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 .
The status of the 11/19/2025 claims, is as follows: Claims 1-3, and 6-10 have been amended; Claim 4 has been canceled; and claims 1-3, and 5-10 are pending.
Note: updated drawing and specification have been provided and found acceptable.
Claim Objections
Claims 1-3, and 5-10 are objected to because of the following informalities:
In claim 1: the phrase “conned” in line 18 should be read “connected”.
Appropriate correction is required.
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 set forth in Graham v. John Deere Co., 383 U.S. 1, 148 USPQ 459 (1966), that are applied 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 1-3, and 5 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Souris (US 20210235931) in view of Chen (US 20140047985), Shirali (US 20130156902), Walsh (US 20190167034) and Dameron (US 4779910)
Regarding Claim 1, Souris discloses a cooking device (portable heating device 100a. it is noted the device 100a is configured for heating milk etc., para. 0017), including:
a pot body (container 102), including a circumferential wall (sidewall) and a bottom wall (bottom wall), the circumferential wall and the bottom wall defining a receiving space (interior of the container 102) (para. 0023);
a heater (heating element 140; fig. 1A), disposed around the circumferential wall (para. 0053);
a safety control assembly (controller 150) (para. 0063), including a first temperature sensor (temperature sensor 130; fig. 1A) (para. 0052 and 0050), a second temperature sensor (temperature sensor 130’) (para. 0052 and 0050) and a third temperature sensor (temperature sensor 130’’) (para. 0052 and 0050. It is noted the “the temperature sensor 130 may include two or more temperature sensors 130”, para. 0052, includes at least three sensors), the first temperature sensor being disposed on the bottom wall to detect a temperature of the bottom wall (para. 0052; fig. 1A. As shown in fig. 1A, temperature sensor 130 is mounted to the bottom wall of the container 102), the second temperature sensor (temperature sensor 130’) being disposed on the circumferential wall to detect a temperature of the circumferential wall (“for example, an adhesive strip may couple the temperature sensor 130 to the sidewall of the container 102”, para. 0048), the third temperature sensor (temperature sensor 130’’) being disposed on the heater to detect a temperature of the heater (“one or more temperature sensors 130 may be coupled to the heating element 140”, para. 0052);
an insulation layer (insulation layer 125), disposed around the heating assembly (heating element 140) and the circumferential wall (para. 0058; fig. below);
wherein the temperature detected by the first temperature sensor (temperature sensor 130; fig. 1A) is defined as a first temperature (it is noted the temperature sensor 130 mounted to the bottom of the container is configured to measure temperature of the bottom wall), the temperature detected by the second temperature sensor (temperature sensor 130’) is defined as a second temperature (it is noted the temperature sensor 130’ mounted to the sidewall of the container 102 is configured to measure temperature of the sidewall of the container 102).
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Souris does not disclose:
a stirring member, located in the receiving space and rotatably mounted to the bottom wall;
a motor assembly; and
at least one connection assembly, each of the at least one connection assembly including two tabs, two shafts and a connecting rod, the two tabs being respectively connected to opposing ends of the insulation layer and being respectively connected to the two shafts, the connecting rod being disposed through and connected to the two shafts;
wherein when the cooking device is on and a temperature difference between the first temperature and the second temperature is larger than a reference temperature difference, the safety control assembly sends out a warming signal and controls the heater to stop operating;
wherein the motor assembly is located outside the pot body and corresponds to the bottom wall, the motor assembly includes a rotatable member, the rotatable member includes at least one first magnetic member, the stirring member includes at least one second magnetic member, and each of the at least one first magnetic member and one of the at least one second magnetic member are magnetically attractive to each other so that the stirring member can be driven to rotate with the rotatable member.
However, Chen discloses a cooking device (appliance for preparing frothed or mixed beverage) including:
a stirring member (stirrer 6), located in the receiving space (space inside container 2) (abstract) and rotatably mounted to the bottom wall (fig. 3),
a motor assembly (rotating motor 8, magnetic plate 7) (para. 0043; fig. 2); and
wherein the motor assembly is located outside the pot body (container 2) (fig. 3) and corresponds to the bottom wall (bottom wall of the container 2), the motor assembly includes a rotatable member (magnetic plate 7) (para. 0046), the rotatable member includes at least one first magnetic member (magnet set) (para. 0046), the stirring member (stirrer 6) includes at least one second magnetic member (at least one magnet set) (para. 0046), and each of the at least one first magnetic member (magnet set) and one of the at least one second magnetic member (at least one magnet set) are magnetically attractive to each other so that the stirring member can be driven to rotate with the rotatable member (para. 0046 and abstract).
