I 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and the fee set forth in 37 CFR 1.17(e) has been timely paid, the finality of the previous Office action has been withdrawn pursuant to 37 CFR 1.114.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 04/17/2026 has been entered.
Response to Arguments
Applicant's arguments filed 04/17/2026 have been fully considered but they are not persuasive.
Applicant argues that Zhang does not teach a number of times the first charging current has been decreased being less than or equal to a threshold number is used to determine if the first charger current is decreased of prevented from being decreased. Examiner does not rely on Zhang to teach this element of the claim, and provides rationale and motivation for the modification of including a threshold which the number of times the first current is decreased is compared to, as disclosed in the rejection of claim 1 presented in the Non-Final Office Action mailed 10/02/2025 (optimum or workable range) and Final Office Action mailed 02/19/2026.
Applicant further argues that Zhang’s n1 and n2 variables correspond to temperature decrease counts and not to a number of times the first charging current has been decreased. Examiner respectfully disagrees. As disclosed in the rejection of claim 1 presented in the Final Office Action mailed 02/19/2026, under an examiner interpretation of the n1 being equal to the value 1, after the temperature Tb exceeds TC2 and n1 number of times (once under examiner’s interpretation), and the first charging current Im is decreased to the second charging current Ib each time the Tb exceeds TC2, the decreased first charging current is determined to be Im-1 using the number of times the first charging current is decreased to the second charging current.
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.
Claim(s) 1-4, 9-11, & 23 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Zhang et al. (USPGPN 20210126474 A1), in view of Jung et al. (USPGPN 20160228064 A1).
Regarding Claim 1, Zhang teaches an electronic device (Fig.5, 200) comprising:
a battery (Abstract);
at least one sensor (Fig. 5, 214);
a charging circuit (Fig.4,102); and
at least one processor (Fig.5, 220), comprising processing circuitry, individually and/or collectively configured to:
control (¶0035) the charging circuit (102) to charge the battery with a first charging current (¶0090, Im) through the charging circuit (¶0096),
measure a temperature associated with the electronic device (¶0045: Battery temperature is associated with device temperature; ¶0096 temperature of the battery is monitored in real-time) using the at least one sensor (214) while charging the battery with the first charging current (¶0096),
based on the temperature (¶0090, Tb) associated with the electronic device being equal to or higher than a first threshold temperature (¶0090, TC2) during the charging of the battery with the first charging current, control the charging circuit to charge the battery with a second charging current (¶0090, Ib) that is less than the first charging current (¶0090: current is reduced from Im to Ib),
based on the temperature (Tb) associated with the electronic device being below the first threshold temperature (¶0089, TC1<TC2) and equal to or higher than a second threshold temperature (TC1) during the charging of the battery with the second charging current (¶0090: charging current is maintained at Ib until Tb drops below TC1), maintain the second charging current and control the charging circuit to charge the battery with the second charging current (¶0090: charging current is maintained at Ib until Tb drops below TC1);
based on the temperature (Tb) associated with the electronic device being below the second threshold temperature (TC1) during the charging of the battery (¶0090: charging current is maintained at Ib until Tb drops below TC1), decrease the first charging current to a decreased first charging current (¶0091: Im-1) and control the charging circuit to charge the battery with the decreased first charging current (¶0090 & 0091: when Tb<TC1 return to Im, and Im is reduced to Im-1 when the number of times Tb>TC2 exceeds n1), wherein the decreased first charging current is determined based on the number of times the first charging current has been decreased (¶0090 & 0091: when Tb<TC1 return to Im, and Im is reduced to Im-1 when the number of times Tb>TC2 exceeds n1, which examiner interprets n1 to equal 1);
wherein, the processor is further configured to maintain the decreased first charging current until the temperature associated with the electronic device becomes equal to the second threshold temperature (¶0090 & 0091: the additionally reduced Im, e.g. Im-2, is maintained until Tb exceeds TC2, which includes maintaining the charging current until Tb equals the second threshold temperature, TC1).
Zhang fails to explicitly teach the electronic device comprising a housing, and a number of times the first charging current has been decreased being less or equal to a threshold number and the processor preventing further decrease of the decreased first charging current.
However, Jung does teach a chargeable (¶0152) electronic device (Fig.1A, 101) which comprises a housing (Abstract).
