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 .
Drawings
The drawings are objected to because, in Figure 1, the top heating hear unit is labeled as 10 while a bottom heating heater unit is labeled as 12, which contradicts Paragraph 0034 of the Applicant’s Specification, which states “the heating device comprises a top heating heater unit 12, a bottom heating heater unit 10”. Corrected drawing sheets in compliance with 37 CFR 1.121(d) are required in reply to the Office action to avoid abandonment of the application. Any amended replacement drawing sheet should include all of the figures appearing on the immediate prior version of the sheet, even if only one figure is being amended. The figure or figure number of an amended drawing should not be labeled as “amended.” If a drawing figure is to be canceled, the appropriate figure must be removed from the replacement sheet, and where necessary, the remaining figures must be renumbered and appropriate changes made to the brief description of the several views of the drawings for consistency. Additional replacement sheets may be necessary to show the renumbering of the remaining figures. Each drawing sheet submitted after the filing date of an application must be labeled in the top margin as either “Replacement Sheet” or “New Sheet” pursuant to 37 CFR 1.121(d). If the changes are not accepted by the examiner, the applicant will be notified and informed of any required corrective action in the next Office action. The objection to the drawings will not be held in abeyance.
Election/Restrictions
Applicant’s election without traverse of Group I, claims 1-12, in the reply filed on 02/04/2026 is acknowledged.
Claim 13 is withdrawn from further consideration pursuant to 37 CFR 1.142(b) as being drawn to a nonelected invention, there being no allowable generic or linking claim. Election was made without traverse in the reply filed on 02/04/2026.
Claim Objections
Claims 7 and 8 are objected to because of the following informalities:
Regarding claim 7, the claim limitation “a conveying speed of the at least one fan is adapted based on the spatial browning profile” is objected to because a value that is “adapted” is adapted relative to or for some condition or purpose, making the use here not fully accurate. It is suggested to use “adjusted” instead of “adapted”.
Regarding claim 8, the claim limitation “a conveying direction of the at least one fan is adapted based on the spatial browning profile” is objected to because a value that is “adapted” is adapted relative to or for some condition or purpose, making the use here not fully accurate. It is suggested to use “adjusted” instead of “adapted”.
Appropriate correction is required.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 112
The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 112(b):
(b) CONCLUSION.—The specification shall conclude with one or more claims particularly pointing out and distinctly claiming the subject matter which the inventor or a joint inventor regards as the invention.
The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), second paragraph:
The specification shall conclude with one or more claims particularly pointing out and distinctly claiming the subject matter which the applicant regards as his invention.
Claims 1-12 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 112(b) or 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), second paragraph, as being indefinite for failing to particularly point out and distinctly claim the subject matter which the inventor or a joint inventor (or for applications subject to pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, the applicant), regards as the invention.
Regarding claim 1, the meaning of “determining a spatial browning profile by comparing surface states of the food to be cooked at at least two mutually spaced positions of the food to be cooked” is unclear. Furthermore, it is unclear how such a comparison results in a spatial browning profile. Is the spatial browning profile a set of data comprising values representing the surface states, values representing differences between compared surface states, an image of the surface, or something else entirely? Stated somewhat different, it is not clear as to what about the comparison results in a spatial browning profile. Consequently, claim 1 is rejected as indefinite.
Claims 2-12 are rejected as indefinite as a result of depending upon indefinite claim 1.
Claim 2 is rejected as indefinite because it is unclear if “the surface state” refers to the “at least one surface state” or one of the “surface states” as recited in claim 1.
Claim 4 recites the limitation "the browning profile" in line 3. There is insufficient antecedent basis for this limitation in the claim.