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify the cooking device of Souris to include the stirring member located in the receiving space and rotatably mounted to the bottom wall and to include the motor assembly located outside the container to drive the stirring member using magnetic attraction without any physical linkage. Doing so would allow the beverage to be uniformly mixed using the stirring member. Advantageously, because there is no physical linkage between the motor and the stirring member, it prevents leakage of the beverage (abstract of Chen).
The modification does not disclose when the cooking device is on and a temperature difference between the first temperature and the second temperature is larger than a preset temperature difference, the safety control assembly sends out a warming signal and controls the heater to stop operating.
However, Shirali discloses when the cooking device (frying apparatus 100) is on and a temperature difference between the first temperature and the second temperature (temperature difference between first temperature sensor 210 and second temperature sensor 220) is larger than a preset temperature difference (first threshold) (abstract), the safety control assembly (controller 250) sends out a warming and control the heater to stop operating (heating mechanism is deactivated) (abstract) (para. 0023-0024. It is noted when the temperature difference is greater than the first threshold indicating that one of the temperature sensors is not covered by the cooking medium (i.e. cooking medium is getting low), the controller 250 sends the signal to the heating mechanism to be deactivated).
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to configure the safety control assembly of Souris in view of Chen to determine if the temperature difference between the first temperature and the second temperature is greater than the preset temperature difference and control to deactivate the heater based on the determination as taught by Shirali. Doing so would allow the safety control assembly to take preventive step to deactivate the heater upon determining the heating medium is getting too low based on the temperature difference between the two sensors positioned at vertically spaced locations on the container (para. 0023 of Shirali).
The modification does not disclose:
at least one connection assembly, each of the at least one connection assembly including two tabs, two shafts and a connecting rod, the two tabs being respectively connected to opposing ends of the insulation layer and being respectively connected to the two shafts, the connecting rod being disposed through and connected to the two shafts.
However, Walsh discloses a sleeve 500 comprising two opposite end portions 512a and 512b that are connected to each other by a securing mechanism 548 (para. 0054; fig. 5A).
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify the insulation layer 125 of Souris to comprise two opposite ends portions 512a, 512b as taught by Walsh, in order to insulate the containers having different sizes (para. 0054 of Walsh).
The modification would result in the insulation layer 125 of Souris having two opposing ends.
The modification does not disclose at least one connection assembly, each of the at least one connection assembly including two tabs, two shafts and a connecting rod, the two tabs being respectively connected to opposing ends of the insulation layer and being respectively connected to the two shafts, the connecting rod being disposed through and connected to the two shafts.
However, Dameron discloses at least one connection assembly (security bar maintaining the closure of a hinged door) (abstract), each of the at least one connection assembly (security bar) including two tabs (receptacles 15, 16), two shafts (inner tube 18, outer tube 19) and a connecting rod (release pin 22), the two tabs (receptacles 15, 16) being respectively connected to the two shafts (tubes 18, 19), the connecting rod (pin 22) being disposed through and connected to the two shafts (tubes 18, 19) (col 1-2, lines 55-69, 1-10 respectively).
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to further modify the insulation layer 125 of Souris in view of Walsh to include the connection assembly including the two tabs, two shafts, and the connecting rod, wherein the connecting rod being disposed through the two shafts as taught by Dameron, in order to incorporate known locking mechanism to secure the two opposing ends of the insulation layer together at desired gap such that different sizes of the containers can be accommodated. The modification would result in the structure in which the two tabs (receptacles 15, 16 of Dameron) are respectively connected to the opposing ends of the insulation layer.
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Regarding Claim 2, Souris discloses the cooking device (portable heating device 100a), wherein the heater (heating element 140; fig. 1A) is disposed around a lower portion of the circumferential wall (sidewall) adjacent to the bottom wall (annotated fig. below).
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Regarding Claim 3, Souris discloses the cooking device (portable heating device 100a), wherein the second temperature sensor (temperature sensor 130’) is disposed between an upper portion of the circumferential wall (sidewall of the container 102) and the insulation layer (insulation layer 125) (para. 0059, also “for example, an adhesive strip may couple the temperature sensor 130 to the sidewall of the container 102”, para. 0048), and the third temperature sensor (temperature sensor 130”. “one or more temperature sensors 130 may be coupled to the heating element 140”, para. 0052) is disposed between the heater (heating element 140) and the insulation layer (insulation layer 125) (para. 0030. It is noted the sensor 130’’ is coupled to the heating element 140. The gap between the exterior surface of the container 102 and the interior surface of the housing 104a is filled with insulation. Therefore, the sensor 130’’ is disposed between the heating element 140 and the insulation layer 125).
