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 .
Status of the Claims
Claims 14, 20-23, 29, and 33 are amended. Claims 15-16, 24-28, and 30-32 are as previously presented. Claims 34-36 are newly added. Claims 1-13 and 17-19 are cancelled. Therefore, claims 14-16 and 20-36 are currently pending and have been considered below.
Response to Amendment
The amendment filed on November 25, 2025 has been entered.
Response to Arguments
Applicant’s arguments, see Pages 6-11, filed on 11/25/2025, with respect to the rejection(s) of claim(s) 14-33 under U.S.C. 103 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 Therefore, the rejection has been withdrawn.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 applicant’s amendment regarding the first, second, and third heat dissipation sections and newly found prior art regarding those features.
Priority
Acknowledgment is made of applicant’s claim for foreign priority under 35 U.S.C. 119 (a)-(d). The certified copy has been filed in parent Application No. EP20382058.4, filed on 01/31/2020.
Receipt is acknowledged of certified copies of papers required by 37 CFR 1.55.
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.
The factual inquiries for establishing a background for determining obviousness under 35 U.S.C. 103 are summarized as follows:
1. Determining the scope and contents of the prior art.
2. Ascertaining the differences between the prior art and the claims at issue.
3. Resolving the level of ordinary skill in the pertinent art.
4. Considering objective evidence present in the application indicating obviousness or nonobviousness.
Claims 14-16, 21, and 29-36 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Arnal et al. (EP 2028912 A2, hereinafter Arnal) in view of Haag (WO 2008017373 A1) and Murakami et al. (JP H10312880 A, hereinafter Murakami) and Sakamoto et al. (JP 2009094088 A, hereinafter Sakamoto) and Almolda et al. (EP 2679913 A2, hereinafter Almolda).
Regarding claim 14, Arnal discloses an induction cooking appliance apparatus (Page 5, Para. 1, “induction cooktop cooking device 10”), comprising:
an induction coil (Page 5, Para. 1, “These each comprise an induction coil designed as heating means 24”); and
a coil carrier configured to hold the induction coil (Page 8, Para. 2, “The cooking device arrangement has a carrier body 76 which serves to support the heating arrangement 34.1”) and including a heat dissipation unit for dissipating heat emitted by the induction coil (Page 8, Para. 2, “This carrier body 76, which is also in FIG. 2 is to be seen, is formed as a support matrix made of plastic, having the receiving areas 78, in which the heating means 24 and the partial windings of the heating means 24 are inserted and which is placed on the top 50 of the heat sink unit 46.”, where the heat dissipation unit would be the heat sink unit 46);
wherein the coil carrier comprises a support surface configured to support the induction coil, the support surface having a perimeter (Page 8, Para. 2, “This carrier body 76, which is also in FIG. 2 is to be seen, is formed as a support matrix made of plastic, having the receiving areas 78, in which the heating means 24 and the partial windings of the heating means 24 are inserted”, where Fig. 4 shows that the carrier body includes a support surface that supports the induction coil 24, and where Fig. 2 shows that the carrier body or support surface has a perimeter),
the heat dissipation unit includes a first heat dissipation section have a plurality of rib-shaped heat dissipation elements that extend linearly in a first direction (Page 7, Para. 2 from end, “ribs 68 forming the heat removal channels 70 can be seen.”, where the ribs 68 extend linearly in a downward direction).
In the interest of compact prosecution, Examiner presents another prior art reference that meets the claim limitations, where another heat dissipation unit can be used. Haag discloses, in the similar field of induction coils (Abstract, “induction coil (112) for an induction hob”), where there is a coil carrier (Page 3, Para. 3, “the coil carrier is formed by a punch, wherein the inductor, in particular the induction coil is pressed by the punch in the bobbin. The bobbin is inexpensive to produce with great accuracy, the induction coil is securely fixed in one step to the bobbin.”), and where there is a heat dissipation unit for dissipating heat emitted by the induction coil (Page 2, last Para., “By adding fillers, the permeability and / or a thermal conductivity of the bobbin is further suitably adjustable. In particular, by increasing the thermal conductivity, it is possible to achieve a good heat dissipation from an induction coil arranged on the coil carrier. By dissipating the heat to a support plate arranged under the coil carrier, a self-heating of the induction coil can thus be reduced.”, where the heat dissipation unit is the support plate underneath the bobbin or coil carrier), where the coil carrier includes a support surface to hold the induction coil and the coil carrier has a perimeter (Fig. 1, where the bobbin or coil carrier 10 is shown to hold the induction coils 12, where the bobbin has a perimeter shown). It would have been obvious for one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filling date of the claimed invention to have modified the heat dissipation unit of fins in Arnal to be just a support plate as taught by Haag.