Regarding claim 7, the arrangement of the rear wall and the at least one fan are unclear in light of the Applicant’s Specification, which states (Paragraph 0036) that the fan “is generally arranged at and/or behind a rear wall” while the claim language states that the rear wall is “arranged at and/or behind the at least one fan”. Does the rear wall being “arranged at and/or behind the at least one fan” indicate that the rear wall is positioned externally to the fan, relative to the interior of the cooking chamber, internally to the fan (i.e., the rear wall is between the fan and the cooking chamber interior), or some other arrangement?.
Also, regarding claim 7, the meaning of “a desired (target) browning profile” is unclear. Is a “target” browning profile different from a “desired” browning profile, and do the parentheses around “target” indicate that it is an optional embodiment?
Claim 8 is rejected as indefinite as a result of depending upon indefinite claim 7, and for the same reasons as claim 7 (i.e., the unclear arrangement of the rear wall and the fan in light of the Specification, and the unclear meaning of “a desired (target) browning profile”).
Claim 9 recites the limitation "the browning profile" in line 4. There is insufficient antecedent basis for this limitation in the claim.
Claim 10 is rejected as indefinite as a result of depending upon indefinite claim 9.
Regarding claim 10, the arrangement of the wall and the at least one fan are unclear in light of the Applicant’s Specification, which states (Paragraph 0036) that the fan “is generally arranged at and/or behind a rear wall” while the claim language states that the wall is “arranged at and/or behind the at least one fan”. Does the wall being “arranged at and/or behind the at least one fan” indicate that the wall is positioned externally to the fan, relative to the interior of the cooking chamber, internally to the fan (i.e., the wall is between the fan and the cooking chamber interior), or some other arrangement?.
Regarding claim 11, the meaning of the air guide plate being “arranged upstream of the at least one fan” is unclear. Does “upstream” refer to the direction of airflow, heat distribution, or something else? Alternatively, is “upstream” meant to indicate the relative position, of the air guide plate in front of or behind the fan? The claim language does not clearly limit the position of the air guide plate, and therefore, claim 11 is rejected as indefinite.
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.
Claim(s) 1, 3-5, and 9-10 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Nieten (DE 102017101183 A1) in view of Bratton (US 4556043 A).
Regarding claim 1, Nieten teaches (Paragraph 0001, 0015) a method for operating a cooking appliance in which food is heated in a cooking chamber by means of at least one heating device, wherein a camera device (image recording device) is used to photograph the food, and resulting image is subjected to image analysis by a control unit (evaluating the at least one image to determine at least one surface state of the food to be cooked). Nieten further teaches (Paragraph 0016) preferably, the surface of the food is considered as a grid consisting of a plurality of grid segments, and a measure of browning is determined for each grid segment based on the corresponding images of the food, wherein the tanning (browning) distribution is, in particular, a distribution of a measure of tanning (browning) across the grid segments (determining a spatial browning profile by comparing surface states of the food to be cooked at at least two mutually spaced positions of the food to be cooked). Additionally, Nieten teaches (Paragraph 0017, 0020, 0039, 0042) spatial segments are browned by heating according to setpoint values based on target values stored in a control unit, wherein the heat source may be a hot air heat source (circulating device) that can supply the heating medium via multiple hot air nozzles which can be opened and/or closed automatically in an embodiment (i.e., the circulating device is controlled as a function of the spatial browning profile since the heat source used for browning may be a hot air source and the supply of the heating medium may be determined by control of the hot air nozzles).
The Examiner notes that claim 1 does not appear to actively recite a food treatment step, since the steps of “recording”, “evaluating”, “determining” do not require any physical processing, and “controlling the circulating device as a function of the spatial browning profile” is silent on the effect of the circulating device on the food to be cooked, and “controlling” can include turning off the circulating device. Dependent claim 5, which recites that the “heating device is controlled as a function of the spatial browning profile” also does not is also silent on the effect of the heating device on the food to be cooked, and “controlling” can include turning off the heating device. Nor do any other dependent claims appear to explicitly require food treatment.
Nieten is silent on the circulating device comprising a fan.
