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 .
Election/Restrictions
Applicant’s election without traverse of Group I, claims 1-13, in the reply filed on 12/12/2025 is acknowledged.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 112
The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 112(b):
(b) CONCLUSION.—The specification shall conclude with one or more claims particularly pointing out and distinctly claiming the subject matter which the inventor or a joint inventor regards as the invention.
The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), second paragraph:
The specification shall conclude with one or more claims particularly pointing out and distinctly claiming the subject matter which the applicant regards as his invention.
Claims 1-13 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 112(b) or 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), second paragraph, as being indefinite for failing to particularly point out and distinctly claim the subject matter which the inventor or a joint inventor (or for applications subject to pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, the applicant), regards as the invention.
Regarding claim 1, the meaning of “receiving a request to perform a griddle cooking operation” and “receiving a food type of food being cooked during the griddle cooking operation” is unclear because the claim does not clarify who or what is receiving the request or food type. Are the request and food type received by the graphical user interface, a controller of the cooktop, a user of the cooktop, or something else entirely? Are the request and food type received by the same device or person, or by separate devices or persons? Consequently, claim 1 is rejected as indefinite.
Claims 2-13 are rejected as indefinite as a result of depending upon indefinite claim 2.
Regarding claim 2, the meaning of “receiving a food quantity of the food being cooked during the griddle cooking operation” is unclear because the claim does not clarify who or what is receiving the food quantity. Is the food quantity received by the graphical user interface, a controller of the cooktop, a user of the cooktop, or something else entirely? Does “food quantity” refer to a value or number provided to a user or device or a physical quantity received on the griddle itself? Consequently, claim 2 is rejected as indefinite.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 103
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) 1-2, 6 and 10 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Trice (US 20210095854 A1) in view of Sugimoto (JP 2015009039 A).
Regarding claim 1, Trice teaches (Paragraph 0027, 0028, Fig. 1 #100, 108, 110, 116; Fig. 2 #5) a method of operating a digital cooktop system 100 including six regular burners (heating elements) wherein a griddle 5 may be placed over center rear burner 108, center front burner 110, and center wok burner 116. Trice further teaches (Paragraph 0029; Fig. 1 #102, 122) cooktop 102 is provided with a user control panel 122 which may include a touch screen and display and thus be configurable to receive inputs from a user and to display any suitable information related to the operation of cooking appliance (graphical user interface). Also, Trice teaches (Paragraph 0027, 0029) control panel 122 may receive inputs from a user such as which cooking mode is to be selected, wherein the digital cooktop system 100 may be programmed with different cooking modes including a griddle mode (receiving a request to perform a griddle cooking operation). Additionally, Trice teaches (Paragraph 0045; Fig. 3 #200) during the griddle cooking mode, controller 200 may be configured to control the output of multiple burners to provide a uniform heat for the entire cooking surface of griddle 5 (operating the one or more heating elements to perform the griddle cooking operation).
Trice is silent on receiving a food type of food being cooked during the griddle cooking operation. Trice is further silent on providing user instruction on the graphical user interface based at least in part on the food type, the user instruction comprising a food positioning recommendation.
Sugimoto teaches (Paragraph 0009) a grilling device that can reliably guide the user to the optimal placement position of the food to be cooked on the grilling rack during cooking. Sugimoto further teaches (Paragraph 0013, 0014) when a food such as fish is selected (receiving a food type of food being cooked) on a display screen (user interface) an image of the fish in the optimal position on the grill is displayed, wherein the diagrams being displayed allow a user to visually understand how to place the food on the grill according to the type of food they intend to cook (providing user instruction on the graphical user interface based at least in part on the food type, the user instruction comprising a food positioning recommendation).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date to modify Trice, as modified above, to receive a food type of food being cooked and provide user instruction on the graphical user interface based at least in part on the food type, the user instruction comprising a food positioning recommendation as taught by Sugimoto since both are directed to methods of cooking food items on heated cooking surfaces, since receiving a food type of food being cooked and providing user instruction on the graphical user interface based at least in part on the food type, the user instruction comprising a food positioning recommendation is known in the art as shown by Sugimoto, since providing instructions to the user means that they need little to no training to prepare the food, since providing a food positioning recommendation based on the food type ensures the that food is cooked properly based on its unique properties and removes the need for the user to determine the appropriate positioning for each type of food, and since the system can reliably guide the user to the optimal placement position of the food during cooking and prevent cooking failure (Sugimoto, Paragraph 0009).
