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 04/02/2026 has been entered. Claims 1-2, 6-12, 14-20 remain pending in the application. Claims 11-12, 14-16 are withdrawn. Applicant’s amendments to the Specification, Drawings, and Claims have overcome each and every objection and 112(b) rejections previously set forth in the Office Action mailed on 01/02/2026.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 103
In the event the determination of the status of the application as subject to AIA 35 U.S.C. 102 and 103 (or as subject to pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 102 and 103) is incorrect, any correction of the statutory basis (i.e., changing from AIA to pre-AIA ) for the rejection will not be considered a new ground of rejection if the prior art relied upon, and the rationale supporting the rejection, would be the same under either status.
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.
This application currently names joint inventors. In considering patentability of the claims the examiner presumes that the subject matter of the various claims was commonly owned as of the effective filing date of the claimed invention(s) absent any evidence to the contrary. Applicant is advised of the obligation under 37 CFR 1.56 to point out the inventor and effective filing dates of each claim that was not commonly owned as of the effective filing date of the later invention in order for the examiner to consider the applicability of 35 U.S.C. 102(b)(2)(C) for any potential 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(2) prior art against the later invention.
Claim(s) 1, 2, 6, 9, 10 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Viroli et al., US 20170245327 (hereafter Viroli) , and further in view of Milanesi et al., EP 3441678 (hereafter Milanesi), and Omote et al., US 20200408594 (hereafter Omote).
Regarding claim 1, A cooking appliance comprising: (abstract teaches induction cooking hob.)
a carrying plate adapted to receive cookware placed thereon, (cooktop 2250 in Fig. 2)
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Fig. 2 in Viroli teaches cooking appliance
an electronic circuit board, (Paragraph [34] teaches “the micro-electromechanical system may be mounted on a printed circuit board”)
a vibration sensor positioned on the electronic circuit board and configured to detect vibration generated when food to be cooked and/or cooking adjuvant inside of the cookware is heated up, (Paragraph [34] teaches “the micro-electromechanical system may be mounted on a printed circuit board”)
and a fixation means which detachably attach the vibration sensor to the carrying plate and prevent relative movement between the vibration sensor and the carrying plate towards and/or away from each other (Paragraph [34] teaches “The printed circuit board beneficially may be coupled to a glass ceramic by mechanic means such as a pin or walls.” It is understood that the pin or walls are detachable because they are not integrally formed with the cooktop.)
wherein the fixation means comprises a first ….rigid frame part rigidly connected to the carrying plate, ( The limitation “rigidly connected” is interpreted as coupled. Paragraph [34] teaches “The printed circuit board beneficially may be coupled to a glass ceramic by mechanic means such as a pin or walls.” Here walls correspond to frame in the instant claim.)
Viroli is silent about “plastic rigid frame part,” “and wherein the electronic circuit board is bordered on all sides by the first rigid frame part, and a sealing frame part positioned between the electronic circuit board and the first rigid frame part, wherein the sealing frame part has a U-shaped cross-section that encompasses an outer end of said electronic circuit board.”
Milanesi teaches “plastic rigid frame part,”( Fig. 1 teaches casing 12 to house printed circuit board 22. Page 11, paragraph 8 teaches the casing is made of plastic.)
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Fig. 1 in Milanesi
Even though Milanesi teaches frame for power supply circuit board, before the effective filing date of the claimed invention, it would have been obvious for one of ordinary skill in the art to add the plastic frame from Milanesi to the circuit board in Viroli. One of ordinary skill in the art would have been motivated to do so because “a heating power energy unit may comprise at least one associated power circuit mounted and/or arranged on at least one printed circuit board. Preferably, a heating power energy unit is supported and arranged in a housing, preferably a plastic housing, preferably arrangeable in and adapted to the lower casing. This allows easy manufacturing and modularization” as taught in page 5, paragraph 4 in Milanesi.
Primary combination of references is silent about “wherein the electronic circuit board is bordered on all sides by the first rigid frame part, and a sealing frame part positioned between the electronic circuit board and the first rigid frame part, wherein the sealing frame part has a U-shaped cross-section that encompasses an outer end of said electronic circuit board.”
