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
This action is in response to the Amendments and Arguments filed 16 April 2026. As directed by applicant, claims 1 and 12 are amended and no claims are added or cancelled. This is a Final Office Action.
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.
[Note: Strikethrough indicates that the reference does not disclose that limitation]
Claims 1, 4, 12 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being obvious over Zhu (Chinese Patent Publication CN20225 4227U) in view of Lim (U.S. Patent Application Publication 2020/ 0053866) and McCarthy (U.S. Patent Application Publication 2019/ 0077224).
Regarding claim 1, Zhu discloses a heating unit (Fig. 2, liquid heater 12), comprising:
a base plate having a first side and a second side opposite the first side, wherein the base plate (guide plate 123) includes a passage extending therethrough (Zhu, flow channels 126/127) , the passage being open on the first side and closed on the second side (for instance, 126 is closed on one side and open on the other side);
a cover plate (top plate 121) having a third side and a fourth side opposite the third side, wherein the cover plate is disposed on the base plate such that the third side and the passage together define a conduit extending through the base plate (the top covers and defines the passage over 126);
a first set of heaters (Zhu, p. 4 second paragraph; this heating unit is not in the drawings but is disclosed in the specification; “The bottom plate 123 is also a metal plate, and the shape of the heating wire 1281 on the bottom plate 123 is consistent with the shape of the rear flow channel group 127.”) disposed on the second side of the base plate (The heaters on bottom plate 123, are “disposed on” the back side of 122, that is, opposite the second side ), wherein the first set of heaters includes one or more heaters; and
a second set of heaters (Zhu, fig. 2 electric heating device 128 on cover plate) disposed on (the electric heaters 128 within and actually right on the plate 121 are “disposed on” the fourth side of the cover plate, wherein the second set of heaters includes one or more heaters.
Zhu does not teach a gasket disposed between the first side and the third side, that is, a gasket between plates 122 and 121.
However, such a gasket to better seal metal parts from fluid leakage is well-known in the art, such as in Lim, who teaches an O-ring gasket between his plates in his plate heater (Lim, ¶0089, fig. 2, “ sealing member S such as an O-ring may be interposed between the first cover 210 and the main body 100, between the second cover 220 and the heating plate 230, and between the heating plate 230 and the main body 100 to improve water tightness”). It is also noted, such as in McCarthy, that gaskets are well known for sealing metals to prevent leakage of gas or liquid, and they may not even be shown in the drawings, but an operator would know to include one should the need arise. (McCarthy, ¶0023, figs. 1-3, “ The plate support may comprise gaskets (not shown) for sealing such that liquid passing through the opening 15 does not enter the dry space between the heating plates 6, 7.). Thus, it would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the invention, to modify Zhu with the teachings of Lim and McCarthy, to add a gasket between the plates, to ensure no leakage of fluid/gas between the plates should the need arise and having gaskets and O-rings for sealing against leakage is using a conventional method in a conventional way to achieve the expected result of preventing gas leakage.
Regarding claim 4, Zhu in view of Lim and McCarthy teaches all the limitations of claim 1, as above, and further discloses wherein the first set of heaters and the second set of heaters include a same number of heaters (Zhu, fig. 2, p. 4 second paragraph; this heating unit is not in the drawings but is disclosed in the specification; “The bottom plate 123 is also a metal plate, and the shape of the heating wire 1281 on the bottom plate 123 is consistent with the shape of the rear flow channel group 127.” This indicates that the heaters on the top and bottom are the same).
Regarding claim 12 Zhu a heating unit (fig. 2, heater 12), comprising:
a base plate (Zhu, 123 + 122) having a first side and a second side opposite the first side;
a cover plate (122) having a third side and a fourth side opposite the third side, wherein the third side of the cover plate is disposed on the first side of the base plate;
a gas-flow conduit (126) defined by the base plate and the third side of the cover plate;
a gas inlet (inlet 1222; “gas” is intended use, and this device could be used with gas and this limitation does not affect the structure.) fluidly coupled to a first end of the gas-flow conduit, the gas inlet being configured to admit a gas into the gas-flow conduit;
a gas outlet (1223) fluidly coupled to a second end of the gas-flow conduit, the gas outlet being configured to discharge a gas from the gas-flow conduit;
a first set of heaters (Zhu, p. 4 second paragraph; this heating unit is not in the drawings but is disclosed in the specification; “The bottom plate 123 is also a metal plate, and the shape of the heating wire 1281 on the bottom plate 123 is consistent with the shape of the rear flow channel group 127.” ) configured to heat the second side of the base plate, wherein the first set of heaters includes one or more heaters; and
a second set of heaters (Zhu, fig. 2 electric heating device 128 on cover plate) configured to heat the fourth side of the cover plate, wherein the second set of heaters includes one or more heaters.
