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 .
Response to Arguments
Applicant's arguments filed 11/12/2025 have been fully considered but they are not persuasive.
Applicant argues that Friedersdorf only discloses a “temperature sensing IC” and that such disclosure does not meet the claims “non-corroding thermistor”
Examiner respectfully disagrees, as Friedersdorf teaches that the sensor node measures temperature parameters, including air temperature and surface temperature, as part of the corrosion monitoring system, a temperature sensing integrated circuit is a known temperature-responsive electrical component that performs the same function as a thermistor, namely providing an electrical signal representative of temperature. The claim does not require any particular structural configuration beyond being coupled to the substrate.
Applicant further argues that Kawakita discloses glass only as an example substrate and is silent regarding “micro/nanofibers embedded in hygroscopic layer”.
Examiner respectfully disagrees, Kawakita expressly teaches insulating substrates for hygroscopic wet/dry sensors, including “glass such as synthetic quartz glass and soda lime glass”.
Kawakita further teaches that such structures are used to improve moisture detection sensitivity through hydrophilic surface states and insulating films. Although Kawakita does not expressly use the term “micro/nanofibers”, the claim does not recite any specific functional requirement for the fibers beyond their presence within the hygroscopic layer.
Glass is a well known insulating material that may be implemented in various forms, including particles, filaments and fibers. The use of glass micro/nanofiber embedded with a hygroscopic layer would have been and obvious design choice to one of the ordinary skills in the art seeking to modify Kawakita’s disclosed glass based hygroscopic sensor structures for predictable performance characteristic. Further claim 1 does not recite any functional distinction or unexpected property associated with the recited micro/nanofiber beyond their presence in the hygroscopic layer.
Applicants’ arguments for claim 15 are also not persuasive for the reasons set forth above.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 103
3. 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 of this title, 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 1-20 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Friedersdorf (U.S. Publication 20150268152) in view of Kawakita (WO2019044640A1).
Regarding claim 1, Friedersdorf teaches a corrosion sensor (Fig. 6C (indent 1)) comprising: a nonconductive substrate (Fig. 6C (indent 2));
a non-corroding thermistor coupled to the nonconductive substrate (Fig. 6C (“a temperature sensing IC” [0059]));
Does not explicitly teach a hygroscopic layer coupled to the nonconductive substrate; glass micro/nanofibers embedded in the hygroscopic layer; and corrodible interdigitated electrodes coupled to the hygroscopic layer.
However, Kawakita teaching Hygroscopic sensor teaching a hygroscopic layer (“forming a hydrophilic or hydrophobic insulating film 15 between the first fine wire 13 and the second fine wire 14” [0014]) coupled to the nonconductive substrate (fig. 1b (10) “a hygroscopic sensor in which a thin wire made of a first metal and a thin wire made of a second metal different from the first metal are juxtaposed on an insulating substrate” abstract);
glass micro/nanofibers embedded in the hygroscopic layer (“The hydrophilic insulating substrate (1) can be a substrate having at least one group selected from the group consisting of hydroxyl groups, oxyalkylene groups, amino groups, carboxyl groups, and sulfonic acid groups formed on the surface of the insulating substrate. Specifically, examples include glass such as synthetic quartz glass and soda lime glass” [0023]); and
corrodible interdigitated electrodes coupled to the hygroscopic layer (fig. 1A (11, 12, 13), “forming a hydrophilic or hydrophobic insulating film 15 between the first fine wire 13 and the second fine wire 14” [0014]).
It would have been obvious to a person of ordinary skill in the art, before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to incorporate the teaching of Kawakita in Friedersdorf to gain the advantage of to improve the detection sensitivity of a small wet/dry sensor that operates on the principle of detecting galvanic current [Kawakita [0008]].
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Regarding claim 2, Friedersdorf as modified further teaches wherein the nonconductive substrate comprises a flexible material (“As the insulating substrate 10, a silicon substrate” [0015]).
It would have been obvious to a person of ordinary skill in the art, before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to incorporate the teaching of Kawakita in Friedersdorf to gain the advantage of to improve the detection sensitivity of a small wet/dry sensor that operates on the principle of detecting galvanic current [Kawakita [0008]].
Regarding claim 3, Friedersdorf as modified further teaches wherein the embedded glass micro/nanofibers have a serpentine shape (fig. 4 (layer 21, 22) [0024]).
It would have been obvious to a person of ordinary skill in the art, before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to incorporate the teaching of Kawakita in Friedersdorf to gain the advantage of to improve the detection sensitivity of a small wet/dry sensor that operates on the principle of detecting galvanic current [Kawakita [0008]].
