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 .
Information Disclosure Statement
The information disclosure statements (IDS) submitted on 1/05/2024, 6/04/2025, 12/03/2025, & 5/18/2026 are in compliance with the provisions of 37 CFR 1.97. Accordingly, the examiner has considered the information disclosure statements.
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.
(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.
Claims 1-6, 8-11, & 13-14 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Ono et al. (Japanese Patent # JP6833093B1, with all citations referring to equivalent US child Application # 2022/0007741).
Regarding Claim 1, Ono discloses a power supply unit (i.e. power supply unit 10) of an aerosol generating device, comprising:
a power supply (i.e. power supply 12);
a positive electrode-side connector (i.e. positive electrode side discharging terminal 41a/47a) and a negative electrode-side connector (i.e. negative electrode side discharging terminal 41b) to which a load (i.e. load 21) configured to generate aerosol from an aerosol source by consuming electric power supplied from the power supply, or a coil (i.e. electric heating wire) configured to transmit electric power to the load by electromagnetic induction is connected;
a first conductive pattern (i.e. power supply line 60F which is part of power supply path 743) connecting the power supply and the positive electrode-side connector;
a second conductive pattern (i.e. any of power supply lines 60A-60G which are part of power supply path 743, particularly power supply line 60E) branched from the first conductive pattern;
a circuit substrate (i.e. circuit board 60) on which the first conductive pattern and the second conductive pattern are formed; and
a first protection component (i.e. capacitor CD9 w/ Zener diode D which serve as barriers against noise and/or help remove noise) having one end connected to the second conductive pattern and configured to protect an electronic component (i.e. electronic components of power supply unit 10 such as power supply 12 and LDO regulator 62) mounted on the circuit substrate from noise entering through the positive electrode-side connector (Fig. 1-4, 6-7, 9; Paragraph 0025-0026, 0048, 0089, 0143, 0155-0159, 0166, 0179, 0215, 0239, 0269-0272, 0240, 0278, 0311, 0315, 0325, 0327). Any of switch SW4, DC/DC converters 63/64, second smoothing capacitor CD10, first smoothing capacitor CD11, and variable resistor VR4, etc. also serve as barriers against noise and/or help remove noise. Alternatively, the power line which connects first smoothing capacitor CD11 to power supply line 60F can be considered a “second conductive pattern”.
Regarding Claim 2, Ono discloses that the number of electronic components connected to the second conductive pattern (i.e. any of power supply lines 60A-60G which are part of power supply path 743, particularly power supply line 60E) is smaller than the number of electronic components connected to the first conductive pattern (i.e. power supply line 60F which is part of power supply path 743) (Fig. 4). Power supply line 60F is shown to be connected to a lot more components than each of power supply lines 60A-60G, particularly power supply line 60E. Alternatively, the power line which connects first smoothing capacitor CD11 to power supply line 60F can be considered a “second conductive pattern” and is only connected to first smoothing capacitor CD11.
Regarding Claim 3, Ono discloses that the electronic component connected to the second conductive pattern (i.e. any of power supply lines 60A-60G which are part of power supply path 743, particularly power supply line 60E) is only the first protection component (i.e. capacitor CD9 w/ Zener diode D which serve as barriers against noise and/or help remove noise) (Fig. 4; Paragraph 0143). Alternatively, the power line which connects first smoothing capacitor CD11 to power supply line 60F can be considered a “second conductive pattern” and only connected to first smoothing capacitor CD11.
Regarding Claim 4, Ono discloses that the second conductive pattern is branched from a portion of the first conductive pattern connected to the positive electrode-side connector (Fig. 4).
Regarding Claim 5, Ono discloses that a portion in which the second conductive pattern is branched from the first conductive pattern does not have an angle of 90° or less (Fig. 9). Fig. 9 shows power supply path 743 which includes power supply lines 60A-60G and illustrates that none of the power supply lines have an angle of 90° or less relative to each other.
Regarding Claim 6, Ono discloses that the second conductive pattern (i.e. the power line which connects first smoothing capacitor CD11 to power supply line 60F can be considered a “second conductive pattern” and is only connected to first smoothing capacitor CD11) has a dimension smaller than that of the first conductive pattern (i.e. power supply line 60F which is part of power supply path 743) (Fig. 4). A conductor pattern which only contains one component would be expected to have smaller dimensions than one with multiple components.
