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 .
Claim Objections
Claim 11 objected to because of the following informalities: Claim 11 is states "The temperature calibration method as claimed in 2". This should read "The temperature calibration method as claims in claim 2" (emphasis added) or otherwise correct the error. The Examiner has interpreted claim 11 to be dependent upon claim 2 in the rejection below.
Appropriate correction is required.
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.
Claim(s) 1 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being clearly anticipated by EP 3296710 B1 (Rehm).
Regarding claim 1: Rehm teaches a temperature calibration method, performed by a temperature calibration device (Abstract) comprising a temperature calibration block (block calibrator 1) formed with a placement part (receiving bore 12, calibration sleeve 13) for a reference temperature sensor (reference sensor 22) and a temperature sensor to be calibrated (test piece 14: “a test piece 14 in the form of a temperature sensor”), the temperature calibration method comprising: setting a temperature state in a gradual temperature variation transition process of the temperature calibration block as a calibration temperature (Fig. 7: “a diagram of the temperature over a circumferential segment of 90 ° of the cylindrical Kalibrierhülse with different temperature gradients”).
Claim(s) 1-7 and 9-11 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by KR 20080006687 A (Kim).
Regarding claim 1: Kim teaches a temperature calibration method, performed by a temperature calibration device (Abstract) comprising a temperature calibration block (multi-cell 100) formed with a placement part (reference material insertion holes 120) for a reference temperature sensor (reference materials 2000: “reference materials 2000 having different phase change temperatures and each having a reference temperature based on the phase change on the same surface are spaced apart from each other”; a temperature sensor to measure the reference materials, i.e., a reference temperature sensor, is inherent) and a temperature sensor to be calibrated (thermometer 1000), the temperature calibration method comprising: setting a temperature state in a gradual temperature variation transition process of the temperature calibration block as a calibration temperature (“a calibration operation is performed by comparing the intrinsic phase transition temperature of the metal with the temperature measured by the thermometer 1000.”).
Regarding claim 2: Kim teaches the temperature calibration method as claimed in claim 1 (see above), wherein the temperature calibration device comprises: a vacuum-insulated container, which has a vacuum region to surround the temperature calibration block (“The inside of the outer container 200 is preferably provided with the gas control unit 230 to maintain a vacuum state”), and in which an accommodation part accommodating the temperature calibration block (outer container 200); and a Peltier module (“Temperature control means for heating or cooling the external container”; a Peltier module is a type of temperature control means), thermally coupled with the temperature calibration block.
Regarding claim 3: Kim teaches the temperature calibration method as claimed in claim 2 (see above), wherein a heat insulator is provided in the vacuum region (“a radiation shielding plate which is provided around the inner container inside the outer container to block heat transmitted to the thermometer”).
Regarding claim 4: Kim teaches the temperature calibration method as claimed in claim 3 (see above), wherein a material of the heat insulator has a flexible property and comprises a radiation layer, and form the heat insulator by stacking a plurality of layers (Fig. 5: shielding plate(s) 220).
Regarding claim 5: Kim teaches the temperature calibration method as claimed in claim 1 (see above), wherein the temperature calibration block comprises a plurality of cores having a substantially cylindrical shape and having different diameter dimensions (Fig. 5), and has a configuration in which a core on an inner side is inserted into an inner diameter of a core on an outer side (Fig. 5: thermometer insertion hole 110 and cover 210).
Regarding claim 6: Kim teaches the temperature calibration method as claimed in claim 5 (see above), wherein an insertion groove is formed in an axial direction on an outer circumferential part of the core on the inner side, and, by using the insertion groove and an inner circumferential wall of the core on the outer side, the placement part for the temperature sensor to be calibrated is formed (Fig. 5: the grooves in shielding plate(s) 220 may guide the thermometer insertion hole 110 into place when formed).
Regarding claim 7: Kim teaches the temperature calibration method as claimed in claim 6 (see above), wherein a plurality of placement parts for the temperature sensor to be calibrated are formed, and insertion ports of the placement parts are different in size (Fig. 5: reference material insertion hole 120 and thermometer insertion hole 110 are different in diameter).
Regarding claim 9: Kim teaches the temperature calibration method as claimed in claim 1 (see above), wherein in a state in which the reference temperature sensor and the temperature sensor to be calibrated are placed in the placement part of the temperature calibration block, a temperature sensing part of the reference temperature sensor and a temperature sensing part of the temperature sensor to be calibrated are located at substantially a same position in an axial direction (Fig. 5: reference material 2000 and the thermometer that goes into thermometer insertion hole 110).
Regarding claim 10: Kim teaches the temperature calibration method as claimed in claim 2 (see above), wherein, in the Peltier module, a through hole is formed at a substantially central part (Fig. 6, temperature control means 300).
Regarding claim 11: Kim teaches the temperature calibration method as claimed in claim 2 (see above), wherein the Peltier module is held by a Peltier holder, and heat from the Peltier module is transferred to the temperature calibration block via the Peltier holder (Fig. 6, gas control unit 230).
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.
The factual inquiries for establishing a background for determining obviousness under 35 U.S.C. 103 are summarized as follows:
1. Determining the scope and contents of the prior art.
2. Ascertaining the differences between the prior art and the claims at issue.
3. Resolving the level of ordinary skill in the pertinent art.
4. Considering objective evidence present in the application indicating obviousness or nonobviousness.
Claim(s) 8 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over KR 20080006687 A (Kim).
Regarding claim 8: Kim teaches the temperature calibration method as claimed in claim 5 (see above), but does not directly teach that a wiring outlet groove is formed at an upper end of the core.
However, Kim does teach that the thermometer is connected to a temperature display, which would require a wire connection and therefore imply a wiring outlet groove as a method of connection between the two taught elements.
Applicant has not disclosed that the wiring outlet groove provides an advantage, is used for a particular purpose, or solves a stated problem other than the well-known and unsurprising function of connecting elements together.
Therefore, before the effective filing date of the claimed invention it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art to modify the connection of Kim with a wiring outlet groove. This is because one of ordinary skill in the art would have expected a groove allowing part of one element to pass through part of another element to be one of several straightforward ways of connecting elements together.
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure.
CN 110487445 A teaches a temperature correcting device having at least one cover with a through hole.
US 10018520 B2 teaches a measuring apparatus-calibration device for calibrating a measuring apparatus-temperature sensor.
JP 5123867 B2 teaches a temperature calibration device including a temperature correction unit that corrects a measured temperature of a temperature sensor that measures a temperature in a temperature adjustment target space with a reference temperature measured by a reference temperature sensor.
US 20110125444 A1 teaches a calibration method including a sensor and a heat transfer device by at least one container, measuring the temperature through a phase change, wherein the correction may be applied to subsequent measurements.
JP 2010175344 A teaches a temperature calibration device with temperature sensors and a cylindrical body that has the temperature sensors arranged radially inside.
CN 1349609 A teaches a temperature sensor calibrating device, comprising a placing the cavity of the calibration sensor, the heat conducting medium in the cavity sensor and the heating/cooling medium to a desired temperature, and having a vacuum with insulating material.
JP H07198500 A teaches a surface temperature calibration instrument which is composed of a block body for calibration, of a heating source and of a heat-insulating member which houses them is prepared.
US 5326170 A teaches a temperature sensor calibration method wherein the first step change in the wafer characteristic corresponding to a wafer temperature equal to the melting point of the calibration structures is detected and a set of calibration parameters for each temperature sensor being calibrated is calculated.
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/JULIA FITZPATRICK/Examiner, Art Unit 2855
/LAURA MARTIN/SPE, Art Unit 2855