Regarding claim 4, Friedersdorf as modified further teaches wherein the interdigitated electrodes comprise: a first bus bar electrically connected to a positive electrical terminal; a first set of electrodes extending from the first bus bar with a predefined spacing between adjacent electrodes; a second bus bar electrically connected to a negative electrical terminal; and a second set of electrodes extending from the second bus bar with the predefined spacing between adjacent electrodes, wherein electrodes from the first set of electrodes are positioned between electrodes from the second set of electrodes (fig. 6C indent 3-4 buss bars and 5 electrodes with spacing between them).
Regarding claim 5, Friedersdorf as modified further teaches wherein the interdigitated electrodes comprise at least one of copper, a copper alloy, and an aluminum alloy (“The inductive corrosion sensors utilize a flat washer sample of any alloy of interest, such as aluminum alloys” [0072]).
Regarding claim 6, 7, Friedersdorf as modified further teaches wherein the interdigitated electrodes comprise a material matching a material of a gas pipeline (“Two electrode measurements can be made for any alloy of interest such as steel or aluminum that is configured into a parallel plate or interdigitated electrodes (IDEs)” [0070]).
Regarding claim 8, Friedersdorf as modified further teaches wherein the hygroscopic layer comprises a dielectric material ([0009]).
It would have been obvious to a person of ordinary skill in the art, before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to incorporate the teaching of Kawakita in Friedersdorf to gain the advantage of to improve the detection sensitivity of a small wet/dry sensor that operates on the principle of detecting galvanic current [Kawakita [0008]].
Regarding claim 9, 10, Friedersdorf as modified further teaches wherein the hygroscopic layer comprises a hygroscopic polymer (“Examples of the hydrophobic insulating film (3) include an insulating film containing at least one selected from the group consisting of a fluorinated hydrocarbon group, a silyl group, and a siloxane group, and an insulating film made of SiO<sub>２</sub>, polymethyl methacrylate resin (PMMA), an acrylic resin, a novolac resin, a polyester resin, a polyamide resin, a polyimide resin, a polyamideimide resin, or a silicone resin, the surface of which is modified with at least one selected from the group consisting of a fluorinated hydrocarbon group, a silyl group, and a siloxane group” 0027).
Regarding claim 11, 12, Friedersdorf as modified further teaches hygroscopic layer comprises a ceramic material (“When the first thin wire 13 is used as a cathode, examples of the material for the first thin wire 13 include gold (Au), platinum (Pt), silver (Ag), titanium (Ti) and alloys thereof, as well as carbon (C) and its allotropes. When the second thin wire 14 is used as an anode, examples of the material for the second thin wire 14 include silver (Ag), copper (Cu), iron (Fe), zinc (Zn), nickel (Ni), cobalt (Co), aluminum (Al), tin (Sn), chromium (Cr), molybdenum (Mo), manganese (Mn), magnesium (Mg), and alloys thereof. However, when silver and its alloys are used as the first thin wires 13, the material of the second thin wires 14 should be other than silver and its alloys”[0019]).
Regarding claim 13, Friedersdorf as modified further teaches a power supply electrically coupled to the interdigitated electrodes and the non- corroding thermistor (“a measurable galvanic current flows” via power source [0017]); a light source optically coupled to the glass micro/nanofibers (“when light hits the semiconductor” [0017]); and a light detector optically coupled to the glass micro/nanofibers (“when light hits the semiconductor, a difference in electrochemical potential occurs due to the photoelectric effect, and a current flows between the first thin wire 13 and the second thin wire 14, which are connected by a conductive liquid.” [0017]).
It would have been obvious to a person of ordinary skill in the art, before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to incorporate the teaching of Kawakita in Friedersdorf to gain the advantage of to improve the detection sensitivity of a small wet/dry sensor that operates on the principle of detecting galvanic current [Kawakita [0008]].
Regarding claim 14, Friedersdorf as modified further teaches one or more processors communicatively coupled to the interdigitated electrodes, the non-corroding thermistor, and the light detector, the one or more processors configured to determine a corrosion rate based on electrical signals received from the interdigitated electrodes, the non-corroding thermistor, and the light detector (“The sensor node includes a computer processor that processes environmental sensor information to obtain for the sensing node a first atmospheric corrosivity category value in accordance with a corrosivity classification system, and processes the corrosion sensor information to obtain a second atmospheric corrosivity category value for the sensing node in accordance with the corrosivity classification system. One or more of the first and second atmospheric corrosivity category values are provided for use in determining a corrosion classification value for the location” [0010]).
Regarding claim 15, the method recited is intrinsic to the apparatus recited in claim 1, as disclosed by Friedersdorf (U.S. Publication 20070239089) in view of Kawakita (WO2019044640A1) as the recited method steps will be performed during the normal operation of the apparatus, as discussed above with regard to claim 1, Friedersdorf further teaches determining a corrosion rate of the pipeline (“A sensor node is mounted at the location and measures environmental sensor information using one or more environmental sensors and corrosion sensor information using one or more corrosion sensor” [0010]“interior spaces of structures” [0007]) based on the states of the thermistor (Fig. 6C (“a temperature sensing IC” [0059])), and Kawakita teaches interdigitated electrodes , and the hygroscopic layer (fig. 1A (11, 12, 13), “forming a hydrophilic or hydrophobic insulating film 15 between the first fine wire 13 and the second fine wire 14” [0014]).
