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 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.
Claim(s) 6 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Weiss et al. (US 8,288,693).
Regarding claim 6, Weiss et al. a heater device (20, i.e. called a heating element), comprising:
an insulating base material 8 (fig. 7, i.e. called a flat carrier);
a heater wire (4, i.e. called an interrupter conductor strand) that is provided on the insulating base material (8), forms a path through which current flows when energized, and generates heat when energized (col. 10, lines 63-col. 11, lines 14);
a temperature detection element (90, i.e. called a temperature sensor) provided on the insulating base material (8) and having electrical characteristics (i.e. current) that change according to temperature (col. 11, lines 28-51);
a line (4’, i.e. called an interrupter conductor strand) provided on the insulating base material (2) and electrically connected to the temperature detection element (90, i.e. called a temperature sensor); and
a branch line (40, i.e. called a plurality of heat conductors/elements) provided on the insulating base material (8), having one end connected to the heater wire (4) and the other end not connected to the heater wire (see figure 7), and
wherein the heater wire (4) and the branch line (40) are continuously formed of the same material (i.e. copper).
Weiss substantially discloses a plurality of heat conductors/elements extending around (see figure 7) the temperature detection element (90, i.e. called a temperature sensor).
Before the effective filing date of the claimed invention, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art, having the teachings of Weiss before him or her, to include such branch lines arrangement of Weiss because it provides sufficient contact surfaces at a plurality of supply points between conductor strands for heating and those for supplying current, and on the other hand, the incorporation of an additional conductor in this area forms a network which, in case of a break of individual conductors, can easily conduct current to bypass between the meshes of the network. The suggestion/motivation for doing so would have been obvious because it produces a heating element which can be made to be sufficiently long-lasting, corrosion-resistant, and economical (col. 2, lines 65-67).
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 1-5 and 7 are allowed.
The following is an examiner’s statement of reasons for allowance: the closest prior art of record is Weiss et al., the prior art of record references neither discloses, or suggests, in combination with the other limitations of independent claim 1, “a branch line provided on the insulating base material, having one end connected to the heater wire and the other end not connected to the heater wire, and extending around the temperature detection element; wherein a width of a portion of the branch line on the heater wire side is defined as W1, a width of an end portion of the branch line remote from the heater wire is defined as W2, and a relationship of W1≥W2 is satisfied.”
Similarly, the closest prior art of record is Weiss et al., the prior art of record references neither discloses, or suggests, in combination with the other limitations of independent claim 4, “a branch line provided on the insulating base material, having one end connected to the heater wire and the other end not connected to the heater wire, and extending around the temperature detection element; wherein a width of a portion of the branch line on the heater wire side is defined as W1, a width of an end portion of the branch line remote from the heater wire is defined as W2, a width of the heater wire is defined as W3, and a relationship of W1≥W2≥W3 is satisfied.”
Any comments considered necessary by applicant must be submitted no later than the payment of the issue fee and, to avoid processing delays, should preferably accompany the issue fee. Such submissions should be clearly labeled “Comments on Statement of Reasons for Allowance.”
Prior Art
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure. Kojima et al. (US 5.895.591). Fegley et al. (US 4,485,290). Reevell et al. (US 20220322498). And Schulz et al. (US 20170019955).
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to KET D DANG whose telephone number is (571)270-7827. The examiner can normally be reached Monday - Wednesday 7:30 AM - 4:30 PM.
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/KET D DANG/Examiner, Art Unit 3761
/ELIZABETH M KERR/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3761
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