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 Interpretation
The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 112(f):
(f) Element in Claim for a Combination. – An element in a claim for a combination may be expressed as a means or step for performing a specified function without the recital of structure, material, or acts in support thereof, and such claim shall be construed to cover the corresponding structure, material, or acts described in the specification and equivalents thereof.
The following is a quotation of pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, sixth paragraph:
An element in a claim for a combination may be expressed as a means or step for performing a specified function without the recital of structure, material, or acts in support thereof, and such claim shall be construed to cover the corresponding structure, material, or acts described in the specification and equivalents thereof.
The claims in this application are given their broadest reasonable interpretation using the plain meaning of the claim language in light of the specification as it would be understood by one of ordinary skill in the art. The broadest reasonable interpretation of a claim element (also commonly referred to as a claim limitation) is limited by the description in the specification when 35 U.S.C. 112(f) or pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, sixth paragraph, is invoked.
As explained in MPEP § 2181, subsection I, claim limitations that meet the following three-prong test will be interpreted under 35 U.S.C. 112(f) or pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, sixth paragraph:
(A) the claim limitation uses the term “means” or “step” or a term used as a substitute for “means” that is a generic placeholder (also called a nonce term or a non-structural term having no specific structural meaning) for performing the claimed function;
(B) the term “means” or “step” or the generic placeholder is modified by functional language, typically, but not always linked by the transition word “for” (e.g., “means for”) or another linking word or phrase, such as “configured to” or “so that”; and
(C) the term “means” or “step” or the generic placeholder is not modified by sufficient structure, material, or acts for performing the claimed function.
Use of the word “means” (or “step”) in a claim with functional language creates a rebuttable presumption that the claim limitation is to be treated in accordance with 35 U.S.C. 112(f) or pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, sixth paragraph. The presumption that the claim limitation is interpreted under 35 U.S.C. 112(f) or pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, sixth paragraph, is rebutted when the claim limitation recites sufficient structure, material, or acts to entirely perform the recited function.
Absence of the word “means” (or “step”) in a claim creates a rebuttable presumption that the claim limitation is not to be treated in accordance with 35 U.S.C. 112(f) or pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, sixth paragraph. The presumption that the claim limitation is not interpreted under 35 U.S.C. 112(f) or pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, sixth paragraph, is rebutted when the claim limitation recites function without reciting sufficient structure, material or acts to entirely perform the recited function.
Claim limitations in this application that use the word “means” (or “step”) are being interpreted under 35 U.S.C. 112(f) or pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, sixth paragraph, except as otherwise indicated in an Office action. Conversely, claim limitations in this application that do not use the word “means” (or “step”) are not being interpreted under 35 U.S.C. 112(f) or pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, sixth paragraph, except as otherwise indicated in an Office action.
This application includes one or more claim limitations that do not use the word “means,” but are nonetheless being interpreted under 35 U.S.C. 112(f) or pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, sixth paragraph, because the claim limitation(s) uses a generic placeholder that is coupled with functional language without reciting sufficient structure to perform the recited function and the generic placeholder is not preceded by a structural modifier. Such claim limitation(s) is/are: “outdoor unit is configured to” in claims 1, 4-8, and “indoor unit is configured to” in claim 1.
Because this/these claim limitation(s) is/are being interpreted under 35 U.S.C. 112(f) or pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, sixth paragraph, it/they is/are being interpreted to cover the corresponding structure described in the specification as performing the claimed function, and equivalents thereof.
If applicant does not intend to have this/these limitation(s) interpreted under 35 U.S.C. 112(f) or pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, sixth paragraph, applicant may: (1) amend the claim limitation(s) to avoid it/them being interpreted under 35 U.S.C. 112(f) or pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, sixth paragraph (e.g., by reciting sufficient structure to perform the claimed function); or (2) present a sufficient showing that the claim limitation(s) recite(s) sufficient structure to perform the claimed function so as to avoid it/them being interpreted under 35 U.S.C. 112(f) or pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, sixth paragraph.