Zhu does not teach a gasket disposed between the first side and the third side, that is, a gasket between plates 122 and 121.
However, such a gasket to better seal metal parts from fluid leakage is well-known in the art, such as in Lim, who teaches an O-ring gasket between his plates in his plate heater (Lim, ¶0089, fig. 2, “ sealing member S such as an O-ring may be interposed between the first cover 210 and the main body 100, between the second cover 220 and the heating plate 230, and between the heating plate 230 and the main body 100 to improve water tightness”). It is also noted, such as in McCarthy, that gaskets are well known for sealing metals to prevent leakage of gas or liquid, and they may not even be shown in the drawings, but an operator would know to include one should the need arise. (McCarthy, ¶0023, figs. 1-3, “ The plate support may comprise gaskets (not shown) for sealing such that liquid passing through the opening 15 does not enter the dry space between the heating plates 6, 7.). Thus, it would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the invention, to modify Zhu with the teachings of Lim and McCarthy, to add a gasket between the plates, to ensure no leakage of fluid/gas between the plates should the need arise and having gaskets and O-rings for sealing against leakage is using a conventional method in a conventional way to achieve the expected result of preventing gas leakage.
Claim(s) 1, 2, 3, 7, 9, 10, 12-17,19 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being obvious over Zhu (Chinese Patent Publication CN202254227U) in view of Krogh Anderson (U.S. Patent Application Publication 2014/ 0276545), Lim (U.S. Patent Application Publication 2020/ 0053866) and McCarthy (Patent Application Publication 2020/ 0053866).
Alternatively for claim 1, Zhu discloses a heating unit (Fig. 2, liquid heater 12), comprising:
a base plate having a first side and a second side opposite the first side, wherein the base plate (guide plate 123 + bottom plate 122) includes a passage extending therethrough (Zhu, flow channels 126/127) , the passage being open on the first side and closed on the second side;
a cover plate (top plate 121) having a third side and a fourth side opposite the third side, wherein the cover plate is disposed on the base plate such that the third side and the passage together define a conduit extending through the base plate (the top covers and defines the passage);
a first set of heaters (Zhu, p. 4 second paragraph; this heating unit is not in the drawings but is disclosed in the specification; “The bottom plate 123 is also a metal plate, and the shape of the heating wire 1281 on the bottom plate 123 is consistent with the shape of the rear flow channel group 127.” ) disposed on the second side of the base plate,
a second set of heaters (Zhu, fig. 2 electric heating device 128 on cover plate) disposed on the fourth side of the cover plate,
However, Zhu does not teach that the heating first and second set of heaters each includes one or more heaters, respectively, nor a gasket disposed between the first side and the third side.
Regarding the heaters, In Zhu’s invention, there is only one heater on the topside or bottom side.
However, Krogh Anderson teaches the heating first and second set of heaters each includes one or more heaters (Krogh Anderson, ¶0014, heating elements “bonded to a surface of the upper and/or a surface of the lower wall structure facing away from the fluid channel”…and “may naturally comprise a plurality of resistor elements”, figs. 1b, 2b, for instance). Thus, it would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the invention, to modify Zhu with the teachings of Krogh Andersen, to have multiple heaters spaced apart as the set of heating elements on the second side of the base plate, in order to better control the heating of the fluid according to how the control circuit control power dissipation of the heating element according to the desired temperature, and having different heating elements allows to control with flexibility and achieve any desired resistance value and in a conventional method (Krogh Andersen, ¶¶14, 23, “comprise a plurality of resistor elements or individual resistors coupled in series or parallel to provide any desired resistance value depending on the requirement of the application“ and “adjust power dissipation in the heating element in accordance with a desired or target temperature”).
