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 of the following:
Figures 2-9 use brackets associated with numbers and letters (PCT rule 11.13.e, MPEP 1825).
The opening 13 and shielding plate 50/first pattern 70 point to the same object in figs. 2-3.
The cross-section in fig. 2 impedes a clear reading of the leading lines for numbers 23 and 26 (PCT rule 11.13.b, MPEP 1825).
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.
Specification
The amendment filed 13 June 2023 is objected to under 35 U.S.C. 132(a) because it introduces new matter into the disclosure. 35 U.S.C. 132(a) states that no amendment shall introduce new matter into the disclosure of the invention. The added material which is not supported by the original disclosure is as follows:
The incorporation by reference in the international patent application PCT/KR2021/000401 and of the Korean patent application 10-2020-0189865 is ineffective as it was added on the day of entry into the national phase, which is after the filing date of the Instant Application. The filing date of this national stage application is the filing date of associated PCT, in this case 12 January 2021, see MPEP 1893.03(b). Therefore, the specification amendment of 13 June 2023 to include the incorporation by reference is new matter, per MPEP 608.01(p).
Applicant is required to cancel the new matter in the reply to this Office Action.
The specification is objected to as failing to provide proper antecedent basis for the claimed subject matter. See 37 CFR 1.75(d)(1) and MPEP § 608.01(o). Correction of the following is required: claims 23 and 29 do not have antecedent basis in the Specification.
Claim Objections
Claims 12, 14, 26, and 30 are objected to because of the following informalities:
In claims 12 and 26, recommend amending the claims to recite: “the casing defining a cooking space the casing, the casing having an opening at one side the casing.”
In claim 14, recommend amending the claim to recite: “wherein the first pattern comprises a plurality of parallel metal wire lines, each wire of the plurality of parallel metal wire lines including: a first portion facing the opening; and a second portion contacting the casing.”
In claim 30, recommend amending the claim to recite: “… wherein the second pattern comprises a plurality of …”
Appropriate correction is required.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 102
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)(2) the claimed invention was described in a patent issued under section 151, or in an application for patent published or deemed published under section 122(b), in which the patent or application, as the case may be, names another inventor and was effectively filed before the effective filing date of the claimed invention.
Claim 12 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(2) as being anticipated by Lim et al. (US-20210235555-A1, effective filing date of 23 January 2020).
Regarding claim 12, Lim teaches a cooking appliance (cooking appliance 100, fig. 2) comprising:
a casing (cabinet 102, fig. 1) having an open front (opening of the cabinet where the door 106 is located, fig. 2), the casing defining a cooking space (cooking chamber 104, fig. 2) therein, the casing having an opening at one side thereof (opening in the bottom wall 150 where the filter 160 is located, fig. 4; the bottom wall 150 is part of the cabinet 102, fig. 2; the bottom wall 150 is construed as being a bottom side of the cabinet 102);
a microwave generator (magnetron 130, fig. 3) configured to generate and direct a microwave toward the cooking space (para 0028);
an induction coil (induction heating coil 136, fig. 3) facing the opening (the coil 136 is construed as facing the opening in the wall 150, fig. 4), the induction coil being located outside the cooking space (the coil 136 is below the bottom wall 150 which demarks the cooking chamber, fig. 4); and
a shielding plate (filter 160, fig. 4; the filter “limits or restricts passage of microwave radiation or microwaves,” para 0036, and is construed as being a shielding plate) arranged between the induction coil (coil 136, fig. 4) and the opening (opening in wall 150, fig. 4),
the shielding plate including:
an insulator (insulation layer 192, fig. 9) having a first surface (top surface of insulation layer 192, fig. 9) facing the opening and a second surface (bottom surface of insulation layer 192, fig. 9) opposite the first surface;
a first pattern (upper layer 172, fig. 9; fig. 8) on the first surface of the insulator, the first pattern having a slit in a region facing the opening (annotated in fig. 8 below; the upper layer 172 has conductive bands 176 that are spaced apart from each other, para 0039; the spacing annotated below is construed as a “slit”); and
a second pattern (lower layer 170, fig. 9; fig. 7) on the second surface of the insulator, the second pattern being arranged perpendicular to the first pattern (“perpendicular,” para 0007; the bands in fig. 8 and are perpendicular to the bands in fig. 7).
