CTNF 18/410,103 CTNF 88952 DETAILED ACTION Notice of Pre-AIA or AIA Status 07-03-aia AIA 15-10-aia The present application, filed on or after March 16, 2013, is being examined under the first inventor to file provisions of the AIA. Election/Restrictions In the response to election/restriction dated 05/06/2026 the applicant argues that the restriction/election requirement is inappropriate because there is no serious search or examination burden. The applicant’s arguments are persuasive, therefore, the restriction/election requirement dated 03/11/2026 is withdrawn and claims 1-20 are being examined on the merits. Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 103 07-20-aia AIA 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. 07-23-aia AIA 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. 07-21-aia AIA Claim (s) 1-13 and 15-20 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Boyer (US 6,772,752 B1) in view of Hastings (US 2,523,297) . With respect to claim 1 Boyer discloses a cooling unit, comprising: a fan [reference character 260] configured to rotate and generate a flow of air; and a sensor assembly [reference characters 215 and 280] configured to sense the rotation of the fan. Boyer does not disclose that the sensor assembly includes: a magnet configured to provide a magnetic force, a sensor configured to sense the magnetic force, and a shield configured to open or close a passage through which the magnetic force passes between the magnet and the sensor, and wherein when the fan rotates, the shield alternatively opens or closes the passage repeatedly. Hastings discloses a tachometer that includes a magnet [reference character 32] configured to provide a magnetic force, a sensor [reference character 31] configured to sense the magnetic force, and a shield [reference character 33] configured to open or close a passage through which the magnetic force passes between the magnet and the sensor, and wherein when the fan rotates, the shield alternatively opens or closes the passage repeatedly [column 4 line 74-column 5 line 8]. It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art at the time of the filing date of the invention to modify the speed sensor taught by Boyer by replacing it with the tachometer taught by Hastings because the system taught by Hastings provides “…greater accuracy than existing high quality instruments, over a greater range of speeds or frequencies, and that will require considerably less maintenance” [column 1 lines 20-25 of Hastings]. With respect to claim 2 the combination of Boyer and Hastings discloses that the shield rotates in association with the rotation of the fan, and wherein the shield opens and closes the passage due to the rotation of the shield [see column 4 line 74-column 5 line 8 of Hastings]. With respect to claim 3 the combination of Boyer and Hastings discloses that the shield includes a vane [see annotated Fig. below] configured to rotate in association with the rotation of the fan to move to a first location at which the vane is positioned between the magnet and the sensor or a second location at which the vane is not positioned between the magnet and the sensor [column 4 line 74-column 5 line 8]. PNG media_image1.png 268 270 media_image1.png Greyscale With respect to claim 4 the combination of Boyer and Hastings discloses that the vane is at the first location, the shield closes the passage, and when the vane is at the second location, the shield opens the passage [column 4 line 74-column 5 line 8]. With respect to claim 5 the combination of Boyer and Hastings discloses that the shield includes a coupling wall coupled to a shaft of a motor configured to rotate the fan, the coupling wall rotating together with the shaft, and wherein the vane protrudes in a centrifugal direction from the coupling wall, and is configured to rotate together with the coupling wall [see annotated Fig. below]. PNG media_image2.png 274 598 media_image2.png Greyscale With respect to claim 6 the combination of Boyer and Hastings discloses that the shield includes a through opening [see annotated Fig. below] configured to allow the magnetic force to pass through the passage when shield rotates to position the through opening between the magnet and the sensor, and wherein the vane and the through opening are arranged in a rotational direction of the shield [see annotated Fig. below]. PNG media_image3.png 262 325 media_image3.png Greyscale With respect to claim 7 Boyer discloses a motor [reference character 285] configured to rotate the fan, and a support casing [see annotated Fig. below] coupled to the motor. PNG media_image4.png 415 771 media_image4.png Greyscale With respect to claim 8 Boyer discloses that the sensor assembly is disposed in a space at least partially defined by the motor and the support casing [see annotated Fig. above]. With respect to claim 9 Boyer discloses a motor [reference character 285] disposed between the fan and the sensor assembly, wherein the fan is connected to a shaft of the motor on a first side of the motor [see annotated Fig. above]. In combination, Hastings discloses that the motor is configured to rotate the fan and the shield (because the sensor assembly taught by Hastings replaces the sensor assembly taught by Boyer) and that the shield is connected to the shaft on a second side of the motor that differs from the first side of the motor (again, because the sensor assembly taught by Hastings replaces the sensor assembly taught by Boyer). With respect to claim 10 Boyer discloses a support casing coupled to the motor on the second side of the motor [see annotated Fig. above], wherein the sensor assembly is disposed in a space at least partially defined by the motor