DETAILED ACTION
Notice to Applicant
The present application, filed on or after March 16, 2013, is being examined under the first inventor to file provisions of the AIA .
Claims 19-30 are pending.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 101
35 U.S.C. 101 reads as follows:
Whoever invents or discovers any new and useful process, machine, manufacture, or composition of matter, or any new and useful improvement thereof, may obtain a patent therefor, subject to the conditions and requirements of this title.
Claims 19-30 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 101 because the claimed invention is directed to an abstract idea without significantly more.
Claim 1 recites using a pseudo-geometry that represents three heat transfer processes in a thermal package that include (1) product to phase change material (PCM), (2) ambient temperature to product, and (3) ambient temperature to PCM; and for each of the three heat transfer processes: positing a solution of a partial differential equation as a first order plus dead time (FOPDT) model having a gain coefficient, a time constant, and a dead time that change as the PCM in a thermal package change phase; simultaneously solving models associated with each of the three heat transfer processes and adjusting constants associated with the gain coefficient, the time, and the dead time constants for subcooled PCM, PCMs that are changing phase, and PCMs that have fully changed phase; and using a result to generate a package model that receives product temperature specifications and lane temperature data to determine an optimal packaging from a predetermined set of packing to be used for a shipment of the product., which is an abstract evaluation of input information reasonably categorized as a mental process involving evaluation of mathematical formulas.
The claim is directed to an abstract idea in its entirety and includes no additional elements to evaluate at step 2A prong 2 or 2B. Consequently, no “practical application” or “significantly more” conclusion can be reached.
Claims 20-30 describe information and the evaluation thereof and thus further describe the abstract idea. The claims include no additional elements to evaluate at step 2A prong 2 or 2B. Consequently, no “practical application” or “significantly more” conclusion can be reached.
Novelty/Non-Obviousness
Claims 19-30 are considered novel and non-obvious over the prior art.
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to
Applicant's disclosure. Please see PTO-892.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to JEFF ZIMMERMAN whose telephone number is (571)272-4602. The examiner can normally be reached Monday - Thursday 6:00 am - 2:00 pm.
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If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Jeff Zimmerman can be reached at (571)272-4602. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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JEFF ZIMMERMAN
Supervisory Patent Examiner
Art Unit 3628
/JEFF ZIMMERMAN/Supervisory Patent Examiner, Art Unit 3628
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