And while Zhu in view of Krogh Anderson teaches all the limitations above, it still does not teach “a gasket disposed between the first side and the third side”, that is, a gasket between plates 122 and 121.
However, such a gasket to better seal metal parts from fluid leakage is well-known in the art, such as in Lim, who teaches an O-ring gasket between his plates in his plate heater (Lim, ¶0089, fig. 2, “ sealing member S such as an O-ring may be interposed between the first cover 210 and the main body 100, between the second cover 220 and the heating plate 230, and between the heating plate 230 and the main body 100 to improve water tightness”). It is also noted, such as in McCarthy, that gaskets are well known for sealing metals to prevent leakage of gas or liquid, and they may not even be shown in the drawings, but an operator would know to include one should the need arise. (McCarthy, ¶0023, figs. 1-3, “ The plate support may comprise gaskets (not shown) for sealing such that liquid passing through the opening 15 does not enter the dry space between the heating plates 6, 7.). Thus, it would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the invention, to modify Zhu in view of Krogh Anderson with the teachings of Lim and McCarthy, to add a gasket between the plates, to ensure no leakage of fluid/gas between the plates should the need arise and having gaskets and O-rings for sealing against leakage is using a conventional method in a conventional way to achieve the expected result of preventing gas leakage.
Regarding claim 2, Zhu in view of Krogh Anderson, Lim and McCarthy teaches all the limitations of claim 1, as above, and further teaches a heating unit wherein the first set of heaters includes multiple heaters spaced-apart on the second side of the base plate (Krogh Anderson, ¶0014, heating elements “bonded to a surface of the upper and/or a surface of the lower wall structure facing away from the fluid channel”…and “may naturally comprise a plurality of resistor elements”, figs. 1b, 2b, for instance. This would have been combined in the combination above).
Regarding claim 3, Zhu in view of Krogh Anderson, Lim and McCarthy teaches all the limitations of claim 1, as above, and further teaches wherein the second set of heaters includes multiple heaters spaced-apart on the fourth side of the cover plate (Krogh Anderson, figs. 1b, 2b, multiple spaced heaters on the fourth side, this would have been combined in the combination above).
Regarding claim 7, Zhu in view of Krogh Anderson, Lim and McCarthy teaches all the limitations of claim 1, as above, but does not further teach a heating unit wherein the passage is a machined cavity extending on the first side of the base plate. However, this is a product by process claim and the limitation is only given weight to the extent that the process affect the product if the product could be made in another way. Here, the process does not affect the product, so, arguably, the structure of this heating unit is reads on the claims. Furthermore, Krogh Anderson teaches that such a method of creating cavities is conventional in the art (Krogh Andersen, ¶12 “machining a solid object”), thus it also would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the invention, to use the further teachings of Krogh Anderson to create the cavity of Zhu, using a conventional method in a conventional way to achieve the expected result of a cavity or passage for a fluid in a plate.
Regarding claim 9, Zhu in view of Krogh Anderson, Lim and McCarthy teaches all the limitations of claim 1, and further teaches wherein each heater of the first and second sets of heaters are resistance heaters (Krogh Anderson, ¶14, “resistors” as the heating elements; this would have been part of the combination above).
Regarding claim 10, Zhu in view of Krogh Anderson, Lim and McCarthy teaches all the limitations of claim 1, as above, but does not teach a heating unit wherein the first set of heaters and the second set of heaters include multiple symmetrically arranged heaters. However, Krogh Andersen teaches wherein the first set of heaters and the second set of heaters include multiple symmetrically arranged heaters (Krogh Andersen, (Krogh Anderson, ¶0014, heating elements “bonded to a surface of the upper and/or a surface of the lower wall structure facing away from the fluid channel”…and “may naturally comprise a plurality of resistor elements”, figs. 1b, 2b, for instance). Thus, it would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the invention, to modify Zhu in view of Krogh Anderson, Lim and McCarthy with the further teachings of Krogh Andersen, to have multiple heaters spaced apart as the set of heating elements on the second side of the base plate, in order to better control the heating of the fluid according to how the control circuit control power dissipation of the heating element according to the desired temperature, and having different heating elements allows to control with flexibility and achieve any desired resistance value and in a conventional method (Krogh Andersen, ¶¶14, 23, “comprise a plurality of resistor elements or individual resistors coupled in series or parallel to provide any desired resistance value depending on the requirement of the application“ and “adjust power dissipation in the heating element in accordance with a desired or target temperature”).
