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 1-9, in the reply filed on 11/4/2025 is acknowledged.
Claim Objections
Claim 7 is objected to because of the following informalities: the claim is not written as a single sentence. The claim must be rewritten such that it is included in one sentence. Appropriate correction is required.
Claim 8 is objected to because of the following informalities: the claim is not written as a single sentence. The claim must be rewritten such that it is included in one sentence. Appropriate correction is required.
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 6 and 8 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.
Claim 6 recites the limitation "the vaporized raw material" in lines 2-3. There is insufficient antecedent basis for this limitation in the claim. For the purposes of examination, “the vaporized raw material” will be considered to mean “a vaporized raw material”.
Claim 8 recites the limitation "the vaporized raw material" in lines 4 and 7. There is insufficient antecedent basis for this limitation in the claim. For the purposes of examination, “the vaporized raw material” will be considered to mean “a vaporized raw material”.
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) 1-6 and 9 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Lee et al. (KR 2015-0141252 A, hereafter Lee ‘252, with machine translation).
Note: citations to Lee ‘252 refer to the location in the machine translation.
Claim 1: Lee ‘252 teaches a method of controlling a temperature of a canister ([0001]) in a structure of the canister comprising a measuring unit (9, 11) connected with a control unit and a heating unit (7) connected with the control unit (Fig. 1, [0011], [0012]), the canister configured to accommodate a raw material therein ([0003]), the method comprising:
measuring an inner temperature of the canister ([0011], [0012]);
calculating a calculated temperature using the measured temperature in a calculation equation of the controller ([0019], [0024]); and
adjusting the temperature of the heating unit to a desired temperature from the calculations ([0089]).
Claim 2: Lee ‘252 teaches that the calculating the calculated temperature includes performing the calculation equation using the inner temperature of the canister (IT) and temperature of the heating unit (HT), where the IT and HT have different weight values ([0028], [0062], [0065]).
Claim 3: Lee ‘252 teaches that the method can comprise vaporizing the raw material in the canister and discharging the vaporized raw material ([0001], [0010]), wherein the measuring, calculating, and adjusting steps are sequentially repeated during discharging of the vaporized raw material ([0132]).
Claim 4: Lee ‘252 teaches that the sensor for measuring the inner temperature of the canister can be in the raw material in the canister (Figs. 1 and 5, [0055]) and, therefore, measuring the temperature of the raw material.
Claim 5: Lee ‘252 teaches that calculating the calculated temperature can comprise applying a value, which is the usage of the measured temperature in the equation and therefore corresponds to the claimed usage rate, to the measured temperature ([0065], [0066]).
Claim 6: Lee ‘252 teaches that the calculations can use a discharge amount of the raw material in the calculation equation ([0108], [0111]).
Claim 9: Lee ‘252 teaches a method of controlling a temperature of a canister ([0001]) in a structure of the canister comprising a measuring unit (9, 11) connected with a control unit and a heating unit (7) connected with the control unit (Fig. 1, [0011], [0012]), the canister configured to accommodate a raw material therein ([0003]), the method comprising:
measuring an inner temperature of the canister ([0011], [0012]);
comparing and determining the measured temperature and a set temperature of the canister in the controller ([0068]); and
calculating a calculated temperature using the measured temperature in a calculation equation of the controller ([0019], [0024]).
Allowable Subject Matter
Claim 7 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.
Claim 8 would be allowable if rewritten to overcome the rejection(s) under 35 U.S.C. 112(b) or 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), 2nd paragraph, set forth in this Office action and to include all of the limitations of the base claim and any intervening claims.
The following is a statement of reasons for the indication of allowable subject matter:
The prior art fails to teach or render obvious a method for controlling a temperature of a canister wherein the calculated temperature is produced from calculation equation 1 as to the context of claim 7.
The prior art fails to teach or render obvious a method for controlling a temperature of a canister wherein the calculating of the calculated temperature produces, the calculated temperature from a calculation equation 1 from a time at which a predetermined reference time elapses after discharging of the vaporized raw material is initiated, and the calculated temperature from a calculation equation 2 from a time at which the discharging of the vaporized raw material is initiated until the reference time as to the context of claim 8.
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to BRADFORD M GATES whose telephone number is (571)270-3558. The examiner can normally be reached Monday-Friday 9-5.
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If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Joshua Allen can be reached at (571) 270-3176. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/BG/
/JOSHUA L ALLEN/Supervisory Patent Examiner, Art Unit 1713