Omote teaches and wherein the electronic circuit board is bordered on all sides by the first rigid frame part (Paragraph [35] teaches “the vibration detecting device 10 includes outer surfaces, i.e., a front surface 10a, a rear surface 10b, a top surface 10c, a bottom surface 10d, lateral surfaces 10e, a front lower surface 10f, a rear upper surface 10g, a rear end surface 10h, and rear lateral surfaces 10i.”)
a sealing frame part positioned between the electronic circuit board and the first rigid frame part, ( Fig. 15)
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Fig. 15 in Omote
wherein the sealing frame part has a U-shaped cross-section that encompasses an outer end of said electronic circuit board. (Fig. 15)
Before the effective filing date of the claimed invention, it would have been obvious for one of ordinary skill in the art to add the U-shaped sealing frame between the circuit board and first frame as taught in Omote to the cooking hob in Viroli. One of ordinary skill in the art would have been motivated to do so because “The first protrusion 206 and the second protrusion 207 are short, and thus can be easily and elastically deformed. Accordingly, the board assembly 60 can be easily accommodated into the inside of the frame wall 205, accompanied by deformation of the first protrusion 206 or the second protrusion 207. Thus, the buffer member 201 can be elastically attached to the board assembly 60” as taught in paragraph [147] in Omote.
Regarding claim 2,
The cooking appliance according to claim 1, wherein the vibration sensor is attached to a bottom side of the carrying plate. (Fig. 2 in Viroli.)
Regarding claim 6,
The cooking appliance according to claim 1, wherein the first rigid frame part is circumferentially connected to the carrying plate. (The limitation “circumferentially connected” is interpreted as connected. Paragraph [34] in Viroli teaches “The printed circuit board beneficially may be coupled to a glass ceramic by mechanic means such as a pin or walls.” It is implied that walls of the board are connected to carrying plate.)
Regarding claim 9,
The cooking appliance according to claim 1, wherein the vibration sensor and/or electronic circuit board is/are connected via a data bus to any element that can receive a data bus communication such as a user interface unit or a power board of the cooking appliance. (Paragraph [38] in Viroli teaches “a user interface controller 2600 is shown, which is connected to the controller via a line 2410 and to the vibration sensor 2500, respectively micro-electromechanical system, respectively accelerometer 2500 via a line 2510.” Here data line 2510 corresponds to data bus.)
Regarding claim 10,
The cooking appliance according to claim 1, wherein the carrying plate comprises a base plate and at least one pan support placed thereon. (Fig. 2 in Viroli)
Claim(s) 7, 8 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Viroli, Milanesi, Omote as applied to claim 1 above, and further in view of Dittrich et al., US 20130215582 (hereafter Dittrich).
Regarding claim 7,
The cooking appliance according to claim 1, wherein the fixation means comprises a second rigid frame part connected to the first rigid frame part via snapping means, (Primary combination of references is silent about this.
Dittrich teaches in paragraph [34] “The housing element 7a, which, according to the invention, is a housing element made from transformed sheet metal, e.g., aluminum sheet metal, is fixed at the printed circuit board 2, e.g., with a further capping housing element 7b, e.g., a lower housing component, fitted, locked in place, snapped in place, braced, flanged, etc.”)
wherein the electronic circuit board is clamped between the first and the second rigid frame parts. (Fig. 2 and 4)
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Fig. 2 in Dittrich
Even though Dittrich teaches housing element made from sheet metal, before the effective filing date of the claimed invention, it would have been obvious for one of ordinary skill in the art to add the second frame with snapping means to clamp the circuit board as taught in Dittrich to the cooking appliance in Viroli. One of ordinary skill in the art would have been motivated to do so because “Such a design allows for the formation of a protected electronic chamber 8 for the electronic components 3, i.e., a media-tight electronic chamber 8” as taught in paragraph [27] in Dittrich.
Regarding claim 8,
The cooking appliance according to claim 7, wherein the sealing frame part positioned between the electronic circuit board and the first rigid frame part and between the electronic circuit board and the second rigid frame part. (Fig. 15 in Omote.)
Before the effective filing date of the claimed invention, it would have been obvious for one of ordinary skill in the art to add the U-shaped sealing frame between the circuit board and frames as taught in Omote to the cooking hob in Viroli. One of ordinary skill in the art would have been motivated to do so because “The first protrusion 206 and the second protrusion 207 are short, and thus can be easily and elastically deformed. Accordingly, the board assembly 60 can be easily accommodated into the inside of the frame wall 205, accompanied by deformation of the first protrusion 206 or the second protrusion 207. Thus, the buffer member 201 can be elastically attached to the board assembly 60” as taught in paragraph [147] in Omote.
Claim(s) 17-18 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Viroli , and further in view of Dittrich, Omote.