Regarding Claim 5, the modification discloses substantially all of the claimed features as set forth above, except the preset temperature difference is 6 degrees Celsius.
However, it would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art at the time the invention was made to modify the preset temperature difference to be 6 degrees Celsius, 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. The motivation is to determine the temperature difference between at least two positions on the container such that the heater may be deactivated if the temperature difference is greater than 6 degrees Celsius, which is the indication of the beverage in the container is getting too low (para. 0028 of Shirali).
Claims 6-7 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over the modification of Souris (US 20210235931) in view of Chen (US 20140047985), Shirali (US 20130156902), Walsh (US 20190167034) and Dameron (US 4779910) as applied to claim 1, further in view of Pulvermacher (US 20230355032)
Regarding Claim 6, the modification discloses substantially all of the claimed features as set forth above, except wherein when one of the first temperature and the second temperature is larger than 100 degrees Celsius, the safety control assembly sends out the warming and control the heater to stop operating.
However, Pulvermacher discloses wherein when the first temperature is larger than a predetermined temperature (temperature of the slower cooker 10 is greater than a predetermined maximum temperature), the safety control assembly (control module 50) sends out the warming and control the heater to stop operating (heating element 63 is switched off) (para. 0105).
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to configure the safety control assembly of Souris to send the signal to the heater to stop operating when the first temperature is greater than the predetermined temperature that is indicative of the overheating temperature as taught by Pulvermacher, in order to keep the container from being overheated based on the sensed temperature at the bottom surface of the container (para. 0105 of Pulvermacher).
Regarding the limitation “the first temperature is larger than 100 degrees Celsius”, it would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art at the time the invention was made to modify the predetermined temperature to be 100 degrees Celsius, 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. The motivation is to ensure the temperature of the container would not go over the 100 degrees Celsius, such that desired temperature is maintained below 100 degrees Celsius.
Regarding Claim 7, the modification discloses substantially all of the claimed features as set forth above. Souris discloses a case (housing 104), wherein the pot body (container 102) is received in the case (housing 104) (fig. 1A), the case and the pot body forms a interval space therebetween (annotated fig. below), the safety control assembly (controller 150) further includes a fourth temperature sensor (temperature sensor 130””) (para. 0052. It is noted “two or more temperature sensors 130” includes four temperature sensors, wherein one of the sensors is disposed within the housing 104 and located near enough to the container 102 to indirectly measure temperature of the container 102. In other words, the sensor is disposed in the interval space shown, also para. 0048), the fourth temperature sensor (temperature sensor 130””) is located in the interval space (para. 0052 and 0048), a temperature detected by the fourth temperature sensor (temperature sensor 130””) is defined as a fourth temperature (temperature detected by the sensor 130”” disposed in the interval space), wherein the temperature measured is to keep the beverage in the container from overheating (para. 0049).
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The modification does not disclose when the fourth temperature is larger than 55 degrees Celsius, the safety control assembly sends out the warming and control the heater to stop operating.
However, Pulvermacher discloses when the fourth temperature is larger than a predetermined degrees Celsius (sensed temperature is greater than a predetermined maximum temperature), the safety control assembly (control module 50) sends out the warming and control the heater to stop operating (heating element 63 is switched off) (para. 0105).
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to configure the safety control assembly of Souris to send the signal to the heater to stop operating when the fourth temperature is greater than the predetermined temperature that is indicative of the overheating temperature as taught by Pulvermacher, in order to keep the container from being overheated based on the sensed temperature of the container (para. 0105 of Pulvermacher).
Regarding the limitation “the fourth temperature is larger than 55 degrees Celsius”, it would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art at the time the invention was made to modify the predetermined temperature to be 55 degrees Celsius, 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. The motivation is to ensure the temperature of the container would not go over the 55 degrees Celsius, such that desired temperature is maintained below 55 degrees Celsius.
Claim 8 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over the modification of Souris (US 20210235931) in view of Chen (US 20140047985), Shirali (US 20130156902), Walsh (US 20190167034) and Dameron (US 4779910) as applied to claim 1, further in view of Cibak (US 20240008679)
Regarding Claim 8, the modification discloses substantially all of the claimed features as set forth above, except when the third temperature is larger than 175 degrees Celsius, the safety control assembly sends out the warming and control the heater to stop operating.
However, Cibak discloses when the third temperature is larger than a predetermined degrees Celsius (temperature of the heating element is above a pre-determined threshold), the safety control assembly (controller) sends out the warming and control the heater to stop operating (de-couple the heating element) (para. 0008).