Regarding claim 2, Trice is silent on receiving a food quantity of the food being cooked during the griddle cooking operation; and providing the user instruction based at least in part on the food quantity.
Sugimoto teaches (Paragraph 0009) a grilling device that can reliably guide the user to the optimal placement position of the food to be cooked on the grilling rack during cooking. Sugimoto further teaches (Paragraph 0045) a display control unit performs pictorial display control, and the placement position on the grilling net according to the quantity of fish in the selected fish grilling menu is displayed on a screen display unit, wherein the user can then check the display and arrange and place the fish in the optimal position on the grilling net.
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date to modify Trice to receive a food quantity of the food being cooked during the griddle cooking operation; and provide the user instruction based at least in part on the food quantity in view of Sugimoto since both are directed to methods of cooking food items on heated cooking surfaces, since providing a user instruction based at least in part on the food quantity for a quantity of the food being cooked on a cooking surface is known in the art as shown by Sugimoto, since providing instructions to the user means that they need little to no training to prepare the food, since providing a food positioning recommendation based on the food quantity ensures the that food is cooked properly and removes the need for the user to determine the appropriate positioning for the food, since providing positioning information based on food quantity can ensure that the food will fit on the griddle surface, and since the system can reliably guide the user to the optimal placement position of the food during cooking and prevent cooking failure (Sugimoto, Paragraph 0009).
Regarding claim 6, Trice is silent on providing the user instruction comprising operating the graphical user interface to display an image of the food overlayed on the griddle.
Sugimoto teaches (Paragraph 0009) a grilling device that can reliably guide the user to the optimal placement position of the food to be cooked on the grilling rack during cooking. Sugimoto further teaches (Paragraph 0013, 0014) when a food such as fish is selected (receiving a food type of food being cooked) on a display screen (user interface) an image of the fish in the optimal position on the grill is displayed (image of the food overlayed on the cooking surface), wherein the diagrams being displayed allow a user to visually understand how to place the food on the grill according to the type of food they intend to cook.
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date to modify Trice to operate the graphical user interface to display an image of the food overlayed on the griddle in view of Sugimoto since both are directed to methods of cooking food items on heated cooking surfaces, since operating the graphical user interface to display an image of the food overlayed on the cooking surface is known in the art as shown by Sugimoto, since providing instructions to the user means that they need little to no training to prepare the food, since providing a food positioning recommendation based on the food quantity ensures the that food is cooked properly and removes the need for the user to determine the appropriate positioning for the food, since providing positioning information based on food quantity can ensure that the food will fit on the griddle surface, and since the diagrams being displayed allow a user to visually understand how to place the food on the grill according to the type of food they intend to cook (Sugimoto, Paragraph 0014), and since the system can reliably guide the user to the optimal placement position of the food during cooking and prevent cooking failure (Sugimoto, Paragraph 0009).
Regarding claim 10, Trice teaches (Paragraph 0045; Fig. 4 #118, 200, 220) once griddle 5 is present, sensor 118 that is configured to detect the presence of griddle (griddle detection system) may send an input 220 to controller 200 to enable controller 200 to initiate the griddle mode automatically (determining that the griddle is present on the cooktop using the griddle detection system before implementing the griddle cooking operation).
Claim(s) 3 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Trice (US 20210095854 A1) in view of Sugimoto (JP 2015009039 A), and further in view of Lambert (US 20180224127 A1).
Regarding claim 3, Trice, as modified above, is silent on the user instruction further comprising a food flip interval.
Lambert teaches (Paragraph 0005, 0013) a method for monitoring and controlling a cooking process on a cooking surface of a cook top assembly, wherein, after the controller determines that the first predetermined time period has elapsed, the controller, or a notification module and an indicator module operatively coupled to the controller, generates and outputs a signal to instruct an operator of the cook top assembly to perform a first action, such as flipping the food item placed within the associated cooking area. Lambert further teaches (Paragraph 0024; Fig. 1 #14a, 24, 26, 30) the operator may be prompted via user interface 26 to enter the type of food item being cooked within cooking area 14a, and, based on the inputted information, controller 24 determines an appropriate recipe for cooking the food item and sets a timing module 30, as described herein, to cook the food item according to cooking information provided, wherein the controller is operatively coupled to the timing module and the controller activates the timing module for the first predetermined time period.