Regarding claim 17,
A cooking appliance comprising a carrying plate having a top surface and a bottom surface, said top surface being adapted to receive cookware thereon; (Fig. 2 in Viroli)
and a sensor assembly (paragraph [33] teaches vibration sensor 1500)
comprising a circuit board, a vibration sensor mounted to the circuit board, (Paragraph [34] teaches “the micro-electromechanical system may be mounted on a printed circuit board”)
…said first frame part being rigidly affixed via adhesive to the bottom surface of said carrying plate; (Viroli teaches fixing the vibration sensor to a cooktop with silicone in paragraph [34])
…… said rigid affixation between the first frame part and the bottom surface of the carrying plate, (Viroli teaches fixing the vibration sensor to a cooktop with silicone in paragraph [34])
Viroli is silent about a first frame part, a second frame part, and a sealing frame part, said sealing frame part being made of soft and/or flexible material having a U-shaped cross-section that encompasses an outer end of said circuit board; the first frame part defining an interior perimeter whose shape is complementary to the outer edge of said circuit board; said first and second frame parts being connected via a snap-fit connection such that said circuit board and said sealing frame part encompassing its outer edge are together sandwiched in between said first frame part and said second frame part;…. wherein relative movement of the vibration sensor and the carrying plate toward and/or away from one another is prevented via:… said snap-fit connection between the first and second frame parts, and a clamping action of the sealing frame part compressed between the edge of said circuit board and one or both of the first and second frame parts.
Dittrich teaches a first frame part, a second frame part (Dittrich in Fig. 2 teaches housing elements 7a, 7b)
and a sealing frame part, (frame 5 and seal 6 in Fig. 2 and 4)
said sealing frame part being made of soft and/or flexible material (Paragraph [27] teaches frame made of plastic and paragraph [32] teaches “elastic seal”.)
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Fig. 1 in Dittrich
the first frame part defining an interior perimeter whose shape is complementary to the outer edge of said circuit board; (Annotated Fig. 1 and 3 in Dittrich.)
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Fig. 3 in Dittrich
said first and second frame parts being connected via a snap-fit connection (Dittrich teaches in paragraph [34] “The housing element 7a, which, according to the invention, is a housing element made from transformed sheet metal, e.g., aluminum sheet metal, is fixed at the printed circuit board 2, e.g., with a further capping housing element 7b, e.g., a lower housing component, fitted, locked in place, snapped in place, braced, flanged, etc.”)
……wherein relative movement of the vibration sensor and the carrying plate toward and/or away from one another is prevented via: (The limitation cites uses of fixation means. MPEP 2114 sets forth that “When the cited prior art teaches all of the positively recited structure of the claimed apparatus, it will be held that the prior art apparatus is capable of performing all of the claimed functional limitations of the claimed apparatus. The courts have held that: (1) "apparatus claims cover what a device is, not what a device does." Hewlett-Packard Co. v. Bausch & Lomb Inc., 909 F.2d 1464, 1469, 15 USPQ2d 1525, 1528 (Fed. Cir. 1990), and (2) a claim containing a "recitation with respect to the manner in which a claimed apparatus is intended to be employed does not differentiate the claimed apparatus from a prior art apparatus" if the prior art apparatus teaches all the structural limitations of the claim. Ex parte Masham, 2 USPQ2d 1647 (Bd. Pat. App. & Inter. 1987).”)
…..said snap-fit connection between the first and second frame parts, (Dittrich paragraph [34])
Before the effective filing date of the claimed invention, it would have been obvious for one of ordinary skill in the art to add the frames and seal as taught in Dittrich to the cooking appliance in Viroli. One of ordinary skill in the art would have been motivated to do so because “the seal is pressed against the printed circuit board by a housing element in order to form an electronic chamber that is sealed in a media-tight manner” as taught in abstract in Dittrich.
Primary combination of references is silent about said having a U-shaped cross-section that encompasses an outer end of said circuit board; such that said circuit board and said sealing frame part encompassing its outer edge are together sandwiched in between said first frame part and said second frame part; and a clamping action of the sealing frame part compressed between the edge of said circuit board and one or both of the first and second frame parts.
Omote teaches having a U-shaped cross-section that encompasses an outer end of said circuit board; (Fig. 15 in Omote.)
such that said circuit board and said sealing frame part encompassing its outer edge are together sandwiched in between said first frame part and said second frame part; (Fig. 15 in Omote.)
and a clamping action of the sealing frame part compressed between the edge of said circuit board and one or both of the first and second frame parts. (Fig. 15 in Omote.)
Before the effective filing date of the claimed invention, it would have been obvious for one of ordinary skill in the art to add the U-shaped sealing frame between the circuit board and first frame as taught in Omote to the cooking hob in Viroli. One of ordinary skill in the art would have been motivated to do so because “The first protrusion 206 and the second protrusion 207 are short, and thus can be easily and elastically deformed. Accordingly, the board assembly 60 can be easily accommodated into the inside of the frame wall 205, accompanied by deformation of the first protrusion 206 or the second protrusion 207. Thus, the buffer member 201 can be elastically attached to the board assembly 60” as taught in paragraph [147] in Omote.
