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 and/or arguments submitted on 07/30/2023 is/are being considered by the examiner.
Claims 1-12 are pending:
Response to Arguments
Applicant’s arguments and/or amendments, with respect to specification objection have been fully considered and are persuasive. The specification objection of record has been withdrawn.
Applicant’s arguments and/or amendments, with respect to claim objections have been fully considered and are mostly persuasive. The claim objections of record has been mostly withdrawn.
Claim 7
After the corrective amendment to the preamble of Claim 7, Claim 7 is now identical to Claim 2. Thus, the duplicate claim warning has become an objection, as presented below. Amend or cancel on of Claim 2 or 7.
Applicant’s arguments and/or amendments, with respect to 35 USC 103 art rejections by Bohlender (US 7,012,225), Baruschke (FR 2 901 869), and Niederer (US 9,161,391) have been fully considered.
Applicant asserts, page 9, that none of the prior art discloses the integral projections as claimed in the independent claims 1/8/9, as discussed on pages 8-9.
The office respectfully disagrees. Please see the annotated Fig8/9 of Bohlender below. The upper contact sheet has integral projections that overlap a circumferential side of the PTC element, please see projections in annotated ovals. Please see mapping in the corresponding claims below for further details.
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Information Disclosure Statement
No information disclosure statement(s) (IDS) was submitted.
Claim Interpretation - Language
Language and/or terms in the claims are interpreted as follows:
The structure “frame” is based on cured silicone adhesive, as informed by Para25/Fig3. “Frame” is not, as read in light of the specification, a stand-alone structural support element, but rather a material that ‘frames’/surrounds an object.
Claim Objections
Claim 7 objected to under 37 CFR 1.75 as being a substantial duplicate of claim 2. When two claims in an application are duplicates or else are so close in content that they both cover the same thing, despite a slight difference in wording, it is proper after allowing one claim to object to the other as being a substantial duplicate of the allowed claim. See MPEP § 608.01(m).
The office notes that Claim 7 and 2 are identical.
Claims are objected to because of the following informalities:
Claim 8
L6, amend “the at least one PTC heating element” to maintain consistent antecedent basis indication to improve clarity
L15, amend “the at least one PTC heating element” to maintain consistent antecedent basis indication to improve clarity
Appropriate correction is required.
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.
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, 3, 6, 8 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Bohlender (US 7,012,225)
Claim 1
Bohlender discloses:
“A positive temperature coefficient (PTC) heating device (best seen Fig8-11 in particular, with generic schematic views Fig1-6) comprising:
at least one PTC element (PTC element 41) which has first and second contact surfaces (top and bottom contact surfaces of PTC element 41 in contact with lower contact sheet 42 and upper contact sheet without a reference character corresponding to schematic upper sheet 10/20/21, C9L36-29, layer arrangement best seen Fig11) formed by a metallization (product-by-process limitation);
first and second contact elements (lower contact sheet 42 and upper contact sheet without a reference character corresponding to upper sheet 10/20/21, C9L36-29, layer arrangement best seen Fig11) to be assigned different polarities (electrical conduction between PTC element 41 and upper/lower contact sheets, as best shown by generic Fig5 and C8L4-9, where non-conductive lacquer 3 is pressed out of contact region 13 between PTC element 4 and contact sheet 2 in order to establish “an electrically conductive contact”; therefore when there is an electric flow through lower sheet-to-PTC element-to-upper sheet, then the lower/upper sheets implicitly have different polarities due to the flow of electricity; Polarities best shown schematically in Fig6),
wherein the contact elements are electrically contacted with the contact surfaces (electrical conduction between PTC element 41 and upper/lower contact sheets, as best shown by generic Fig5 and C8L4-9, where non-conductive lacquer 3 is pressed out of contact region 13 between PTC element 4 and contact sheet 2 in order to establish “an electrically conductive contact”),
wherein both of the first and … contact surfaces are circumferentially sealed by a frame (C9L36-37, PTC heating element 41 are pre-positioned on lower contact sheet 42 via a lacquer; Fig5, lacquer bead 12) which follows a contour of the respective contact surface (Fig5, lacquer bead 12 follows contour of the lower contact surface/element connection) and which is made of an electrically non-conductive adhesive coating (C9L36-37, C3L8-18, lacquer is non-conductive and elastic); and
wherein the first contact element includes projections that are integrally formed therewith and that overlap a circumferential side of the at least one PTC element (best seen annotated Fig8/9 circled regions, upper contact sheet has integral projections that overlap a circumferential side of the PTC element – see projections in annotated ovals).”