Examiner notes that sufficient structure for the indoor unit and the outdoor unit can be found in the specification [0032] The devices are the outdoor unit 10, and the indoor unit 20, [0046], and [0026] shows support for the physical configurations of both the indoor and outdoor unit.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 102
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 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.
Claim(s) 1-3, and 8 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Chen at al. (CN110887109, note a machine translation is used for mapping).
Regarding claim 1, Chen teaches An air-conditioning apparatus comprising: an outdoor unit; at least one indoor unit connected to the outdoor unit by a refrigerant pipe; a transmission line provided to extend along the refrigerant pipe (page 4 lines 22-25 The air conditioning system provided by the invention comprises at least one indoor unit, at least one outdoor unit and at least one outdoor unit which are used as end nodes, and further comprises: at least one routing valve as a transit node connected to said end node in a network); and a measuring device configured to measure a length of the refrigerant pipe from the outdoor unit to the at least one indoor unit, based on an indoor unit signal for measurement of the length of the refrigerant pipe that is transmitted from the at least one refrigerant pipe through the transmission line (page 4 lines 40-42 the routing valve further comprises a resistance measuring module for measuring the resistance of the communication line between the routing valve and each adjacent node, and the controller calculates the resistance according to the resistance measured), wherein the outdoor unit is configured to transmit an outdoor unit signal for measurement of the length of the refrigerant pipe to the at least one indoor unit, the at least one indoor unit is configured to receive the outdoor unit signal transmitted from the outdoor unit, and transmit the indoor unit signal for measurement of the length of the refrigerant pipe upon reception of the outdoor unit signal, and the measuring device is configured to measure the length of the refrigerant pipe located from the outdoor unit to the at least one indoor unit, based on the indoor unit signal transmitted from the at least one indoor unit (Page 7 lines 33-39 The length of the communication line between the routing valve and each adjacent node, namely the length of the refrigerant pipeline, can be obtained. L is the length of the communication line or the length of the refrigerant pipeline, R is the resistance measured by the resistance measuring module, S is the cross-sectional area of the communication line, and rho is the resistivity of the communication line. In another preferred embodiment, the lengths of the refrigerant pipelines between the routing valve and each adjacent node can also be measured manually and then stored as a corresponding table, so that the controller can know the length information, page 8 lines 7-17 when any indoor unit receives a control instruction of a user, the indoor unit sends corresponding refrigerating or heating requirements to a routing valve connected with the indoor unit (each indoor unit or outdoor unit is connected with at least one routing valve at most), if the routing valve is connected with at least one outdoor unit, the routing valve immediately finds the outdoor unit with the shortest length of a refrigerant pipeline between the routing valve and the indoor unit according to a preset strategy, the routing valve is communicated with the outdoor unit to obtain the residual refrigerating capacity of the outdoor unit currently in communication, page 4 lines 23-25 The air conditioning system provided by the invention comprises at least one indoor unit, at least one outdoor unit and at least one outdoor unit which are used as end nodes, and further comprises: at least one routing valve as a transit node connected to said end node in a network).
Regarding claim 2, Chen teaches The air-conditioning apparatus of claim 1, wherein the measuring device is the outdoor unit (page 4 lines 30-37, routing valve includes: the system comprises a first multi-way valve, a second multi-way valve, a communication module and a controller, wherein the first multi-way valve is connected with a refrigerant pipeline in the direction from the outdoor unit to the indoor unit, the second multi-way valve is connected with the refrigerant pipeline in the direction from the indoor unit to the outdoor unit, the communication module is communicated with adjacent nodes, and the controller forwards the received refrigeration or heating requirements to the outdoor unit or other routing valves in the adjacent nodes according to a preset strategy).