One of ordinary skill in the art would have been motivated to make this modification in order to gain the advantage of preventing overheating of the induction coil without needing air flow within the system, as stated by Haag, Page 4, last Para., “The coil carrier 10 preferably has a good thermal conductivity, so that heat generated at the copper coil 12 is dissipated to the support plate 2. As a result, overheating of the copper coil 12 due to self-heating can be prevented.”.
Arnal does not disclose:
a wall extends away from the perimeter of the support surface in a direction opposite to a location of the induction coil;
the heat dissipation unit includes a second heat dissipation section having a plurality of rib-shaped heat dissipation elements that extend linearly in the first direction,
the heat dissipation unit includes a third heat dissipation section having a plurality of rib-shaped heat dissipation elements that extend linearly in a second direction, and
the second direction is non-parallel to the first direction.
However, Murakami discloses, in the similar field of induction cooking appliances (Para. 0001, “induction heating cooker for heating by eddy current”), where a coil carrier is present (Page 4, Para. 10 from end, “coil base 5 supporting the heating coil 1.”), where a wall extends away from the perimeter of the support surface in a direction opposite to a location of the induction coil (Page 4, Para. 8, “That is, the heating coil 1 and the outer periphery of the coil base 5 supporting the heating coil 1 are surrounded by a vertically opened guide member 29”, and modified Fig. 7, where the guide member is shown to extend from a perimeter of the support surface away from the induction coil). It would have been obvious for one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filling date of the claimed invention to have modified the coil carrier in Arnal to include the enclosure with airflow as taught by Murakami.
One of ordinary skill in the art would have been motivated to make this modification in order to gain the advantage of allowing efficient cooling to be possible within the induction cooktop, where high output can be coped with, as stated by Murakami, Para. 0044, “As described above, according to the induction heating cooker of the present invention, it is possible to efficiently cool the inside, outside, top and bottom surfaces of the heating coil and the back surface of the top plate where heat is likely to accumulate. It is possible to cope with a high output induction heating cooker.”.
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Modified Figure 7, Murakami
Sakamoto discloses, in the similar field of induction cooking appliances (Abstract, “an induction-heating cooker”), where a similar induction coil carrier includes a plurality of rib-shaped heat dissipation elements (Page 10, Para. 6 from end, “heat radiating means 30 is disposed below the induction heating coil 3-1, in the present embodiment, below the highly permeable member 5.”, and Page 10, last Para., “heat dissipating means 30 may be a pin fin heat sink in which a plurality of cylindrical or prismatic pins are arranged on a flat plate serving as a base”). It would have been obvious for one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filling date of the claimed invention to have modified the heat dissipation ribs in modified Arnal to be shown to be attached to a carrier of an induction coil as taught by Sakamoto, specifically Sakamoto’s figure 11.
One of ordinary skill in the art would have been motivated to make this modification in order to gain the advantage of being able to have a larger heat sink configuration that includes walls that still can dissipate heat from induction coils efficiently, Page 11, Para. 5, “Since the cooling air 25 is supplied from the cooling fan (not shown) between the fins of the heat radiating means 30, the heat is efficiently taken from the induction heating coil 3-1 through the high thermal conductive member 16 to generate heat.”.
Further, Almolda discloses, in the similar field of heat sinks within domestic appliances (Page 2, Para. 2, “a domestic appliance device, in particular a hob device, with at least one
heat sink unit and at least one fan unit.”), where a heat dissipation unit includes a first heat dissipation having a plurality of rib-shaped heat dissipation elements that extend linearly in a first direction, a second heat dissipation section having a plurality of rib-shaped heat dissipation elements that extend linearly in a first direction, and a third heat dissipation section having a plurality of rib-shaped heat dissipation elements that extend linearly in a second direction and where that second direction is non-parallel to the first direction (Modified Figs. 8 and 9, where the first, second, and third heat dissipation sections are shown with a plurality of rib0shaped heat dissipation elements, and where the directions those ribs extend are shown). It would have been obvious for one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filling date of the claimed invention to have modified the heat sink of the induction coil carrier in modified Arnal to include the heat dissipation sections with the rib-shaped heat dissipation elements as taught by Almolda.
One of ordinary skill in the art would have been motivated to make this modification in order to gain the advantage of being able to use different configurations of heat sinks, where multiple heat dissipation rib sections can be used to avoid increasing production costs through the use of welding, as stated by Almolda, Page 6, Para. 4 from end, “Alternatively, embodiments are conceivable in which a corresponding heat sink unit is formed from, for example, four heat sinks arranged next to one another, whereby production costs, such as those incurred by welding processes, can be avoided.”, and Page 6, Para. 2 from end, “FIGS. 8 and 9 show a heat sink unit 20e with a single, manufactured in one piece, or formed in a casting process, the heat sink 22e.”.