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The above indicated recitation(s)/limitation(s) is/are considered a product-by-process claim, and as the determination of patentability is based on the product itself, the structure disclosed anticipates/renders obvious the claimed structure as the disclosed structure appears to be the same or similar to that claimed, see MPEP 2113.
Bohlender does not explicitly disclose that the second contact surface is sealed by a frame.
Bohlender teaches (C6L54-60) that a layer of the lacquer is provided to “at least one of the contact sheets”, thus teaching that the lacquer may be applied to both the upper/lower contact sheets. Bohlender further teaches (C7L62-C8L3, C2L51-54,C2L37-43) that the application of the lacquer layer of Bohlender provides protection against corrosion due to moisture between the PTC element and the contact sheet “in a conventional way” and that (C2L12-19) moisture between the PTC element and a contact sheet can result in significant power loss.
It would have been obvious to a person having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify the arrangement of Bohlender to duplicate lacquer bead seal from between the lower contact sheet and the PTC element to also be present between the upper contact sheet and the PTC element, in order to gain the advantage of protection against corrosion due to moisture for both electrical interfaces at the top/bottom of PTC element of the arrangement of Bohlender, and the resulting arrangement has the reasonable expectation of successfully providing the arrangement of Bohlender with improved electrical power performance due to reduced power loss due to moisture corrosion for both electrical interfaces at the top/bottom of PTC element of the arrangement of Bohlender.
Claim 3
The modified arrangement of Bohlender as modified in claim 1 discloses: “The PTC heating device according to claim 1, wherein the contact elements are formed of an aluminum base material (Bohlender: Claim 5, C3L16-17, lower contact sheet is made from aluminum).”
The modified arrangement of Bohlender as modified in claim 1 is silent to the upper contact sheet being made from aluminum.
Bohlender teaches (C3L16-17, C3L34-38) that the material selection for a contact sheet between the PTC element and the radiator element is preferably aluminum, as aluminum provides “a particularly efficient heat transition” between the PTC element and the radiator element.
It would have been obvious to a person having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify the material selection for the upper contact sheet 10/20/21 of the modified arrangement of Bohlender as modified in claim 1 to be aluminum, as Bohlender teaches the material selection for a contact sheet between the PTC element and the radiator element is preferably aluminum, and such a selection of aluminum provides the advantage of “a particularly efficient heat transition” between the PTC element and the radiator element, and the resulting arrangement has the reasonable expectation of successfully providing the modified arrangement of Bohlender as modified in claim 1 with a working and known material selection of aluminum for the upper contact sheet as taught by Bohlender.
Claim 6
The modified arrangement of Bohlender as modified in claim 1 discloses: “The PTC heating device according to claim 1, wherein the at least one PTC element (Bohlender: Fig8-11, PTC element 41) and the contact elements (Bohlender: Fig8-11, lower contact sheet 42 and upper contact sheet corresponding to 10/20/21) are joined by the adhesive coating (C9L36-37, PTC heating element 41 are pre-positioned on lower contact sheet 42 via a lacquer; Fig5, lacquer bead 12) to form (limitation is within the scope of the modification in claim 1. Lacquer applied to both lower and upper contact sheet interfaces with PTC element) a structural unit (Fig11, stacks are single structural unit when assembled).”