Lim, figs. 8 (annotated) and 9
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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.
Claim 13 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Lim et al. (US-20210235555-A1, effective filing date of 23 January 2020) as applied to claim 12 above and further in view of Noda et al. (JP-2008159337-A, referencing foreign version for drawings and provided English translation for written disclosure).
Lim teaches the invention as described above but does not explicitly disclose wherein the shielding plate is larger than the opening such that a peripheral portion of the shielding plate contacts a periphery of the opening.
However, in the same field of endeavor of combined microwave/induction heating systems, Noda teaches wherein the shielding plate (perforated plate 42 and plate fitting 41, fig. 5; the perforated plate 42 blocks microwaves, para 0004; construed as being a shield plate) is larger than the opening (the fitting 41 is larger than the opening in bottom plate 40, fig. 5) such that a peripheral portion (periphery of perforated plate 42, fig. 5) of the shielding plate contacts a periphery of the opening (the fitting 41 and plate 42 are fixed to the base plate 40 by screws and nuts, para 0057; construed such that the periphery of plate 42 makes contact with the hole in the mounting plate 40, fig. 5).
Noda, fig. 5
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Therefore, it would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date to modify the invention of Lim, in view of the teachings of Noda, by using a mounting plate and insulating members 43 and 44, as taught by Noda, such that they were mounted directly above the filter 160, as taught by Lim, in order to use a mounting plate and insulators that suppress the conduction of heat and that prevent warping of the filter, because at high temperatures, warping of the filter can occur, which reduces the efficiency of induction heating and can cause the mounting base to become extremely hot, increasing the dielectric loss and reducing the efficiency of microwave heating (paras 0005-0006, 0013, and 0072).
Claims 14-17, 19-20, and 24-25 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Lim et al. (US-20210235555-A1, effective filing date of 23 January 2020) as applied to claim 12 above and further in view of Louie et al. (US-20090008386-A1).
Regarding claim 14, Lim teaches the invention as described above but does not explicitly disclose wherein the first pattern comprises a plurality of parallel metal wire lines, each of the plurality of parallel metal wire lines including: a first portion facing the opening; and a second portion contacting the casing.
However, in the same field of endeavor of combined microwave/induction heating systems, Louie teaches wherein the first pattern (comb-shaped layer 14a, fig. 1) comprises a plurality of parallel metal wire lines (“plurality of metal parallel wires,” para 0017; wires 14e, figs. 1-2), each of the plurality of parallel metal wire lines including: a first portion (annotated in fig. 1 below) facing the opening (the construed “first portion” of the wires 14e face the hole 16a, fig. 3); and a second portion (annotated in fig. 1 below) contacting the casing (at the edge of the wiring, the wires make “galvanic contact” or “ground contact” with the casing of the oven, para 0017).
Louie, fig. 1 (annotated)
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Therefore, it would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date to modify the invention of Lim, in view of the teachings of Louie, by using wires, as taught by Louie, instead of conductive bands, as taught by Lim, and by grounding the wires, as taught by Louie, to the cabinet 102, as taught by Lim, in order to use parallel wires that are made of copper and that are grounded, for the advantage of using wires that are easy to obtain, facilitating a distributed connection to ground that prevent deformation of the insulator due to the multitude of conduction pathways to a grounded terminal (Louie, paras 0005, 0009, and 0012).
Regarding claim 15, Lim teaches wherein the slit (annotated in fig. 8 above) is provided in the first portion (the first portion is construed as being the bottom half of the conductors 176, fig. 8).