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Modified Figures 8 and 9, Almolda
Regarding claim 15, modified Arnal teaches the apparatus according to claim 14, as set forth above, discloses constructed in the form of an induction hob apparatus (Arnal, Page 2, Para. 2 from end, “cooking device arrangement which is present under normal or prescribed conditions of use when using a cooking device, in particular an induction hob, in which the cooking device arrangement according to the invention is used.”).
Regarding claim 16, modified Arnal teaches the apparatus according to claim 14, as set forth above, discloses wherein the coil carrier appears to be embodied in one piece (Arnal, Fig. 4, where the coil carrier 76 appears to be a singular piece).
Modified Arnal does not disclose:
wherein the coil carrier is embodied in one piece.
However, Haag discloses where the coil carrier is in one piece (Page 4, Para. 5 from end, “a coil carrier 10 according to the invention. The bobbin 10”, where Fig. 1 shows that the coil carrier 10 is one singular piece). It would have been obvious for one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filling date of the claimed invention to have modified the coil carrier in modified Arnal to be in one piece as taught by Haag.
One of ordinary skill in the art would have been motivated to make this modification in order to gain the advantage of a singular coil carrier that allows for greater contact area for more efficient thermal transfer, Page 3, Para. 6, “induction heating device, the inductor, in particular the induction coil, is pressed into the coil carrier.”, and Page 2, Para. 2 from end, “By adding fillers, the permeability and / or a thermal conductivity of the bobbin is further suitably adjustable. In particular, by increasing the thermal conductivity, it is possible to achieve a good heat dissipation from an induction coil arranged on the coil carrier.”.
Regarding claim 21, modified Arnal teaches the apparatus according to claim 14, as set forth above, discloses wherein the coil carrier includes a recess for guiding away heated air in an outer end region of the first heat dissipation section (Arnal, Page 8, Para. 1, “The arrangement of the printed circuit boards 72 below the heat sink unit 46 and in particular below the heat removal channels 70 can advantageously maintain a circulating cooling air flow in the heat removal channels 70 can be achieved by means of the printed circuit boards 72.”, where the channels 70 allow for heated air to be moved away from the heat sink unit, where the heat removal occurs through the air flow generated by the printed circuit boards 72).
Regarding claim 29, Arnal discloses an induction cooking appliance (Page 5, Para. 1, “induction cooktop cooking device 10”), comprising an induction cooking appliance apparatus (Page 1, Para. 3 from end, “cooking apparatus comprising a cooking plate for laying a preparation utensil and a set of induction coils”),
said induction cooking appliance apparatus comprising an induction coil (Page 5, Para. 1, “These each comprise an induction coil designed as heating means 24”), and
a coil carrier configured to hold the induction coil (Page 8, Para. 2, “The cooking device arrangement has a carrier body 76 which serves to support the heating arrangement 34.1”) and including a heat dissipation unit for dissipating heat emitted by the induction coil (Page 8, Para. 2, “This carrier body 76, which is also in FIG. 2 is to be seen, is formed as a support matrix made of plastic, having the receiving areas 78, in which the heating means 24 and the partial windings of the heating means 24 are inserted and which is placed on the top 50 of the heat sink unit 46.”, where the heat dissipation unit would be the heat sink unit 46),
wherein the coil carrier comprises a support surface configured to support the induction coil, the support surface having a perimeter (Page 8, Para. 2, “This carrier body 76, which is also in FIG. 2 is to be seen, is formed as a support matrix made of plastic, having the receiving areas 78, in which the heating means 24 and the partial windings of the heating means 24 are inserted”, where Fig. 4 shows that the carrier body includes a support surface that supports the induction coil 24, and where Fig. 2 shows that the carrier body or support surface has a perimeter),
the heat dissipation unit includes a first heat dissipation section have a plurality of rib-shaped heat dissipation elements that extend linearly in a first direction (Page 7, Para. 2 from end, “ribs 68 forming the heat removal channels 70 can be seen.”, where the ribs 68 extend linearly in a downward direction).