Bratton teaches (Col. 1, lines 8-11; Col. 2, lines 44-48) an improved air delivery system (circulating device) for an impingement food preparation oven for providing uniform cooking temperatures for a food product, wherein a flow of heated air from a fan is directed into the duct members and nozzles thereby providing a uniform cooking temperature for the food product.
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date to modify Nieten to include at least one fan in the circulating device as taught by Bratton since both are directed to methods of treating food products in cooking chambers with heated air via nozzles, since a circulating device comprising at least one fan is known in the art as shown by Bratton, since the fan directs the flow of heated air into the duct members and the nozzles thereby providing a uniform cooking temperature for the food product (Bratton, Col. 2, lines 44-48), since the fan produces a dynamic air flow continuously moving into air ducts without a significant buildup of static pressure or the accompanying heat loss (Bratton, Col. 6, lines 21-25), and since a fan is a common and readily available and replaceable device for moving air, and since a single fan can be used with multiple nozzles to move air, so separate mechanisms are not needed for each individual nozzle.
Regarding claim 3, Nieten teaches (Paragraph 0032) preferably, the surface temperature is determined using at least one infrared image of the food being cooked, and the tanning (browning) pattern, used to determine the degree of tanning (browning), can also be captured in the infrared range.
Regarding claim 4, as shown above with regard to claim 1, Nieten teaches (Paragraph 0017, 0020, 0039, 0042) spatial segments are browned by heating according to setpoint values based on target values stored in a control unit, wherein the heat source may be a hot air heat source (circulating device) that can supply the heating medium via multiple hot air nozzles which can be opened and/or closed automatically in an embodiment. Nieten further teaches (Paragraph 0027) the heating power provided by the heating medium is regulated at least partially and in particular completely via the actual value of the browning distribution (browning profile). Also, Nieten teaches (Paragraph 0069) instead of one item of food 3, the user can also place two or more pieces (separate food components) into the cooking chamber 11 and select a different browning distribution for each of them. Therefore, in embodiments where the heating medium is provided and regulated by the circulating device, control of the circulating device for each individual food component of the plurality of separate food components is determined and taken into account if the food to be cooked has a plurality of separate food components.
Regarding claim 5, Nieten teaches (Paragraph 0016, 0017) preferably, the surface of the food is considered as a grid consisting of a plurality of grid segments, and a measure of browning is determined for each grid segment, wherein spatial segments are browned by heating according to setpoint values based on target values stored in a control unit. Nieten further teaches (Paragraph 0043) the heating system includes at least one heat source with a plurality of heating elements that can be controlled separately by the control unit, and, in this way, at least one spatial segment of a plurality of spatial segments in the cooking chamber can be specifically heated using at least one heating medium (the heating device is controlled as a function of the spatial browning profile).
Regarding claim 9, Nieten teaches (Paragraph 0016) preferably, the surface of the food is considered as a grid consisting of a plurality of grid segments (monitoring zones), and a measure of browning is determined for each grid segment based on the corresponding images of the food, wherein the tanning (browning) distribution is, in particular, a distribution of a measure of tanning (browning) across the grid segments (determining the browning profile based on a comparison of degrees of browning of the monitoring zones). Furthermore, Nieten teaches (Paragraph 0057-0058; Fig. 2 #7, 17) rectangles with solid lines illustrate a grid 7 with individual grid segments 17 (monitoring zones). As shown in Figures 2 and 5-9 these grid segments/monitoring zones are non-overlapping and substantially equal.