Claim 8
Bohlender discloses:
“An electric heating device (best seen Fig8-11 in particular, with generic schematic views Fig1-6) for a motor vehicle (intended working environment. C1L7-10), the electric heating device comprising:
a heater housing (Fig8-11, shells 40a/b);
a layered structure (best seen Fig8-10, layered arrangement of radiators 44 within shell 40a/b) that is received in the heater housing (best seen Fig8-10, layered arrangement of radiators 44 within shell 40a/b), the layered structure including at least one positive temperature coefficient (PTC) heating element (arrangement as shown in Fig11 excluding the radiator elements 44 between the PTC heating devices) and radiator layers (radiator elements 44) abutting against the PTC heating element on both of first and second sides thereof (abutting/pressed arrangement of radiator elements 44 onto the PTC heating device components best seen in Fig11);
wherein the at least one PTC heating element (PTC element 41) which has first and second contact surfaces (top and bottom contact surfaces of PTC element 41 in contact with lower contact sheet 42 and upper contact sheet without a reference character corresponding to schematic upper sheet 10/20/21, C9L36-29, layer arrangement best seen Fig11) formed by a metallization (product-by-process limitation);
wherein the first and second contact elements (lower contact sheet 42 and upper contact sheet without a reference character corresponding to upper sheet 10/20/21, C9L36-29, layer arrangement best seen Fig11) are assigned different polarities (electrical conduction between PTC element 41 and upper/lower contact sheets, as best shown by generic Fig5 and C8L4-9, where non-conductive lacquer 3 is pressed out of contact region 13 between PTC element 4 and contact sheet 2 in order to establish “an electrically conductive contact”; therefore when there is an electric flow through lower sheet-to-PTC element-to-upper sheet, then the lower/upper sheets implicitly have different polarities due to the flow of electricity; Polarities best shown schematically in Fig6;
wherein the first and second contact elements are electrically contacted with the contact surfaces (electrical conduction between PTC element 41 and upper/lower contact sheets, as best shown by generic Fig5 and C8L4-9, where non-conductive lacquer 3 is pressed out of contact region 13 between PTC element 4 and contact sheet 2 in order to establish “an electrically conductive contact”);
wherein the first contact element includes projections that are integrally formed therewith and that overlap a circumferential side of the at least one PTC element (best seen annotated Fig8/9 circled regions, upper contact sheet has integral projections that overlap a circumferential side of the PTC element – see projections in annotated ovals); and;
wherein both of the first and … contact surfaces are circumferentially sealed by a frame (C9L36-37, PTC heating element 41 are pre-positioned on lower contact sheet 42 via a lacquer; Fig5, lacquer bead 12) which follows a contour of the respective contact surface (Fig5, lacquer bead 12 follows contour of the lower contact surface/element connection) and which is made of an electrically non-conductive adhesive coating (C9L36-37, C3L8-18, lacquer is non-conductive and elastic).”
The above indicated recitation(s)/limitation(s) is/are considered a product-by-process claim, and as the determination of patentability is based on the product itself, the structure disclosed anticipates/renders obvious the claimed structure as the disclosed structure appears to be the same or similar to that claimed, see MPEP 2113.
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Bohlender does not explicitly disclose that the second contact surface is sealed by a frame.
Bohlender teaches (C6L54-60) that a layer of the lacquer is provided to “at least one of the contact sheets”, thus teaching that the lacquer may be applied to both the upper/lower contact sheets. Bohlender further teaches (C7L62-C8L3, C2L51-54,C2L37-43) that the application of the lacquer layer of Bohlender provides protection against corrosion due to moisture between the PTC element and the contact sheet “in a conventional way” and that (C2L12-19) moisture between the PTC element and a contact sheet can result in significant power loss.
