DETAILED ACTION
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 .
Drawings
The drawings are objected to under 37 CFR 1.83(a). The drawings must show every feature of the invention specified in the claims. Therefore,
an electrical mains supply in claim 2;
the cables in claim 3;
the electrical contact tabs of the printed circuit board in claim 6;
the thread hole(s) and the clamping screw(s) in claim 7;
the seat structure with a circumferential recess, groove, or rebate in claim 14; and
the further opening in the support walls in claim 15.
must be shown or the feature(s) canceled from the claim(s). No new matter should be entered.
Corrected drawing sheets in compliance with 37 CFR 1.121(d) are required in reply to the Office action to avoid abandonment of the application. Any amended replacement drawing sheet should include all of the figures appearing on the immediate prior version of the sheet, even if only one figure is being amended. The figure or figure number of an amended drawing should not be labeled as “amended.” If a drawing figure is to be canceled, the appropriate figure must be removed from the replacement sheet, and where necessary, the remaining figures must be renumbered and appropriate changes made to the brief description of the several views of the drawings for consistency. Additional replacement sheets may be necessary to show the renumbering of the remaining figures. Each drawing sheet submitted after the filing date of an application must be labeled in the top margin as either “Replacement Sheet” or “New Sheet” pursuant to 37 CFR 1.121(d). If the changes are not accepted by the examiner, the applicant will be notified and informed of any required corrective action in the next Office action. The objection to the drawings will not be held in abeyance.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 102
In the event the determination of the status of the application as subject to AIA 35 U.S.C. 102 and 103 (or as subject to pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 102 and 103) is incorrect, any correction of the statutory basis (i.e., changing from AIA to pre-AIA ) for the rejection will not be considered a new ground of rejection if the prior art relied upon, and the rationale supporting the rejection, would be the same under either status.
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) 1-4 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Field (US 4,415,788).
Field discloses a cooking hob claimed including a housing (10) having a housing bottom wall and sidewalls connected with a cooking hob plate (20), the housing forming an interior space in which electric components of the cooking hob are arranged therein (also, see Figure 6), an electrical terminal (23) formed integrally to the housing, and/or a section of the housing is a double-walled having an inner wall and an outer wall with the outer wall comprising an opening (formed with a plurality of spacer 32 (also, see column 2, lines 34-36).
With respect to claim 2, Field discloses the electric terminal (23) formed integrally to a first bottom wall of the housing bottom wall via the sidewall of the housing wherein the electric terminal forms a connection passage for an electrical main supply from outside of the cooking hob (see Figure 6).
With respect to claim 3, Field discloses the electric terminal (23) that is configured to provide connection for an electrical main supply (shown by a voltage source in Figure 6), and Field further discloses the electric terminal that is connectable to cables or electric contact elements outside the cooking hob and connectable to electric cables (shown by solid lines connecting the electronic/electrical components in the induction cartridge 20) inside the interior space of the housing (also, see Figure 6).
With respect to claim 4, Field discloses the housing bottom wall having a first bottom wall and a second bottom wall (shown by a bottom wall of the cartridge 20; also, see Figure 2) with an interior side wall (shown by a portion of the sidewall of the housing 10) extending from the first bottom wall to the second bottom wall wherein the electric terminal is formed to the first bottom wall of the housing via the sidewall of the housing (10).
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 103
In the event the determination of the status of the application as subject to AIA 35 U.S.C. 102 and 103 (or as subject to pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 102 and 103) is incorrect, any correction of the statutory basis (i.e., changing from AIA to pre-AIA ) for the rejection will not be considered a new ground of rejection if the prior art relied upon, and the rationale supporting the rejection, would be the same under either status.
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) 6 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Field (US 4,415,788) in view of Parachini et al (US 2019/0297688).
Field discloses the cooking hob claimed including the electrical terminal (23) that is configured to receive a plurality of rigid electrical contact tabs (22), but Field does not show a printed circuit board with the electrical contact tabs arranged thereon to be inserted into the electrical terminal as claimed.
Parachini discloses it is known to provide a cooking hob that is known to include a printed circuit board (46) that is provided with a plurality of contact tabs (48) for making an electrical connection (also, see Figure 3; and para 0035).
In view of Parachini, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art to adapt Field with a printed circuit board that is known to make provide a support for a plurality of conductive connections with the electronic/electrical components of the cooking hob including induction coils wherein electrical contact tabs are known to be arranged on the printed circuit board to make a desired electrical connection wherein such connection can predictably be service the same purpose as that of the contact tabs in Field so that electric power can be supplied to the electronic/electrical components thereto, and as the contact tabs of the printed circuit board is inserted into the electrical terminal, the printed circuit board would predictably be fixed or fixable to the housing including in parallel position or in any desired orientation to the first and/or second bottom wall as a matter of routine experimentations to arrange the printed circuit board in an efficient and optimized orientation as desired.
Claim(s) 7 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Field (US 4,415,788) in view of Guginsky (US 5,553,787).
Field discloses the electric terminal (23) having a side that faces outside the cooking hob where an electrical main supply is connected thereto (shown by the main power source, 220 V, connected to the electric terminal as shown in Figure 6) but does not show the electrical terminal having a cable clamping screw for clamping a cable wire of the electric mains supply as claimed.
Guginsky discloses an electrical connector having a terminal receptable having a clamping screw (52) for clamping an electrical wire or cable (37).