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date to modify Trice as modified above for the user instruction to further comprise a food flip interval in view of Lamber since both are directed to methods of cooking food products on heated cooking surfaces based on a food type, since instructing a user to flip a food after a certain interval based on food type is known in the art as shown by Lambert, since instructing the user when to flip the food will ensure that the food is cooked evenly on both sides, since instructing the user regarding flipping the food removes the need for the user to constantly monitor the condition of the food, providing convenience, and since in commercial applications, more than one cook may be working on the cook top appliance at the same time, where each cook may have his or her own cooking tendencies or skill level different from the other cooks, and, as a result, each cook may cook or prepare a food item, e.g., a burger, differently from the other cooks, which promotes inconsistent cooking processes and food preparations between the different cooks (Lambert, Paragraph 0002), while an instruction regarding food preparation such as flipping prevents inconsistencies in production.
Claim(s) 4 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Trice (US 20210095854 A1) in view of Sugimoto (JP 2015009039 A), and further in view of Beckmann (US 20230280205 A1).
Regarding claim 4, Trice, as modified above, is silent on the user instruction further comprising an optimum volume or mass of food.
Beckmann teaches (Paragraph 0068, 0134) a method of operating a kitchen appliance system, wherein a control device is configured to compare the net weight with a weight indication from a preparation instruction and to output a corresponding user instruction to add or reduce an ingredient quantity, wherein the weight indication comprises a target weight (optimum mass of food) for an ingredient quantity, such as a user instruction via a communication interface to refill potatoes in an amount corresponding to the difference between the calculated net weight and the target value, for example “please refill 100 g potatoes”. Beckmann further teaches (Paragraph 0070) the weight information is preferably a target weight for an ingredient type that is stored in the context of a preparation instruction.
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date to modify Trice, as modified above, for the user instruction to further comprise an optimum volume or mass of food in view of Beckmann since both are directed to methods of operating cooking devices, since providing a user instruction comprising an optimum mass of a food based on the food type is known in the art as shown by Beckmann, since instructing the user of the optimum mass of food will prevent food waste, since instructing a user of the optimum mass of food will ensure that enough food is prepared to meet the requirements of the cooking operation such as an adequate portion size to be consumed, since the mass based on the food type can correspond to a recipe (Beckmann, Paragraph 0134), ensuring that the required amount of a food ingredient is prepared to combine with other ingredients in the appropriate ratio, and since it is possible to dispense with a dedicated, manual user input for performing a tare and still accurately determine a net weight for an ingredient (Beckmann, Paragraph 0012).
Claim(s) 5 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Trice (US 20210095854 A1) in view of Sugimoto (JP 2015009039 A), and further in view of Fornecker (EP 4059392 A1).
Regarding claim 5, Trice, as modified above, is silent on the user instruction further comprising an elapsed cooking time or a remaining cooking time.
Fornecker teaches (Paragraph 0071, 0084; Fig. 4 #22, 23, 24) a method of operating a cooking appliance 22 including in particular a cooking plate 23 having a cooking space 24 configured to receive food to be cooked, wherein a cooking time of a food is determined based on the type of food to be cooked, advantageously entered by the user via a user interface. Fornecker further teaches (Paragraph 0026) a display is configured to display a remaining cooking time of at least one food.
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date to modify Trice, as modified above, for the user instruction to further comprise a remaining cooking time in view of Fornecker since both are directed to methods of cooking food products on heated cooking surfaces, since displaying a remaining cooking time based on the food type for a food cooking on a heated cooking surface is known in the art as shown by Fornecker, since instructing a user regarding the remaining cooking time would allow the user to remove the food at the correct time preventing undercooking or overcooking the food, since the cooking time can be determined automatically using data entered by the user on the control unit, such as the nature of the food to be cooked (Fornecker, Paragraph 0009) providing convenience by removing the need for the user to guess or manually determine the cooking time, and since instructing the user regarding the remaining cooking time removes the need for the user to constantly monitor the condition of the food.
Claim(s) 7 and 11 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Trice (US 20210095854 A1) in view of Sugimoto (JP 2015009039 A), and further in view of Shaffer (US 20100132692 A1).
