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 § 102
The following is a quotation of the appropriate paragraphs of 35 U.S.C. 102 that form the basis for the rejections under this section made in this Office action:
A person shall be entitled to a patent unless –
(a)(1) the claimed invention was patented, described in a printed publication, or in public use, on sale, or otherwise available to the public before the effective filing date of the claimed invention.
(a)(2) the claimed invention was described in a patent issued under section 151, or in an application for patent published or deemed published under section 122(b), in which the patent or application, as the case may be, names another inventor and was effectively filed before the effective filing date of the claimed invention.
Claim(s) 1-3, 5-6 are is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102a1 as being anticipated by White(2021/0029782).
White (figures 2-10) discloses a decoupled floor underlayment, the floor underlayment with multiple-layer composite structures comprising a wiring layer, and an adhesive layer (par 45 line 5) disposed on bottom of the wiring layer, the wiring layer comprising a body of the wiring layer, and a plurality of protrusion portions(5a, 5b) disposed on the body of the wiring layer, the plurality of the protrusion portions being arranged in a rectangular array on the body of the wiring layer, a wiring groove for embedding pipes being defined by adjacent protrusion portions; a pipe fixing element(10) disposed in the wiring groove being defined by at least a partial-convex outer wall of the plurality of the protrusion portions, an accommodation space for pipes being defined by the pipe fixing element between the adjacent protrusion portions and the body of the wiring layer, the pipes fixed in the accommodation space for pipes; the protrusion portions comprising a first protrusion portion and a second protrusion portion with different types of structures, the first protrusion portion and the second protrusion portion arranged in a staggered manner in an equidistant manner on the body of the wiring layer row by row, column by column, a middle portion of the first protrusion portion defining a first concave structure with a small top portion and a large bottom portion, a second concave structure with a small top portion and a large bottom portion defined between the adjacent protrusion portions defining, and a middle portion of the second protrusion portion defining a third concave structure with a small top portion and a large bottom portion.
Per claim 2, White further shows the first protrusion portion comprises a first cylinder disposed on the body of the wiring layer, and first petal-shaped bosses symmetrically disposed on two sides of the first cylinder, a part of an outer wall of the first petal-shaped boss facing away from a side of the first cylinder is concave to form a first arc-shaped wall, a part of the outer wall of the first petal-shaped boss facing the side of the first cylinder is concave to form a second arc-shaped wall, a cavity of an elliptical cone ring with the small top portion and the large bottom portion is formed between first arc-shaped walls of two sets of first petal-shaped bosses, and a
cavity of circular truncated cone with the small top portion and the large bottom portion is formed between second arc-shaped walls of the adjacent protrusion portions.
Per claim 3, White further shows the second protrusion portion comprises a second cylinder disposed on the body of the wiring layer, and second petal-shaped bosses symmetrically disposed on two sides of the second cylinder, a part of the outer wall of the second petal-shaped boss facing the side of the second cylinder is concave to form a third arc-shaped wall, and a cavity of an cone ring with the small top portion and the large bottom portion is formed between third arc-shaped walls of two sets of second petal-shaped bosses.
Per claim 5, White further shows the pipe fixing element (10) is a column with a small cross-sectional top area and a large cross-sectional bottom area.
Per claim 6, White further shows the pipe fixing element is a hemispherical convex point.
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) 4 is is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over White.
White shows all the claimed limitations including the protrusion and wiring layer being molded (par. 29).
White does not show material of the wiring layer is a high-molecular polymer.
It would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the invention to modify White’s layer to show the material of the wiring layer is a high-molecular polymer with a reasonable expectation of success in order to form a wiring layer that is strong, rust resistant, and easily laid on the supporting floor for wiring heating element.
Claim(s) 7 is is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over White.
White shows all the claimed limitations including the protrusion and wiring layer being molded (par. 29).
White does not show the adhesive layer and the wiring layer are bonded at a high temperature, and the adhesive layer is a fibrous fabric.
It would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the invention to modify White’s layer to show the adhesive layer and the wiring layer are bonded at a high temperature, and the adhesive layer is a fibrous fabric with a reasonable expectation of success in order to form a strong bonding layer that can strongly attach the wiring layer to the subfloor supports.
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure. The prior art shows different heating element supporting floor.
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/PHI D A/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3633