Regarding claim 3, Chen teaches The air-conditioning apparatus of claim 2, wherein the outdoor unit signal and the indoor unit signal are transmitted through the transmission line (page 4 lines 23-25, The air conditioning system provided by the invention comprises at least one indoor unit, at least one outdoor unit and at least one outdoor unit which are used as end nodes, and further comprises: at least one routing valve as a transit node connected to said end node in a network).
Regarding claim 8, Chen teaches The air-conditioning apparatus of claim 1, wherein the measuring device is the outdoor unit (page 4 lines 30-37, routing valve includes: the system comprises a first multi-way valve, a second multi-way valve, a communication module and a controller, wherein the first multi-way valve is connected with a refrigerant pipeline in the direction from the outdoor unit to the indoor unit, the second multi-way valve is connected with the refrigerant pipeline in the direction from the indoor unit to the outdoor unit, the communication module is communicated with adjacent nodes, and the controller forwards the received refrigeration or heating requirements to the outdoor unit or other routing valves in the adjacent nodes according to a preset strategy), the at least one indoor unit is a plurality of indoor unit, which further comprises a branch unit configured to cause refrigerant input from the outdoor unit through the refrigerant pipe to branch into refrigerant into the plurality of indoor units , and wherein the outdoor unit is configured to calculate a first length of the refrigerant pipe between the outdoor unit and the branch unit and a second length of the refrigerant pipe between the branch unit and the at least one indoor unit (page 4 lines 26-29 one routing valve transmits the refrigerating or heating requirements of the indoor units in the network to at least one outdoor unit according to a preset strategy, and connects at least one outdoor unit meeting the refrigerating or heating requirements with the corresponding indoor unit to form a refrigerant circulation loop, page 5 lines 5-6 the preset strategy is that the length of a refrigerant pipeline between an indoor unit sending a refrigeration or heating demand and a corresponding outdoor unit is shortest).
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 Offic+e 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.
Claim(s) 4-5, and 9 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Chen at al. (CN110887109, note a machine translation is used for mapping), in view of Tomita et al. (US20190383511).
Regarding claim 4, Chen teaches The air-conditioning apparatus of claim 2,
further comprising: …indicating the measured length of the refrigerant pipe to the … controller, …the length of the refrigerant pipe that is indicated by the remote controller signal transmitted from the outdoor unit (Page 7 lines 33-39 The length of the communication line between the routing valve and each adjacent node, namely the length of the refrigerant pipeline, can be obtained. L is the length of the communication line or the length of the refrigerant pipeline, R is the resistance measured by the resistance measuring module, S is the cross-sectional area of the communication line, and rho is the resistivity of the communication line. In another preferred embodiment, the lengths of the refrigerant pipelines between the routing valve and each adjacent node can also be measured manually and then stored as a corresponding table, so that the controller can know the length information, page 4 lines 23-25 The air conditioning system provided by the invention comprises at least one indoor unit, at least one outdoor unit and at least one outdoor unit which are used as end nodes, and further comprises: at least one routing valve as a transit node connected to said end node in a network).
Chen does not teach a remote controller including a display, wherein the outdoor unit is configured to transmit a remote controller signal… and the remote controller is configured to cause the display to display
Tomita teaches a remote controller including a display, wherein the outdoor unit is configured to transmit a remote controller signal… and the remote controller is configured to cause the display to display ([0060] The remote controller 80 includes the indoor-unit display part 81 and an operation part 82. The indoor-unit display part 81 is connected to the communicator 64 and to the operation part 82, and displays operation conditions of the air-conditioning apparatus 100 and other information. The operation part 82 receives operation made by the user, and transmits an operation signal based on the operation to the communicator 64. The indoor-unit display part 81 displays a screen similar to that of the outdoor-unit display part 70).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify Chen’s teaching of an air conditioning apparatus that measures values such as pipeline lengths with Masayuki’s teaching of an air conditioning system displaying measured values. The combined teaching provides an expected result of an air conditioning apparatus that measures and displays values. Therefore, one of ordinary skill in the art would be motivated to improve the systems user usability allowing for the measured values to be displayed.