Regarding claim 10, Nieten teaches (Paragraph 0057-0058; Fig. 2 #7, 17) rectangles with solid lines illustrate a grid 7 with individual grid segments 17 (monitoring zones). As shown in Figures 2 and 5-9, due to the rectangular profile of the cooking chamber and the grid, the monitoring zones are divided such that at least two of the monitoring zones are arranged next to one another in a first direction perpendicular to each side wall of the cooking chamber, and in a second direction parallel to each side wall of the cooking chamber. Furthermore, Nieten teaches (Paragraph 0051) a hot air heat source 22 may be included in the cooking chamber 11, where Figure 1 depicts the hot air heat source 22 at the far or rear side wall of the chamber (where the grid segments/monitoring zones are divided such that at least two of the monitoring zones are arranged next to one another in a first direction perpendicular to each side wall of the cooking chamber, including the far or rear, and in a second direction parallel to each side wall of the cooking chamber). Thus, the wall of the cooking chamber is arranged at and/or behind the hot air source.
While this hot air source is not explicitly stated to include a fan, such a modification would be obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art for the reasons stated above with regard to claim 1, where Bratton also depicts in Figures 2 and 3, for example, the fan 178 at or behind a rear side wall 36. Such a modification of Nieten would result in the claimed arrangement of the wall of the cooking chamber being at and/or behind the at least one fan.
Claim(s) 2 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Nieten (DE 102017101183 A1) in view of Bratton (US 4556043 A), and further in view of Abdoo (US 20190128531 A1) and Fusion Marketing (Printing: What Does RGB Stand For).
Regarding claim 2, Nieten teaches (Paragraph 0015) to determine the browning distribution, the food being cooked is, for example, photographed with the camera device and the image is subjected to a corresponding image analysis.
Nieten is silent on a degree of browning being determined as the surface state based on RGB or LAB color values of an image recorded by an RGB camera as an image recording device.
Abdoo teaches (Paragraph 0003, 0018; Fig. 1 #68, 72; Fig. 2 #72) a cooking appliance includes a cooking chamber, an imaging device for capturing an image of a food item inside the cooking chamber, a computing device in communication with the imaging device and including a software module configured to receive the captured image from the imaging device and compute a real-time degree of browning, wherein a real-time image 72 of the food item 30 may be captured by a camera 68, which, as shown in Figure 1, is positioned exterior to the food item, and therefore captures the surface state of the food item. Abdoo further teaches (Paragraph 0036-0041) analyzing the red-green-blue (RGB) color value of each pixel in the image 72 associated with the food item 30 to determine a real-time degree of browning.
The benefits of RGB images are also known. For example, Fusion Marketing teaches (What Are its Benefits?) image files using the RGB color model tend to be much smaller, meaning they take up less space on a device, which can be a significant benefit in some instances; RGB is also a simple and effective model which can make it more cost-effective for many people to use the red, green, and blue model as well; and red, green, and blue are also ideal for computers and image displays.
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date to modify Nieten, as modified above, to determine a degree of browning as the surface state based on RGB color values of an image recorded by an RGB camera as an image recording device as taught by Abdoo since both are directed to methods of cooking food comprising determining a degree of browning of the food using a camera, since determining a degree of browning as the surface state based on RGB color values of an image recorded by an RGB camera as an image recording device is known in the art as shown by Abdoo, since using RGB color values of an image recorded by an RGB camera allows for a real-time determination of the degree of browning (Abdoo, Paragraph 0036-0041), thus ensuring that there is not a delay in control of the heating process based on the degree of browning, and since image files using the RGB color model tend to be much smaller, meaning they take up less space on a device, which can be a significant benefit in some instances; RGB is also a simple and effective model which can make it more cost-effective for many people to use the red, green, and blue model as well; and red, green, and blue are also ideal for computers and image displays (Fusion Marketing, What Are its Benefits?).
Claim(s) 6 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Nieten (DE 102017101183 A1) in view of Bratton (US 4556043 A), and further in view of Ruan (CN 112021958 A).
Regarding claim 6, Nieten teaches (Paragraph 0007, 0014) the heating system includes at least one heat source with a plurality (at least two) of separately controllable heating elements, wherein at least one heating element is used to selectively heat at least one spatial segment of a plurality of spatial segments in the cooking chamber, and the heating elements are preferably controlled based on the browning distribution (heating elements are separately controlled as a function of the spatial browning profile).
