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
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.
Claims 1-5, 7-12, 14-15, 17-20 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) and 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(2) as being anticipated by U.S. Patent Pub. 2024/0201020 (“Vrdoljak”).
Claim 1
Vrdoljak discloses a temperature sensor assembly, comprising: a mounting device having a front side and a rear side opposite the front side (mounting device 7), and a temperature sensor with a temperature-sensitive measuring tip (temperature measuring sensor 3), wherein the temperature sensor is inserted into the mounting device through an opening in the rear side in such a way that the measuring tip points in a direction whose angle to a surface normal of the front side is less than 90° (Fig. 2a, paragraph [0059], measuring insert 3, angle of 45°), and the temperature sensor is held within the mounting device by an insulation device (paragraph [0060], insulating body 8a).
Claim 2
Vrdoljak discloses the temperature sensor assembly according to claim 1, wherein a front face of the insulation device is substantially flush with the front side of the mounting device (Fig. 2a, substantially flush upper surface).
Claim 3
Vrdoljak discloses the temperature sensor assembly according to claim 1, wherein the mounting device is sleeve-shaped and encloses the insulation device in sections (Fig. 2a).
Claim 4
Vrdoljak discloses the temperature sensor assembly according to claim 1, wherein the mounting device includes a through hole, and the insulation device includes at least one insulation body with a substantially cylindrical outer surface and is arranged in sections within the through hole (paragraph [0059], bores 10).
Claim 5
Vrdoljak discloses the temperature sensor assembly according to claim 4, wherein the through hole includes an internal thread in sections, and the at least one insulation body includes, at least in sections, an outer thread matching the insulation body and is screwed into the mounting device (Fig. 2a).
Claim 7
Vrdoljak discloses the temperature sensor assembly according to claim 1 wherein the measuring tip includes an end face which is at least substantially flush with the front face and/or at least substantially flush with the front side (Fig. 2a)
Claim 8
Vrdoljak discloses the temperature sensor assembly according to claim 1 wherein the temperature sensor comprises a contact body, the contact body circumferentially encloses the measuring tip at least in sections, and the contact body comprises a contact surface which is not covered, at least in sections, by the front side of the mounting device and the front face of the insulation device (paragraph [0060], Fig. 2a, contact body 8)
Claim 9
Vrdoljak discloses the temperature sensor assembly according to claim 8, wherein the contact body is held by the insulation device, and the temperature sensor or at least the measuring tip otherwise has no mechanical contact with the insulation device and the mounting device (paragraph [0060], Fig. 2a)
Claim 10
Vrdoljak discloses the temperature sensor assembly according to claim 8, wherein the contact body either: includes a through hole into which the measuring tip is inserted in such a way that the contact surface is at least substantially flush with an end face of the measuring tip, or includes a blind hole on a side facing away from the contact surface, into which the measuring tip is inserted in such a way that the measuring tip comes into contact with an end face of the blind hole (Figs. 2a and 2c).
Claim 11
Vrdoljak discloses the temperature sensor assembly according to claim 10, wherein the through hole or blind hole extends obliquely to a surface normal of the contact surface and/or to the surface normal of the front side, in particular intersects with this or these at an angle of between 15° and 50° (paragraph [0059], 45°).
Claim 12
Vrdoljak discloses the temperature sensor assembly according to claim 11, wherein at least one recess is provided in the rear side of the mounting device, which recess adjoins the opening in the rear side through which the temperature sensor is inserted into the mounting device (bores 10), and the temperature sensor is guided to the oblique through hole or blind hole without coming into direct contact with the mounting device (paragraph [0060]).
Claim 14
Vrdoljak discloses the temperature sensor assembly according to claim 8, wherein the contact body comprises a through hole, wherein an opening of the through hole is located in the contact surface, a front membrane closes this opening, and the measuring tip is inserted into the through hole in such a way that an end face of the measuring tip bears against an inner side of the front membrane (paragraphs [0059-0060], Figs. 2a-2f).
Claim 15
Vrdoljak discloses the temperature sensor assembly according to claim 14, wherein a sensor element of the temperature sensor is exposed at the measuring tip and is in direct contact with the inside of the front membrane (Fig. 2c).
Claim 17
Vrdoljak discloses the temperature sensor assembly of claim 1 further including a sensor carrier having a wall section with at least one measuring point, wherein the temperature sensor assembly is arranged at the at least one measuring point, and the mounting device of the temperature sensor assembly at the measuring point is connected to the wall section or is integrated therein (Fig. 2a).