Regarding claim 16, Lim teaches wherein the slit (annotated in fig. 8 above) is located in the first pattern (the first portion is construed as being the bottom half of the conductors 176, fig. 8) at a distance of 15 mm or less from a periphery of the opening (periphery of opening in wall 150 that correlates with the periphery of filter 160, fig. 4; the gaps 186 in fig. 8 have a distance of “0.2 millimeters or about 0.5 millimeters,” para 0041; construed such that the left gap in fig. 8 has a distance of 0.2-0.5 mm).
Regarding claim 17, Lim teaches wherein the slit (annotated in fig. 8 above) has a length of 0.5 mm or less (the gaps 186 in fig. 8 have a distance of “0.2 millimeters or about 0.5 millimeters,” para 0041; construed such that the left gap in fig. 8 has a length of 0.2-0.5 mm).
Regarding claim 19, Lim teaches wherein the slit (annotated in fig. 8 above) is located in the first pattern (fig. 8) at a distance of 15 mm or less from a periphery of the opening (periphery of opening in wall 150 that correlates with the periphery of filter 160, fig. 4; the gaps 186 in fig. 8 have a distance of “0.2 millimeters or about 0.5 millimeters,” para 0041; construed such that the left gap in fig. 8 has a distance of 0.2-0.5 mm).
Lim does not explicitly disclose wherein the first pattern comprises a plurality of parallel metal wire lines.
However, in the same field of endeavor of combined microwave/induction heating systems, Louie teaches wherein the first pattern (comb-shaped layer 14a, fig. 1) comprises a plurality of parallel metal wire lines (“plurality of metal parallel wires,” para 0017; wires 14e, figs. 1-2).
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date to modify the invention of Lim, in view of the teachings of Louie, by using wires, as taught by Louie, instead of conductive bands, as taught by Lim, in order to use parallel wires that are made of copper and that are grounded, for the advantage of using wires that are easy to obtain, facilitating a distributed connection to ground that prevent deformation of the insulator due to the multitude of conduction pathways to a grounded terminal (Louie, paras 0005, 0009, and 0012).
Regarding claim 20, Lim teaches wherein the slit (annotated in fig. 8 above) has a length of 0.5 mm or less (the gaps 186 in fig. 8 have a distance of “0.2 millimeters or about 0.5 millimeters,” para 0041; construed such that the left gap in fig. 8 has a length of 0.2-0.5 mm).
Regarding claim 24, Lim teaches the invention as described above but does not explicitly disclose wherein the second pattern comprise a plurality of parallel metal wire lines.
However, in the same field of endeavor of combined microwave/induction heating systems, Louie teaches wherein the second pattern (comb-shaped layer 14b, fig. 1) comprise a plurality of parallel metal wire lines (“plurality of metal parallel wires,” para 0017; wires 14b, figs. 1-2).
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date to modify the invention of Lim, in view of the teachings of Louie, by using wires, as taught by Louie, instead of conductive bands, as taught by Lim, and by grounding the wires, as taught by Louie, to the cabinet 102, as taught by Lim, in order to use parallel wires that are made of copper and that are grounded, for the advantage of using wires that are easy to obtain, facilitating a distributed connection to ground that prevent deformation of the insulator due to the multitude of conduction pathways to a grounded terminal (Louie, paras 0005, 0009, and 0012).
Regarding claim 25, the combination of Lim in view of Louie as set forth above regarding claim 24 teaches the invention of claim 25. Specifically, Louie teaches wherein the plurality of parallel metal wire lines (wires 14b, figs. 1-2) of the second pattern extend uninterrupted (wires 14b extend uninterrupted from top to bottom, fig. 1) across the second surface of the insulator (face 12b of glass sheet 12, fig. 2; para 0017).
Claims 18 and 21-22 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Lim et al. (US-20210235555-A1, effective filing date of 23 January 2020) in view of Louie et al. (US-20090008386-A1) as applied to claims 12, 14-16, and 19-20 above and further in view of Ogasawara et al. (US-5177333-A).
Regarding claim 18, Lim teaches the invention as described above but does not explicitly disclose further comprising a film or coating on the first surface of the insulator to cover the first pattern.