In the interest of compact prosecution, Examiner presents another prior art reference that meets the claim limitations, where another heat dissipation unit can be used. Haag discloses, in the similar field of induction coils (Abstract, “induction coil (112) for an induction hob”), where there is a coil carrier (Page 3, Para. 3, “the coil carrier is formed by a punch, wherein the inductor, in particular the induction coil is pressed by the punch in the bobbin. The bobbin is inexpensive to produce with great accuracy, the induction coil is securely fixed in one step to the bobbin.”), and where there is a heat dissipation unit for dissipating heat emitted by the induction coil (Page 2, last Para., “By adding fillers, the permeability and / or a thermal conductivity of the bobbin is further suitably adjustable. In particular, by increasing the thermal conductivity, it is possible to achieve a good heat dissipation from an induction coil arranged on the coil carrier. By dissipating the heat to a support plate arranged under the coil carrier, a self-heating of the induction coil can thus be reduced.”, where the heat dissipation unit is the support plate underneath the bobbin or coil carrier), where the coil carrier includes a support surface to hold the induction coil and the coil carrier has a perimeter (Fig. 1, where the bobbin or coil carrier 10 is shown to hold the induction coils 12, where the bobbin has a perimeter shown). It would have been obvious for one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filling date of the claimed invention to have modified the heat dissipation unit of fins in Arnal to be just a support plate as taught by Haag.
One of ordinary skill in the art would have been motivated to make this modification in order to gain the advantage of preventing overheating of the induction coil without needing air flow within the system, as stated by Haag, Page 4, last Para., “The coil carrier 10 preferably has a good thermal conductivity, so that heat generated at the copper coil 12 is dissipated to the support plate 2. As a result, overheating of the copper coil 12 due to self-heating can be prevented.”.
Arnal does not disclose:
a wall extends away from the perimeter of the support surface in a direction opposite to a location of the induction coil;
the heat dissipation unit includes a second heat dissipation section having a plurality of rib-shaped heat dissipation elements that extend linearly in the first direction,
the heat dissipation unit includes a third heat dissipation section having a plurality of rib-shaped heat dissipation elements that extend linearly in a second direction, and
the second direction is non-parallel to the first direction.
However, Murakami discloses, in the similar field of induction cooking appliances (Para. 0001, “induction heating cooker for heating by eddy current”), where a coil carrier is present (Page 4, Para. 10 from end, “coil base 5 supporting the heating coil 1.”), where a wall extends away from the perimeter of the support surface in a direction opposite to a location of the induction coil (Page 4, Para. 8, “That is, the heating coil 1 and the outer periphery of the coil base 5 supporting the heating coil 1 are surrounded by a vertically opened guide member 29”, and modified Fig. 7, where the guide member is shown to extend from a perimeter of the support surface away from the induction coil). It would have been obvious for one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filling date of the claimed invention to have modified the coil carrier in Arnal to include the enclosure with airflow as taught by Murakami.
One of ordinary skill in the art would have been motivated to make this modification in order to gain the advantage of allowing efficient cooling to be possible within the induction cooktop, where high output can be coped with, as stated by Murakami, Para. 0044, “As described above, according to the induction heating cooker of the present invention, it is possible to efficiently cool the inside, outside, top and bottom surfaces of the heating coil and the back surface of the top plate where heat is likely to accumulate. It is possible to cope with a high output induction heating cooker.”.
Sakamoto discloses, in the similar field of induction cooking appliances (Abstract, “an induction-heating cooker”), where a similar induction coil carrier includes a plurality of rib-shaped heat dissipation elements (Page 10, Para. 6 from end, “heat radiating means 30 is disposed below the induction heating coil 3-1, in the present embodiment, below the highly permeable member 5.”, and Page 10, last Para., “heat dissipating means 30 may be a pin fin heat sink in which a plurality of cylindrical or prismatic pins are arranged on a flat plate serving as a base”). It would have been obvious for one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filling date of the claimed invention to have modified the heat dissipation ribs in modified Arnal to be shown to be attached to a carrier of an induction coil as taught by Sakamoto, specifically Sakamoto’s figure 11.
One of ordinary skill in the art would have been motivated to make this modification in order to gain the advantage of being able to have a larger heat sink configuration that includes walls that still can dissipate heat from induction coils efficiently, Page 11, Para. 5, “Since the cooling air 25 is supplied from the cooling fan (not shown) between the fins of the heat radiating means 30, the heat is efficiently taken from the induction heating coil 3-1 through the high thermal conductive member 16 to generate heat.”.
Further, Almolda discloses, in the similar field of heat sinks within domestic appliances (Page 2, Para. 2, “a domestic appliance device, in particular a hob device, with at least one
heat sink unit and at least one fan unit.”), where a heat dissipation unit includes a first heat dissipation having a plurality of rib-shaped heat dissipation elements that extend linearly in a first direction, a second heat dissipation section having a plurality of rib-shaped heat dissipation elements that extend linearly in a first direction, and a third heat dissipation section having a plurality of rib-shaped heat dissipation elements that extend linearly in a second direction and where that second direction is non-parallel to the first direction (Modified Figs. 8 and 9, where the first, second, and third heat dissipation sections are shown with a plurality of rib0shaped heat dissipation elements, and where the directions those ribs extend are shown). It would have been obvious for one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filling date of the claimed invention to have modified the heat sink of the induction coil carrier in modified Arnal to include the heat dissipation sections with the rib-shaped heat dissipation elements as taught by Almolda.