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to configure the safety control assembly of Souris (i.e. controller 150 of Souris) to send the signal to the heater to stop operating when the third temperature is greater than the predetermined temperature, in order to maintain temperature of the heating element at desired temperature.
Regarding the limitation “the third temperature is larger than 175 degrees Celsius”, it would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art at the time the invention was made to modify the predetermined temperature to be 175 degrees Celsius, 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. The motivation is to ensure the temperature of the heating element would not go over the 175 degrees Celsius, such that desired temperature is maintained below 175 degrees Celsius.
Claim 9 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over the modification of Souris (US 20210235931) in view of Chen (US 20140047985), Shirali (US 20130156902), Walsh (US 20190167034) and Dameron (US 4779910) as applied to claim 1, further in view of Choi (US 20230276983)
Regarding Claim 9, the modification discloses substantially all of the claimed features as set forth above. Souris discloses the safety control assembly (controller 150) is configured to monitor at least one of the first temperature and the second temperature (para. 0063).
The modification does not disclose:
when the at least one of the first temperature and the second temperature changes non-linearly, the safety control assembly sends out the warming and control the heater to stop operating.
However, Choi discloses the safety control assembly (power transmission device 2000) is configured to monitor the first temperature (para. 0130 and 0166), and when the first temperature changes non-linearly, the safety control assembly (power transmission device 2000) sends out the warming signal and controls the heater to stop operating (para. 0130 and 0166) (it is noted when it is determined that the first temperature changes rapidly indicating the abnormal overheating, the device 2000 sends the signal to the working coil to deactivate it).
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to configure the safety control assembly of Souris to monitor the first temperature and when the first temperature changes non-linearly, the control assembly deactivates the heater as taught by Choi, in order to prevent overheating the container which may damage the quality of the beverage.
Claim 10 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over the modification of Souris (US 20210235931) in view of Chen (US 20140047985), Shirali (US 20130156902), Walsh (US 20190167034) and Dameron (US 4779910) as applied to claim 3, further in view of Pulvermacher (US 20230355032), Cibak (US 20240008679), and Choi (US 20230276983)
Regarding Claim 10, the modification discloses substantially all of the claimed features as set forth above.
Regarding the limitation “the preset temperature difference is 6 degrees Celsius”, the modification does not disclose the preset temperature difference is 6 degrees Celsius.
However, it would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art at the time the invention was made to modify the preset temperature difference to be 6 degrees Celsius, 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. The motivation is to determine the temperature difference between at least two positions on the container such that the heater may be deactivated if the temperature difference is greater than 6 degrees Celsius, which is the indication of the beverage in the container is getting too low (para. 0028 of Shirali).
The modification does not disclose when one of the first temperature and the second temperature is larger than 100 degrees Celsius, the safety control assembly sends out the warming and control the heater to stop operating.
However, Pulvermacher discloses wherein when the first temperature is larger than a predetermined temperature (temperature of the slower cooker 10 is greater than a predetermined maximum temperature), the safety control assembly (control module 50) sends out the warming and control the heater to stop operating (heating element 63 is switched off) (para. 0105).
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to configure the safety control assembly of Souris to send the signal to the heater to stop operating when the first temperature is greater than the predetermined temperature that is indicative of the overheating temperature as taught by Pulvermacher, in order to keep the container from being overheated based on the sensed temperature at the bottom surface of the container (para. 0105 of Pulvermacher).
Regarding the limitation “the first temperature is larger than 100 degrees Celsius”, it would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art at the time the invention was made to modify the predetermined temperature to be 100 degrees Celsius, 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. The motivation is to ensure the temperature of the container would not go over the 100 degrees Celsius, such that desired temperature is maintained below 100 degrees Celsius.
Regarding the limitation “the cooking device further includes a case, the pot body is received in the case, the case and the pot body forms a interval space therebetween, the safety control assembly further includes a fourth temperature sensor, the fourth temperature sensor is located in the interval space or on the case, a temperature detected by the fourth temperature sensor is defined as a fourth temperature, and when the fourth temperature is larger than 55 degrees Celsius, the safety control assembly sends out the warming and control the heater to stop operating; when the third temperature is larger than 175 degrees Celsius, the safety control assembly sends out the warming and control the heater to stop operating.”, Souris discloses a case (housing 104), wherein the pot body (container 102) is received in the case (housing 104) (fig. 1A), the case and the pot body forms a interval space therebetween (annotated fig. below), the safety control assembly (controller 150) further includes a fourth temperature sensor (temperature sensor 130””) (para. 0052. It is noted “two or more temperature sensors 130” includes four temperature sensors, wherein one of the sensors is disposed within the housing 104 and located near enough to the container 102 to indirectly measure temperature of the container 102. In other words, the sensor is disposed in the interval space shown, also para. 0048), the fourth temperature sensor (temperature sensor 130””) is located in the interval space (para. 0052 and 0048), a temperature detected by the fourth temperature sensor (temperature sensor 130””) is defined as a fourth temperature (temperature detected by the sensor 130”” disposed in the interval space), wherein the temperature measured is used to keep the beverage in the container from overheating (para. 0049).