It would have been obvious to a person having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify the arrangement of Bohlender to duplicate lacquer bead seal from between the lower contact sheet and the PTC element to also be present between the upper contact sheet and the PTC element, in order to gain the advantage of protection against corrosion due to moisture for both electrical interfaces at the top/bottom of PTC element of the arrangement of Bohlender, and the resulting arrangement has the reasonable expectation of successfully providing the arrangement of Bohlender with improved electrical power performance due to reduced power loss due to moisture corrosion for both electrical interfaces at the top/bottom of PTC element of the arrangement of Bohlender.
Claim(s) 2, 4-5, 7, 12 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Bohlender (US 7,012,225) in view of Baruschke (FR 2 901 869)
Claim 2
The modified arrangement of Bohlender as modified in claim 1 discloses the arrangement of Claim 1.
The modified arrangement of Bohlender as modified in claim 1 is silent to the materials of the PTC element contact surfaces and the contact elements being made from the same material.
Bohlender teaches (C3L16-17, C3L34-38) that the material selection for a contact sheet between the PTC element and the radiator element is preferably aluminum, as aluminum provides “a particularly efficient heat transition” between the PTC element and the radiator element.
It would have been obvious to a person having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify the material selection for the upper contact sheet 10/20/21 of the modified arrangement of Bohlender as modified in claim 1 to be aluminum, as Bohlender teaches the material selection for a contact sheet between the PTC element and the radiator element is preferably aluminum, and such a selection of aluminum provides the advantage of “a particularly efficient heat transition” between the PTC element and the radiator element, and the resulting arrangement has the reasonable expectation of successfully providing the modified arrangement of Bohlender as modified in claim 1 with a working and known material selection of aluminum for the upper contact sheet as taught by Bohlender.
The instant modified arrangement of Bohlender by the teachings of Bohlender is silent to the particular material(s) to form the PTC element.
Baruschke teaches (SpecQuote below) that it is known to form a PTC element with a core covered by a surface coating metallization, and to select silver or aluminum as the material for the metallization coating of a PTC element.
SpecQuote: “Here, the heating element has at least one electroconductive coating, preferably silver, aluminum, copper, coating which can be applied by immersion, chemical vapor deposition (PVD) or gas phase deposition by physical process (CVD). When a voltage is applied, the heating element is traversed by the current, essentially in the direction of its thickness (minimum 90%) and only slightly in the direction of its longitudinal extent (maximum 10%), so that the surface metallization is carried out by the coating and / or by contact elements on a (large) surface, so that the flow of current occurs almost exclusively or completely through the PTC material which forms the heating element.”
It would have been obvious to a person having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to look to the prior art to select a material for the PTC element, as such a selection would have to be made in order to practice the disclosure of the instant modified arrangement of Bohlender by the teachings of Bohlender, and Baruschke teaches that it is known in the art to form a PTC element with a core covered by a surface coating metallization, and to select silver or aluminum as the material for the metallization coating of a PTC element, and the resulting arrangement has the reasonable expectation of successfully providing the instant modified arrangement of Bohlender by the teachings of Bohlender with a working and known material/form selection of aluminum for the metallization coating of a PTC element of modified arrangement of Bohlender by the teachings of Bohlender, which further results in the application of aluminum for each of the upper contact sheet, lower contact sheet, and the metallization coating of the PTC element.
Claim 7
The modified arrangement of Bohlender as modified in claim 1 discloses the arrangement of Claim 1.
The modified arrangement of Bohlender as modified in claim 1 is silent to the materials of the PTC element contact surfaces and the contact elements being made from the same material.
Bohlender teaches (C3L16-17, C3L34-38) that the material selection for a contact sheet between the PTC element and the radiator element is preferably aluminum, as aluminum provides “a particularly efficient heat transition” between the PTC element and the radiator element.
It would have been obvious to a person having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify the material selection for the upper contact sheet 10/20/21 of the modified arrangement of Bohlender as modified in claim 1 to be aluminum, as Bohlender teaches the material selection for a contact sheet between the PTC element and the radiator element is preferably aluminum, and such a selection of aluminum provides the advantage of “a particularly efficient heat transition” between the PTC element and the radiator element, and the resulting arrangement has the reasonable expectation of successfully providing the modified arrangement of Bohlender as modified in claim 1 with a working and known material selection of aluminum for the upper contact sheet as taught by Bohlender.