Zhang and Jung are considered to be analogous to the claimed invention since they both pertain to chargeable electronic devices where temperature is monitored. Therefore, it would have been obvious to someone of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have modified the electronic device taught by Zhang to include the housing taught by Jung. A housing is commonly used in electronic devices and would be obvious to include for the benefit of protecting the electronics being used.
Moreover, Zhang, in view of Jung, discloses the claimed invention except for the number of times the first current is decreased is not compared or limited to a threshold number when determining the decreased first charging current. It would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art at the effective filing date of the invention to include a threshold number of times the first current is decreased to restrict the first current from being reduced further, since it has been held that where the general conditions of a claim are disclosed in the prior art, discovering the optimum or workable ranges involves only routine skill in the art. In re Aller, 105 USPQ 233. Doing so would avoid allowing the first charging current to be reduced to a current level ultimately lower than the second charging current, or said differently, doing so would limit the decreased first charging current to a current level that is greater than the second charging current. Allowing the decreased first charging current to reach a current level lower than the second charging current would nullify the proposed benefit the lower second charging current provides, allowing the temperature of the battery to reduce.
Regarding Claim 2, Zhang, as modified, further teaches wherein, based on the temperature associated with the electronic device being equal to or higher than the first threshold temperature while charging the battery with the decreased first charging current, the at least one processor is configured to control the charging circuit to charge the battery with the second charging current (¶0091 & 0102: continuous monitoring of the temperature and counting the number of times Tb>TC2 indicates the process described in claim 1 is repeatable, which would decrease Im-1 to Ib when Tb>TC2 and n1 has been exceeded).
Regarding Claim 3, Zhang, as modified, further teaches wherein the decreased first charging current is configured as a charging current obtained by subtracting a specified value from the first charging current by the number of times the first charging current has been decreased (¶0091).
Regarding Claim 4, Zhang, as modified, further teaches wherein, based on the temperature associated with the electronic device being equal to or higher than the second threshold temperature (TC1) while charging the battery with the second charging current (Ib), the at least one processor is configured to charge the battery with the second charging current while maintaining the second charging current (¶0090: Ib is maintained while Tb<TC2 and Tb>TC1).
Regarding Claim 9, Zhang, as modified, fails to explicitly teach wherein the at least one sensor comprises at least one of a first temperature sensor disposed on a first printed circuit board in the housing on which the at least one processor is mounted and a second temperature sensor disposed on a second printed circuit board in the housing on which a biometric sensor is mounted.
However, Jung teaches an electronic device that comprises a temperature sensor (Fig.9, 940J), a first printed circuit board (Fig.2, 230) with a processor (Fig.2, 233), and a second printed circuit board (Fig.2, 250) with a biometric sensor (Fig.2, 255).
Therefore, it would have been obvious to someone of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have further modified the electronic device taught by Zhang, in view of Jung, to include a first PCB with a processor, and a second PCB with a biometric sensor, as taught by Jung, to improve the space utilization of the device and to meet the market demand for the ability to check the health status of a user.
Jung fails to explicitly teach where there are two temperature sensors, and the location of these sensors.
It would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art at the effective filing date of the invention to include an additional sensor, since it has been held that mere duplication of the essential working parts of a device involves only routine skill in the art, and doing so would allow for one sensor to fail while still allowing the device to function without the need of replacing the entire device. St. Regis Paper Co. v. Bemis Co., 193 USPQ 8.
Moreover, it would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art at the time the invention was made to mount the second temperature sensor on the second PCB, since it has been held that rearranging parts of an invention involves only routine skill in the art, and doing so would allow the device to monitor the temperature of a different internal location to determine an overall average temperature of the device. In re Japikse, 86 USPQ 70.
Regarding Claim 10, Zhang, as modified, fails to explicitly teach wherein the at least one processor is configured to measure a temperature associated with the electronic device, using the first temperature sensor and the second temperature sensor.
However, Jung teaches a processor that monitors the temperature of the device through a temperature sensor (¶0152).
Therefore, it would have been obvious to someone of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have further modified the device taught by Zhang, in view of Jung, to use the processor to monitor the temperature of the device, as taught by Jung, since using a processor would allow for precise and consistent measuring.
