DETAILED ACTION
Notice of Pre-AIA or AIA Status
The present application, filed on or after March 16, 2013, is being examined under the first inventor to file provisions of the AIA .
Claim Objections
The numbering of claims is not in accordance with 37 CFR 1.126 which requires the original numbering of the claims to be preserved throughout the prosecution. When claims are canceled, the remaining claims must not be renumbered. When new claims are presented, they must be numbered consecutively beginning with the number next following the highest numbered claims previously presented (whether entered or not).
Claim 33 is labeled as canceled: 25-33 (canceled); therefore, it should not be resued.
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.
Claim 34 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 112(b) or 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), second paragraph, as failing to set forth 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.
Claim 34 depends on itself.
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.
Claims 1-2, 4-7, 9-10, 12-14, 16, 18-24, 33-34, are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Cameron (US 2016/0331036) in view of Lee et al. (2020/0170298).
Regarding claims 1, 13, 33, Cameron discloses a method of locking a non-combustible aerosol provision system (page 16, [0129]), the method comprising: receiving user input representative of a request to lock the non-combustible aerosol provision system after a given period of time (page 17, [0133]; page 22, [0172)
and in response to determining that the given period of time has elapsed, locking the non-
combustible aerosol provision system to prevent the non-combustible aerosol provision system
from being used to generate aerosols (page 17, [0133]; page 22, [0172]).
Cameron discloses all the limitations set forth above but fails to explicitly disclose allowing the non-combustible aerosol provision system to be used to generate aerosols during the given period of time.
However, Lee discloses allowing the non-combustible aerosol provision system to be used to generate aerosols during the given period of time (page 1, [0010]; page 7, [0127-0128]).
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art at the time the invention was first filed to incorporate the feature of Lee within the system of Cameron in order to enhance the utility of such devices thereby improving the reliability of the system.
Regarding claims 2, 14, 16, Cameron discloses the method further comprising: notifying a user that the given period of time has elapsed; wherein locking the non-combustible aerosol provision system is additionally in response to receiving confirmation from the user of at least one of: the non-combustible aerosol provision system is to be locked, or the given period of time should be repeated before locking the non-combustible aerosol provision system (page 17, [0133]; page 22, [0172]).
Regarding claim 4, Cameron discloses the user input is received at a user device in communication with the non-combustible aerosol provision system (page 16, [0132-0133]).
Regarding claims 5, 34, Cameron discloses the method further comprising: notifying the non-combustible aerosol provision system by the user device of the request to lock the non-combustible aerosol provision system after the given period of time; wherein locking the non-combustible aerosol provision system is in response to determining by the non-combustible aerosol provision system that the given period of time has elapsed (page 16, [0132-0133]; page 22, [0172]).
Regarding claim 6, Cameron discloses wherein locking the non-combustible aerosol provision system comprises issuing a lock request to the non-combustible aerosol provision system by the user device in response to determining by the user device that the given period of time has elapsed (page 16, [0132-0133]; page 22, [0172]).
Regarding claim 7, Cameron discloses wherein at least one of: the user input is received at the non-combustible aerosol provision system, or receiving the user input comprises detection of puffing on the non-combustible aerosol provision system by the user (page 5, [0057-0058]).
Regarding claim 9, Cameron discloses keeping the non-combustible aerosol provision system locked until an unlock request is received by a user device in communication with the non-combustible aerosol provision system (page 16, [0132-0133]).
Regarding claim 10, Cameron discloses at least one of: unlocking the non-combustible aerosol provision system after a second period of time following locking of the non-combustible aerosol provision system has elapsed; or unlocking the non-combustible aerosol provision system after a second period of time
following locking of the non-combustible aerosol provision system has elapsed, wherein the
second period of time comprises a time period elapsing at a predetermined time (page 16, [0132-0133]; page 22, [0172]).
Regarding claim 12, Cameron discloses wherein the given period of time comprises a time period ending at a predetermined time (page 22, [0172]).
Regarding claim 18, Cameron discloses wherein the device is the non-combustible aerosol provision system (page 1, [0012]).
Regarding claim 19, Cameron discloses wherein: the non-combustible aerosol provision system is configured to receive the user input by detecting puffing on the non-combustible aerosol provision system by the use (page 7, [0129]).
Regarding claims 20, 24, Cameron discloses wherein the device is a user device communicatively coupled to the non-combustible aerosol provision system (page 1, [0009-0012]).
Regarding claim 21, Cameron discloses wherein the user device is configured to receive
the user input representative of a request to lock the non-combustible aerosol provision system
after a given period of time directly at the user device (page 16, [0132-0133]).
Regarding claim 22, Cameron discloses wherein the user device is configured to receive
the user input representative of a request to lock the non-combustible aerosol provision system
after a given period of time via the non-combustible aerosol provision system (page 22, [0172]).
Regarding claim 23, Cameron discloses wherein the given period of time comprises a time period ending at a predetermined time (page 22, [0172]).
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure.
Bowen et al. (US 2019/0158938) discloses electronic vaporizer sessioning.
Rawlins (US 2016/0242461) discloses cigarette smoking cessation tool.
Fridley (US 2020/0199909) discloses restrictive access container.
Nielsen (US 2009/0210088) discloses apparatus…..goods.
Jurmain (US 8,272,875) discloses educational…..using.
Imran et al. (US 2013/0023850) discloses system….cravings.
Memari et al. (US 2016/0150824) discloses E-cigarette personal vaporizer.
Tremblay (US 2015/0181945) discloses electronic vaping device.
Doshi et al. (US 2016/0219931) discloses system……….change.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to DANIEL PREVIL whose telephone number is (571)272-2971. The examiner can normally be reached Monday-Friday from 9:30 AM -6:00 PM.
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If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Wang Quan-Zhen can be reached at 571 272 3114. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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DP
February 3, 2026
/DANIEL PREVIL/ Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2685