One of ordinary skill in the art would have been motivated to make this modification in order to gain the advantage of being able to use different configurations of heat sinks, where multiple heat dissipation rib sections can be used to avoid increasing production costs through the use of welding, as stated by Almolda, Page 6, Para. 4 from end, “Alternatively, embodiments are conceivable in which a corresponding heat sink unit is formed from, for example, four heat sinks arranged next to one another, whereby production costs, such as those incurred by welding processes, can be avoided.”, and Page 6, Para. 2 from end, “FIGS. 8 and 9 show a heat sink unit 20e with a single, manufactured in one piece, or formed in a casting process, the heat sink 22e.”.
Regarding claim 30, modified Arnal teaches the apparatus according to claim 29, as set forth above, discloses the induction cooking appliance constructed in the form of an induction hob (Arnal, Page 2, Para. 2 from end, “cooking device arrangement which is present under normal or prescribed conditions of use when using a cooking device, in particular an induction hob, in which the cooking device arrangement according to the invention is used.”).
Regarding claim 31, modified Arnal teaches the apparatus according to claim 14, as set forth above.
Modified Arnal does not disclose:
wherein the wall extends completely around the perimeter of the support surface and defines a cavity bounded by the wall and the support surface.
However, Murakami discloses where the wall extends completely around the perimeter of the support surface to define a cavity bounded by the wall and support surface (Modified Fig. 7, where in a bird’s eye view, the structure of the wall and support surface are circular, where this means that the wall completely goes around the perimeter of the support surface to create a cavity in the location pointed to with the “cavity” label, where the area between the perimeter of the support surface close to label 15 and wall is construed to the cavity). It would have been obvious for one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filling date of the claimed invention to have modified the system in modified Arnal to include the cavity as taught by Murakami.
One of ordinary skill in the art would have been motivated to make this modification in order to gain the advantage of allowing efficient cooling to be possible within the induction cooktop through the air flow channels, where high output can be coped with, as stated by Murakami, Para. 0044, “As described above, according to the induction heating cooker of the present invention, it is possible to efficiently cool the inside, outside, top and bottom surfaces of the heating coil and the back surface of the top plate where heat is likely to accumulate. It is possible to cope with a high output induction heating cooker.”.
Regarding claim 32, modified Arnal teaches the apparatus according to claim 31, as set forth above.
Modified Arnal does not disclose:
wherein the wall comprises an opening in the wall that fluidly connects the cavity to an environment outside of the cavity.
However, Murakami discloses where an opening in the wall connects the cavity to an environment outside the cavity (Modified Fig. 7, where the opening in the wall is shown; Page 4, Para. 2-3 from end, “the cooling air taken in from the cooling air inlet 37 by the rotation of the fan 33 is supplied to the ventilation port 15, the cooling path 13, and the cooling air guide path 19 through the cooling air outlet 39.”, where the air from the cavity is taken out of the cavity and into the air outlet 39 through the opening). It would have been obvious for one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filling date of the claimed invention to have modified the air flow in modified Arnal to include an opening as taught by Murakami.
One of ordinary skill in the art would have been motivated to make this modification in order to gain the advantage being able to efficiently cool the induction system, where the air outlet allows for air to exit, as stated by Murakami, Page 4, last Para., “cooling air outlet 39. As a result, the inner central portion, the upper surface portion, the lower surface portion of the heating coil 1 where heat is easily stored and the back surface side of the top plate 9 are efficiently cooled.”.
Regarding claim 33, modified Arnal teaches the apparatus according to claim 32, as set forth above, discloses wherein the opening is adjacent the first heat dissipation section such that air moving from the cavity through the opening passes between at least two of the heat dissipation elements of the first heat dissipation section (Teaching from Murakami, modified Fig. 7, where the induction coil and carrier location would be where the induction coil and carrier from Arnal is placed, where underneath the carrier of Arnal are the heat dissipation ribs; from Murakami, the air flow through path 41 is possible, where the air enters the cavity and then passes through the ribs of the first and second heat dissipation elements from Arnal and then exits through the opening; Murakami, air flow 41, Page 4, Para. 8 from end, “path of the passage 41 formed between the coil base 5 and the guide member 29 is set smaller than the path dimension of the cooling air guide path 19, and the cooling air inlet 37 is provided.”).