Regarding Claim 11, Zhang, as modified, further teaches wherein the first charging current is a charging current corresponding to a first charging mode based on the temperature associated with the electronic device being below the first threshold temperature or the temperature associated with the electronic device being equal to or less than the second threshold temperature (¶0090, TC1) after exceeding the first threshold temperature, and the second charging current is a charging current corresponding to a second charging mode based on the temperature associated with the electronic device exceeding the first threshold temperature, as described in the rejection of claim 1.
Regarding Claim 23, Zhang, as modified, further teaches wherein the number of times the first charging current has been decreased is incremented each time the at least one processor decreases the first charging current (¶0090-91: the number of times the Tb>TC2, which results in Im being reduced to Ib, is incremented),
the decreased first charging current corresponds to a stepwise reduction of the first charging current based on the number of times the first charging current has been decreased (¶0091: Im is reduced to Im-1 then Im-2 based on the number of times Tb>TC2, which also is Im being reduced to Ib), and
when the number of times the first charging current has been decreased reaches the threshold number, the at least one processor is configured to prevent further decrease of the decreased first charging current such that the decreased first charging current is prevented from becoming equal to or lower than the second charging current (as disclosed in the rejection of claim 1: the obvious modification to avoid allowing the first charging current to be reduced to a current level ultimately lower than the second charging current), and to maintain the decreased first charging current until the temperature associated with the electronic device becomes equal to the second threshold temperature (¶0090 & 0091: the additionally reduced Im, e.g. Im-2, is maintained until Tb exceeds TC2, which includes maintaining the charging current until Tb equals the second threshold temperature, TC1.
Zhang, as modified, teaches the claimed invention except that the incrementation of the number of times the first charging current has been decreased happens when the first charging current is decreased to the second charging current instead of when the first charging current is decreased to the decreased first charging current. However, Zhang, as modified, is functionally equivalent to the claimed invention in that the incrementation occurs after the temperature associated with the electronic device exceeds the first threshold temperature, and results in the same decreased first charging current.
Claim(s) 6-8 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Zhang, in view of Jung, as applied to claim 1 above, and further in view of Cho et al. (USPGPN 20210111570 A1).
Regarding Claim 6, Zhang, as modified, fails to explicitly teach wherein the at least one processor is configured to measure a voltage for the battery, and to identify whether the measured voltage is equal to or greater than a target voltage.
However, Cho teaches a charging system where the processor (Fig.2, 121) monitors the battery voltage and identifies if it is equal or greater than a target voltage. (¶0071).
Zhang and Cho are considered to be analogous to the claimed invention since they both pertain to charging a battery of a device with temperature monitoring and charging control. Therefore, it would have been obvious to someone of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have modified, the device taught by Zhang, in view of Jung, to include voltage monitoring, as taught by Cho, to the processor since this allows for more efficient and safe charging.
Regarding Claim 7, Zhang, as modified, further teaches wherein the at least one processor is configured to: decrease the first charging current to the second charging current and charge the battery with the second charging current, or to decrease the first charging current and charge the battery with the decreased charging current as explained in the rejection of claim 1 above.
Zhang, as modified, fails to explicitly teach that these decreases are performed based on the measured voltage being less than the target voltage.
However, Cho teaches that constant current charging is performed when the measured voltage is less than a target voltage (Vmax) (Fig.12, CC Section). Therefore, it would have been obvious to someone of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have modified the device taught by Zhang, in view of Jung, to have the processor perform these charging current decreases when the battery voltage is less than a target voltage, as taught by Cho, since this allows for safer charging by way of preventing overcharging.
Regarding Claim 8, Zhang, as modified, further teaches wherein the at least one processor is configured to charge the battery with a charging current corresponding to the temperature associated with the electronic device being below the first threshold temperature or the number of times the first charging current has been decreased reaching a configured number of times as described in the rejection of claims 1 & 5 above.
Zhang, as modified, fails to explicitly teach wherein the processor controls the charging current based the measured voltage being equal to or greater than the target voltage.
However, Cho teaches a battery charging method where the charging current is controlled after a measured voltage is equal to or greater than the target voltage (Vmax) (¶0108 & 0109). Therefore, it would have been obvious to someone of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have modified the device taught by Zhang, in view of Jung, to include charging current control after the battery voltage is equal to or exceeds a target voltage, as taught by Cho, since this could increase charging efficiency.
Claim(s) 12-15 & 24 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Zhang.