Regarding claim 5, the combination of Chen and Tomita teaches The air-conditioning apparatus of claim 4, the at least one indoor unit is a plurality of indoor units, the outdoor unit is configured to transmit the remote controller signal indicating the length of the refrigerant pipes located from the outdoor unit to the plurality of indoor units…length of the refrigerant pipes from the outdoor unit to the plurality of indoor units that is indicated (Chen, page 4 lines 26-29 one routing valve transmits the refrigerating or heating requirements of the indoor units in the network to at least one outdoor unit according to a preset strategy, and connects at least one outdoor unit meeting the refrigerating or heating requirements with the corresponding indoor unit to form a refrigerant circulation loop, page 5 lines 5-6 the preset strategy is that the length of a refrigerant pipeline between an indoor unit sending a refrigeration or heating demand and a corresponding outdoor unit is shortest.)
Tomita further teaches to the remote controller, and the remote controller is configured to display the … by the remote controller signal transmitted from the outdoor unit ([0060] The remote controller 80 includes the indoor-unit display part 81 and an operation part 82. The indoor-unit display part 81 is connected to the communicator 64 and to the operation part 82, and displays operation conditions of the air-conditioning apparatus 100 and other information. The operation part 82 receives operation made by the user, and transmits an operation signal based on the operation to the communicator 64. The indoor-unit display part 81 displays a screen similar to that of the outdoor-unit display part 70).
Regarding claim 9, Chen teaches The air-conditioning apparatus of claim 8, further comprising: … indicating the calculated first or second length… the first or second length (Chen, page 4 lines 26-29 one routing valve transmits the refrigerating or heating requirements of the indoor units in the network to at least one outdoor unit according to a preset strategy, and connects at least one outdoor unit meeting the refrigerating or heating requirements with the corresponding indoor unit to form a refrigerant circulation loop, page 5 lines 5-6 the preset strategy is that the length of a refrigerant pipeline between an indoor unit sending a refrigeration or heating demand and a corresponding outdoor unit is shortest.)
Chen does not teach a remote controller including a display, wherein the outdoor unit is configured to transmit… a remote controller signal to the remote controller, and the remote controller is configured to cause the display to display …indicated by the remote controller signal transmitted from the outdoor unit.
Tomita further teaches a remote controller including a display, wherein the outdoor unit is configured to transmit… a remote controller signal to the remote controller, and the remote controller is configured to cause the display to display …indicated by the remote controller signal transmitted from the outdoor unit. ([0060] The remote controller 80 includes the indoor-unit display part 81 and an operation part 82. The indoor-unit display part 81 is connected to the communicator 64 and to the operation part 82, and displays operation conditions of the air-conditioning apparatus 100 and other information. The operation part 82 receives operation made by the user, and transmits an operation signal based on the operation to the communicator 64. The indoor-unit display part 81 displays a screen similar to that of the outdoor-unit display part 70).
Claim(s) 6-7 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Chen at al. (CN110887109, note a machine translation is used for mapping), in view of Kim et al. (KR20070013540, note a machine translation is used for mapping).
Regarding claim 6, Chen teaches The air-conditioning apparatus of claim 2,
Chen does not teach wherein the indoor unit signal includes time T3 that is total time of time required for the at least one indoor unit to produce the indoor unit signal and time required until the at least one indoor unit transmit the indoor unit signal to the outdoor unit after producing the indoor unit signal, and the outdoor unit is configured to: calculate time T1 that is time required from time at which the outdoor unit transmits the outdoor unit signal to time at which the outdoor unit receives the indoor unit signal, by subtracting the time at which the outdoor unit transmits the outdoor unit signal from the time at which the outdoor unit receives the indoor unit signal, and calculate time T2 that is time required until the outdoor unit signal transmitted from the outdoor unit reaches the at least one indoor unit, using the equation "T2 = (T1 - T3)/2, and measure the length of the refrigerant pipe located from the outdoor unit to the at least one indoor unit, based on the time T2.
