 80) and the power supply line using the heating cable connecting device according to claim 1 (Paragraph 0077 heater can heat through the flexible pipe by receiving power; the heating cable connecting device is described in the rejection of claim 1), thereby supplying power to the heating cable (Paragraph 0077 heater can heat through the flexible pipe by receiving power) and preventing explosion caused by disconnection or short circuit (Paragraph 0049).
Claim 3 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Cho (KR 20190126030A), Kim (US 2010/0193503) and Koerzel (DE 102010049374) and further in view of Vortman (CN105191488).
Regarding claim 3, Cho KR 20190126030A, Kim, and Koerzel teach the heating cable connecting device of claim 2.
Additionally, Koerzel teaches wherein the cooling device (Paragraph 0011 heating and cooling bands can be connected together).
Cho KR 20190126030A and Koerzel are analogous since both inventions teach heating apparatuses. It would be obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date to add a cooling device since this would allow the device to not overheat and cause safety issues for the user.
Except wherein Cho KR 20190126030A, Kim, and Koerzel do not teach includes a first sleeve installed on an outer surface of a connection part between the heating cable and the connecting cable, and the first sleeve is press-coupled to the connection part.
Vortman teaches includes a first sleeve (Paragraph 0054, first sleeve made of ceramic or silicon carbide), installed on an outer surface of a connection part between the heating cable (Paragraph 0054, adjoins the electrically insulating sleeve) and the connecting cable, and the first sleeve is press-coupled to the connection part (Paragraph 0054, adjoins the electrically insulating sleeve).
Cho KR 20190126030A, Kim, Koerzel, and Vortman are analogous since these inventions teach heating and/or cooling devices. Therefore, it would be obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date to add layers of insulation to the heating cable to ensure that the cable does not overheat and disrupt the other parts of the apparatus with excessive heat.
Claims 4-5 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Cho (KR 20190126030A), Kim (US 2010/0193503), Koerzel (DE 102010049374) and Vortman (CN 105191488) and further in view of Cho (KR 102032408B).
Regarding claim 4, Cho KR 20190126030A, Kim, and Koerzel teach the heating cable connecting device of claim 3.
Cho KR 20190126030A, Kim, and Koerzelare analogous since these inventions teach heating and/or cooling devices. Therefore, it would be obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date to add a cooling device since this would allow the device to not overheat and cause safety issues for the user.
Except wherein, Cho KR 20190126030A, Kim and Koerzel do not teach wherein the cooling device further includes a first bobbin in which the first sleeve is installed, and a first shielding member configured to shield the first bobbin by surrounding an outer portion of the first bobbin, and the first shielding member is formed by heating magnesium oxide powder at a preset temperature.
Cho KR102032408B teaches further includes a first bobbin in which the first sleeve is installed, and a first shielding member configured to shield the first bobbin by surrounding an outer portion of the first bobbin (Paragraph 0039, Fig. 9 inner tube 31).
Cho KR 20190126030A, Kim, Koerzel, and Cho KR102032408B are analogous since these inventions teach heating and/or cooling devices. Therefore, it would be obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date to add the bobbin with insulation since this would allow the apparatus to accurately direct the flow of heat in the device.
Vortman teaches the first shielding member is formed by heating magnesium oxide powder at a preset temperature (Paragraph 0060, metal oxide).
Cho KR 20190126030A, Kim, Koerzel, and Vortman are analogous since these inventions teach heating and/or cooling devices. Therefore, it would be obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date to have a shielding member from a metal oxide powder and this covers magnesium oxide which is a commonly used alkaline earth metal in the art for heating devices.
Regarding claim 5, Cho KR 20190126030A, Kim, Koerzel, Vortman and Cho KR 102032408B teach the heating cable connecting device of claim 4.
Additionally, Vortman teaches are closed by a first finishing part formed by a welding method to maintain airtightness (Paragraph 0047, strands of wire in the form of tubes are sealed by welding).
Cho KR 20190126030A, Kim, Koerzel, Vortman and Cho KR 102032408B are analogous since these inventions teach heating and/or cooling devices. Therefore, it would be obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date to seal the device so that air doesn’t escape to parts of the heater that would cause damage and also to protect the heating apparatus from leaks.