Regarding Claim 12, Zhang teaches a charging method based on heat generation control in an electronic device (Fig.5, 200), the method comprising:
charging a battery (abstract) of the electronic device with a first charging current (¶0090, Im) through a charging circuit (Fig.4, 102);
measuring a temperature associated with the electronic device (¶0045: Battery temperature is associated with device temperature; ¶0096 temperature of the battery is monitored in real-time) using at least one sensor (Fig.4, 214) of the electronic device while charging the battery with the first charging current (¶0096);
based on the temperature (¶0090, Tb) associated with the electronic device being equal to or higher than a first threshold temperature (¶0090, TC2) during charging of the battery with the first charging current (¶0090: during charging with the maximum charging current Im), controlling the charging circuit to charge the battery with a second charging current (¶0090, Ib) that is less than the first charging current (¶0090: current is reduced from Im to Ib);
based on the temperature (Tb) associated with the electronic device being below the first threshold temperature (¶0089, TC1<TC2) and equal to or higher than a second threshold temperature (TC1) during the charging of the battery with the second charging current (¶0090: charging current is maintained at Ib until Tb drops below TC1), maintaining the second charging current and control the charging circuit to charge the battery with the second charging current (¶0090: charging current is maintained at Ib until Tb drops below TC1); and
based on the temperature (Tb) associated with the electronic device being below the second threshold temperature (¶0090: charging current is maintained at Ib until Tb drops below TC1), decreasing the first charging current to a decreased first charging current (¶0091: Im-1) and controlling the charging circuit to charge the battery with a decreased first charging current (¶0090 & 0091: when Tb<TC1 return to Im, and Im is reduced to Im-1 when the number of times Tb>TC2 exceeds n1), wherein the decreased first charging current is determined by a number of times the first charging current has been decreased (¶0090 & 0091: when Tb<TC1 return to Im, and Im is reduced to Im-1 when the number of times Tb>TC2 exceeds n1, which examiner interprets n1 to equal 1); and
at least maintaining the decreased first charging current until the temperature associated with the electronic device becomes equal to the second threshold temperature (¶0090 & 0091: the additionally reduced Im, e.g. Im-2, is maintained until Tb exceeds TC2, which includes maintaining the charging current until Tb equals the second threshold temperature, TC1).
Zhang fails to explicitly teach a number of times the first charging current has been decreased being less or equal to a threshold number and preventing further decrease of the decreased first charging current.
Moreover, Zhang, in view of Jung, discloses the claimed invention except for the number of times the first current is decreased is not compared or limited to a threshold number when determining the decreased first charging current. It would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art at the effective filing date of the invention to include a threshold number of times the first current is decreased to restrict the first current from being reduced further, since it has been held that where the general conditions of a claim are disclosed in the prior art, discovering the optimum or workable ranges involves only routine skill in the art. In re Aller, 105 USPQ 233. Doing so would avoid allowing the first charging current to be reduced to a current level ultimately lower than the second charging current, or said differently, doing so would limit the decreased first charging current to a current level that is greater than the second charging current. Allowing the decreased first charging current to reach a current level lower than the second charging current would nullify the proposed benefit the lower second charging current provides, allowing the temperature of the battery to reduce.
Regarding Claim 13, Zhang teaches the method further comprising: based on the temperature associated with the electronic device being equal to or higher than the first threshold temperature while charging the battery with the decreased first charging current, charging the battery with the second charging current (¶0091 & 0102: continuous monitoring of the temperature and counting the number of times Tb>TC2 indicates the process described in claim 12 is repeatable, which would decrease Im-1 to Ib when Tb>TC2 and n1 has been exceeded).
Regarding Claim 14, Zhang teaches wherein the decreased first charging current is configured as a charging current obtained by subtracting a specified value from the first charging current by the number of times the first charging current has been decreased (¶0091).
Regarding Claim 15, Zhang teaches wherein the charging the battery with the second charging current comprises: charging the battery with the second charging current (Ib) while maintaining the second charging current based on the temperature associated with the electronic device being equal to or higher than the second threshold temperature (TC1) while charging the battery with the second charging current (¶0090: Ib is maintained while Tb<TC2 and Tb>TC1).