However, in the same field of endeavor of combined microwave/induction heating systems, Ogasawara teaches further comprising a film or coating on the first surface of the insulator (top surface of mesh 9, fig. 3) to cover the first pattern (top layer 14, fig. 3; “the mesh 9 is sandwiched between layers 14 of electrically insulating dielectric material and fixed in place by means of silicone adhesive,” column 4, lines 15-18; the layer 14 of dielectric material is construed as a “film or coating”).
Ogasawara, fig. 3
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Therefore, it would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date to modify the invention of Lim, in view of the teachings of Ogasawara, by using layers 14 of dielectric material, as taught by Ogasawara, to sandwich the filter 160, as taught by Lim, in order to use insulating layers that prevent the filter from deforming, for the advantage of using the insulating layers to absorb eddy current loss, because eddy current loss cause deformation or thermal expansion of the filter (Ogasawara, abstract, column 2, lines 29-31).
Regarding claim 21, Lim teaches the invention as described above but does not explicitly disclose further comprising a first film or coating on the first surface of the insulator to cover the first pattern.
However, in the same field of endeavor of combined microwave/induction heating systems, Ogasawara teaches further comprising a first film or coating (top layer 14, fig. 3) on the first surface of the insulator (top surface of mesh 9, fig. 3) to cover the first pattern (“the mesh 9 is sandwiched between layers 14 of electrically insulating dielectric material and fixed in place by means of silicone adhesive,” column 4, lines 15-18; a layer 14 of dielectric material is construed as a “film or coating”).
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date to modify the invention of Lim, in view of the teachings of Ogasawara, by using layers 14 of dielectric material, as taught by Ogasawara, to sandwich the filter 160, as taught by Lim, in order to use insulating layers that prevent the filter from deforming, for the advantage of using the insulating layers to absorb eddy current loss, because eddy current loss cause deformation or thermal expansion of the filter (Ogasawara, abstract, column 2, lines 29-31).
Regarding claim 22, the combination of Lim in view of Louie and Ogasawara as set forth above regarding claim 21 teaches the invention of claim 22. Specifically, Ogasawara teaches further comprising a second film or coating (bottom layer 14, fig. 3) on the second surface of the insulator (bottom surface of mesh 9, fig. 3) to cover the second pattern (“the mesh 9 is sandwiched between layers 14 of electrically insulating dielectric material and fixed in place by means of silicone adhesive,” column 4, lines 15-18; a layer 14 of dielectric material is construed as a “film or coating”).
Claim 23 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Lim et al. (US-20210235555-A1, effective filing date of 23 January 2020) as applied to claim 12 above and further in view of Ogasawara et al. (US-5177333-A).
Lim teaches the invention as described above but does not explicitly disclose further comprising a first film or coating on the first surface of the insulator to cover the first pattern.
However, in the same field of endeavor of combined microwave/induction heating systems, Ogasawara teaches further comprising a first film or coating (top layer 14, fig. 3) on the first surface of the insulator (top surface of mesh 9, fig. 3) to cover the first pattern (“the mesh 9 is sandwiched between layers 14 of electrically insulating dielectric material and fixed in place by means of silicone adhesive,” column 4, lines 15-18; a layer 14 of dielectric material is construed as a “film or coating”).
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date to modify the invention of Lim, in view of the teachings of Ogasawara, by using layers 14 of dielectric material, as taught by Ogasawara, to sandwich the filter 160, as taught by Lim, in order to use insulating layers that prevent the filter from deforming, for the advantage of using the insulating layers to absorb eddy current loss, because eddy current loss cause deformation or thermal expansion of the filter (Ogasawara, abstract, column 2, lines 29-31).
Claims 26-28 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Lim et al. (US-20210235555-A1, effective filing date of 23 January 2020) in view of Noda et al. (JP-2008159337-A, referencing foreign version for drawings and provided English translation for written disclosure).