In view of Guginsky, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art to adapt Field with the electric terminal having a cable clamping screw for clamping an electric cable of an electric mains supply such as a main supply cable that is connected to the terminal receptable as an alternative electric connection means by which the main supply/power cable can be connected to the electric terminal.
Claim(s) 8-10 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Field (US 4,415,788) in view of Buck et al (US 2011/0100350).
Field discloses the cooking hob claimed including a cooking hob plate (40) but does not show a fastening element for the cooking hob plate that can be fixable or engageable with the housing via an opening.
Buck discloses it is known to provide a cooking hob plate (24) with a fastening element (10) that engages an opening (30) of a housing part (24) in a snap manner, and Buck further discloses that the fastening element is made of a metal which is known to be electrically conductive.
In view of Buck, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art to adapt Field with the cooking hob plate having a fastening element including a snap element that is known to engage the cooking hob plate to a housing member that allows for a secured attachment of the cooking hob plate but that also allows to conveniently disengage the cooking hob plate from the housing when need to be serviced or removed as desired.
With respect to claim 9, Field discloses for the housing having double-wall section (see Figure 2) wherein the housing side wall is the outer wall comprising an the opening (as shown by the opening through 32).
With respect to claim 10, Field discloses an inner wall (shown by the inner wall of the cartridge 20) that is in direct contact with the cooking hob plate (40) wherein the outer wall (shown by the outer wall of the housing 10) is not in direct contact with the cooking hot plate.
Claim(s) 11 and 12 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Field (US 4,415,788) in view of Lin (US 2010/0219179)
Field discloses the cooking hob claimed except for the housing having a seat structure providing a seat for a user interface unit below the cooking hob plate.
Lin discloses it is known to provide a housing having a seat structure (454b) for a user interface unit (46) below a cooking hob plat (also, see Figure 3).
In view of Lin, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art to adapt Field with the housing having a seat structure for a user interface unit supported thereon below the cooking hob plate which would predicably allow the user interface unit to be securely attach to the housing below the cooking hob plate so that the user interface unit is further protected from food spills or debris while allowing the user to conveniently control the cooking hob.
With respect to claim 12, Lin further discloses that the seat structure is a part of the housing side walls or that it is integrally formed with the housing wherein the user interface unit is in contact with a lower side of the cooking hob plate as the parts (461) of the interface unit are pressed down via control keys (402) provided on the cooking hot plate (also see para 0023).
Claim(s) 13 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Field in view of Line as applied to claim 11 above and further in view of Arntz et al (US 2005/0269311).
Field in view of Lin discloses the cooking hob claimed including the seat structure except for an enclosure for the seat structure as claimed.
Arntz discloses it is known to provide a cooking hob having a user control unit (34-37) that is enclosed with a control box having four support further support walls (shown by the rectangular control box 53) that is a part of a bottom wall of a housing wherein the control unit is separated from a remaining interior of the housing. Also, see para 0016.
In view of Arntz, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art to adapt Field as modified by Lin, with the seat structure having further support walls that encloses and separates the seat structure. where control electronic/elements are provided thereto, from the remaining interior space of the housing to predictably protect various electronic components of the control unit from heat generated within the housing.
Claim(s) 14 and 15 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Field in view of Lin and Arntz as applied to claim 13 above, and further in view Haag (US 2008/0179316) and Tsai (US 5,417,580).
Field in view of Lin and Arntz discloses the cooking hob claimed including the seat structure but does not show the seat structure having a recess or groove within which a printed circuit board of the user interface unit is arranged therein.
Haag discloses it is known to provide a user interface unit (22) having a circuit board for controlling heating elements of the cooking hob (para 0023-0025), and Tsai further discloses it is known to a support that includes a groove or recess for mounting and securing a printed circuit board (4).
In view of Haag and Tsai, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art to adapt Field, as modified by Lin and Arntz, with the seat structure that further includes a recess or groove in the support walls or the housing side wall to secure mount a circuit board such as a printed circuit board, which is well known that is also known to be included in a user interface unit, for control heating elements of the cooking hob as known in the art.
With respect to claim 15, Haag further discloses for cables for connecting electronic components including connecting cables that are connected to the control mechanism and the heating elements such as inductors (para 0025), and it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art to adapt Field, as modified by Lin and Arntz, with the further support walls having openings through which cables can be conveniently routed or passed therethrough to make an electrical connection between the printed circuit board of the user interface unit as well as other control elements or printed circuit boards arranged in the interior space of the housing to operate the cooking hob as known in the art.
Allowable Subject Matter
Claim 5 is objected to as being dependent upon a rejected base claim, but would be allowable if rewritten in independent form including all of the limitations of the base claim and any intervening claims.
Claims 16-18 are allowed in view of the applied art wherein claim 16 includes an allowable subject matter of “an interior wall extending substantially vertically between the firs and second bottom walls” wherein “an electrical terminal [is] integrally formed to the interior side wall, said electrical terminal comprising an electric contact opening facing the interior space of the housing…” in combination with the recited elements of claim 16.
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure.
Malkomes et al (US 2019/0306931), Valero et al (US 2006/0163244), and Dehnert et al (US 2014/0374411) disclose a generally known cooking hob housing.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to SANG Y PAIK whose telephone number is (571)272-4783. The examiner can normally be reached 9:00-5:30; M-F.
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If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Steven W. Crabb can be reached at 571-270-5095. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/SANG Y PAIK/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3761
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