Regarding claim 7, Trice teaches (Paragraph 0041; Fig. 4 #202, 220, 380) a plurality of temperature sensors 380 may be provided for each burner to provide a signal input 220 to processor 202 representative of a burner temperature (cooking temperature of the griddle). Trice further teaches (Paragraph 0046) heat output rates may be programmed to change the cooking temperature based on the food cooked on griddle 5.
Trice is silent on determining a target cooking temperature based on the food type or a food quantity and operating the one or more heating elements to drive the cooking temperature to the target cooking temperature.
Shaffer teaches (Paragraph 0032) a method of operating a gas grill with a food optimized or automatic food control mode where a food type (e.g. poultry, pork, beef, fish, etc.) may be selected using a food choice indicator so that the temperature of the grill is automatically maintained at a predetermined programmed temperature (which necessitates determining a target cooking temperature based on the food type) for cooking the selected food type. Also, Shaffer teaches (Paragraph 0004) at least one temperature sensor is disposed adjacent to the cooking surface and configured to detect at least a grill operating temperature and a control unit is configured to, receive the grill operation settings from the user interface unit, receive the grill operating temperature from the at least one temperature sensor, and automatically control the at least one fuel flow valve for modulating the amount of fuel delivered to the at least one grill burner to maintain the grill operating temperature at a predetermined temperature based on the operation settings and the grill operating temperature.
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date to modify Trice, as modified above, to determine a target cooking temperature based on the food type and operate the one or more heating elements to drive the cooking temperature to the target cooking temperature in view of Shaffer since both are directed to methods of cooking food products on heated cooking surfaces and monitoring cooking temperature, since determining a target cooking temperature based on the food type and operating the one or more heating elements to drive the cooking temperature to the target cooking temperature is known in the art as shown by Shaffer, since control of the gas flow control knob and the valve may be inconsistent between the different users of the grill, which often results in food that is not consistently cooked (Shaffer, Paragraph 0002) which controlling heating by determining a target temperature and operating the heating elements to reach the target cooking temperature would provide consisted results, since determining the target temperature based on the food type would ensure that the particular food being cooked was not undercooked or overcooked and met the specific requirements resulting from differences in food properties (density, moisture content, etc.), and since determining and cooking at a target temperature removes the need for the user to constantly monitor the condition of the food, providing convenience.
Regarding claim 11, Trice teaches (Paragraph 0041; Fig. 4 #202, 220, 380) a plurality of temperature sensors 380 may be provided for each burner to provide a signal input 220 to processor 202 representative of a burner temperature (cooking temperature of the griddle). Trice further teaches (Paragraph 0042; Fig. 2 #120) cooking appliance 1 may include multiple control knobs 120, for example, control knobs to adjust the flow of gas to a plurality of gas valves 360, and thus the heat output of a plurality of cooktop burners.
Thus, Trice teaches manual control of heating, but does not explicitly state that a manual cooking temperature is determined and that the one or more heating elements are operated to drive the cooking temperature to the manual cooking temperature.
Shaffer teaches (Paragraph 0032) a method of operating a gas grill, wherein grill temperature set point 310 is set through temperature set control knob 445, which may be a physical knob that is grasped and turned by the user for setting the grill temperature (where setting a manual temperature requires a determination that the griddle cooking operation includes a manual cooking temperature). Shaffer further teaches (Paragraph 0004) at least one temperature sensor is disposed adjacent to the cooking surface and configured to detect at least a grill operating temperature and a control unit is configured to, receive the grill operation settings from the user interface unit, receive the grill operating temperature from the at least one temperature sensor, and automatically control the at least one fuel flow valve for modulating the amount of fuel delivered to the at least one grill burner to maintain the grill operating temperature at a predetermined temperature based on the operation settings and the grill operating temperature.
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date to modify Trice, as modified above, to determine that the griddle cooking operation includes a manual cooking temperature and operate the one or more heating elements to drive the cooking temperature to the manual cooking temperature in view of Shaffer since both are directed to methods of cooking food products on heated cooking surfaces and monitoring cooking temperature, since determining that the griddle cooking operation includes a manual cooking temperature and operating the one or more heating elements to drive the cooking temperature to the manual cooking temperature is known in the art as shown by Shaffer, since users can have different preferences in how and to what degree a food is cooked, so a determining and heating to a manual cooking temperature can allow users to precisely control the cooking process to their preference, and since the manual grilling mode where the temperature of the grill can be manually adjusted allows the user to adjust the valve settings at any given time during grilling for controlling the rate of combustion and amount of fuel delivered to the respective grilling zone burner (Shaffer, Paragraph 0032), thus allowing a user to manage the heat applied and fuel consumed at their preference.