Regarding claim 12, Zhu discloses a heating unit (fig. 2, heater 12), comprising:
a base plate (Zhu, 123 + 122) having a first side and a second side opposite the first side;
a cover plate (122) having a third side and a fourth side opposite the third side, wherein the third side of the cover plate is disposed on the first side of the base plate;
a gas-flow conduit (126) defined by the base plate and the third side of the cover plate;
a gas inlet (inlet 1222; “gas” is intended use, and this device could be used with gas and this limitation does not affect the structure.) fluidly coupled to a first end of the gas-flow conduit, the gas inlet being configured to admit a gas into the gas-flow conduit;
a gas outlet (1223) fluidly coupled to a second end of the gas-flow conduit, the gas outlet being configured to discharge a gas from the gas-flow conduit;
a first set of heaters (Zhu, p. 4 second paragraph; this heating unit is not in the drawings but is disclosed in the specification; “The bottom plate 123 is also a metal plate, and the shape of the heating wire 1281 on the bottom plate 123 is consistent with the shape of the rear flow channel group 127.” ) configured to heat the second side of the base plate,
a second set of heaters (Zhu, fig. 2 electric heating device 128 on cover plate) configured to heat the fourth side of the cover plate,
However, Zhu does not teach that the heating first and second set of heaters each includes one or more heaters, respectively, nor a gasket disposed between the first side and the third side.
Regarding the heaters, in Zhu, there is only one heater on the topside or bottom side.
However, Krogh Anderson teaches the heating first and second set of heaters each includes one or more heaters. (Krogh Anderson, ¶0014, heating elements “bonded to a surface of the upper and/or a surface of the lower wall structure facing away from the fluid channel”…and “may naturally comprise a plurality of resistor elements”, figs. 1b, 2b, for instance). Thus, it would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the invention, to modify Zhu with the teachings of Krogh Andersen, to have multiple heaters spaced apart as the set of heating elements on the second side of the base plate, in order to better control the heating of the fluid according to how the control circuit control power dissipation of the heating element according to the desired temperature, and having different heating elements allows to control with flexibility and achieve any desired resistance value and in a conventional method (Krogh Andersen, ¶¶14, 23, “comprise a plurality of resistor elements or individual resistors coupled in series or parallel to provide any desired resistance value depending on the requirement of the application“ and “adjust power dissipation in the heating element in accordance with a desired or target temperature”).
And while Zhu in view of Krogh Anderson teaches all the limitations above, it still does not teach “a gasket disposed between the first side and the third side”, that is, a gasket between plates 122 and 121.
However, such a gasket to better seal metal parts from fluid leakage is well-known in the art, such as in Lim, who teaches an O-ring gasket between his plates in his plate heater (Lim, ¶0089, fig. 2, “ sealing member S such as an O-ring may be interposed between the first cover 210 and the main body 100, between the second cover 220 and the heating plate 230, and between the heating plate 230 and the main body 100 to improve water tightness”). It is also noted, such as in McCarthy, that gaskets are well known for sealing metals to prevent leakage of gas or liquid, and they may not even be shown in the drawings, but an operator would know to include one should the need arise. (McCarthy, ¶0023, figs. 1-3, “ The plate support may comprise gaskets (not shown) for sealing such that liquid passing through the opening 15 does not enter the dry space between the heating plates 6, 7.). Thus, it would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the invention, to modify Zhu in view of Krogh Anderson with the teachings of Lim and McCarthy, to add a gasket between the plates, to ensure no leakage of fluid/gas between the plates should the need arise and having gaskets and O-rings for sealing against leakage is using a conventional method in a conventional way to achieve the expected result of preventing gas leakage.