Regarding Claim 24, Zhang, as modified, further teaches wherein the number of times the first charging current has been decreased is incremented each time the at least one processor decreases the first charging current (¶0090-91: the number of times the Tb>TC2, which results in Im being reduced to Ib, is incremented),
the decreased first charging current corresponds to a stepwise reduction of the first charging current based on the number of times the first charging current has been decreased (¶0091: Im is reduced to Im-1 then Im-2 based on the number of times Tb>TC2, which also is Im being reduced to Ib), and
when the number of times the first charging current has been decreased reaches the threshold number, the at least one processor is configured to prevent further decrease of the decreased first charging current such that the decreased first charging current is prevented from becoming equal to or lower than the second charging current (as disclosed in the rejection of claim 1: the obvious modification to avoid allowing the first charging current to be reduced to a current level ultimately lower than the second charging current), and to maintain the decreased first charging current until the temperature associated with the electronic device becomes equal to the second threshold temperature (¶0090 & 0091: the additionally reduced Im, e.g. Im-2, is maintained until Tb exceeds TC2, which includes maintaining the charging current until Tb equals the second threshold temperature, TC1.
Zhang, as modified, teaches the claimed invention except that the incrementation of the number of times the first charging current has been decreased happens when the first charging current is decreased to the second charging current instead of when the first charging current is decreased to the decreased first charging current. However, Zhang, as modified, is functionally equivalent to the claimed invention in that the incrementation occurs after the temperature associated with the electronic device exceeds the first threshold temperature, and results in the same decreased first charging current.
Claim(s) 17 & 18 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Zhang, in view of Cho.
Regarding Claim 17, Zhang, as modified, fails to explicitly teach further comprising: measuring a voltage for the battery; and identifying whether the measured voltage is equal to or greater than a target voltage.
However, Cho teaches a charging system where the processor (Fig.2, 121) monitors the battery voltage and identifies if it is equal or greater than a target voltage. (¶0071).
Zhang and Cho are considered to be analogous to the claimed invention since they both pertain to charging a battery of a device with temperature monitoring and charging control. Therefore, it would have been obvious to someone of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have modified, the device taught by Zhang to include voltage monitoring, as taught by Cho, to the processor since this allows for more efficient and safe charging.
Regarding Claim 18, Zhang, as modified, further teaches wherein the at least one processor is configured to charge the battery with a charging current corresponding to the temperature associated with the electronic device being below the first threshold temperature or the number of times the first charging current has been decreased reaching a configured number of times as described in the rejection of claims 1 & 5 above.
Zhang, as modified, fails to explicitly teach wherein the processor controls the charging current based the measured voltage being equal to or greater than the target voltage.
However, Cho teaches a battery charging method where the charging current is controlled after a measured voltage is equal to or greater than the target voltage (Vmax) (¶0108 & 0109). Therefore, it would have been obvious to someone of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have further modified the device taught by Zhang, in view of Cho, to include charging current control after the battery voltage is equal to or exceeds a target voltage, as taught by Cho, since this could increase charging efficiency.
Claim(s) 21 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Zhang, in view of Jung, as applied in the rejection of claim 1 above, and further in view of Rohrbach et al. (USPGPN 2009/0057357 A1 – published Mar. 5, 2009).
Regarding Claim 21, Zhang, as modified, fails to explicitly teach wherein the electronic device is a wearable device including a biometric sensor exposed to an outside of a housing of the wearable device to obtain a biometric signal when in contact with a user's skin surface, the at least one sensor comprises a first temperature sensor disposed on a first printed circuit board in the housing on which the at least one processor is mounted and adjacent to the battery, and a second temperature sensor disposed on a second printed circuit board in the housing on which the biometric sensor is mounted, and the at least one processor is configured to measure a temperature associated with the electronic device using the first temperature sensor and the second temperature sensor.
However, Rohrbach teaches an armband for holding an electronic device that is worn on an arm.
Therefore, it would have been obvious to someone of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to use the device taught by Zhang, in view of Jung, with the armband, taught by Rohrbach, to provide a wearable electronic device. Doing so allows a user to carry the electronic device handsfree.