Regarding claim 34, modified Arnal teaches the apparatus according to claim 14, as set forth above, discloses wherein the heat dissipation elements of the first heat dissipation section contact the wall and extend from the wall (Teaching from Almolda, modified Figs. 8 and 9, where the first heat dissipation section ribs are shown to contact a wall on the edge of the heat sink and extend from that wall, where the wall is shown in modified Fig. 8 labelled as 45e and where that rib 64e extends from the wall), and the heat dissipation elements of the second heat dissipation section contact the wall and extend from the wall (Teaching from Almolda, modified Figs. 8 and 9, where the second heat dissipation section ribs are shown to contact a wall on the edge of the heat sink and extend from that wall, where a heat dissipation section is shown in modified Fig. 8 labelled as 45e and where the heat dissipation ribs 64e extends from the wall 45e, where this wall contact is applied for all the four heat dissipation sections as the heat sink is symmetrical).
Regarding claim 35, modified Arnal teaches the apparatus according to claim 34, as set forth above, discloses wherein the heat dissipation elements of the third heat dissipation section contact the wall and extend from the wall (Teaching from Almolda, modified Figs. 8 and 9, where the third heat dissipation section ribs are shown to contact a wall on the edge of the heat sink and extend from that wall, where a heat dissipation section is shown in modified Fig. 8 labelled as 45e and where the heat dissipation ribs 64e extends from the wall 45e, where this wall contact is applied for all the four heat dissipation sections as the heat sink is symmetrical).
Regarding claim 36, modified Arnal teaches the apparatus according to claim 14, as set forth above, discloses wherein the second direction is perpendicular to the first direction (Teaching from Almolda, modified Figs. 8 and 9, where the first and second heat dissipation sections are shown to have ribs that extend in directions perpendicular to each other).
Claims 20 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Arnal et al. (EP 2028912 A2, hereinafter Arnal) in view of Haag (WO 2008017373 A1) and Murakami et al. (JP H10312880 A, hereinafter Murakami) and Sakamoto et al. (JP 2009094088 A, hereinafter Sakamoto) and Almolda et al. (EP 2679913 A2, hereinafter Almolda) in further view of Foqiang (US 20180020509 A1).
Regarding claim 20, modified Arnal teaches the apparatus according to claim 14, as set forth above.
Modified Arnal does not disclose:
wherein one of the heat dissipation elements of the first heat dissipation section is oriented radially outward.
However, Foqiang discloses, in the similar field of induction coils (Para. 0001, “a coil panel and an induction cooker.”), where a heat dissipation element is oriented wit radial ribs for heat dissipation (Para. 0019, “Moreover, the magnetic vane has a special cyclic structure. To be specific, the magnetic vane comprises many concentric magnetic circles, many heat dissipation channels are formed between magnetic circles, and hot air will be exhausted from the coil panel through these heat dissipation channels in order to further improve heat emission efficiency.”, where the “ribs” are the concentric magnetic vanes that include heat dissipation channels between the vanes). It would have been obvious for one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filling date of the claimed invention to have modified the linear rib heat dissipation structure in modified Arnal to be concentric as taught by Foqiang.
One of ordinary skill in the art would have been motivated to make this modification in order to gain the advantage of another structural shape for heat dissipating ribs that can be altered depending on a user’s design choices, as stated by Foqiang, Para. 0039, “Where, the magnetic vane 23 comprises at least two concentric magnetic circles, the space between magnetic circles is 10-30 mm, the coil panel comprises, but is not limited to, 3-5 magnetic circles.”.
Regarding the specific shape of the heat dissipating ribs, it has been held that mere changes in shape are obvious modifications to make. In re Dailey, 357 F.2d 669, 149 USPQ 47 (CCPA 1966). It is the Examiner’s position that altering the rib shape to be circular instead of linear would still allow for heat dissipation to occur, where the only difference would be in the shape of the areas where heat dissipates. As a result, a circular arrangement such as the one disclosed by Foqiang would be a mere matter of user design choice.
Claims 22-25 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Arnal et al. (EP 2028912 A2, hereinafter Arnal) in view of Haag (WO 2008017373 A1) and Murakami et al. (JP H10312880 A, hereinafter Murakami) and Sakamoto et al. (JP 2009094088 A, hereinafter Sakamoto) and Almolda et al. (EP 2679913 A2, hereinafter Almolda) in further view of Gaspard et al. (EP 0713351 A1, hereinafter Gaspard).
Regarding claim 22, modified Arnal teaches the apparatus according to claim 14, as set forth above.
Modified Arnal does not disclose:
wherein the first heat dissipation section and the second heat dissipation section are arranged at a distance from one another.
However, Gaspard discloses, in the similar field of induction coils (Abstract, “induction heater (1)”), where there are at least two heat dissipation sections that include a separation distance from one another (Abstract, “underlying magnetic circuit (3) made of thermally conductive but electrically insulating material for heat transfer to a plate (4).”, and Fig. 1, where the heat dissipation sections 3 are shown to have a gap 5 in between them and where the heat dissipation sections 3 mirror each other). It would have been obvious for one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filling date of the claimed invention to have modified the heat dissipation area of modified Arnal to include the two sections as taught by Gaspard.