The instant modified arrangement of Bohlender by the teachings of Bohlender is silent to the particular material(s) to form the PTC element.
Baruschke teaches (SpecQuote below) that it is known to form a PTC element with a core covered by a surface coating metallization, and to select silver or aluminum as the material for the metallization coating of a PTC element.
SpecQuote: “Here, the heating element has at least one electroconductive coating, preferably silver, aluminum, copper, coating which can be applied by immersion, chemical vapor deposition (PVD) or gas phase deposition by physical process (CVD). When a voltage is applied, the heating element is traversed by the current, essentially in the direction of its thickness (minimum 90%) and only slightly in the direction of its longitudinal extent (maximum 10%), so that the surface metallization is carried out by the coating and / or by contact elements on a (large) surface, so that the flow of current occurs almost exclusively or completely through the PTC material which forms the heating element.”
It would have been obvious to a person having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to look to the prior art to select a material for the PTC element, as such a selection would have to be made in order to practice the disclosure of the instant modified arrangement of Bohlender by the teachings of Bohlender, and Baruschke teaches that it is known in the art to form a PTC element with a core covered by a surface coating metallization, and to select silver or aluminum as the material for the metallization coating of a PTC element, and the resulting arrangement has the reasonable expectation of successfully providing the instant modified arrangement of Bohlender by the teachings of Bohlender with a working and known material/form selection of aluminum for the metallization coating of a PTC element as taught by Baruschke for the modified arrangement of Bohlender by the teachings of Bohlender, which further results in the application of aluminum for each of the upper contact sheet, lower contact sheet, and the metallization coating of the PTC element.
Claim 4
The modified arrangement of Bohlender as modified in claim 1 discloses the arrangement of Claim 1.
The modified arrangement of Bohlender as modified in claim 1 is silent to the materials of the PTC element contact surfaces.
Baruschke teaches (SpecQuote below) that it is known to form a PTC element with a core covered by a surface coating metallization, and to select silver or aluminum as the material for the metallization coating of a PTC element.
SpecQuote: “Here, the heating element has at least one electroconductive coating, preferably silver, aluminum, copper, coating which can be applied by immersion, chemical vapor deposition (PVD) or gas phase deposition by physical process (CVD). When a voltage is applied, the heating element is traversed by the current, essentially in the direction of its thickness (minimum 90%) and only slightly in the direction of its longitudinal extent (maximum 10%), so that the surface metallization is carried out by the coating and / or by contact elements on a (large) surface, so that the flow of current occurs almost exclusively or completely through the PTC material which forms the heating element.”
It would have been obvious to a person having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to look to the prior art to select a material for the PTC element, as such a selection would have to be made in order to practice the disclosure of the modified arrangement of Bohlender as modified in claim 1, and Baruschke teaches that it is known in the art to form a PTC element with a core covered by a surface coating metallization, and to select silver or aluminum as the material for the metallization coating of a PTC element, and the resulting arrangement has the reasonable expectation of successfully providing the modified arrangement of Bohlender as modified in claim 1 with a working and known material/form selection of aluminum or silver for the metallization coating of a PTC element as taught by Baruschke for the modified arrangement of Bohlender as modified in claim 1.
Claim 5
The modified arrangement of Bohlender as modified in claim 3 discloses the arrangement of Claim 3.
The modified arrangement of Bohlender as modified in claim 1 is silent to the materials of the PTC element contact surfaces.
Baruschke teaches (SpecQuote below) that it is known to form a PTC element with a core covered by a surface coating metallization, and to select silver or aluminum as the material for the metallization coating of a PTC element.