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The modification does not disclose when the fourth temperature is larger than 55 degrees Celsius, the safety control assembly sends out the warming and control the heater to stop operating.
However, Pulvermacher discloses when the fourth temperature is larger than a predetermined degrees Celsius (sensed temperature is greater than a predetermined maximum temperature), the safety control assembly (control module 50) sends out the warming and control the heater to stop operating (heating element 63 is switched off) (para. 0105).
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to configure the safety control assembly of Souris to send the signal to the heater to stop operating when the fourth temperature is greater than the predetermined temperature that is indicative of the overheating temperature as taught by Pulvermacher, in order to keep the container from being overheated based on the sensed temperature of the container (para. 0105 of Pulvermacher).
Regarding the limitation “the fourth temperature is larger than 55 degrees Celsius”, it would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art at the time the invention was made to modify the predetermined temperature to be 55 degrees Celsius, 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. The motivation is to ensure the temperature of the container would not go over the 55 degrees Celsius, such that desired temperature is maintained below 55 degrees Celsius.
The modification does not disclose when the third temperature is larger than 175 degrees Celsius, the safety control assembly sends out the warming and control the heater to stop operating.
However, Cibak discloses when the third temperature is larger than a predetermined degrees Celsius (temperature of the heating element is above a pre-determined threshold), the safety control assembly (controller) sends out the warming and control the heater to stop operating (de-couple the heating element) (para. 0008).
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to configure the safety control assembly of Souris (i.e. controller 150 of Souris) to send the signal to the heater to stop operating when the third temperature is greater than the predetermined temperature, in order to maintain temperature of the heating element at desired temperature.
Regarding the limitation “the third temperature is larger than 175 degrees Celsius”, it would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art at the time the invention was made to modify the predetermined temperature to be 175 degrees Celsius, 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. The motivation is to ensure the temperature of the heating element would not go over the 175 degrees Celsius, such that desired temperature is maintained below 175 degrees Celsius.
Regarding the limitation “the safety control assembly is configured to monitor whether at least one of the first temperature and the second temperature, and when the at least one of the first temperature and the second temperature changes non-linearly, the safety control assembly sends out the warming and control the heater to stop operating;”, Souris discloses the safety control assembly (controller 150) is configured to monitor at least one of the first temperature and the second temperature (para. 0063).
The modification does not disclose:
when the at least one of the first temperature and the second temperature changes non-linearly, the safety control assembly sends out the warming and control the heater to stop operating.
However, Choi discloses the safety control assembly (power transmission device 2000) is configured to monitor whether the first temperature changes linearly or not (para. 0130 and 0166), and when the first temperature changes non-linearly, the safety control assembly (power transmission device 2000) sends out the warming and control the heater to stop operating (para. 0130 and 0166) (it is noted when it is determined that the first temperature changes rapidly indicating the abnormal overheating, the device 2000 sends the signal to the working coil to deactivate it).
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to configure the safety control assembly of Souris to monitor the first temperature and when the first temperature changes non-linearly, the control assembly deactivates the heater as taught by Choi, in order to prevent overheating the container which may damage the quality of the beverage.
Response to Amendment
With respect to 112f notifications: since amendments made to the claims, therefore 112f notifications are withdrawn.
With respect to 112a and 112b rejections: since amendments made to the claims, therefore the 112a and 112b rejections are withdrawn.
Response to Arguments
Applicant’s arguments filed on 11/19/2025 with respect to prior art rejections have been fully considered but are considered moot in view of the new ground(s) of rejection.
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 extension fee 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 date of this final action.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to BONITA KHLOK whose telephone number is (571)270-7313. The examiner can normally be reached on M-F: 9:00am-6pm.
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If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Helena Kosanovic can be reached on (571)272-9059. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/BONITA KHLOK/ Examiner, Art Unit 3761
/HELENA KOSANOVIC/ Supervisory Patent Examiner, Art Unit 3761