Claim 18
Vrdoljak discloses the temperature sensor assembly of claim 17 further including the at least one additional temperature sensor assembly, wherein the temperature sensor assemblies are arranged along a path with a distance between each other (Fig. 2a-2b).
Claim 19
Vrdoljak discloses the temperature sensor assembly of claim 17 wherein the sensor carrier is designed as part of a container wall of a container or as a protection tube, wherein the at least one measuring point is arranged at a distal end or along a lateral surface of the protection tube (paragraph [0019], protection tube 2).
Claim 20
Vrdoljak discloses a temperature sensor assembly, comprising: a mounting device having a front side and a rear side opposite the front side (Fig. 2a, mounting device 7); a temperature sensor with a temperature-sensitive measuring tip (temperature sensor 3); wherein the temperature sensor is inserted into the mounting device through an opening in the rear side in such a way that the measuring tip points in a direction whose angle to a surface normal of the front side is less than 90° (Fig. 2a, paragraph [0059], measuring insert 3, angle of 45°), and the temperature sensor is held within the mounting device by a sleeve shaped insulator (paragraph [0060], insulating body 8a).
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.
Claims 6 and 13 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over U.S. Patent Pub. 2024/0201020 (“Vrdoljak”) in view of U.S. Patent Pub. 2008/0080592 (“Houben”).
Claim 6
Vrdoljak discloses the temperature sensor assembly according to claim 1.
Vrdoljak does not appear to explicitly disclose wherein the temperature sensor is formed as a mineral-insulated sheathed cable in the region of the measuring tip.
Houben discloses a temperature sensor including a mineral insulated cable contacting aluminum oxide connection (paragraph [0004, 0053]).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have incorporated wherein the temperature sensor is formed as a mineral-insulated sheathed cable in the region of the measuring tip, as disclosed by Houben, into the device of Vrdoljak, for the purpose of minimizing effects of thermal expansion (Houben, paragraph [0053]).
Claim 13
Vrdoljak discloses the temperature sensor assembly according to claim 8.
Vrdoljak does not appear to explicitly disclose wherein the contact body is at least partially made of silver, copper, gold, aluminum or of an alloy comprising at least one of these elements.
Houben discloses a temperature sensor connection of aluminum oxide (paragraph [0004, 0053]).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have incorporated wherein the contact body is at least partially made of silver, copper, gold, aluminum or of an alloy comprising at least one of these elements, as disclosed by Houben, into the device of Vrdoljak, for the purpose of minimizing effects of thermal expansion (Houben, paragraph [0053]).
Allowable Subject Matter
Claim 16 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.
The following is a statement of reasons for the indication of allowable subject matter: the present application relates in general to a temperature sensor assembly, comprising: a mounting device having a front side and a rear side opposite the front side, and a temperature sensor with a temperature-sensitive measuring tip, wherein the temperature sensor is inserted into the mounting device through an opening in the rear side in such a way that the measuring tip points in a direction whose angle to a surface normal of the front side is less than 90°, and the temperature sensor is held within the mounting device by an insulation device. However, the cited art does not appear to explicitly disclose or suggest wherein the temperature sensor or the measuring tip or the contact body comprises a protrusion which encloses the temperature sensor or the measuring tip or the contact body circumferentially at least in sections, the insulation device comprises at least a first insulation body and a second insulation body, the first insulation body is rigidly connected to the mounting device or rests against a stop of the mounting device, so that axial displacement of the first insulation body relative to the mounting device is blocked in one direction, the first insulation body includes a first clamping surface which points against the blocked direction and faces the protrusion, the protrusion bears with a first protrusion side against the first clamping surface, and the second insulation body is screwed to the mounting device or the first insulation body via a threaded connection or is connected to the mounting device or the first insulation body by an adhesive connection or an interference fit, so that a second clamping surface of the second insulation body bears against a second protrusion side of the protrusion, so that the protrusion is clamped between the clamping surfaces of the insulation bodies and an axial displacement of the temperature sensor relative to the mounting device is blocked. Thus, the specific structure of the temperature sensor assembly as required by the claimed invention, is not provided by the cited art.
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to ERICA S Y LIN whose telephone number is (571)270-7911. The examiner can normally be reached M-F 8-4, TW M,W.
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If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Douglas X Rodriguez can be reached at (571) 431-0716. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/ERICA S LIN/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2853
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