Regarding claim 26, Lim teaches a cooking appliance (cooking appliance 100, fig. 2) comprising:
a casing (cabinet 102, fig. 1) having an open front (opening of the cabinet where the door 106 is located, fig. 2), the casing defining a cooking space (cooking chamber 104, fig. 2) therein, the casing having an opening at one side thereof (opening in the bottom wall 150 where the filter 160 is located, fig. 4; the bottom wall 150 is part of the cabinet 102, fig. 2; the bottom wall 150 is construed as being a bottom side of the cabinet 102);
a microwave generator (magnetron 130, fig. 3) configured to generate and direct a microwave toward the cooking space (para 0028);
an induction coil (induction heating coil 136, fig. 3) facing the opening (the coil 136 is construed as facing the opening in the wall 150, fig. 4), the induction coil being located outside the cooking space (the coil 136 is below the bottom wall 150 which demarks the cooking chamber, fig. 4);
a shielding plate (filter 160, fig. 4; the filter “limits or restricts passage of microwave radiation or microwaves,” para 0036, and is construed as being a shielding plate) arranged between the induction coil (coil 136, fig. 4) and the opening (opening in wall 150, fig. 4),
the shielding plate including:
an insulator (insulation layer 192, fig. 9) having a first surface (top surface of insulation layer 192, fig. 9) facing the opening and a second surface (bottom surface of insulation layer 192, fig. 9) opposite the first surface;
a first pattern (upper layer 172, fig. 9; fig. 8) on the first surface of the insulator; and
a second pattern (lower layer 170, fig. 9; fig. 7) on the second surface of the insulator, the second pattern being arranged perpendicular to the first pattern (“perpendicular,” para 0007; the bands in fig. 8 and are perpendicular to the bands in fig. 7).
Lim does not explicitly disclose a spacer made of an insulating material located between the opening and the first pattern such that the first pattern is spaced apart from a periphery of the opening.
However, in the same field of endeavor of combined microwave/induction heating systems, Noda teaches a spacer (insulating materials 43 and 44, fig. 5; materials 43 and 44 are construed as being a spacer for the perforated plate 42, fig. 4) made of an insulating material (“mica plates,” para 0058) located between the opening (opening T1, fig. 4) and the first pattern (top surface of perforated plate 42 and plate fitting 41, fig. 5; the perforated plate 42 blocks microwaves, para 0004; construed as being a shield plate) such that the first pattern is spaced apart from a periphery of the opening (fig. 4 and para 0062).
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date to modify the invention of Lim, in view of the teachings of Noda, by using a mounting plate and insulating members 43 and 44, as taught by Noda, such that they were mounted directly above the filter 160, as taught by Lim, in order to use a mounting plate and insulators that suppress the conduction of heat by creating a ventilation passage T1 above the insulating members, for the advantage of preventing warping of the filter, because at high temperatures, warping of the filter can occur, which reduces the efficiency of induction heating and can cause the mounting base to become extremely hot, increasing the dielectric loss and reducing the efficiency of microwave heating (paras 0005-0006, 0013, 0062, and 0072).
Regarding claim 27, the combination of Lim in view of Noda as set forth above regarding claim 26 teaches the invention of claim 27. Specifically, Noda teaches wherein a size of the spacer (insulating materials 43 and 44, fig. 4) is larger than the opening (the opening T1 is inside the materials 43 and 44, fig. 5; construed such that the materials 43 and 44 have a larger diameter than the opening T1) such that the spacer contacts the periphery of the opening (the materials 43 and 44 are in contact with the outer edge of opening T1, fig. 5; para 0062).
Regarding claim 28, the combination of Lim in view of Noda as set forth above regarding claim 26 teaches the invention of claim 28. Specifically, Lim teaches wherein a portion of the shielding plate (outer portion of filter 160, fig. 4) overlaps the casing (portion of wall 150 under the filter 160, fig. 4). Additionally, Noda teaches wherein the shielding plate (perforated plate 42 and plate fitting 41, fig. 5) supports the spacer (insulating materials 43 and 44, fig. 5; bolted together by screws and nuts, paras 0058 and 0057).