One of ordinary skill in the art would have been motivated to make this modification in order to gain the advantage of having a gap between the heat dissipation areas that allows for sensors to be inserted, which can assist a user with temperature control, as stated by Gaspard, Abstract, “Each turn of the spiral is laid in a corresp. groove (30) in the upper surface of the magnetic circuit, which has an opening (5) in its centre for a temp. sensor used for control purposes”.
Regarding claim 23, modified Arnal teaches the apparatus according to claim 22, as set forth above, discloses wherein the first heat dissipation section and the second heat dissipation section are arranged symmetrically to one another (Teaching from Gaspard, Fig. 1, where the heat dissipation sections 3 are shown to have a gap 5 in between them and where the heat dissipation sections 3 mirror each other, where Fig. 2-3 show the same symmetrical mirroring as shown from Fig. 1).
Regarding claim 24, modified Arnal teaches the apparatus according to claim 14, as set forth above.
Modified Arnal does not disclose:
wherein the heat dissipation unit includes a plastic material with a thermal conductivity of at least 0.2 W/(K m).
However, Gaspard discloses where a heat transfer material is made of plastic (Claim 6, “inductor support (3) is made of plastic loaded with thermally conductive particles.”) that has a thermal conductivity of at least 0.2 W/(K m) (Page 3, Para. 1, “the support 3 is made of a thermal conductive and electrically insulating material so as to allow heat transfer from the inductor 1 to the plate 4. The latter can thus evacuate the excess heat harmful to the inductor. The thermal conductivity of the material chosen is typically between 0.8 and 2 W.m⁻¹.K⁻¹, the materials usually used having a thermal conductivity of the order of 0.3 W.m⁻¹.K⁻¹.”). It would have been obvious for one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filling date of the claimed invention to have modified the heat sink material of modified Arnal to include the material with the thermal conductivity as taught by Gaspard.
One of ordinary skill in the art would have been motivated to make this modification in order to gain the advantage of being able to remove excessive heat from the induction coils, where the thermal conductivity allows for better heat transfer, as stated by Gaspard, Page 3, Para. 1, “the support 3 is made of a thermal conductive and electrically insulating material so as to allow heat transfer from the inductor 1 to the plate 4. The latter can thus evacuate the excess heat harmful to the inductor.”.
Regarding claim 25, modified Arnal teaches the apparatus according to claim 14, as set forth above.
Modified Arnal does not disclose:
wherein the heat dissipation unit is made of a plastic material with a thermal conductivity of at least 0.2 W/(K m).
However, Gaspard discloses where a heat transfer material is made of plastic (Claim 6, “inductor support (3) is made of plastic loaded with thermally conductive particles.”) that has a thermal conductivity of at least 0.2 W/(K m) (Page 3, Para. 1, “the support 3 is made of a thermal conductive and electrically insulating material so as to allow heat transfer from the inductor 1 to the plate 4. The latter can thus evacuate the excess heat harmful to the inductor. The thermal conductivity of the material chosen is typically between 0.8 and 2 W.m⁻¹.K⁻¹, the materials usually used having a thermal conductivity of the order of 0.3 W.m⁻¹.K⁻¹.”). It would have been obvious for one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filling date of the claimed invention to have modified the heat sink material of modified Arnal to include the material with the thermal conductivity as taught by Gaspard.
One of ordinary skill in the art would have been motivated to make this modification in order to gain the advantage of being able to remove excessive heat from the induction coils, where the thermal conductivity allows for better heat transfer, as stated by Gaspard, Page 3, Para. 1, “the support 3 is made of a thermal conductive and electrically insulating material so as to allow heat transfer from the inductor 1 to the plate 4. The latter can thus evacuate the excess heat harmful to the inductor.”.
Claims 26-27 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Arnal et al. (EP 2028912 A2, hereinafter Arnal) in view of Haag (WO 2008017373 A1) and Murakami et al. (JP H10312880 A, hereinafter Murakami) and Sakamoto et al. (JP 2009094088 A, hereinafter Sakamoto) and Almolda et al. (EP 2679913 A2, hereinafter Almolda) in further view of Gaspard et al. (EP 0713351 A1, hereinafter Gaspard) and Cornet et al. (JP 3990000 B2, hereinafter Cornet).
Regarding claim 26, modified Arnal teaches the apparatus according to claim 24, as set forth above.
Modified Arnal does not disclose:
wherein the plastic material has a temperature resistance of at least 200°C.