Claim(s) 8 and 9 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Trice (US 20210095854 A1) in view of Sugimoto (JP 2015009039 A), and Shaffer (US 20100132692 A1), and further in view of Santana (US 20220187859 A1).
Regarding claim 8, Trice teaches (Paragraph 0046) controller 200 may also be configured to incorporate a temperature feedback mechanism to facilitate determining the heat output rates.
Trice is silent on implementing a closed loop feedback control algorithm based on the cooking temperature and the target cooking temperature.
Santana teaches (Paragraph 0023, 0044; Fig. 1#140, 150, 166; Fig. 3 #182, 184, 200; Fig. 4 #250) a method of operating a cooking appliance comprising a cooktop 140, wherein a controller 166 may receive the measured temperature data from wireless communication module 250 and selectively energize heating elements 150 to maintain a desired temperature (target cooking temperature) of food products 182 or liquids 184 responsive to the measured temperature from temperature probe 200, and in this manner, controller 166 may receive instantaneous feedback regarding the actual temperature of food products 182 within cooking utensil 180, resulting in closed loop feedback that may optimize control of heating elements 150.
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date to modify Trice, as modified above, to implement a closed loop feedback control algorithm based on the cooking temperature and the target cooking temperature as taught by Santana since both are directed to methods of operating cooktop cooking devices with feedback mechanisms, since implementing a closed loop feedback control algorithm based on the cooking temperature and the target cooking temperature is known in the art as shown by Santana, since many food products require careful monitoring and control of the cook time and temperature in order to provide optimal cooking results (Santana, Paragraph 0003), and closed loop feedback can optimize control of heating elements (Santana, Paragraph 0044), since a closed loop feedback control algorithm for temperature control can address undesired changes in temperature to ensure the food is cooked as intended, and since a closed loop feedback control algorithm for temperature control can will prevent human error and remove the need for a user to constantly monitor the cooking process, providing convenience.
Regarding claim 9, Trice is silent on the closed loop feedback control algorithm comprising a proportional control algorithm, a proportional-integral control algorithm, or a proportional-integral-derivative control algorithm.
Santana teaches (Paragraph 0023, 0044; Fig. 1#140, 150, 166; Fig. 3 #182, 184, 200; Fig. 4 #250) a method of operating a cooking appliance comprising a cooktop 140, wherein a controller 166 may receive the measured temperature data from wireless communication module 250 and selectively energize heating elements 150 to maintain a desired temperature (target cooking temperature) of food products 182 or liquids 184 responsive to the measured temperature from temperature probe 200, and in this manner, controller 166 may receive instantaneous feedback regarding the actual temperature of food products 182 within cooking utensil 180, resulting in closed loop feedback that may optimize control of heating elements 150. Santana further teaches (Paragraph 0045) cooking controller 260 may also be or include the capabilities of either a proportional (P), proportional-integral (PI), or proportional-integral-derivative (PID) control for feedback-based control implemented with, e.g., temperature feedback from one or more sensors.
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date to modify Trice, as modified above, for the closed loop feedback control algorithm to comprise a proportional control algorithm, a proportional-integral control algorithm, or a proportional-integral-derivative control algorithm as taught by Santana since both are directed to methods of operating cooktop cooking devices with feedback mechanisms, since the closed loop feedback control algorithm comprising a proportional control algorithm, a proportional-integral control algorithm, or a proportional-integral-derivative control algorithm is known in the art as shown by Santana, since many food products require careful monitoring and control of the cook time and temperature in order to provide optimal cooking results (Santana, Paragraph 0003), and closed loop feedback can optimize control of heating elements (Santana, Paragraph 0044), since a proportional control algorithm, a proportional-integral control algorithm, or a proportional-integral-derivative control algorithm can address undesired changes in temperature to ensure the food is cooked as intended, and a proportional control algorithm, a proportional-integral control algorithm, or a proportional-integral-derivative control algorithm for temperature control can will prevent human error and remove the need for a user to constantly monitor the cooking process, providing convenience, and since the PID control algorithm can rapidly respond to large error values or provide improved stability when the error value is small (Santana, Paragraph 0048).