SpecQuote: “Here, the heating element has at least one electroconductive coating, preferably silver, aluminum, copper, coating which can be applied by immersion, chemical vapor deposition (PVD) or gas phase deposition by physical process (CVD). When a voltage is applied, the heating element is traversed by the current, essentially in the direction of its thickness (minimum 90%) and only slightly in the direction of its longitudinal extent (maximum 10%), so that the surface metallization is carried out by the coating and / or by contact elements on a (large) surface, so that the flow of current occurs almost exclusively or completely through the PTC material which forms the heating element.”
It would have been obvious to a person having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to look to the prior art to select a material for the PTC element, as such a selection would have to be made in order to practice the disclosure of the modified arrangement of Bohlender as modified in claim 3, and Baruschke teaches that it is known in the art to form a PTC element with a core covered by a surface coating metallization, and to select silver or aluminum as the material for the metallization coating of a PTC element, and the resulting arrangement has the reasonable expectation of successfully providing the modified arrangement of Bohlender as modified in claim 3 with a working and known material/form selection of aluminum or silver for the metallization coating of a PTC element as taught by Baruschke for the modified arrangement of Bohlender as modified in claim 3.
Claim 12
The modified arrangement of Bohlender as applied in Claim 8 discloses: “The electric heating device of claim 8, wherein the contact elements are made of an aluminum base material (Bohlender: Claim 5, C3L16-17, lower contact sheet is made from aluminum), and …”
The modified arrangement of Bohlender as applied in Claim 8 does not explicitly teach that the upper contact sheet being made from aluminum.
Bohlender teaches (C3L16-17, C3L34-38) that the material selection for a contact sheet between the PTC element and the radiator element is preferably aluminum, as aluminum provides “a particularly efficient heat transition” between the PTC element and the radiator element.
It would have been obvious to a person having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify the material selection for the upper contact sheet 10/20/21 of Bohlender of modified arrangement of Bohlender as applied in Claim 8 to be aluminum, as Bohlender teaches the material selection for a contact sheet between the PTC element and the radiator element is preferably aluminum, and such a selection of aluminum provides the advantage of “a particularly efficient heat transition” between the PTC element and the radiator element, and the resulting arrangement has the reasonable expectation of successfully providing the modified arrangement of Bohlender as applied in Claim 8 with a working and known material selection of aluminum for the upper contact sheet as taught by Bohlender.
The modified arrangement of Bohlender as applied above is silent as to the particular material selected for the PTC element metallization coat.
Baruschke teaches (SpecQuote below) that it is known to select silver or aluminum as the material for the metallization coating of a PTC element.
SpecQuote: “Here, the heating element has at least one electroconductive coating, preferably silver, aluminum, copper, coating which can be applied by immersion, chemical vapor deposition (PVD) or gas phase deposition by physical process (CVD). When a voltage is applied, the heating element is traversed by the current, essentially in the direction of its thickness (minimum 90%) and only slightly in the direction of its longitudinal extent (maximum 10%), so that the surface metallization is carried out by the coating and / or by contact elements on a (large) surface, so that the flow of current occurs almost exclusively or completely through the PTC material which forms the heating element.”
It would have been obvious to a person having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to look to the prior art to select a material for the PTC element metallization coating, as such a selection would have to be made in order to practice the disclosure of the modified arrangement of Bohlender as applied above, and Baruschke teaches that it is known in the art to select silver or aluminum as the material for the metallization coating of a PTC element, and the resulting arrangement has the reasonable expectation of successfully providing the modified arrangement of Bohlender as applied above with a working and known material selection of aluminum for the metallization coating of a PTC element of modified arrangement of Bohlender as applied above.