Regarding Claim 8, Ono discloses that the positive electrode-side connector (i.e. positive electrode side discharging terminal 41a/47a) is mounted on one end portion (i.e. first portion 721) of the circuit substrate, and the second conductive pattern (i.e. any of power supply lines 60A-60G which are part of power supply path 743) extends toward the other end side (i.e. second portion 722) of the circuit substrate (Fig. 4, 9-10). All power supply lines are shown to extend toward another end of the substrate away from positive electrode side discharging terminal 41a.
Regarding Claim 9, Ono discloses that the one end of the first protection component (i.e. first smoothing capacitor CD11) is connected to an end portion of the second conductive pattern (Fig. 4).
Regarding Claim 10, Ono discloses a ground (i.e. ground line 60N which is on ground layer 73) provided inside the circuit substrate (i.e. circuit board 60) and connected to the other end of the first protection component (i.e. first smoothing capacitor CD11); and a via provided between the first conductive pattern and the second conductive pattern and connected to the ground (Fig. 4, 6, 7-10; Paragraphs 0221-0222, 02660269).
Regarding Claim 11, Ono discloses a second protection component (i.e. capacitor CD112 and/or variable resistor VR4 w/ capacitor CD10) having one end connected to the first conductive pattern (i.e. power supply line 60F which is part of power supply path 743) and configured to protect an electronic component (i.e. electronic components of power supply unit 10 such as power supply 12 and LDO regulator 62) mounted on the circuit substrate from noise entering through the positive electrode-side connector (i.e. positive electrode side discharging terminal 41a) (Fig. 4, 6; Paragraph 0157-0159, 0209-0210, 0244). Smoothing capacitor CD11 can comprise two capacitors CD111 & CD112 which are connected in parallel.
Regarding Claim 13, Ono discloses a switch (i.e. switch SW4) connected to the first conductive pattern (i.e. power supply line 60F which is part of power supply path 743), wherein the switch, the second protection component (i.e. capacitor CD112 and/or variable resistor VR4 w/ capacitor CD10), and the positive electrode-side connector (i.e. positive electrode side discharging terminal 41a) are arranged in a line on the first conductive pattern (Fig. 4, 6; Paragraph 0156-0160, 0209-0210, 0244).
Regarding Claim 14, Ono discloses that the second protection component (i.e. variable resistor VR4 w/ capacitor CD10) is disposed between the switch (i.e. switch SW4) and the positive electrode-side connector (i.e. positive electrode side discharging terminal 41a) on the first conductive pattern (i.e. power supply line 60F which is part of power supply path 743) (Fig. 4, 6; Paragraph 0156-0160, 0244, 0324).
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 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 7 & 12 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Ono et al. (Japanese Patent # JP6833093B1, with all citations referring to equivalent US child Application # 2022/0007741).
Regarding Claim 7, Ono discloses a housing (i.e. power supply unit case 11) forming a surface of the power supply unit (Fig. 1-2; Paragraph 0026).
Ono does not explicitly disclose that a length direction of the first protection component coincides with a length direction of the housing.
However, optimizing the space within a housing for the components to be installed within is a matter of design choice and is necessary when said space is inherently limited. It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art at the time of the invention was made to make a length direction of the first protection component coincide with a length direction of the housing, since it has been held that rearranging parts of an invention involves only routine skill in the art. In re Japikse, 86 USPQ 70.
Regarding Claim 12, Ono discloses a housing (i.e. power supply unit case 11) forming a surface of the power supply unit (Fig. 1-2; Paragraph 0026).
Ono does not explicitly disclose that a length direction of the second protection component coincides with a length direction of the housing.
However, optimizing the space within a housing for the components to be installed within is a matter of design choice and is necessary when said space is inherently limited. It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art at the time of the invention was made to make a length direction of the second protection component coincide with a length direction of the housing, since it has been held that rearranging parts of an invention involves only routine skill in the art. In re Japikse, 86 USPQ 70.
Relevant Cited Art
The cited art in PTO-892 was found during the examiner's search, but was not relied upon for this office action. However, it is still considered pertinent to the applicant's disclosure.
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to RHADAMES J ALONZO MILLER whose telephone number is (571)270-7829. The examiner can normally be reached Mon-Fri 10am-6pm PST.
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/RJA/Examiner, Art Unit 2847
/TIMOTHY J THOMPSON/Supervisory Patent Examiner, Art Unit 2847
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