Claim(s) 12 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Trice (US 20210095854 A1) in view of Sugimoto (JP 2015009039 A), and further in view of Zvi (US 20170007071 A1).
Regarding claim 12, Trice teaches (Paragraph 0041; Fig. 4 #202, 220, 380) a plurality of temperature sensors 380 may be provided for each burner (heating zone) to provide a signal input 220 to processor 202 representative of a burner temperature (obtaining the zone temperature) . Trice further teaches (Paragraph 0027-0028, Fig. 1 #108, 110, 116; Fig. 2 #5) a griddle 5 may be placed over center rear burner 108, center front burner 110, and center wok burner 116 (i.e. at least a first heating zone and a second heating zone).
Trice, as modified above, is silent on receiving a command that the griddle cooking operation includes a first target temperature and a second target temperature and operating the one or more heating elements to drive the first zone temperature to the first target temperature and the second zone temperature to the second target temperature.
Zvi teaches (Paragraph 0017, 0036; Fig. 1 #1, 4) a multi-zone rotisserie (1) of the present invention with a griddle located at the front (4), wherein the heat generator of the griddle may be one or more electric heaters located beneath it, and the griddle may be divided in two or more sections, where the temperature of each section is independently controlled by separate electric heater(s).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date to modify Trice as modified above to receive a command that the griddle cooking operation includes a first target temperature and a second target temperature and operate the one or more heating elements to drive the first zone temperature to the first target temperature and the second zone temperature to the second target temperature in view of Zvi since both are directed to methods of cooking food on griddles with multiple heating zones, since a griddle cooking operation with different controlled temperatures in two sections (first and second target temperatures) is known in the art as shown by Zvi, since sections with independently controlled temperatures provides the advantage of roasting different types of meat and food in general at different temperatures on a single surface of a griddle (Zvi, Paragraph 0017), and since efficiency is also improved by controlling the number of operating heat generators and using only part of the area of the griddle (Zvi, Paragraph 0041).
Claim(s) 13 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Trice (US 20210095854 A1) in view of Sugimoto (JP 2015009039 A), and further in view of Yin (CN 110925806 A).
Regarding claim 13, Trice teaches (Paragraph 0042; Fig. 2 #120) cooking appliance 1 may include multiple control knobs 120, for example, control knobs to adjust the flow of gas to a plurality of gas valves 360, and thus the heat output of a plurality of cooktop burners.
Trice is silent on an encoder for regulating a target cooking temperature of a heating zone associated with the heating element in the griddle mode.
Yin teaches (Paragraph 0006, 0008, 0025) a method of operating electronic gas stoves with an embedded control circuit, wherein a temperature adjustment module has a rotary encoder located inside the electronic knob of the gas stove, wherein the rotary encoder rotates left and right to achieve the function of temperature adjustment.
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date to modify Trice, as modified above, to provide an encoder for regulating a target cooking temperature of a heating zone associated with the heating element in the griddle mode in view of Yin since both are directed to methods of operating gas cooking appliances since an encoder for regulating cooking temperature is known in the art as shown by Yin, since users can have different preferences in how and to what degree a food is cooked, so providing an encoder for regulating a target cooking temperature of a heating zone associated with the heating element in the griddle mode can allow users to precisely control the cooking process to their preference, since the encoder allows temperature adjustment by simply rotating a knob (Yin, Paragraph 0029) providing the user a simple and easily understood method of adjusting the temperature.
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure:
Mahapatra (US 20220273139 A1) teaches a system and method for optimal cooking operations, wherein integrated adaptive auto learning system for cooking operations disclosed herein may notify the user to flip over the food pieces.
Ding (US 20220196248 A1) teaches a heating oven with an encoder knob that makes the adjustment to the specified temperature.
Bardal (US 20210131674 A1) teaches a cooking appliance including a cooktop, a burner mounted on the cooktop, and a griddle.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to AUSTIN P TAYLOR whose telephone number is (571)272-2652. The examiner can normally be reached M-F 8:30am-5pm.
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, Erik Kashnikow can be reached at (571) 270-3475. 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.
/AUSTIN PARKER TAYLOR/Examiner, Art Unit 1792
/ERIK KASHNIKOW/Supervisory Patent Examiner, Art Unit 1792
Prosecution Insights