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 .
DETAILED ACTION
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 102
The following is a quotation of the appropriate paragraphs of 35 U.S.C. 102 that form the basis for the rejections under this section made in this Office action:
A person shall be entitled to a patent unless –
(a)(1) the claimed invention was patented, described in a printed publication, or in public use, on sale, or otherwise available to the public before the effective filing date of the claimed invention.
Claimd 1-5 and 8-10 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Shenzen (CN215453297U). Shenzen discloses (claim 1) a heated mat comprising: a bottom protection layer 10; a middle heated layer 40; a top layer having 50 a heated surface 54; and a power cord 61 for supplying power to the middle heated layer 40, wherein a periphery of the top layer 50 is heated and pressurized against a periphery of the bottom protection layer 10 to sandwich the middle heated layer 40 therebetween in a waterproof manner (paragraph [0034], “…The extension 52 and the base plate 10 can be connected by any feasible method such as bonding, snap-fitting, or screwing, without limitation. It should be understood that the connection between the base plate 10 and the cover plate 50 should be seamless, so that the cavity 53 is a sealed chamber, preventing external sewage and other substances from entering the cavity 53 and affecting the electrical connection reliability of the internal components…”)
Regarding claim 8, Shenzen disclose a heated mat comprising: a bottom protection layer 10; a middle substrate 40 having graphene thereon (paragraph [0031]); a top layer 50 having a heated surface 54; and a power cord 61 for supplying power to the graphene; wherein a periphery of the top layer 50 is sealed to a periphery of the bottom protection layer 10 to encapsulate an interior of the heated mat including the middle substrate 40 therein in a waterproof manner.
Regarding claim 2, Shenzen discloses that the middle heated layer 40 comprises graphene (paragraph [0031]).
Regarding claims 3 and 9, Shenzen further includes an insulation layer 20 between the bottom protection layer and the middle heated layer 40.
Regarding claim 4, Shenzen discloses that power is supplied to the middle heated layer 40 through the power cord 61 .
Regarding claims 5 and 10, Shenzen further includes a heat limiter (sensor 62 and controller (not shown)) for limiting the temperature of the heated mat to a desired temperature (paragraph [0055]).
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 103
The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 103 which forms the basis for all obviousness rejections set forth in this Office action:
A patent for a claimed invention may not be obtained, notwithstanding that the claimed invention is not identically disclosed as set forth in section 102, if the differences between the claimed invention and the prior art are such that the claimed invention as a whole would have been obvious before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to a person having ordinary skill in the art to which the claimed invention pertains. Patentability shall not be negated by the manner in which the invention was made.
Claims 6 and 11 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Shenzen, as applied to claims 4 and 8 above. Shenzen discloses that the heated surface comprises graphene; the top layer 50 includes a channel 57 for allowing the power cord 61 to be connected to the graphene. Shenzen does not disclose that the channel is T-shaped.
Since the applicant has not disclosed that having T-shaped channel solves any stated problem or is for any particular purpose above the fact that the channel accomodates the power cord connection to the heating mat and it appears that the channel of Shenzen would perform equally well with a T-shape as claimed by applicant, it would have been an obvious matter of engineering expedience to further modify the channel of Shenzen to be T-shaped as claimed for the purposes of accommodating the power cord connection to the heating mat.
Claims 7 and 12 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Shenzen, as applied to claims 6 and 11 above, further in view of RECOM (“Potting Compounds – A Guide to the Essentials”). Shenzen discloses all of the claimed subject matter except that a potting and encapsulating compound is located in the T-shaped channel to protect an interior of the heated mat from water reaching the interior of the heated mat.
RECOM teaches for potting and encapsulating compound to embed electrical components and provide protection from water for the purposes of operating electrical components in moist and corrosive environments. See RECOM introductory paragraphs “…There are several good reasons for potting electronics. Embedding the circuit board into a potting compound gives environmental protection against water ingress and corrosion due to moisture in the air or caustic chemicals and gasses (sulphur in particular attacks the copper used in the components and PCB tracks). Potting also gives protection against the effects of mechanical shock and vibration, supporting and cushioning delicate or fragile components such as the brittle ferrites used in transformer cores. It also supports and takes much of the strain away from the PCB pins, so that the strength of the pin connection to the circuit board is not reliant only on the solder joints……Finally, potting offers fire protection (UL94-V0) because once cured, the compound will not ignite or maintain a flame”
Since Shenzen and RECOM both discuss electrically powered components the purpose disclosed by RECOM would have been recognized in the pertinent art of Shenzen. It would have been obvious at a time before the invention was effectively filed to a person having ordinary skill in the art to further modify the heated mat of Shenzen such that a potting and encapsulating compound is located in the T-shaped channel to protect an interior of the heated mat (the electrical connection of the power cord to the graphene middle layer) from water reaching the interior of the heated mat for the purposes of operating the heated mat in moist and corrosive environments.
Prior Art
Prior art made of record but not relied upon is considered pertinent to Applicant's disclosure for showing other layered heating mats with power cords.
Contact Information
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communication from the examiner should be directed to Thomas Lazo whose telephone number is (571) 272-4818. The examiner can normally be reached on Monday-Friday from 8:00 am to 4:30 pm.
If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner's supervisor Nathaniel Wiehe, can be reached on (571) 272-8648. The fax phone number for this Group is (571) 273-8300.
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/THOMAS E LAZO/Primary Examiner,
Art Unit 3745
December 8, 2025