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 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) 31-34, 36-39 and 41 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Leeyongkwun (KR 19990016782 A, refer to attached translation).
Regarding claim 31, Leeyongkwun discloses a cooler container (refer to figs. 2-5), comprising:
a chamber (space within cabinet 10) configured to receive one or more items;
a lid configured to openably cover the chamber (refer to lines 2-3 of the claims section, wherein chamber 10 has an opening and closing means in the front); and
a temperature control system comprising:
a thermoelectric element (24) configured to cool the chamber (10), via a conductive fluid (flowing through circulation pipe 30), during a cooling operation and to dissipate generated heat to surrounding air (by means of radiating fan 55 as can be seen from fig. 2),
wherein the conductive fluid is configured to selectively thermally connect the thermoelectric element and the chamber (in the instant case, the conductive fluid selectively thermally connects the thermoelectric element and the chamber by means of the switch as in fig. 4 being in an on or off position); and
a pump (refer to circulation pump 60) configured to move the conductive fluid between a first configuration and a second configuration such that:
in the first configuration, during the cooling operation, the thermoelectric element is in thermal communication with the chamber via the conductive fluid to cool the chamber (when the thermoelectric element is connected to the external power source as in the Abstract, line 9); and
in the second configuration, during other than the cooling operation, the thermoelectric element is thermally separated from the chamber (disconnected from the external power source via the switch as can be seen from fig. 4) to inhibit heat transfer between the chamber and the thermoelectric element.
Regarding claim 32, Leeyongkwun meets the claim limitations as disclosed above in the rejection of claim 31. Further, Leeyongkwun discloses wherein the temperature control system further comprises: a hot side heat sink (26) disposed in thermal communication with a first side of the thermoelectric element; and a cold side heat sink (22) configured to be in thermal communication with a second side of the thermoelectric element and the chamber.
Regarding claim 33, Leeyongkwun meets the claim limitations as disclosed above in the rejection of claim 31. Further, Leeyongkwun discloses wherein, in the first configuration, the thermoelectric element is in conductive thermal communication with the chamber via the conductive fluid (when the thermoelectric element is connected to the external power source as in the Abstract, line 9, allowing thermal communication with the chamber via the conductive fluid as in fig. 2).
Regarding claim 34, Leeyongkwun meets the claim limitations as disclosed above in the rejection of claim 31. Further, Leeyongkwun discloses wherein, in the second configuration, the thermoelectric element is thermally conductively separated from the chamber based on the moved conductive fluid from the first configuration to the second configuration (in the instant case, when the power source is not provided to the thermoelectric element, the forced transfer of heat between the chamber and the element is stopped, causing the previously cold side to rise in temperature, therefore, providing a thermal conduction separation from the first configuration to the second configuration based on the moved conductive fluid flowing through said element).
Regarding claim 36, Leeyongkwun meets the claim limitations as disclosed above in the rejection of claim 31. Further, Leeyongkwun discloses a container body (walls forming body 10), wherein the chamber and a portion of the temperature control system are disposed in the container body (refer to fig. 4).
Regarding claim 37, Leeyongkwun discloses a cooler container, comprising:
a chamber (space within cabinet 10) configured to receive one or more items;
a lid configured to openably cover the chamber (refer to lines 2-3 of the claims section, wherein chamber 10 has an opening and closing means in the front); and
a temperature control system comprising:
a thermoelectric element (24) configured to cool the chamber during a cooling operation;
a hot side heat sink (26) configured to dissipate generated heat to surrounding air;
a cold side heat sink (22);
a conductive fluid (flowing through circulation pipe 30); and
a pump (60) configured to move the conductive fluid to thermally connect the thermoelectric element and the chamber, to cool the chamber via the conductive fluid, during the cooling operation, and to thermally separate the thermoelectric element from the chamber during other than the cooling operation (when the thermoelectric element is disconnected to the external power source as in the Abstract, line 9 via the switch as can be seen from fig. 4, therefore, changing the cooling operation since it causes the previously cold side to rise in temperature).
Regarding claim 38, Leeyongkwun meets the claim limitations as disclosed above in the rejection of claim 37. Further, Leeyongkwun discloses wherein the pump (60) is configured to move the conductive fluid to conductively thermally connect the thermoelectric element and the chamber during the cooling operation (refer to fig. 4).
Regarding claim 39, Leeyongkwun meets the claim limitations as disclosed above in the rejection of claim 37. Further, Leeyongkwun wherein the pump (60) is configured to second move the conductive fluid to thermally conductively separate the thermoelectric element from the chamber (in the instant case, the second move will be when the fluid is pumped through the thermoelectric element, but no power is being supplied to said element by means of switch as can be seen from fig. 4), based on the second moving the fluid, during other than the cooling operation (off switch).
Regarding claim 41, Leeyongkwun meets the claim limitations as disclosed above in the rejection of claim 37. Further, Leeyongkwun discloses a container body (walls forming body 10), wherein the chamber is disposed in the container body, and wherein a thermally insulative material (refer to the second line of the claim section) and a portion of the temperature control system are disposed between an outer wall of the container body and the chamber (refer to fig. 2).
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) 35 and 40 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Leeyongkwun (KR 19990016782 A) in view of Kerner (US 5,269,146).
Regarding claims 35 and 40, Leeyongkwun meets the claim limitations as disclosed above in the rejection of claims 31 and 37. Further, Leeyongkwun discloses the temperature control system, but fails to explicitly disclose circuitry configured to control operation of the pump and the thermoelectric element.
However, Kerner teaches a thermoelectric closed-loop heat exchange system, comprising a temperature control system including circuitry configured to control operation of a pump (16) which moves conductive fluid and a thermoelectric element (30) configured to cool a chamber (24) based on the conductive fluid, in order to provide precision temperature control (refer to col. 3, lines 60-62).
Therefore, it would have been obvious to a person of ordinary skill before the effective filing date of the claimed invention, to modify Leeyongkwun by providing circuitry configured to control operation of the pump and the thermoelectric element in view of the teachings by Kerner, in order to provide precision temperature control.
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 22-30 are allowed.
Response to Arguments
Applicant’s arguments, see pp.8-11, filed on 01/16/2026, with respect to claims 22-41 have been fully considered and are persuasive. The rejection of claims 22-41 has been withdrawn. However, upon further consideration, a new ground(s) of rejection is made in view of newly amended claims.
Conclusion
Applicant's amendment necessitated the new ground(s) of rejection presented in this Office action. Accordingly, THIS ACTION IS MADE FINAL. See MPEP § 706.07(a). Applicant is reminded of the extension of time policy as set forth in 37 CFR 1.136(a).
A shortened statutory period for reply to this final action is set to expire THREE MONTHS from the mailing date of this action. In the event a first reply is filed within TWO MONTHS of the mailing date of this final action and the advisory action is not mailed until after the end of the THREE-MONTH shortened statutory period, then the shortened statutory period will expire on the date the advisory action is mailed, and any nonprovisional extension fee (37 CFR 1.17(a)) pursuant to 37 CFR 1.136(a) will be calculated from the mailing date of the advisory action. In no event, however, will the statutory period for reply expire later than SIX MONTHS from the mailing date of this final action.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to ANA M VAZQUEZ whose telephone number is (571)272-0611. The examiner can normally be reached M-F 7-4.
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/ANA M VAZQUEZ/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3763