Cho KR 102032408B teaches wherein front ends and rear ends of the first bobbin and the first shielding member (Fig.7, inner tube 31 functions as bobbin, 32 outer tube functions as shielding member).
Cho KR 20190126030A, Kim, Koerzel, Vortman and Cho KR 102032408B are analogous since these inventions teach heating and/or cooling devices. Therefore, it would be obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date to structure the bobbin in this manner to insulate it properly and constrict the airflow to certain locations of the heater.
Claim 6 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Cho (KR 20190126030A), Kim (US 2010/0193503) and Koerzel (DE 102010049374) and further in view of Cho (KR 102032408B).
Regarding claim 6, Cho KR 20190126030A, Kim, and Koerzel teach the heating cable connecting device of claim 2. Additionally, Cho KR 20190126030A teaches wherein the insulating device (Paragraph 0056 insulating material (80)) includes a second sleeve (Paragraph 0056 insulating member has inner skin (81) and outer skin (82)) and the connection part of the connecting cable is installed in the second sleeve (Paragraph 0072, connection is formed by surrounding the cable to make the interlock pipe 50), a second bobbin formed therein with a space where the second sleeve is installed (Paragraph 0065, pressure space separate the sleeves, Fig. 5), and a second shielding member (Paragraph 0056 insulating member has inner skin (81) and outer skin (82)) and the insulating device is disposed at a position where the flexible pipe and the terminal unit are connected (Fig. 4).
Except wherein, Cho KR 20190126030A, Kim, and Koerzel do not teach in which the lead wire connected to the terminal unit or configured to shield the second bobbin by surrounding an outer portion of the second bobbin.
Cho KR102032408B teaches in which the lead wire connected to the terminal unit (Paragraph 0007, can be connected to several things including a terminal unit) and configured to shield the second bobbin by surrounding an outer portion of the second bobbin (Paragraph 0039, Fig. 9 inner tube 31).
Cho KR 20190126030A, Kim, Koerzel, and Cho KR102032408B are analogous since these inventions teach heating and/or cooling devices. Therefore, it would be obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date to shield the bobbin so that the airflow in the heater is restricted to certain areas.
Claim 7 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Cho (KR 20190126030A), Kim (US 2010/0193503), Koerzel (DE 102010049374) and Cho (KR 102032408B), and further in view of Vortman (CN 105191488).
Regarding claim 7, Cho KR 20190126030A, Kim, Koerzel and Cho KR 102032408B teach the heating cable connecting device of claim 6.
Additionally, Cho KR 102032408B teaches wherein front ends of the second bobbin and the second shielding member are closed (Paragraph 0039, Fig. 9 inner tube, which functions as bobbin 31, outer tube 32 functions as shielding member and is closed based on figure) and rear ends of the second bobbin and the second shielding member are closed by a third finishing part (Paragraph 0068, flanges 33 close the ends of the flexible pipe).
Cho KR 20190126030A, Kim, Koerzel, and Cho KR102032408B are analogous since these inventions teach heating and/or cooling devices. Therefore, it would be obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date to close the shielding member to prevent damage to the heating connection cable.
Except wherein, Cho KR 20190126030A, Kim, Koerzel and Cho KR 102032408B do not teach by a second finishing part formed by a welding method to maintain airtightness, and rear ends of the second bobbin and the second shielding member are closed by a third finishing part formed by injecting a heat-resistant epoxy material.
Vortman teaches by a second finishing part formed by a welding method to maintain airtightness (Paragraph 0047, strands of wire in the form of tubes are sealed by welding), formed by injecting a heat-resistant epoxy material (Paragraph 0054, polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) or another high temperature polymer are types of epoxy materials).
Cho KR 20190126030A, Kim, Koerzel, Cho KR 102032408B and Vortman are analogous since these inventions teach heating and/or cooling devices. Therefore, it would be obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date to use a welding method to maintain airtightness in the finishing part since this one of the most common methods used in the art for sealing due to its effectiveness and durability.
Conclusion
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/MAURISA D MORRIS/Examiner, Art Unit 3761
/ELIZABETH M KERR/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3761