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 .
Response to Amendment
The amendment filed on or after November 10, 2025 has been entered. Claims 1-2 and 5-12 remain pending in the application. Claims 3 and 4 are canceled. In response to the applicant’s arguments and amendments, a more detailed action and references are provided.
Response to Arguments
The arguments filed November 10, 2025 have been fully considered, and they are mostly persuasive. Regarding the applicant’s arguments that:
Applicant’s amendment of “support element” to “support” overcomes the previously set forth 112f claim interpretation: The examiner agrees. The 112f interpretation is withdrawn
Applicant’s amendments to the claims overcome the previously set forth 112b rejection: The examiner agrees. The 112b rejection is withdrawn.
Applicant’s amendment to the independent claim 1 overcomes the previously set forth 102(a)(1) rejection in view of Kim: The examiner agrees that the amendment overcomes the previously set forth 102(a)(1) rejection and requires new grounds of rejection. In response, an obviousness type rejection is provided in view of Kim and Bohlender, the latter of which teaches an electrical heating device (“electric heating device” Title) with a PCB (“PCB” Claim 1 Figure 1 Element 32) wherein the PCB has a first portion and a second portion (See Figure 1 annotated “First Portion” and “Second Portion”) and a PCB housing (“Housing” Figure 1 Element 12b) with a plurality of bus bars (Figure 1 Element 28 and 30) wherein a first bus bar (Figure 1 Element 28) among the plurality of bus bars comprises at least one first terminal (Figure 1 “First Terminal”) and at least one second terminal (Figure 1 “Second Terminal”) wherein the first terminal is joined to the PCB and wherein the at least one second terminal is adapted to be connected to the terminal pin (Figure 1 “Terminal Pin”) and the at least one heating element (Figure 1 Element 6) and overcomes the deficiencies of Kim.
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 1-12 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Kim (US 2017/0295613A1) in view of Bohlender (EP 2330865 B1):
Figures- Kim
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Regarding Claim 1: Kim et al teaches an electrical heating device (electric “heating assembly” Abstract) comprising:
a printed circuit board housing (“PCB cover” [0169] Figure 8 Element 53 which serves as a housing for the PCB) and
a PCB (“PCB” Abstract Figure 8 Element 91) with at least a portion thereof extending out of a PCB housing (Figure 8 further shows at least a portion of the PCB extending out of the housing); at least one heating element (“Heating Module” Abstract) ; a terminal pin (“the pin block may include a pin that is connected to the PCB; and a pin receptacle that surrounds the pin” [0011] ) received in a connector housing ( Figure 6 Element 97 “Connector receptacle” [0182] which serves as the connector housing for the invention) disposed at least partially outside PCB housing (Figure 4 further shows that the connector housing is disposed at least partially outside the PCB housing) and a plurality of bus bars (Figure 7 Elements 71 shows a “plurality of bus bars” [0134]) , wherein at least one of the connector housing and the portion of the PCB extending out of the PCB housing comprises at least one support element (Figure 4 shows a “Support Element” that extends out of the connector housing) adapted to support the connector housing in a pre-determined position with respect to the PCB to define a pre-joining, assembled configuration (Figure 4 further shows that the “Support Element” is adapted to support the connector housing with respect to the PCB (Held withing Element 53) to define a pre-joining configuration)
Kim does not teach that the PCB has a first portion and a second portion or that a first bus bar among the plurality of bus bars comprises at least one first terminal and at least one second terminal wherein the first terminal is joined to the PCB and wherein the at least one second terminal is adapted to be connected to the terminal pin and the at least one heating element
However, Bohlender does teach an electrical heating device (“electric heating device” Title) with a PCB (“PCB” Claim 1 Figure 1 Element 32) wherein the PCB has a first portion and a second portion (See Figure 1 annotated “First Portion” and “Second Portion”) and a PCB housing (“Housing” Figure 1 Element 12b) with a plurality of bus bars (Figure 1 Element 28 and 30) wherein a first bus bar (Figure 1 Element 28) among the plurality of bus bars comprises at least one first terminal (Figure 1 “First Terminal”) and at least one second terminal (Figure 1 “Second Terminal”) wherein the first terminal is joined to the PCB and wherein the at least one second terminal is adapted to be connected to the terminal pin (Figure 1 “Terminal Pin”) and the at least one heating element (Figure 1 Element 6)
Therefore, it would be obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art to modify the invention of Kim with the two-part PCB and bus bar terminals of Bohlender in order to provide an “optimally thermally isolated” [0019] configuration and to provide a “printed circuit board which can be used…in a generic heating device and which is contacted with the busbar[s] in a simple and reliable manner” [0006].