Nieten is silent on the heating element arrangement being arranged around the at least one fan.
Ruan teaches (Paragraph 0008-0012, 0027) a method of operating a kitchen appliance for baking food, the kitchen appliance comprising an inner cavity and a heating element used to heat the inner cavity, wherein, in an embodiment, the kitchen equipment further includes a fan, and multiple heating elements arranged around the fan on a functional wall.
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date to modify Nieten, as modified above, to arrange the heating elements around the fan as taught by Ruan since both are directed to methods of cooking food products in devices comprises cooking chambers with heating devices, since arranging heating elements around a fan is known in the art as shown by Ruan, since providing multiple heating elements around the fan allows heat to be dissipated into the inner cavity (cooking chamber) by the blowing of the fan (Ruan, Paragraph 0074), since the heating temperature of the heating elements at different locations can be adjusted based on sensor measurements including temperature distribution to improve the heating effect on food (Ruan, Paragraph 0075), and since placing heating elements around the fan will ensure that air blown by the fan will be heated to the required extent.
Claim(s) 7 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Nieten (DE 102017101183 A1) in view of Bratton (US 4556043 A), and further in view of Zhang (CN 109567615 A).
Regarding claim 7, Nieten teaches (Paragraph 0016) tanning (browning) distribution is a distribution of a measure of tanning (browning) across grid segments, wherein a measure of browning is determined for each grid segment, and, as shown in Figures 2 and 5-9, due to the rectangular profile of the cooking chamber and the grid, the grid segments 17 are divided such that grid segments are arranged next to one another in a first direction perpendicular to the rear wall of the cooking chamber (i.e., the spatial browning profile is controlled along a first direction perpendicular to a rear wall of the cooking chamber). Also, Nieten teaches (Paragraph 0026-0027) a measure of the browning in a grid segment is determined as an actual value and compared with a target value for this segment, and the heating system is regulated by comparing the actual value with the target value.
Furthermore, regarding the claimed arrangement of the rear wall of the cooking chamber being at and/or behind the at least one fan, Nieten has been modified above in view of Bratton to include a fan, where Bratton also depicts in Figures 2 and 3, for example, the fan 178 at or behind a rear side wall 36, and such a modification would be obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art for the reasons stated above with regard to claim 1.
Nieten, as modified above, is silent on a conveying speed of the at least one fan being adapted based on the spatial browning profile along a first direction perpendicular to a rear wall of the cooking chamber, deviating from a desired (target) browning profile in the first direction.
Zhang teaches (Paragraph 0002, 0014, 0015, 0029) a method of operating a an oven with a uniform baking temperature, wherein factors such as the speed of the rear fan affect the intensity of convection heat transfer and determining the uniformity of the temperature distribution inside the cavity, where boundary conditions including the speed of the rear fan are set based on the heat transfer characteristics. While Zhang does not explicitly state that the heat transfer and temperature distribution affected by the fan are along a first direction perpendicular to a rear wall of the cooking chamber, Zhang teaches (Paragraph 0007) the air intake and outlets are located on a fan cover plate located at the rear of the inner cavity to form a circulating air system (where air traveling into the intake, i.e., towards the rear, and out of the outlets, i.e., towards the front, will be perpendicular to the rear wall of the cooking chamber), and Zhang teaches (Paragraph 0004, 0006) that the disclosed invention overcomes defects including uneven browning and large temperature differences between the front and back (along a first direction perpendicular to a rear wall of the cooking chamber), which are directly related to the uniformity of the internal temperature of the oven. Additionally, as shown in Figure 1 of Zhang, the rear wall of the cooking chamber is understood to be arranged at and/or behind the rear fan 4.