Claim(s) 9-10 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Bohlender (US 7,012,225) in view of Niederer (US 9,161,391)
Claim 9
Bohlender discloses:
“A method for manufacturing a positive temperature coefficient (PTC) heating device (best seen Fig8-11 in particular, with generic schematic views Fig1-6), comprising:
providing at least one PTC element (PTC element 41) having a … first and second contact surfaces (top and bottom contact surfaces of PTC element 41 in contact with lower contact sheet 42 and upper contact sheet without a reference character corresponding to schematic upper sheet 10/20/21, C9L36-29, layer arrangement best seen Fig11),
providing first and second contact elements (lower contact sheet 42 and upper contact sheet without a reference character corresponding to upper sheet 10/20/21, C9L36-29, layer arrangement best seen Fig11) to be assigned different polarities (electrical conduction between PTC element 41 and upper/lower contact sheets, as best shown by generic Fig5 and C8L4-9, where non-conductive lacquer 3 is pressed out of contact region 13 between PTC element 4 and contact sheet 2 in order to establish “an electrically conductive contact”; therefore when there is an electric flow through lower sheet-to-PTC element-to-upper sheet, then the lower/upper sheets implicitly have different polarities due to the flow of electricity; Polarities best shown schematically in Fig6), … of the contact elements (lower/upper contact sheet 42/10/20/21) being provided with a strand of an electrically non-conductive adhesive coating following the contour of the contact surfaces (C9L36-37, PTC heating element 41 are pre-positioned on lower contact sheet 42 via a lacquer; Fig5, lacquer bead 12 follows contour of the lower contact surface/element connection; C9L36-37, C3L8-18, lacquer is non-conductive and elastic), and
contacting the contact surfaces (top/bottom surface of PTC element 41) in an electrically conductive manner with the first and second contact elements (electrical conduction between PTC element 41 and upper/lower contact sheets, as best shown by generic Fig5 and C8L4-9, where non-conductive lacquer 3 is pressed out of contact region 13 between PTC element 4 and contact sheet 2 in order to establish “an electrically conductive contact”), wherein at least one of the first and second contact elements includes projections that are integrally formed therewith and that overlap a circumferential side of the at least one PTC element (best seen annotated Fig8/9 circled regions, upper contact sheet has integral projections that overlap a circumferential side of the PTC element – see projections in annotated ovals), and,
during the contacting (motion best seen Fig5), displacing the adhesive coating (lacquer 3, lacquer bead 12 displaced by press of PTC element 4 onto lower contact sheet 42/2) in such a manner that both the first and … contact surfaces are circumferentially sealed by a frame formed by the adhesive coating (C9L36-37, PTC heating element 41 are pre-positioned on lower contact sheet 42 via a lacquer; Fig5, lacquer bead 12 follows contour of the lower contact surface/element connection).”
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Bohlender further does not explicitly disclose that the second/upper contact element has an electrically non-conductive adhesive coating, nor that the second/upper contact surface is sealed by a frame. Bohlender is also silent as to the particular material selected for the PTC element.
Bohlender teaches (C6L54-60) that a layer of the lacquer is provided to “at least one of the contact sheets”, thus teaching that the lacquer may be applied to both the upper/lower contact sheets. Bohlender further teaches (C7L62-C8L3, C2L51-54,C2L37-43) that the application of the lacquer layer of Bohlender provides protection against corrosion due to moisture between the PTC element and the contact sheet “in a conventional way” and that (C2L12-19) moisture between the PTC element and a contact sheet can result in significant power loss.
It would have been obvious to a person having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify the arrangement of Bohlender to duplicate lacquer bead seal from between the lower contact sheet and the PTC element to also be present between the upper contact sheet and the PTC element, in order to gain the advantage of protection against corrosion due to moisture for both electrical interfaces at the top/bottom of PTC element of the arrangement of Bohlender, and the resulting arrangement has the reasonable expectation of successfully providing the arrangement of Bohlender with improved electrical power performance due to reduced power loss due to moisture corrosion for both electrical interfaces at the top/bottom of PTC element of the arrangement of Bohlender.
The modified arrangement of Bohlender is silent to a metallization process being applied to the PTC element, and is also silent as to the particular material selected for the PTC element.
Niederer teaches (C1L50-54) that it is known in the art to form a PTC heating element by coating a ceramic block with a metallization coating.