Regarding claim 13, Zhu in view of Krogh Andersen, Kim and McCarthy teaches all the limitations of claim 12, as above, but does not further disclose a heating unit wherein the gas-flow conduit includes a passage extending between the first end and the second end machined on the first side of the base plate. However, this is a product by process claim and the limitation is only given weight to the extent that the process affect the product if the product could be made in another way. Here, the process does not affect the product, so, arguably, the structure of this heating unit is reads on the claims. Furthermore, Krogh Anderson teaches that such a method of creating cavities is conventional in the art (Krogh Andersen, ¶12 “machining a solid object”), thus it also would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the invention, to use the teachings of Krogh Anderson to create the cavity of Zhu, using a conventional method in a conventional way to achieve the expected result of a cavity or passage for a fluid in a plate.
Regarding claim 14, Zhu in view of Krogh Andersen, Kim and McCarthy teaches all the limitations of claim 13, as above, and further teaches a heating unit wherein the passage extends in a serpentine manner between the first end and the second end (Zhu, fig. 2, the passage snakes back and forth).
Regarding claim 15, Zhu in view of Krogh Andersen, Kim and McCarthy teaches all the limitations of claim 12, as above, and further teaches a heating unit wherein the first set of heaters includes multiple spaced-apart heaters and the second set of heaters include multiple spaced-apart heaters (Krogh Anderson, ¶0014, heating elements “bonded to a surface of the upper and/or a surface of the lower wall structure facing away from the fluid channel”…and “may naturally comprise a plurality of resistor elements”, figs. 1b, 2b, for instance. This would have been combined in the combination above). .
Regarding claim 16, Zhu in view of Krogh Andersen, Kim and McCarthy teaches all the limitations of claim 15, as above, and further teaches a heating unit wherein the first set of heaters and the second set of heaters include a same number of heaters, and the same number is between 2 and 6 (Krogh Anderson, ¶0014, heating elements “bonded to a surface of the upper and/or a surface of the lower wall structure facing away from the fluid channel”…and “may naturally comprise a plurality of resistor elements”, figs. 1b, 2b, for instance; this would have been combined in the combination above).
Regarding claim 17, Zhu in view of Krogh Andersen, Kim and McCarthy teaches all the limitations of claim 12, as above, but does not further teach, thus far a heating unit wherein the first set of heaters is removably coupled to the second side of the base plate. However, Krogh Andersen further teaches wherein the first set of heaters is removably coupled to the second side of the base plate (Krogh Andersen, ¶0050, resisters are coupled to outer surfaces, but are changeable, so can be adjustable, figs. 2b, 2d). Thus, it would be obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the invention to modify Zhu in view of Krogh Andersen with a further teachings of Krogh Andersen, in order that the heating elements are removable and adjustable so that the heat may be adjusted as desired by the operator in a conventional way, being removably coupled, in order to achieve not unexpected results.
Regarding claim 19, Zhu in view of Krogh Andersen, Kim and McCarthy teaches all the limitations of claim 12, and further teaches, in the combination, a heating unit wherein the heaters of the first set and the second set include resistance heaters (Krogh Anderson, ¶14, “resistors” as the heating elements; this would have been part of the combination above).
Claims 5 and 6 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being obvious over Zhu (Chinese Patent Publication CN202254227U) in view of Ford (U.S. Patent 5,381,510).
Regarding claim 5, Zhu discloses all the limitations of claim 1, as above, and further teaches a heating unit wherein the passage is fluidly coupled to a gas inlet (Zhu, 1222, figs. 3 or 4) at one end and fluidly coupled to a gas outlet (Zhu, 1223, figs. 3 or 4, intended use for the gas – this just speaks to the inlet and the outlet) at an opposite end, but does not further teach, in this configuration, wherein the gas inlet is configured to admit a gas into the conduit and the gas outlet is configured to discharge the gas from the conduit. However, the use of gas is intended use, and the structure for fluids to travel through would be the same. As well, as well, Ford teaches the use of different fluids, including a gas to flow through his heater with a passage and a heating element on top and on bottom, as required by an operator (Ford, column 4 lines 48-51, fig. 2, heating plates 200 and 400)). Thus, it would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the invention, to modify Zhu in view of Ford, to heat up a gas in a conventional way, the claimed structure being the same for other fluids, as required by an operator using conventional means with only the expected result of efficient heating of the gas.