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date to modify Nieten, as modified above, to adapt a conveying speed of the at least one fan based on the spatial browning profile along a first direction perpendicular to a rear wall of the cooking chamber, arranged at and/or behind the at least one fan, deviating from a desired (target) browning profile in the first direction in view of Zhang since both are directed to methods of heating food products in a cooking chamber with heated air, since controlling the spatial browning profile along a first direction perpendicular to a rear wall of the cooking chamber by comparison with a target value is already known from Nieten, since adapting a speed of at least one fan based on the uniformity of the temperature distribution, which is directly related to browning between the front and back (along a first direction perpendicular to a rear wall of the cooking chamber) is known in the art as shown by Zhang, since the distribution of the internal temperature field of an oven directly affects the cooking effect of food, including browning, and factors such as the speed of the rear fan affect the intensity of convection heat transfer and determine the uniformity of the temperature distribution inside the cavity (Zhang, Paragraph 0004, 0014), since temperature inside the cavity can be evenly distributed under the action of the air field produced by the fan (Zhang, Paragraph 0041) thus ensuring consistent cooking, and since the air flow speed inside the cavity affects the intensity of convection heat transfer and determines the uniformity of the temperature distribution inside the cavity (Zhang, Paragraph 0064) allowing for specific control of spatial browning to give the food a desired appearance and texture.
Claim(s) 8 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Nieten (DE 102017101183 A1) in view of Bratton (US 4556043 A), and Zhang (CN 109567615 A), and further in view of Okamura (JP 2019052801 A).
Regarding claim 8, Nieten teaches (Paragraph 0016) tanning (browning) distribution is a distribution of a measure of tanning (browning) across grid segments, wherein a measure of browning is determined for each grid segment, and, as shown in Figures 2 and 5-9, due to the rectangular profile of the cooking chamber and the grid, the grid segments 17 are divided such that grid segments are arranged next to one another in a first direction parallel to the rear wall of the cooking chamber (i.e., the spatial browning profile is controlled along a first direction parallel to a rear wall of the cooking chamber). Also, Nieten teaches (Paragraph 0026-0027) a measure of the browning in a grid segment is determined as an actual value and compared with a target value for this segment, and the heating system is regulated by comparing the actual value with the target value.
Furthermore, regarding the claimed arrangement of the rear wall of the cooking chamber being at and/or behind the at least one fan, Nieten has been modified above in view of Bratton to include a fan, where Bratton also depicts in Figures 2 and 3, for example, the fan 178 at or behind a rear side wall 36, and such a modification would be obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art for the reasons stated above with regard to claim 1.
Nieten, as modified above, is silent on a conveying direction of the at least one fan being adapted based on the spatial browning profile along a second direction parallel to the rear wall of the cooking chamber, deviating from a desired (target) browning profile in the second direction.
Okamura teaches (Paragraph 0001, 0086; Fig. 2 #2, 11, 13) a cooking appliance equipped with an oven heating function that heats food by sending heated air into the cooking chamber, wherein a hot air unit 11 comprising a hot air fan 13 for sending and circulating heated air into the cooking chamber 2 is located at the rear of cooking chamber 2. Okamura further teaches (Paragraph 0105-0106) the direction in which the air flows is determined by the orientation of airflow control fins 52, wherein as shown in Figures 13-15 airflow can be directed, for example, to the left side of the cooking chamber, to the left and right of the cooking chamber, or towards the center of the cooking chamber 2, such that a food to be cooked located in the center of the cooking chamber 2 can be heated intensively (a conveying direction of the at least one fan is adapted such that hot air/heat is adjusted along a second direction parallel to the rear wall of the cooking chamber). Also, Okamura teaches (Paragraph 0111) the heating cooker can also control the rotation of the airflow control fins 52 in accordance with the color distribution of the food surface, such as whether it is burnt or undercooked, and the airflow control fins 52 are rotated so that hot air directly hits the parts that need heating, thereby suppressing uneven cooking and heating (Okamura, Paragraph 0111).