Claim 29 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Lim et al. (US-20210235555-A1, effective filing date of 23 January 2020) in view of Noda et al. (JP-2008159337-A, referencing foreign version for drawings and provided English translation for written disclosure) as applied to claim 26 above and further in view of Ogasawara et al. (US-5177333-A).
Lim teaches the invention as described above but does not explicitly disclose wherein the spacer is a coating layer on the first surface of the insulator.
However, in the same field of endeavor of combined microwave/induction heating systems, Ogasawara teaches wherein the spacer is a coating layer (top layer 14, fig. 3) on the first surface of the insulator (top surface of mesh 9, fig. 3; “the mesh 9 is sandwiched between layers 14 of electrically insulating dielectric material and fixed in place by means of silicone adhesive,” column 4, lines 15-18; a layer 14 of dielectric material is construed as a “film or coating”).
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date to modify the invention of Lim, in view of the teachings of Ogasawara, by using a layer 14 of dielectric material, as taught by Ogasawara, instead of the insulating members 43 and 44, as taught by Noda, in order to use insulating layers that prevent the filter from deforming, for the advantage of using the insulating layers to absorb eddy current loss, because eddy current loss cause deformation or thermal expansion of the filter (Ogasawara, abstract, column 2, lines 29-31; the top layer 14 teaches the limitations attributed to the “spacer” of claim 26, i.e., the top layer 14 is made if of an insulating dielectric material that is located between the top of the opening where the turntable 7 protrudes from and the mesh 9, fig. 3).
Claims 30-31 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Lim et al. (US-20210235555-A1, effective filing date of 23 January 2020) in view of Noda et al. (JP-2008159337-A, referencing foreign version for drawings and provided English translation for written disclosure) as applied to claim 26 above and further in view of Louie et al. (US-20090008386-A1).
Regarding claim 30, Lim teaches the invention as described above but does not explicitly disclose wherein the first pattern comprises a plurality of parallel metal wire lines, and wherein the second pattern comprise a plurality of parallel metal wire lines.
However, in the same field of endeavor of combined microwave/induction heating systems, Louie teaches wherein the first pattern (comb-shaped layer 14a, fig. 1) comprises a plurality of parallel metal wire lines (“plurality of metal parallel wires,” para 0017; wires 14e, figs. 1-2), and wherein the second pattern (comb-shaped layer 14b, fig. 1) comprise a plurality of parallel metal wire lines (“plurality of metal parallel wires,” para 0017; wires 14b, figs. 1-2).
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date to modify the invention of Lim, in view of the teachings of Louie, by using wires, as taught by Louie, instead of conductive bands, as taught by Lim, and by grounding the wires, as taught by Louie, to the cabinet 102, as taught by Lim, in order to use parallel wires that are made of copper and that are grounded, for the advantage of using wires that are easy to obtain, facilitating a distributed connection to ground that prevent deformation of the insulator due to the multitude of conduction pathways to a grounded terminal (Louie, paras 0005, 0009, and 0012).
Regarding claim 31, the combination of Lim in view of Noda and Louie as set forth above regarding claim 30 teaches the invention of claim 31. Specifically, Louie teaches wherein the plurality of parallel metal wire lines (wires 14b, figs. 1-2) of the second pattern extend uninterrupted (wires 14b extend uninterrupted from top to bottom, fig. 1) across the second surface of the insulator (face 12b of glass sheet 12, fig. 2; para 0017).
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure.
Kwon et al. (US-5698125-A) teach using wires for a shielding plate.
Ushijima et al. (US-6147336-A) teach using a shielding plate 16 with holes in it.
Shin et al. (US-12016106-B2) teach an invention similar to the Instant Application that is under review.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to ERWIN J WUNDERLICH whose telephone number is (571)272-6995. The examiner can normally be reached Mon-Fri 7:30-5:30.
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If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Edward Landrum can be reached at 571-272-5567. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/ERWIN J WUNDERLICH/Examiner, Art Unit 3761 4/9/2026
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