Kim teaches wherein the indoor unit signal includes time T3 that is total time of time required for the at least one indoor unit to produce the indoor unit signal and time required until the at least one indoor unit transmit the indoor unit signal to the outdoor unit after producing the indoor unit signal, and the outdoor unit is configured to: calculate time T1 that is time required from time at which the outdoor unit transmits the outdoor unit signal to time at which the outdoor unit receives the indoor unit signal, by subtracting the time at which the outdoor unit transmits the outdoor unit signal from the time at which the outdoor unit receives the indoor unit signal, and calculate time T2 that is time required until the outdoor unit signal transmitted from the outdoor unit reaches the at least one indoor unit, using the equation "T2 = (T1 - T3)/2, and measure the length of the refrigerant pipe located from the outdoor unit to the at least one indoor unit, based on the time T2 (Page 4 lines 1-3 The controller may measure the length of the pipe between the outdoor unit and each indoor unit by using the difference in time detected by the vibration sensor of the outdoor unit and the vibration sensor of each indoor unit and the sound wave propagation speed of the pipe… page 4 lines 10-14 Measuring vibration detection time of the pipes on the outdoor side and the indoor side; Transmitting vibration detection time of the pipes on the outdoor side and the indoor side to the controller; The control unit calculates the pipe length based on the vibration detection time of the transmitted pipes on the outdoor side and each indoor side to measure the pipe length between the outdoor unit and each indoor unit, page 5 lines 25-35 of measuring the pipe length, the controller 22 of the outdoor unit transmits the pipe length measurement start signal to the controller 23 of each indoor unit and drives the electric valve 14 at the same time. (401, 402)The communication signal is to be transmitted to the control unit 23 of each indoor unit at the same time as an electrical signal sound. When the measurement start signal is transmitted, the vibration sensors 16 and 17 of the outdoor unit and each indoor unit detect vibrations by the driving sound of the electric valve 14 and notify each control unit 22 or 23, and each control unit 22 or 23. Is the time from the arrival of the start signal to the length measurement of the pipe using its timer T1, T2 the control unit of each indoor unit detects the detection time… page 6 lines 1-10 is transmitted to the controller 22 of the outdoor unit, and the length of the pipe of each indoor unit is calculated based on the detection time and the valve driving time measured by the controller of the outdoor unit. The calculation of the pipe length is detected by each indoor unit. The time subtracted from the valve drive time, which is the time from when the pipe length measurement start signal is transmitted to the time when the electric valve is driven to detect the vibration of the outdoor unit T3).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify Chen’s teaching of an air conditioning apparatus that measures values such as pipeline lengths with Kim’s teaching of an air conditioning system that measures values such as pipeline lengths using time variables. The combined teaching provides an expected result of an air conditioning apparatus that measures values such as pipeline lengths using time variables Therefore, one of ordinary skill in the art would be motivated to improve the accuracy for calculating pipeline lengths as supported in the abstract of Kim “to enable easy and accurate measurement of the pipe length between the outdoor unit and each indoor unit”.
Regarding claim 7, Chen teaches The air-conditioning apparatus of claim 1, wherein the measuring device is the outdoor unit, the remote controller for the indoor unit, or the at least one indoor unit (page 4 lines 30-37, routing valve includes: the system comprises a first multi-way valve, a second multi-way valve, a communication module and a controller, wherein the first multi-way valve is connected with a refrigerant pipeline in the direction from the outdoor unit to the indoor unit, the second multi-way valve is connected with the refrigerant pipeline in the direction from the indoor unit to the outdoor unit, the communication module is communicated with adjacent nodes, and the controller forwards the received refrigeration or heating requirements to the outdoor unit or other routing valves in the adjacent nodes according to a preset strategy),
Chen does not teach the indoor unit signal includes transmission time that is time at which the indoor unit signal is transmitted from the at least one indoor unit, the outdoor unit is configured to calculate communication time between the outdoor unit and the at least one indoor unit, by subtracting the transmission time from reception time that is time at which the outdoor unit receives the indoor unit, and the measuring device is configured to measure the length of the refrigerant pipe located from the outdoor unit to the at least one indoor unit, based on the communication time calculated by the outdoor unit.