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date to modify Nieten, as modified above, to adapt a conveying direction of the at least one fan based on the spatial browning profile along a second direction parallel to the rear wall of the cooking chamber, arranged at and/or behind the at least one fan, deviating from a desired (target) browning profile in the second direction in view of Okamura since both are directed to methods of heating food products in a cooking chamber with heated air, since controlling the spatial browning profile along a second direction parallel to a rear wall of the cooking chamber by comparison with a target value is already known from Nieten, since adapting a conveying direction of at least one fan to direct hot air to the left, right, or center relative to the rear wall (along a second direction parallel to a rear wall of the cooking chamber) is known in the art as shown by Okamura, since when the food to be cooked is located in the center of the cooking chamber 2, the food to be cooked can be heated intensively (Okamura, Paragraph 0106) allowing heat and, therefore, browning to be controlled in the direction parallel to the rear wall to have the desired texture and appearance, since the heating appliance can control the rotation of the airflow control fins 52 in accordance with the temperature distribution of the food being cooked 9 detected by the internal temperature distribution detection means 43 to concentrate the hot air on the parts of the food that are not hot, such that uneven heating of the food can be suppressed (Okamura, Paragraph 0110), and since the heating cooker can also control the rotation of the airflow control fins 52 in accordance with the color distribution of the food surface, such as whether it is burnt or undercooked, and the airflow control fins 52 are rotated so that hot air directly hits the parts that need heating, thereby suppressing uneven cooking and heating (Okamura, Paragraph 0111).
Claim(s) 11 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Nieten (DE 102017101183 A1) in view of Bratton (US 4556043 A), and further in view of Kim (US 20090090347 A).
Regarding claim 11, Nieten teaches (Paragraph 0017, 0020, 0039, 0042) spatial segments are browned by heating according to setpoint values based on target values stored in a control unit, wherein the heat source may be a hot air heat source (circulating device) that can supply the heating medium via multiple hot air nozzles which can be opened and/or closed automatically in an embodiment.
Nieten, as modified above, is silent on a size of at least one opening of an air guide plate of the cooking appliance arranged upstream of the at least one fan being changed as a function of the spatial browning profile by an adjusting element which is actuatable by the control device by closing the at least one opening.
Kim teaches (Paragraph 0003, 0057, 0069, 0073; Fig. 1 #20, 30; Fig. 2 #32, 40, 45, 46, 47, and 48) a method for controlling a cooking apparatus, wherein a hot-air feeder 30 is provided to feed hot air into a cooking chamber 20, the hot air feeder 30 comprising a fan cover 40 (air guide plate) with discharge holes 45, 46, 47, and 48 to suction or discharge the air forcibly blown by the blowing fan 32. Kim further teaches (Paragraph 0078; Fig. 1 #50; Fig. 2 #51, 52, 53, and 54) air-direction regulator 50 includes air-direction regulating members 51, 52, 53, and 54 pivotally rotatably coupled to the discharge holes 45, 46, 47, and 48, respectively, so as to open or close the respective discharge holes 45, 46, 47, and 48 and also, to regulate the direction of air to be discharged from the discharge holes 45, 46, 47, and 48, wherein the air-direction regulator 50 further includes drive units (adjusting elements) to provide the respective air-direction regulating members 51, 52, 53, and 54 with a rotating force. Also, Kim teaches (Paragraph 0034) a control unit to control the air-direction regulator, so as to close the plurality of discharge holes, or to regulate the direction of the hot air to be discharged.