and the support casing [see annotated Fig. above]. With respect to claim 11 the combination of Boyer and Hastings discloses that the magnet is coupled to the motor, and wherein the sensor is coupled to the support casing. Note that the examiner’s interpretation is that the all of the structures are mutually coupled by the intervening structure of the fan assembly and the oven. With respect to claim 12 the combination of Boyer and Hastings discloses that the shield is disposed between the magnet and the sensor [see Fig. 5 of Hastings], and the shield is coupled to the shaft (Boyer in combination with Hastings). With respect to claim 13 the combination of Boyer and Hastings discloses that the magnet, the shield, and the sensor are arranged in a row along a longitudinal direction of the shaft [see Fig. 5 of Hastings], and wherein the shield is disposed between the magnet and the sensor [see Fig. 5 of Hastings]. With respect to claim 15 the combination of Boyer and Hastings discloses that the sensor assembly is connected to a controller [reference character 200 in Fig. 2 of Boyer] configured to control an operation of a device based on the fan speed [column 2 lines 14-19]. Hastings discloses that the speed is based on a number of times that the passage is opened and closed by the shield in a unit of time [column 4 line 74-column 5 line 8 of Hastings]. With respect to claim 16 Boyer discloses a cooking appliance [reference character 2] comprising the cooling unit of claim 1. With respect to claim 17 Boyer discloses a cavity [reference character 6] having a cooking chamber defined therein, and a heater [reference character 42] configured to heat the cooking chamber. With respect to claim 18 the combination of Boyer and Hastings discloses a controller [reference character 200] configured to control an operation of the heater based on the fan speed [column 2 lines 14-19]. Hastings discloses that the speed is based on a number of times that the passage is opened and closed by the shield in a unit of time [column 4 line 74-column 5 line 8 of Hastings]. With respect to claim 19 the combination of Boyer and Hastings discloses a controller [reference character 200] configured to stop the operation of the heater based on the fan speed [column 2 lines 14-19]. Hastings discloses that the speed is based on a number of times that the passage is opened and closed by the shield in a unit of time [column 4 line 74-column 5 line 8 of Hastings]. With respect to claim 20 the combination of Boyer and Hastings disclose that the shield includes a plurality of the vanes [see annotated Fig. above associated with claim 3] and a plurality of the through spaces [see annotated Fig. above associated with claim 6] provided between the plurality of vanes, and wherein the shield closes the passage when the shield rotates to position the plurality of the vanes between the magnet and the sensor, and the shield opens the passage when the shield rotates to position at least one of the plurality of through spaces between the magnet and the sensors [column 4 line 74-column 5 line 8]. The combination of Boyer and Hastings do not disclose that the sensor assembly includes a plurality of the sensors. However, providing a plurality of sensors involves mere duplication of parts of the invention. Therefore, it would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art at the time of the filing date of the invention to provide multiple sensors for the purpose of redundancy, since it has been held that mere duplication of the essential working parts of a device involves only routine skill in the art. St Regis Paper Co. v. Bemis Co., 193 USPQ 8 . Allowable Subject Matter 12-151-08 AIA 07-43 12-51-08 Claim 14 is objected to as being dependent upon a rejected base claim, but would be allowable if rewritten in independent form including all of the limitations of the base claim and any intervening claims. Conclusion Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to VIVEK K SHIRSAT whose telephone number is (571)272-3722. The examiner can normally be reached M-F 9:00AM-5:20AM. Examiner interviews are available via telephone, in-person, and video conferencing using a USPTO supplied web-based collaboration tool. To schedule an interview, applicant is encouraged to use the USPTO Automated Interview Request (AIR) at http://www.uspto.gov/interviewpractice. If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Steven B McAllister can be reached at 571-272-6785. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300. Information regarding the status of published or unpublished applications may be obtained from Patent Center. Unpublished application information in Patent Center is available to registered users. To file and manage patent submissions in Patent Center, visit: https://patentcenter.uspto.gov. Visit https://www.uspto.gov/patents/apply/patent-center for more information about Patent Center and https://www.uspto.gov/patents/docx for information about filing in DOCX format. For additional questions, contact the Electronic Business Center (EBC) at 866-217-9197 (toll-free). If you would like assistance from a USPTO Customer Service Representative, call 800-786-9199 (IN USA OR CANADA) or 571-272-1000. /VIVEK K SHIRSAT/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3762 Application/Control Number: 18/410,103 Page 2 Art Unit: 3762 Application/Control Number: 18/410,103 Page 4 Art Unit: 3762 Application/Control Number: 18/410,103 Page 5 Art Unit: 3762 Application/Control Number: 18/410,103 Page 6 Art Unit: 3762 Application/Control Number: 18/410,103 Page 7 Art Unit: 3762 Application/Control Number: 18/410,103 Page 8 Art Unit: 3762
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