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 § 103
The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 103 which forms the basis for all obviousness rejections set forth in this Office action:
A patent for a claimed invention may not be obtained, notwithstanding that the claimed invention is not identically disclosed as set forth in section 102, if the differences between the claimed invention and the prior art are such that the claimed invention as a whole would have been obvious before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to a person having ordinary skill in the art to which the claimed invention pertains. Patentability shall not be negated by the manner in which the invention was made.
The factual inquiries 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.
Claims 1-3 and 6 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Bogdanski (US 5430273 A), hereinafter Bogdanski, in view of Thomann (FR 2859013 A1), hereinafter Thomann, and further in view of Matsunaga (JP H05226069 A), hereinafter Matsunaga.
Regarding claim 1, Bogdanski discloses an induction cooker having a heat insulation protection pad structure and a temperature detection device, comprising:
a heat insulation protection pad, being a circular sheet, the heat insulation protection pad having at least one through hole (“The thermal insulation 32 is in the form of a plate with a central opening 35” column 5, line 4);
an induction cooker, having a housing (23, 24), a support (16), a plurality of coils (“The induction generating or producing means 14 comprise an induction coil 30” column 3, line 57) and a panel (“glass ceramic plate 12” column 5, line 6);
wherein the housing forms an inner accommodating space (“In the vicinity of a short marginal side 24 of the elongated, rectangular component 11 ventilation openings 25 are provided through which a fan 37 arranged in a recess of the cooling body 15 draws air or blows it out after flowing through the cooling channels 19, 28” column 3, line 44), and the heat insulation protection pad is disposed on the panel (Figure 2);
the panel is fixed at the housing, the support is combined at the housing and is located in the inner accommodating space (Figure 2);
the support has a support plate (“a mounting plate 16” column 3, line 33), the support plate has a position corresponding to that of the panel and spaced by a distance, and the coils are combined at the support plate and face the panel (Figure 2); and
a temperature detection module, having at least one temperature detector (“an optical sensor 36, which senses the radiation from the glass ceramic plate” column 5, line 36), a central processing unit (42 and/or 54) and a circuit controller (26, 27);
wherein the temperature detector is disposed at the support plate and has a position aligned with that of the through hole, and the temperature detector is for detecting a temperature of the panel to generate a temperature value (Figure 2);
the temperature detector is signally connected with the central processing unit (Figure 4), and the central processing unit has a threshold unit and a comparison unit signally connected to each other (41);
the comparison unit is signally connected with the temperature detector and the circuit controller, the threshold unit pre-stores a temperature threshold, the comparison circuit is for comparing the temperature threshold with the temperature value, and the central processing unit drives the circuit controller to control the coils to stop heating when the temperature value is greater than or equal to the temperature threshold (“For this purpose the optical sensors 36 of each induction cooking point act by means of comparators 41 on a microcomputer 42 (FIG. 4), one being provided in each case for the control and regulation of an induction cooking point. It is adjustable by means of the setting member with the knob 26 to a specific temperature or power stage” column 5, line 58).
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Bogdanski does not disclose:
the heat insulation protection pad having an arc;
a recessed induction cooker having an arched panel, the arched panel is a circular plate having an arch;
the support plate is a circular plate having an arc.
However, Thomann teaches:
the heat insulation protection pad having an arc (“the shell of insulating material 3 in the form of a separate cap” all citations from the machine translation appended to the foreign reference);
a recessed induction cooker having an arched panel, the arched panel is a circular plate having an arch (“the glass ceramic wok (Ceran) in the form of a cap 1” and “The present invention relates to a construction of a new type for the installation of a spirally wound induction coil in a heating device for a Wok. A wok is a cooking or rotisserie appliance whose cooking surface is curved downwards in the form of a cap, mainly in the shape of a spherical cap”).
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Bogdanski does not disclose the claimed arched arrangement. Thomann teaches claimed arched arrangement. The substitution of known elements (the flat panel and insulator of Bogdanski) for others (the arched panel and insulator of Thomann) would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art at the time of the invention, since the substitution of the arched panel and insulator taught in Thomann would have yielded predictable results, namely, a cooker for alternatively shaped cooking vessels (woks) Agrizap, Inc. v. Woodstream Corp., 520 F.3d 1337, 86 USPQ2d 1110 (Fed. Cir. 2008).
Bogdanski, as modified by Thomann, does not explicitly disclose the support plate is a circular plate having an arc.
However, Matsunaga teaches the support plate is a circular plate having an arc (“a coil support 22 formed in a hemispherical shape” all citations from the machine translation appended to the foreign reference).