Kim teaches the indoor unit signal includes transmission time that is time at which the indoor unit signal is transmitted from the at least one indoor unit, the outdoor unit is configured to calculate communication time between the outdoor unit and the at least one indoor unit, by subtracting the transmission time from reception time that is time at which the outdoor unit receives the indoor unit, and the measuring device is configured to measure the length of the refrigerant pipe located from the outdoor unit to the at least one indoor unit, based on the communication time calculated by the outdoor unit (Page 4 lines 1-3 The controller may measure the length of the pipe between the outdoor unit and each indoor unit by using the difference in time detected by the vibration sensor of the outdoor unit and the vibration sensor of each indoor unit and the sound wave propagation speed of the pipe… page 4 lines 10-14 Measuring vibration detection time of the pipes on the outdoor side and the indoor side; Transmitting vibration detection time of the pipes on the outdoor side and the indoor side to the controller; The control unit calculates the pipe length based on the vibration detection time of the transmitted pipes on the outdoor side and each indoor side to measure the pipe length between the outdoor unit and each indoor unit, page 5 lines 25-35 of measuring the pipe length, the controller 22 of the outdoor unit transmits the pipe length measurement start signal to the controller 23 of each indoor unit and drives the electric valve 14 at the same time. (401, 402)The communication signal is to be transmitted to the control unit 23 of each indoor unit at the same time as an electrical signal sound. When the measurement start signal is transmitted, the vibration sensors 16 and 17 of the outdoor unit and each indoor unit detect vibrations by the driving sound of the electric valve 14 and notify each control unit 22 or 23, and each control unit 22 or 23. Is the time from the arrival of the start signal to the length measurement of the pipe using its timer T1, T2 the control unit of each indoor unit detects the detection time… page 6 lines 1-10 is transmitted to the controller 22 of the outdoor unit, and the length of the pipe of each indoor unit is calculated based on the detection time and the valve driving time measured by the controller of the outdoor unit. The calculation of the pipe length is detected by each indoor unit. The time subtracted from the valve drive time, which is the time from when the pipe length measurement start signal is transmitted to the time when the electric valve is driven to detect the vibration of the outdoor unit T3).
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant’s disclosure.
Uemura (US20150316277) discloses an outdoor unit for an air conditioning apparatus having a stacking length respective to heat exchangers.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to YVONNE T FOLLANSBEE whose telephone number is (571)272-0634. The examiner can normally be reached Monday - Friday 1pm - 9pm.
Examiner interviews are available via telephone, in-person, and video conferencing using a USPTO supplied web-based collaboration tool. To schedule an interview, applicant is encouraged to use the USPTO Automated Interview Request (AIR) at http://www.uspto.gov/interviewpractice.
If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Robert Fennema can be reached at (571) 272-2748. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
Information regarding the status of published or unpublished applications may be obtained from Patent Center. Unpublished application information in Patent Center is available to registered users. To file and manage patent submissions in Patent Center, visit: https://patentcenter.uspto.gov. Visit https://www.uspto.gov/patents/apply/patent-center for more information about Patent Center and https://www.uspto.gov/patents/docx for information about filing in DOCX format. For additional questions, contact the Electronic Business Center (EBC) at 866-217-9197 (toll-free). If you would like assistance from a USPTO Customer Service Representative, call 800-786-9199 (IN USA OR CANADA) or 571-272-1000.
/YVONNE TRANG FOLLANSBEE/Examiner, Art Unit 2117
/ROBERT E FENNEMA/Supervisory Patent Examiner, Art Unit 2117