It would have been obvious to a person of ordinary skill in the art, before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to incorporate the teaching of Kawakita in Friedersdorf to gain the advantage of to improve the detection sensitivity of a small wet/dry sensor that operates on the principle of detecting galvanic current [Kawakita [0008]].
Regarding claim 16, Friedersdorf as modified further teaches wherein receiving electrical signals comprises performing signal conditioning to reduce signal noise by performing at least one of amplifying the electrical signals and filtering the electrical signals (“Here, an amplifier may be connected to the first electrode 11 and the second electrode 12 to amplify the galvanic current that flows due to the presence of water droplets” [0016]).
It would have been obvious to a person of ordinary skill in the art, before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to incorporate the teaching of Kawakita in Friedersdorf to gain the advantage of to improve the detection sensitivity of a small wet/dry sensor that operates on the principle of detecting galvanic current [Kawakita [0008]].
Regarding claim 17, Friedersdorf as modified further teaches wherein the electrical signals comprise a resistance of the thermistor, a capacitance of the interdigitated electrodes (“sensors include humidity sensors that detect humidity in response to changes in the electrical resistance (impedance) or capacitance of a sensor element (wet/dry response section)” [0002]), and a detected wavelength of light transmitted through the embedded glass micro/nanofibers (“when light hits the semiconductor, a difference in electrochemical potential occurs due to the photoelectric effect, and a current flows between the first thin wire 13 and the second thin wire 14” [0017]).
It would have been obvious to a person of ordinary skill in the art, before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to incorporate the teaching of Kawakita in Friedersdorf to gain the advantage of to improve the detection sensitivity of a small wet/dry sensor that operates on the principle of detecting galvanic current [Kawakita [0008]].
Regarding claim 18, Friedersdorf as modified further teaches wherein determining the corrosion rate is based on the capacitance of the interdigitated electrodes (“sensors include humidity sensors that detect humidity in response to changes in the electrical resistance (impedance) or capacitance of a sensor element (wet/dry response section)” [0002]).
It would have been obvious to a person of ordinary skill in the art, before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to incorporate the teaching of Kawakita in Friedersdorf to gain the advantage of to improve the detection sensitivity of a small wet/dry sensor that operates on the principle of detecting galvanic current [Kawakita [0008]].
Regarding claim 19, Friedersdorf as modified further teaches determining a temperature inside the pipeline based on the resistance of the thermistor (“sensors include humidity sensors that detect humidity in response to changes in the electrical resistance (impedance) or capacitance of a sensor element (wet/dry response section)” [0002]).
It would have been obvious to a person of ordinary skill in the art, before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to incorporate the teaching of Kawakita in Friedersdorf to gain the advantage of to improve the detection sensitivity of a small wet/dry sensor that operates on the principle of detecting galvanic current [Kawakita [0008]].
Regarding claim 20, Friedersdorf as modified further teaches determining a rate of water condensation inside the pipeline based on the determined temperature and the detected wavelength of light (“monitoring and controlling indoor condensation” [0017, 0053] “electrical resistance humidity sensors change significantly over time and often have a high temperature dependency, so temperature compensation is required” [0003]).
It would have been obvious to a person of ordinary skill in the art, before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to incorporate the teaching of Kawakita in Friedersdorf to gain the advantage of to improve the detection sensitivity of a small wet/dry sensor that operates on the principle of detecting galvanic current [Kawakita [0008]].
Conclusion
THIS ACTION IS MADE FINAL. Applicant is reminded of the extension of time policy as set forth in 37 CFR 1.136(a).
A shortened statutory period for reply to this final action is set to expire THREE MONTHS from the mailing date of this action. In the event a first reply is filed within TWO MONTHS of the mailing date of this final action and the advisory action is not mailed until after the end of the THREE-MONTH shortened statutory period, then the shortened statutory period will expire on the date the advisory action is mailed, and any nonprovisional extension fee (37 CFR 1.17(a)) pursuant to 37 CFR 1.136(a) will be calculated from the mailing date of the advisory action. In no event, however, will the statutory period for reply expire later than SIX MONTHS from the mailing date of this final action.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to TAQI R NASIR whose telephone number is (571)270-1425. The examiner can normally be reached 9AM-5PM EST M-F.
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If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Lee Rodak can be reached at (571) 270-5628. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/TAQI R NASIR/Examiner, Art Unit 2858
/LEE E RODAK/Supervisory Patent Examiner, Art Unit 2858