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date to modify Nieten to change a size of at least one opening of an air guide plate of the cooking appliance arranged upstream of the at least one fan as a function of the spatial browning profile by an adjusting element which is actuatable by the control device (e.g., by providing the air guide plate as a substitute for or in addition to the hot air nozzles) by closing the at least one opening in view of Kim since both are directed to methods of treating food products with heated air in cooking chambers, since Nieten teaches controlling the opening and closing of a heated air source as a function of the spatial browning profile, since Kim teaches changing a size of at least one opening of an air guide plate of the cooking appliance arranged upstream of the at least one fan by an adjusting element which is actuatable by the control device, since rotation of the air-direction regulating members (changing of the size of the openings of an air guide plate) allows for concentration or dispersion of hot air onto the object being cooked (Kim, Paragraph 0101-0102), since the rotation of the air-direction regulating member (changing of the size of the openings of an air guide plate) can change the flow rate and direction of air to be discharged (Kim, Paragraph 0142) thus allowing air to be sent to a desired location at a desired flow rate for more precise control over the heating process, and since the air-direction regulating members 51, 52, 53 and 54 can be pivotally rotated, to ensure the optimum feeding of hot air based on the position of the object to be cooked (Kim, Paragraph 0110).
Claim(s) 12 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Nieten (DE 102017101183 A1) in view of Bratton (US 4556043 A), and further in view of Bhogal (US 20200182481 A1) and McVeagh (US 20130004639 A1).
Regarding claim 12, Nieten, as modified above, is silent on the circulating device having a plurality of fans which are actuated together, individually, or in groups as a function of a determined degree of browning.
Bhogal teaches (Paragraph 0085-0086, 0088) a method of operating a food preparation system, comprising automatically adjusting oven operation during a cooking session to achieve a target food parameter, wherein the target food parameter is browning in some embodiments. Bhogal further teaches (Paragraph 0043, 0045) fans mounted to the back wall of an oven can exhaust the air into a cooking cavity. Also, Bhogal teaches (Paragraph 0128, 0140, 0143) the oven can be operated according to cooking instructions to achieve target food parameter values, wherein cooking instructions can be oven operation instructions including control instructions for a set of fans, such as the rotation speed for each individual fan.
McVeagh teaches (Paragraph 0007, 0028) a continuous cooking oven system for efficiently cooking and browning food products, wherein fans may be controlled to allow the heated gaseous medium to be directed toward both the top and bottom surfaces of food products as they are transported through the chamber and thereby allow a user to control the color development (i.e., browning) of the food products.
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date to modify Nieten, as modified above, to provide the circulating the device with a plurality of fans which are actuated together, individually, or in groups as a function of a determined degree of browning in view of Bhogal and McVeagh since each of Nieten, Bhogal, and McVeagh is directed to a method of treating food products with heated air in cooking chambers, since providing the circulating the device with a plurality of fans which are actuated together, individually, or in groups as a function of a determined degree of browning is known in the art as shown by Bhogal and McVeagh, since multiple fans can increase the volume of air provided and thus ensure the food is browned completely in the desired time, since multiple fans can ensure that the entirety or any particular part of the cooking chamber receives the desired heating and browning by increasing the total area that air can be directed in the cooking chamber, since fans can be rotated in the same or opposite directions (Bhogal, Paragraph 0137) allowing for different methods of air distribution to achieve the desired browning, and since fans may be operated at different speeds to ensure that a bottom surface of the food products browns at a level comparable to an upper surface of the food products (McVeagh, Paragraph 0040).
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure:
Raghavan (US 20170351278 A1) teaches an oven having multiple oven cavity temperature sensors, wherein temperature inhomogeneities (for example, cold spots or stratification) are detected and used to adjust parameters of the oven control, (for example, by fan speed/direction adjustment).
Murphy (US 20130092145 A1) teaches a method of operating an oven wherein a browning control selection may provide control parameters to direct application of heat to the food product.
Carbone (US 20060289436 A1) teaches an airflow control system for an oven having an oven cavity and a fan.
Dills (US 4480164 A) teaches a microwave oven browning system incorporating a combination microwave and hot air convection oven.
Henke (US 4626661 A) teaches an improved air delivery system is provided for an impingement food preparation oven.
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/AUSTIN PARKER TAYLOR/Examiner, Art Unit 1792
/VIREN A THAKUR/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 1792