It would have been obvious to a person having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to look to the prior art to select a means of producing the PTC element of the modified arrangement of Bohlender, as one of ordinary skill in the art would have to make such a selection in order to practice the modified arrangement of Bohlender, and Niederer teaches that it is known in the art to form a PTC heating element by coating a ceramic block with a metallization coating, and the resulting arrangement has the reasonable expectation of successfully providing the modified arrangement of Bohlender with a working and known in the art fabrication structure/method to form the PTC element as taught by Niederer.
Claim 10
The modified arrangement of Bohlender by the teachings of Bohlender and Niederer discloses: “The method according to claim 9, wherein the PTC element (Bohlender: PTC element 41) is coated with a metallic material (limitation is within the scope of the modification taught by Niederer. Metallization coating on ceramic block) corresponding to a base material of the contact elements for forming the contact surfaces (limitation is within the scope of the combination as discussed in Claim 9. Base Bohlender has electrical conduction through the lower and upper contact sheets 42/10/20/21 carrier via PTC element 41. Niederer modifies PTC element to be formed of a ceramic center body with a metallization coating which carries current across the PTC element between two abutting metal sheets.).”
Claim(s) 11 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Bohlender (US 7,012,225) in view of Niederer (US 9,161,391), in further view of Baruschke (FR 2 901 869)
Claim 11
The modified arrangement of Bohlender by the teachings of Bohlender and Niederer discloses: “The method according to claim 9, wherein the contact elements are made of an aluminum base material (Bohlender: Claim 5, C3L16-17, lower contact sheet is made from aluminum), and …”
The modified arrangement of Bohlender by the teachings of Bohlender and Niederer is silent to the upper contact sheet being made from aluminum.
Bohlender teaches (C3L16-17, C3L34-38) that the material selection for a contact sheet between the PTC element and the radiator element is preferably aluminum, as aluminum provides “a particularly efficient heat transition” between the PTC element and the radiator element.
It would have been obvious to a person having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify the material selection for the upper contact sheet 10/20/21 of Bohlender of modified arrangement of Bohlender by the teachings of Bohlender and Niederer to be aluminum, as Bohlender teaches the material selection for a contact sheet between the PTC element and the radiator element is preferably aluminum, and such a selection of aluminum provides the advantage of “a particularly efficient heat transition” between the PTC element and the radiator element, and the resulting arrangement has the reasonable expectation of successfully providing the modified arrangement of Bohlender by the teachings of Bohlender and Niederer with a working and known material selection of aluminum for the upper contact sheet as taught by Bohlender.
The modified arrangement of Bohlender by the teachings of Bohlender and Niederer is silent as to the particular material selected for the PTC element metallization coat.
Baruschke teaches (SpecQuote below) that it is known to select silver or aluminum as the material for the metallization coating of a PTC element.
SpecQuote: “Here, the heating element has at least one electroconductive coating, preferably silver, aluminum, copper, coating which can be applied by immersion, chemical vapor deposition (PVD) or gas phase deposition by physical process (CVD). When a voltage is applied, the heating element is traversed by the current, essentially in the direction of its thickness (minimum 90%) and only slightly in the direction of its longitudinal extent (maximum 10%), so that the surface metallization is carried out by the coating and / or by contact elements on a (large) surface, so that the flow of current occurs almost exclusively or completely through the PTC material which forms the heating element.”
It would have been obvious to a person having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to look to the prior art to select a material for the PTC element metallization coating, as such a selection would have to be made in order to practice the disclosure of the modified arrangement of Bohlender by the teachings of Bohlender and Niederer, and Baruschke teaches that it is known in the art to select silver or aluminum as the material for the metallization coating of a PTC element, and the resulting arrangement has the reasonable expectation of successfully providing the modified arrangement of Bohlender by the teachings of Bohlender and Niederer with a working and known material selection of aluminum for the metallization coating of a PTC element of modified arrangement of Bohlender by the teachings of Bohlender and Niederer.
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.
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/JOHN S HUNTER, JR/Examiner, Art Unit 3761
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