Regarding claim 18,
The cooking appliance of claim 17, said interior perimeter being defined by a vertical perimeter wall of said first frame part that completely surrounds the edge of said circuit board, which together with said sealing frame part is received in a space defined within said vertical perimeter wall. (Annotated Fig. 15 in Omote.)
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Fig. 15 in Omote
Before the effective filing date of the claimed invention, it would have been obvious for one of ordinary skill in the art to add the U-shaped sealing frame between the circuit board and first frame as taught in Omote to the cooking hob in Viroli. One of ordinary skill in the art would have been motivated to do so because “The first protrusion 206 and the second protrusion 207 are short, and thus can be easily and elastically deformed. Accordingly, the board assembly 60 can be easily accommodated into the inside of the frame wall 205, accompanied by deformation of the first protrusion 206 or the second protrusion 207. Thus, the buffer member 201 can be elastically attached to the board assembly 60” as taught in paragraph [147] in Omote.
Claim(s) 19, 20 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Viroli, Omote, and Dittrich as applied to claim 17 above, and further in view of Snap-fit , https://fab.cba.mit.edu/classes/S62.12/people/vernelle.noel/Plastic_Snap_fit_design.pdf, Nov 2020 (hereafter Snap-fit).
Regarding claim 19,
The cooking appliance of claim 18,… wherein the second vertical wall is disposed between said perimeter vertical wall and said sealing frame part encompassing said circuit board. (Fig. 15 in Omote)
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Fig. 15 in Omote
Before the effective filing date of the claimed invention, it would have been obvious for one of ordinary skill in the art to add the U-shaped sealing frame between the circuit board and first frame as taught in Omote to the cooking hob in Viroli. One of ordinary skill in the art would have been motivated to do so because “The first protrusion 206 and the second protrusion 207 are short, and thus can be easily and elastically deformed. Accordingly, the board assembly 60 can be easily accommodated into the inside of the frame wall 205, accompanied by deformation of the first protrusion 206 or the second protrusion 207. Thus, the buffer member 201 can be elastically attached to the board assembly 60” as taught in paragraph [147] in Omote.
said second frame part comprising a second vertical wall that is received within said space defined by the vertical perimeter wall of the first frame part to achieve said snap-fit connection; (Primary combination of references is silent about this.
Snap-fit teaches removable snapping connection between two halves of a housing in Fig. 23. Here top frame is received within the perimeter wall of bottom frame in a snap-fit connection.
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Fig. 23 in Snap-fit
Before the effective filing date of the claimed invention, it would have been obvious for one of ordinary skill in the art to design the snap connection between the housing frames as taught in Snap-fit to the cooking hob in Viroli. One of ordinary skill in the art would have been motivated to do so because “a largely stress-free, positive joint is normally obtained. The joint can be either detachable (Figs. 22a, 23)” as taught in page 20 of Snap-fit.)
Regarding claim 20,
The cooking appliance of claim 19, said snap-fit connection being reversible such that said circuit board having said sensor mounted thereon can be removed from said sensor assembly. (The claim is interpreted as snap-fit connection between frames is reversible.
Snap-fit teaches in page 20 that the snap joint of Fig. 23 is detachable.)
Before the effective filing date of the claimed invention, it would have been obvious for one of ordinary skill in the art to design the snap connection between the housing frames as reversible as taught in Snap-fit to the hob in Viroli. One of ordinary skill in the art would have been motivated to do so because “because “a largely stress-free, positive joint is normally obtained. The joint can be either detachable (Figs. 22a, 23)” as taught in page 20 of Snap-fit.
Response to Arguments
Applicant’s arguments filed on 04/02/2026 with respect to claim(s) 1, 2, 6-10, 17-20 have been considered but are not persuasive.
The applicant amended the claim 1 to include that “a sealing frame part positioned between the electronic circuit board and the first rigid frame part, wherein the sealing frame part has a U-shaped cross-section that encompasses an outer end of said electronic circuit board”, claim 17 to include that “that encompasses an outer end of said circuit board;”. Applicant argued that this makes the claimed invention distinguishable from prior art. However, upon further consideration, a new ground(s) of rejection is made in view of prior art as discussed above.
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 FAHMIDA FERDOUSI whose telephone number is (303)297-4341. The examiner can normally be reached Monday-Friday; 9:00AM-3:00PM; PST.
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If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Steven Crabb can be reached at (571)270-5095. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/FAHMIDA FERDOUSI/ Examiner, Art Unit 3761
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