Regarding claim 6, Zhu in view of Ford teaches all the limitations of claim 5, as above, and further teaches a heating unit wherein the passage is a serpentine passage (Zhu, fig. 2, the passage snakes back and forth).
Claims 8 and 20 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being obvious over Zhu (Chinese Patent Publication CN202254227U) in view of Lim (U.S. Patent Application Publication 2020/ 0053866) and McCarthy (Patent Application Publication 2020/ 0053866) (and, alternatively, also in view of Krogh Anderson (U.S. Patent Application Publication 2014/ 0276545) and further in view of Hermida Dominguez (U.S. Patent 2020/ 0062082).
Regarding claims 8 and 20, Zhu in view of Lim and McCarthy (and Krogh Anderson) teaches all the limitations of claim 1 and 12, respectively, as above, but does not further teach a heating unit wherein the cover plate is brazed to the base plate. However, Hermida Dominguez teaches that such a method is conventional in heaters when closing passageways for fluids (Hermida Dominguez, ¶¶49, 56, “attachment mode is by means of adhesive or by means of brazing. This attachment assures the leak-tight closure of the inner chamber”). Thus, it would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the invention, to modify Zhu in view of Lim and McCarthy (and Krogh Anderson) with the teachings of Hermida Dominguez, to use a conventional method to adhere the plates together, in order to create a leak-tight chamber so that the fluid may travel though it, this being done in a conventional way without unexpected results.
Claims 11 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being obvious over Zhu (Chinese Patent Publication CN202254227U) in view of Lim (U.S. Patent Application Publication 2020/ 0053866) and McCarthy (Patent Application Publication 2020/ 0053866) (and, alternatively, also in view of Krogh Anderson (U.S. Patent Application Publication 2014/ 0276545) and further in view of Mograbi (U.S. Patent Application Publication 2011/ 0259203).
Regarding claim 11, Zhu in view of Lim and McCarthy (and alternatively Krogh Anderson) teaches all the limitations of claim 1, as above, but does not specifically disclose wherein a cross-sectional shape of the passage is one of substantially semi-circular, substantially U-shaped, substantially rectangular, or substantially square . From Zhu (fig. 2) it does appear that the cross-sectional shape of the passage is substantially rectangular, seeing that the sides are straight and that the bottom of the channel seems to be at a right angle to the sides. However, Mograbi teaches the claimed shapes for the cross-section for the liquid conduit (¶0019). Thus, it would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the invention, to have conventional shapes, as claimed, for the cross-sectional area of the channel or conduit, in order to have the fluid flow and to be able to transfer heat well to the fluid in a conventional way without unexpected results.
Claim 18 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being obvious over Zhu (Chinese Patent Publication CN202254227U) in view of Lim (U.S. Patent Application Publication 2020/ 0053866) and McCarthy (Patent Application Publication 2020/ 0053866) (and, alternatively, also in view of Krogh Anderson (U.S. Patent Application Publication 2014/ 0276545) and further in view of Gu (U.S. Patent Application Publication 2015/ 0343883).
Regarding claim 18, Zhu in view of Lim and McCarthy (and Krogh Anderson) teaches all the limitations of claim 12, above, but does not further teach a heating unit wherein the first set of heaters is attached to the second side of the base plate using a conductive adhesive. However, Gu teaches using a conductive adhesive for applying a heater (radiating plate) within a flow through heating device to heat a fluid (Gu, ¶101). Thus, it would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the invention, to modify Zhu in view of Lim and McCarthy (and Krogh Anderson) with the teachings of Gu, to use a conductive adhesive which is a conventional way of connecting heating elements in this type of flow through apparatus, in order that heat is most effectively transferred from the heating element to the fluid, even though the conductive adhesive holding the heating element to the plate.
Response to Arguments
Applicant’s arguments with respect to claim(s) 1 and 12 have been considered but are moot because the new ground of rejection does not rely on any reference applied in the prior rejection of record for any teaching or matter specifically challenged in the argument.
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure. Please see attached and previously filed forms PTO-892.
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.
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/LAWRENCE H SAMUELS/Examiner, Art Unit 3761
/IBRAHIME A ABRAHAM/Supervisory Patent Examiner, Art Unit 3761
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