Regarding Claim 2: Kim et al further teaches that each bus bar (“bus bar” [0121]) among the plurality of bus bars (Figure 7 Elements 71 shows a “plurality of bus bars” [0134]) comprises the least one first terminal (“two terminals” , the first of which is a first terminal [0121]) and the at least one second terminal (“two terminals” [0121], the second of which is the second terminal), the at least one first terminal is joined to the PCB (the prior art teaches that the first terminal is connected to the PCB module through the [first terminal of the] bus bar plate” [0120]) and the at least one second terminal is adapted to be connected to at least one of the terminal pin, a terminal plate and the at least one heating element (“the [second] terminal” [0121] is adapted to be connected to both the “terminal plate” and the “heating element” [120])
Regarding Claim 5: Kim et al further teaches that the at least one first terminal (“two terminals”, the first of which is a first terminal [0121]) of a third bus bar (Figure 7 “Third Bus Bar”) of the plurality of bus bars is joined to the PCB (the prior art teaches that the first terminal is connected to the PCB module through the [first terminal of the] bus bar plate” [0120]) and the at least one second terminal of the third bus bar is connected to the terminal plate (“the [second] terminal” [0121] is connected to the “terminal plate”[120]).
Regarding Claim 6: Kim et al further teaches that the at least one support (Figure 4 “Support element”) is either one of integrally formed with or secured to the connector housing and is adapted to extend toward and rest on the PCB Printed Circuit Board in the pre-joining, assembled configuration (Figure 4 shows that the “Support” is secured to the connector housing and is adapted to extend toward and rest on the PCB in assembled configuration).
Regarding Claim 7: Kim et al further teaches that the at least one support (Figure 4 “Support Element”) is either one of integrally formed with or secured to the PCB (Figure 4 shows that the “Support element” is secured to the connector housing and is adapted to extend toward and rest on the PCB in assembled configuration) and is adapted to extend toward and support at least a base portion (Figure 4 “Base Portion” extended toward and supported by the support element ) radially extending from the connector housing in the pre-joining, assembled configuration (Figure 4 further shows that the “Base Portion” extends radially from the connector housing in the assembled configuration).
Regarding Claim 8: Kim et al further teaches that at least one support is of two parts (Figure 4 “Support element with Two Parts”), wherein a first part is either one of integrally formed and secured to the connector housing (Figure 4 further shows that the “first part” extends radially from the connector housing in the assembled configuration). whereas a second part (Figure 4 “Second Part”) is either one of integrally formed and secured to the PCB (The second part is connected and thus integrally formed and secured to the PCB Circuit Board), the first part and the second part are collectively adapted to support the connector housing in the pre-joining, assembled configuration (Figure 4 further shows that the first and second part are adapted to support the connector housing in the assembled configuration)
Regarding Claim 9: Kim et al as modified by Bohlender further teaches that the at least one support (Kim Figure 4 “Support element with Two Parts”) is either one of supported on or extending from at least a portion of a periphery of an opening (Kim Figure 4 shows “A periphery of an opening” on which the support element is supported on) configured on the second portion of the PCB (Bohlender Figure 1 “Second Portion”) extending out of the PCB housing and receiving the connector housing (Kim Figure 4 further shows that the periphery of the opening is configured on the portion of the PCB extending out of the PCB housing and receiving the connector housing).
Regarding Claim 10: Kim et al further teaches that the terminal pin (“the pin block may include a pin” [0011] that serves as the terminal pin ) acts as a positive terminal (“terminal [pin] may be connected to a positive electrode bus bar” [0120] which would make it so the pin acts as a positive terminal) , whereas the terminal plate acts as a negative terminal (the “terminal [plate] may be connected to the “negative electrode bus bar” [0121] which would make it so the terminal pin acts as a negative terminal).
Regarding Claim 11: Kim et al further teaches that the terminal pin (“the pin block may include a pin” [0011] that serves as the terminal pin ) acts as a negative terminal (The user could adjust the arrangement as described in the section regarding Claim 10, so that the terminal pin acts as the negative terminal), whereas the terminal plate (the “terminal [plate]” [0121] acts as a positive terminal (The user could adjust the arrangement as described in the section regarding Claim 10, so that the terminal plate acts as the positive terminal).
Regarding Claim 12: Kim et al further teaches that the plurality of bus bars (Figure 7 Elements 71 shows a “plurality of bus bars” [0134]) form electrical connection (“electric[al] connect[ion]” [0120]) between the terminal pin (“pin” [0011] that serves as the terminal pin ) and the terminal plate (the “terminal [plate]” [0121] through the at least one heating element (“heating element” [120]), the at least one first terminal of each bus bar is joined to the PCB (the prior art teaches that the first terminal is connected to the PCB module through the [first terminal of the] bus bar plate” [0120]) that is adapted to control flow of electric current through the at least one heating element (The prior art further teaches that the PCB module is configured to control the flow of electric current through the heating element as the prior art states that “The heating [element] may be electrically connected to the PCB module… and may be electric heating modules that are heated if an electric voltage is applied thereto…[in which the] heating element that is heated if a current flows therethrough [0119]) at least one of the second terminal of the plurality of bus bars is connected to at least one of the terminal pin and the terminal plate (“the [second] terminal” [0121] of the plurality of bus bars is connected to the “terminal plate” [120]).
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.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to SOLAN OLIVA whose telephone number is (571-)272-2518. The examiner can normally be reached Monday-Thursday 7:00-3:00.
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If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Ibrahime Abraham can be reached at (571) 270-8241. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-270-5569.
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/SOLAN OLIVA/Examiner, Art Unit 3761
/IBRAHIME A ABRAHAM/Supervisory Patent Examiner, Art Unit 3761