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Bogdanski does not disclose the claimed arched arrangement. Matsunaga teaches claimed arched arrangement. The substitution of known elements (the flat support plate Bogdanski) for others (the arched support plate of Matsunaga) would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art at the time of the invention, since the substitution of the arched panel and insulator taught in Matsunaga would have yielded predictable results, namely, a cooker for alternatively shaped cooking vessels (woks) Agrizap, Inc. v. Woodstream Corp., 520 F.3d 1337, 86 USPQ2d 1110 (Fed. Cir. 2008).
Regarding claim 2, Bogdanski, as modified by Thomann and Matsunaga, discloses the recessed induction cooker having the heat insulation protection pad structure and the temperature detection device according to claim 1, wherein the through hole is one in quantity, and the temperature detector is one in quantity (Bogdanski discloses one through hole and one temperature detection device for each induction cooker).
Regarding claim 3, Bogdanski, as modified by Thomann and Matsunaga, discloses the recessed induction cooker having the heat insulation protection pad structure and the temperature detection device according to claim 1, wherein the heat insulation protection pad has a center position, the center position is located at a center of the heat insulation protection pad, and the through hole is located at the center position (Figure 2 of Bogdanski);
the support plate has a center portion, the center portion is located at a center of the support plate, the center portion is aligned with the through hole (As taught by Thomann), and the temperature detector is installed at the center portion (Figure 2 of Bogdanski).
Regarding claim 6, Bogdanski, as modified by Thomann and Matsunaga, discloses the recessed induction cooker having the heat insulation protection pad structure and the temperature detection device according to claim 1, wherein the heat insulation protection pad is formed of a silicon material or a plastic material (“The thermal insulation 32 is in the form of a plate with a central opening 35 between the latter and the glass ceramic plate 12 and which covers the induction coil 30. It is made from a very good heat protecting and preferably also electrically insulating material, e.g. a pyrogenic silica aerogel” column 5, line 4).
Claim 4 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Bogdanski, in view of Thomann, in view of Matsunaga, and further in view of Petetin (US 5679273 A), hereinafter Petetin.
Regarding claim 4, Bogdanski, as modified by Thomann and Matsunaga, discloses the recessed induction cooker having the heat insulation protection pad structure and the temperature detection device according to claim 1, wherein the housing has a top plate, and the top plate is located on one end of the housing and is formed of a glass material, the arched panel is formed of a glass material (“a plate 12, e.g. a glass ceramic plate” column 3, line 11. The examiner notes that the top plate and panel of Bogdanski are of single piece construction).
Bogdanski, as modified by Thomann and Matsunaga, does not disclose wherein the top plate has an accommodating hole;
the recessed induction cooker further comprising coupling frame, the coupling frame being annular and having a first extension portion and a second extension portion, wherein the first extension portion and the second extension portion have different extension directions, the first extension portion is combined at the top plate, the second extension portion extends into the accommodating hole, and the first extension portion is fixed at the top plate by using an adhesive;
the arched panel has an outer periphery, and the outer periphery of the arched panel is combined at the second extension portion by using an adhesive.
However, Petetin teaches wherein the top plate has an accommodating hole (“The support table 1 has openings 3 in which the burners 2 are fixedly flush-mounted to said openings” column 2, line 36);
the recessed induction cooker further comprising coupling frame, the coupling frame being annular and having a first extension portion and a second extension portion, wherein the first extension portion and the second extension portion have different extension directions, the first extension portion is combined at the top plate, the second extension portion extends into the accommodating hole (“mounting means 4 which provide a seal” column 2, line 38. Element 4 extends outward to the top plate and inward toward the hole), and the first extension portion is fixed at the top plate by using an adhesive;
the arched panel has an outer periphery, and the outer periphery of the arched panel is combined at the second extension portion by using an adhesive (“said mounting means comprise a special adhesive which is resistant to high temperature and has thermal insulation properties” column 2, line 40).
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In view of Petetin’s teachings, it would have been obvious to a person having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the invention to include wherein the top plate has an accommodating hole;
the recessed induction cooker further comprising coupling frame, the coupling frame being annular and having a first extension portion and a second extension portion, wherein the first extension portion and the second extension portion have different extension directions, the first extension portion is combined at the top plate, the second extension portion extends into the accommodating hole, and the first extension portion is fixed at the top plate by using an adhesive;
the arched panel has an outer periphery, and the outer periphery of the arched panel is combined at the second extension portion by using an adhesive as is taught in Petetin, in the induction cooker disclosed by Bogdanski because Petetin states “said mounting means comprise a special adhesive which is resistant to high temperature and has thermal insulation properties, making it possible to substantially prevent propagation of heat from the burners 2 to the support table 1” (column 2, line 40). Therefore, including the features of Petetin will prevent propagation of heat beyond the cooking panel.
