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 .
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 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 of this title, 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 19-29 and 31-36 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Wang et al. (CN209518269, Applicant’s submitted IDS) in view of Li et al. (US2014/0109898).
Regarding claim 19, Wang teaches a heater assembly for an aerosol-generating system, the heater assembly comprising: a heating element comprising a mesh (Fig. 2), the mesh comprising: a plurality of first filaments (20) extending in a first direction, wherein the first filaments comprise a first material having a first electrical conductivity (see translation page 3), a plurality of second filaments (10) extending in a second direction, wherein the first direction is perpendicular to the second direction, and wherein the second filaments comprise a second material having a second electrical conductivity (see translation page 3), wherein the first electrical conductivity is greater than the second electrical conductivity (the aluminum material of the first filaments is considered more conductive than the steel of the second filaments), and at least two electrical terminals (31, 41) configured to supply electrical power to the heating element, wherein each of the electrical terminals is connected to at least one of the first filaments (the terminals are both connected by way of the contact between the two filaments), wherein the at least two electrical terminals comprise a first electrical terminal (41) and a second electrical terminal (31), and wherein, during use, electrical current is conducted between the first electrical terminal and the second electrical terminal via the plurality of second filaments (the terminals are both connected by way of the contact between the two filaments).
Wang fails to each of the first filaments comprises a core and a coating overlying the core, wherein the coating comprises the first material, and wherein the core of each of the first filaments is formed from a material having a lower electrical conductivity than the first material.
In an analogous art, Li teaches an atomizing device. Li teaches coating electrical wires with silver to improve conductivity (see paragraph [0020]).
It would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the invention to modify the heater assembly of Wang and change it so that each of the first filaments comprises a core and a coating overlying the core, wherein the coating comprises the first material, and wherein the core of each of the first filaments is formed from a material having a lower electrical conductivity than the first material as taught by Li to improve the conductivity of the first filaments.
Regarding claim 20, Wang as modified teaches the core comprises stainless steel.
Regarding claim 21, Wang as modified fails to explicitly teach the coating has a thickness of between 1 micrometer and 5 micrometers.
Since applicant has not disclosed that having the coating at a thickness of between 1 micrometer and 5 micrometers solves any stated problem or is for any particular purpose above the fact that the coating improves conductivity and it appears that the heater assembly of Wang as modified would perform equally well with a coating thickness as claimed by applicant, it would have been an obvious matter of design choice to modify the heater assembly of Wang as modified by utilizing the specific coating thickness as claimed for the purpose of improving conductivity.
Regarding claim 22, Wang as modified teaches the core of each of the first filaments comprises a same material as each of the second filaments (Li teaches conductive wire as a base material).
Regarding claim 23, Wang as modified teaches the first material comprises at least one of silver, gold, and platinum (Li teaches silver).
Regarding claim 24, Wang as modified teaches the second material comprises stainless steel (Wang teaches steel as a base material).
Regarding claim 25, Wang as modified teaches the mesh is a woven mesh.
Regarding claim 26, Wang as modified teaches a transport material configured to convey a liquid aerosol-forming substrate to the heating element (Wang teaches an oil atomizer, see translation page 1).
Regarding claims 27-28, Wang as modified teaches a cartridge for an aerosol-generating system, the cartridge comprising: a heater assembly according to claim 19; but fails to explicitly teach a liquid storage compartment configured to hold a liquid aerosol-forming substrate, and an aerosol-generating device arranged to be removably coupled to the cartridge, the aerosol-generating device comprising a power supply configured to supply electrical power to the heating element.
Li further teaches a liquid storage compartment (solution absorbed in fiber core 1) and a power supply (paragraph [0004]).
It would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the invention to modify the heater assembly of Wang and change it so that it has a liquid storage compartment configured to hold a liquid aerosol-forming substrate, and an aerosol-generating device arranged to be removably coupled to the cartridge, the aerosol-generating device comprising a power supply configured to supply electrical power to the heating element as taught by Li to provide liquid to the heater, and power to the heater.
Regarding claim 29, Wang teaches a method of forming a heater assembly for an aerosol-generating system, the method comprising: forming a mesh (Fig. 2) for use as a heating element, the forming the mesh comprising: providing a plurality of first filaments (20) comprising a first material having a first electrical conductivity, providing a plurality of second filaments (10) comprising a second material having a second electrical conductivity, wherein the first electrical conductivity is greater than the second electrical conductivity (the aluminum material of the first filaments is considered more conductive than the steel of the second filaments), and forming a mesh comprising the plurality of first filaments extending in a first direction and the plurality of second filaments extending in a second direction, wherein the first direction is perpendicular to the second direction; and providing at least two electrical terminals (31, 41) for supplying electrical power to the mesh heating element, wherein the providing the at least two electrical terminals comprises: providing a first electrical terminal (41) and a second electrical terminal (31), and connecting each of the electrical terminals to at least one of the first filaments of the mesh so that, during use of the heater assembly, electrical current is conducted between the first electrical terminal and the second electrical terminal via the plurality of second filaments (the terminals are both connected by way of the contact between the two filaments).
Wang fails to teach each of the first filaments comprises a core and a coating overlying the core, wherein the coating comprises the first material, and wherein the core of each of the first filaments is formed from a material having a lower electrical conductivity than the first material.
In an analogous art, Li teaches an atomizing device. Li teaches coating electrical wires with silver to improve conductivity (see paragraph [0020]).
It would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the invention to modify the heater assembly of Wang and change it so that each of the first filaments comprises a core and a coating overlying the core, the coating comprising the first material, and wherein the core of each of the first filaments is formed from a material having a lower electrical conductivity than the first material as taught by Li to improve the conductivity of the first filaments.
Regarding claim 31, Wang as modified teaches the core comprises stainless steel (Wang teaches steel as a base material).
Regarding claim 32, Wang as modified fails to explicitly teach the coating has a thickness of between 1 micrometer and 5 micrometers.
Since applicant has not disclosed that having the coating at a thickness of between 1 micrometer and 5 micrometers solves any stated problem or is for any particular purpose above the fact that the coating improves conductivity and it appears that the heater assembly of Wang as modified would perform equally well with a coating thickness as claimed by applicant, it would have been an obvious matter of design choice to modify the heater assembly of Wang as modified by utilizing the specific coating thickness as claimed for the purpose of improving conductivity.
Regarding claim 33, Wang as modified teaches the core of each of the first filaments comprises a same material as each of the second filaments (Li teaches conductive wire as a base material).
Regarding claim 34, Wang as modified teaches the first material comprises at least one of silver, gold, and platinum (Li teaches silver).
Regarding claim 35, Wang as modified teaches the second material comprises stainless steel.
Regarding claim 36, Wang as modified teaches the forming the mesh further comprises weaving the plurality of first filaments with the plurality of second filaments to form a woven mesh.
Claim 30 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Wang in view of Li and Yu et al. (US2018/0140014).
Wang as modified fails to teach heat treating the mesh to bond the plurality of first filaments to the plurality of second filaments.
In an analogous art, Yu teaches an atomizer with a mesh wick. Yu teaches bonding the mesh materials for a better wicking effect (paragraph [0092]).
It would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the invention to modify the method of Wang as modified and change it to add a step of heat treating the mesh to bond the plurality of first filaments to the plurality of second filaments as taught by Yu to improve the wicking effect of the mesh.
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure. US references 2018/0295881, 12471633 and 2018/0376538 teach atomizers with mesh heating assemblies.
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/CAMERON A CORDAY/Examiner, Art Unit 3745
/COURTNEY D HEINLE/Supervisory Patent Examiner, Art Unit 3745