However, Cornet discloses, in the similar field of induction coils (Para. 0004, “induction coil”), where a plastic material that supports the coil, meaning that it would contact the coil, can withstand temperatures of at least 200°C (Para. 0025, “it is required to maintain the induction coil 1 and its support 4 at a temperature comparable to their components, generally below 220 ° C., which is the temperature of the induction coil 1. The highest temperature that can be withstood by the electrically insulating varnish of the copper strands of the conductor and the plastic material of the coil support 4.”). It would have been obvious for one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filling date of the claimed invention to have modified the heat sink plastic material in modified Arnal to include the temperature resistance as taught by Cornet.
One of ordinary skill in the art would have been motivated to make this modification in order to gain the advantage of being able to have the plastic material of the heat sink withstand the heating temperatures of the induction process, which would prevent the heat sink from melting from the heat from the induction coils, as stated by Cornet, Para. 0025, “it is required to maintain the induction coil 1 and its support 4 at a temperature comparable to their components, generally below 220 ° C., which is the temperature of the induction coil 1. The highest temperature that can be withstood by the electrically insulating varnish of the copper strands of the conductor and the plastic material of the coil support 4.”.
Regarding claim 27, modified Arnal teaches the apparatus according to claim 25, as set forth above.
Modified Arnal does not disclose:
wherein the plastic material has a temperature resistance of at least 200°C.
However, Cornet discloses, in the similar field of induction coils (Para. 0004, “induction coil”), where a plastic material that supports the coil, meaning that it would contact the coil, can withstand temperatures of at least 200°C (Para. 0025, “it is required to maintain the induction coil 1 and its support 4 at a temperature comparable to their components, generally below 220 ° C., which is the temperature of the induction coil 1. The highest temperature that can be withstood by the electrically insulating varnish of the copper strands of the conductor and the plastic material of the coil support 4.”). It would have been obvious for one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filling date of the claimed invention to have modified the heat sink plastic material in modified Arnal to include the temperature resistance as taught by Cornet.
One of ordinary skill in the art would have been motivated to make this modification in order to gain the advantage of being able to have the plastic material of the heat sink withstand the heating temperatures of the induction process, which would prevent the heat sink from melting from the heat from the induction coils, as stated by Cornet, Para. 0025, “it is required to maintain the induction coil 1 and its support 4 at a temperature comparable to their components, generally below 220 ° C., which is the temperature of the induction coil 1. The highest temperature that can be withstood by the electrically insulating varnish of the copper strands of the conductor and the plastic material of the coil support 4.”.
Claims 28 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Arnal et al. (EP 2028912 A2, hereinafter Arnal) in view of Haag (WO 2008017373 A1) and Murakami et al. (JP H10312880 A, hereinafter Murakami) and Sakamoto et al. (JP 2009094088 A, hereinafter Sakamoto) and Almolda et al. (EP 2679913 A2, hereinafter Almolda) in further view of Arnal et al. (ES 2321467 A1, hereinafter Valero).
Regarding claim 28, modified Arnal teaches the apparatus according to claim 14, as set forth above.
Modified Arnal does not disclose:
wherein the heat dissipation unit includes a coating to improve the thermal conductivity.
However, Valero discloses, in the similar field of induction coils (Page 1, last Para., “cooking device that It has a hob for the placement of a battery preparation and a set of induction coils that forms an area of cooking related cooking plate.”), where the system is the same one from Arnal (Fig. 1, where the same configuration is shown), where a thermal paste coating can be included to improve thermal conductivity (Page 7, Para. 2, “It is also thinkable the use of a thermal conduction medium, such as a thermally conductive paste, for joining the units of power 26 with heat absorption area 56 or 58.”). It would have been obvious for one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filling date of the claimed invention to have modified the heat dissipation unit and it’s connection to the bobbin in modified Arnal to include a thermal paste coating as taught by Valero.
One of ordinary skill in the art would have been motivated to make this modification in order to gain the advantage of being able to use thermal paste to eliminate air gaps or spaces that act as thermal insulation in order to maximize heat transfer and dissipation, where thermal paste is commonly seen through connecting CPUs to cooling devices, as stated by Valero, Page 7, Para. 2, “It is also thinkable the use of a thermal conduction medium, such as a thermally conductive paste, for joining the units of power 26 with heat absorption area 56 or 58.”, and where the advantages of thermal paste as stated in https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thermal_paste.
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure. Heo et al. (KR 100563531 B1, hereinafter Heo) discloses a similar enclosure connected to a coil carrier. Javierre et al. (DE 102012219265 A1) discloses a similar coil carrier that includes heat dissipation elements.
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/KEVIN GUANHUA WEN/Examiner, Art Unit 3761
02/24/2026