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 5 and 7-11 are objected to as being dependent upon a rejected base claim, but would be allowable if rewritten in independent form including all of the limitations of the base claim and any intervening claims.
The following is a statement of reasons for the indication of allowable subject matter:
None of the prior art of record teaches or suggests a recessed induction cooker with all of the limitations of dependent claims 5, 7, and 10.
Claim 5 recites the limitations “wherein the housing has a bottom plate and four side plates, one end of each of the side plates is connected to the bottom plate, and the top plate is combined to one other end of the bottom plate connected to the side plates; the support is combined at the side plates of the housing, the support has a connecting plate joined with the support plate, and the connecting plate is connected to the side plates of the housing.” Bogdanski discloses wherein the housing has a bottom plate and side plates, one end of each of the side plates is connected to the bottom plate; the support is combined at the side plates of the housing. Bogdanski does not explicitly disclose four side plates or wherein the support has a connecting plate joined with the support plate, and the connecting plate is connected to the side plates of the housing. No art was found such that further modification of Bogdanski, Thomann, Matsunaga, and Petetin would have rendered claim 5 obvious. Therefore, these limitations, when combined with every other limitation of the claim, distinguish the claim from the prior art.
Claim 7 recites the limitations:
wherein the through hole is one in quantity;
the temperature detector is two in quantity, the two temperature detectors are defined to be a first temperature detector and a second temperature detector, the first temperature detector has a position aligned with that of the through hole, a temperature detected by the first temperature detector is a first temperature value, and a temperature detected by the second temperature detector is a second temperature value;
the pre-stored temperature threshold in the threshold unit is two in quantity, the two temperature thresholds are defined to be a first temperature threshold and a second temperature threshold;
the comparison unit is for comparing the first temperature threshold with the first temperature value, and comparing the second temperature threshold with the second temperature value; and
when the first temperature value is greater than or equal to the first temperature threshold or the second temperature value is greater than or equal to the second temperature threshold, the central processing unit drives the circuit controller to control the coils to stop heating.
Bogdanski discloses wherein the through hole is one in quantity;
the first temperature detector has a position aligned with that of the through hole, a temperature detected by the first temperature detector is a first temperature value.
Bogdanski does not disclose the temperature detector is two in quantity, the two temperature detectors are defined to be a first temperature detector and a second temperature detector, and a temperature detected by the second temperature detector is a second temperature value;
the pre-stored temperature threshold in the threshold unit is two in quantity, the two temperature thresholds are defined to be a first temperature threshold and a second temperature threshold;
the comparison unit is for comparing the first temperature threshold with the first temperature value, and comparing the second temperature threshold with the second temperature value; and
when the first temperature value is greater than or equal to the first temperature threshold or the second temperature value is greater than or equal to the second temperature threshold, the central processing unit drives the circuit controller to control the coils to stop heating.
No art was found such that further modification of Bogdanski, Thomann, and Matsunaga, would have rendered claim 7 obvious. Therefore, these limitations, when combined with every other limitation of the claim, distinguish the claim from the prior art. Claims 8 and 9 are objected to at least because they depend from claim 7.
Claim 10 recites the limitation wherein the through hole is two in quantity, and the two through holes are defined to be a first through hole and a second through hole;
the temperature detector is two in quantity, the two temperature detectors are defined to be a first temperature detector and a second temperature detector; the first temperature detector has a position aligned with that of the first through hole, and the second temperature detector has a position aligned with that of the second through hole;
the heat insulation protection pad has a center position, the center position is located at a center of the heat insulation protection pad, the first through hole is closer to the center position than the second through hole, and the second through hole is farther away from the center position than the first through hole; the support plate has a center portion, the center portion is located at a center of the support plate, the first temperature detector is closer to the center portion than the second temperature detector, and the second temperature detector is farther away from the center portion than the first temperature detector; and
the pre-stored temperature threshold in the threshold unit is two in quantity, the two temperature thresholds are defined to be a first temperature threshold and a second temperature threshold; the comparison unit is for comparing the first temperature threshold with the first temperature value, and comparing the second temperature threshold with the second temperature value; and
when the first temperature value is greater than or equal to the first temperature threshold or the second temperature value is greater than or equal to the second temperature threshold, the central processing unit drives the circuit controller to control the coils to stop heating and is objected to by the same or substantially the same rationale as articulated with regards to claim 7, above. Claim 11 is objected to at least because it depends from claim 10.
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure:
Bogdanski (US 6150636 A)
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Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to LOGAN P JONES whose telephone number is (303)297-4309. The examiner can normally be reached Mon-Fri 8:30-5:00 EST.
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If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Michael Hoang can be reached at (571) 272-6460. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/LOGAN P JONES/Examiner, Art Unit 3762