Moreover, Jung teaches an electronic device that comprises a temperature sensor (Fig.9, 940J), a first printed circuit board (Fig.2, 230) with a processor (Fig.2, 233), a second printed circuit board (Fig.2, 250) with a biometric sensor (Fig.2, 255) exposed to an outside housing of a housing of the device to obtain a biometric signal when in contact with a user’s skin surface (¶0049: third electrode 255 is formed on the edge of the physical button and supplies biometric information when the touch sensor comes in contact with the user’s body), and a processor that monitors the temperature of the device through a temperature sensor (¶0152).
Therefore, it would have been obvious to someone of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have further modified the electronic device taught by Zhang, in view of Jung, with Jung to include a first PCB with a processor, a second PCB with a biometric sensor exposed to an outside housing of a housing of the device to obtain a biometric signal when in contact with a user’s skin surface, and a processor that monitors the temperature of the device through a temperature sensor to improve the space utilization of the device and to meet the market demand for the ability to check the health status of a user and provide precise and consistent measuring of the temperature of the device via a processor.
Zhang, as modified, fails to explicitly teach where there are two temperature sensors, and the location of these sensors.
It would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art at the effective filing date of the invention to include an additional sensor, since it has been held that mere duplication of the essential working parts of a device involves only routine skill in the art, and doing so would allow for one sensor to fail while still allowing the device to function without the need of replacing the entire device. St. Regis Paper Co. v. Bemis Co., 193 USPQ 8.
Moreover, it would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art at the time the invention was made to mount the second temperature sensor on the second PCB, since it has been held that rearranging parts of an invention involves only routine skill in the art, and doing so would allow the device to monitor the temperature of a different internal location to determine an overall average temperature of the device. In re Japikse, 86 USPQ 70.
Claim(s) 22 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Zhang, as modified in claim 12 above, and further in view of Jung and Rohrbach.
Regarding Claim 22, Zhang, as modified, further teaches measuring a temperature associated with the electronic device using a temperature sensor (as disclosed in the rejection of claim 12 above).
Zhang, as modified, fails to explicitly teach wherein the electronic device is a wearable device including a biometric sensor exposed to an outside of a housing of the wearable device to obtain a biometric signal when in contact with a user's skin surface, the at least one sensor comprises a first temperature sensor disposed on a first printed circuit board in the housing on which at least one processor is mounted and adjacent to the battery, and a second temperature sensor disposed on a second printed circuit board in the housing on which the biometric sensor is mounted, and the method further comprising measuring a temperature associated with the electronic device using the first temperature sensor and the second temperature sensor.
However, Rohrbach teaches an armband for holding an electronic device that is worn on an arm.
Therefore, it would have been obvious to someone of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to use the device taught by Zhang with the armband taught by Rohrbach, to provide a wearable electronic device. Doing so allows a user to carry the electronic device handsfree.
Moreover, Jung teaches an electronic device that comprises a temperature sensor (Fig.9, 940J), a first printed circuit board (Fig.2, 230) with a processor (Fig.2, 233), a second printed circuit board (Fig.2, 250) with a biometric sensor (Fig.2, 255) exposed to an outside housing of a housing of the device to obtain a biometric signal when in contact with a user’s skin surface (¶0049: third electrode 255 is formed on the edge of the physical button and supplies biometric information when the touch sensor comes in contact with the user’s body).
Therefore, it would have been obvious to someone of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have modified the electronic device taught by Zhang to include a first PCB with a processor, and a second PCB with a biometric sensor exposed to an outside housing of a housing of the device to obtain a biometric signal when in contact with a user’s skin surface, as taught by Jung, to improve the space utilization of the device and to meet the market demand for the ability to check the health status of a user.
Zhang, as modified, fails to explicitly teach where there are two temperature sensors, and the location of these sensors.
It would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art at the effective filing date of the invention to include an additional sensor, since it has been held that mere duplication of the essential working parts of a device involves only routine skill in the art, and doing so would allow for one sensor to fail while still allowing the device to function without the need of replacing the entire device. St. Regis Paper Co. v. Bemis Co., 193 USPQ 8.
Moreover, it would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art at the time the invention was made to mount the second temperature sensor on the second PCB, since it has been held that rearranging parts of an invention involves only routine skill in the art, and doing so would allow the device to monitor the temperature of a different internal location to determine an overall average temperature of the device. In re Japikse, 86 USPQ 70.
Conclusion
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/JOHN P ONDRASIK/Examiner, Art Unit 2859
/JULIAN D HUFFMAN/Supervisory Patent Examiner, Art Unit 2859
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