DETAILED ACTION
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, the feature(s) “an electronic device” and “wherein the protective cover includes an electrical circuit (which may be an ASIC)” recited in independent claims 1 and 10 must be shown or the feature(s) canceled from the claim(s). If it is important to claim a feature as being new and novel, it is also important to show the feature. No new matter should be entered.
Note: The drawings (Figs. 1 and 2) appear to show a protective cover 10 disposed on top of an electronic device (not labeled) to protect an electrical circuit 12 on the electronic device. Referring to the drawings, the specification (page 4, lines 14-23) describes the protective cover 10 as having a U-shaped geometry in section, and comprising an annular wall 13 closed at one axial end by a circular wall 14. In a mounting state, the circular wall 14 faces away from the electronic device (“a measuring cell”) on which the protective cover 10 is mounted. The specification (page 3, lines 24-26) also describes the protective covers 10 to protect the electrical circuit 12 and the inside of the electronic device on which the protective cover 10 is arranged.
As seen, it appears that the electrical circuit (12) is part of the electronic device. The protective cover 10 protects the electrical circuit (12) of the electronic device. The protective cover 10 does not include the electrical circuit 12.
At best, the protective cover 10 has an electrically conductive area serving as an earth connection. The electrically conductive area can be designed to protect the electrical circuit 12 from electromagnetic radiation. The electrically conductive area can therefore be designed to improve electromagnetic compatibility (EMC). For this purpose, the electrically conductive area may be configured as a wire mesh, for example (See specification page 2, line 29 – page. 3, line 2).
Again, the protective cover 10 doesn’t appear to include any electrical circuit, let alone an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC).
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.
Abstract
The abstract of the disclosure is objected to because it fails to reflect applicant’s disclosure as a whole. Going forward with examination, the abstract is interpreted to be (Note that in applicant’s response, where a change is requested in the abstract, a separate page of the abstract containing the change will be needed):
--A protective cover (10) for an electronic device for instance wherein the protective cover (10) includes at least one connecting element (11) that provides a data connection, the protective cover (10) protecting an electrical circuit (12) for instance an application-specific integrated circuit of the pressure measuring cell.--
Correction is required. See MPEP § 608.01(b).
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 112
The following is a quotation of the first paragraph of 35 U.S.C. 112(a):
(a) IN GENERAL.—The specification shall contain a written description of the invention, and of the manner and process of making and using it, in such full, clear, concise, and exact terms as to enable any person skilled in the art to which it pertains, or with which it is most nearly connected, to make and use the same, and shall set forth the best mode contemplated by the inventor or joint inventor of carrying out the invention.
Claims 1-20 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 112(a) as failing to comply with the written description requirement. The claims contain subject matter which was not described in the specification in such a way as to reasonably convey to one skilled in the relevant art that the inventor or a joint inventor had possession of the claimed invention.
Independent claims 1 and 10 essentially recite a protective cover (10) for an electronic device, comprising at least one connecting element (11) configured to provide a data connection, wherein the protective cover (10) includes an electrical circuit (12) which may be an ASIC. However, as mentioned above, the drawings and specification fail to show and/or describe “an electronic device” and “wherein the protective cover includes an electrical circuit (which may be an ASIC).” The remaining (dependent) claims fall together with independent claims 1 and 10.
Going forward with examination, at least claims 1, 3, 6 and 10-11 are interpreted to be:
--1. A protective cover (10) for an electronic device, comprising:
at least one connecting element (11) configured to provide a data connection,
wherein the protective cover (10) protects an electrical circuit (12) of the electronic device.--
--3. The protective cover according to claim 1, wherein the protective cover at least partially includes a conductive region.--
--6. The protective cover according to claim 4, wherein the conductive region including [[a]] the sheet metal element is grid-shaped.--
--10. A measuring device, comprising:
a protective cover (10) for an electronic device including a ceramic pressure measuring cell, comprising:
at least one connecting element (11) configured to provide a data connection,
wherein the protective cover (10) protects an electrical circuit (12) including an application-specific integrated circuit.--
--11. The protective cover according to claim 2, wherein the protective cover at least partially includes a conductive region.--
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.
Claims 1-5, 7-9, 11, 13-16 and 19-20 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Banholzer et al. (US 7,152,477 B2; hereinafter “Banholzer”).
Banholzer teaches:
1. A protective cover (19, 37, 39) for an electronic device (being a pressure sensor 1 having a measuring cell 1; Abstract), comprising (See fig. 3, reproduced below):
at least one connecting element (39, 17) configured to provide a data connection,
wherein the protective cover (19, 37, 39) protects an electrical circuit (13) of the electronic device 1 (against electromagnetic disturbances; Col. 5, lines 1-3: “…metallic cap 19 forms essentially a Faraday cage and offers, consequently, a definite protection for the electronic circuit 13 against electromagnetic disturbances”).
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2. The protective cover according to claim 1, wherein the at least one connecting element (39, 17) is configured to provide a data connection to the electrical circuit 13 (Col. 3, lines 41-48).
3. The protective cover according to claim 1, wherein the protective cover (19, 37, 39) at least partially including a conductive region 19 (Col. 3, line 64 – Col. 4, line 10: “The cap 19 is made of metal…e.g., nickel-iron-cobalt alloy”).
4. The protective cover according to claim 3, wherein the conductive region (19) includes a metal and/or a conductive plastic (as discussed above in claim 3).
5. The protective cover according to claim 4, wherein the metal (19) is formed as a sheet metal element (as is apparent from at least fig. 3; Col. 3, line 64 – Col. 4, line 10).
7. The protective cover according to claim 4, wherein the metal (19) includes nickel or a nickel alloy (as discussed above in claim 3).
8. The protective cover according to claim 1, wherein the protective cover (19, 37, 39) is fluid-tight (to protect the electrical circuit 13; Col. 3, line 64 – Col. 4, line 10: “The measuring cell 1 and the cap 19 are connected together mechanically secure and hermetically sealed …”).
9. The protective cover according to claim 1, wherein the protective cover is configured to be bonded with an adhesive (which may be in a form of, e.g., an active braze; Col. 3, line 64 – Col. 4, line 10: “The measuring cell 1 and the cap 19 are connected together mechanically secure and hermetically sealed by means of a seam 23, preferably of an active braze”).
11 (essentially equivalent to claim 3).
The protective cover according to claim 2, wherein the protective cover (19, 37, 39) at least partially includes a conductive region (19).
13. (essentially equivalent to claim 7).
The protective cover according to claim 5, wherein the metal (19) includes nickel or a nickel alloy.
14 (essentially equivalent to claim 7).
The protective cover according to claim 6, wherein the metal (19) includes nickel or a nickel alloy.
15. The protective cover according to claim 1, wherein the electronic device (1) is a measuring cell (as discussed above in claim 1; Abstract: “measuring cell 1”).
16. The protective cover according to claim 15, wherein the measuring cell (1) is a ceramic pressure measuring cell (Col. 3, line 64 – Col. 4, line 10: “The measuring cell a is made of ceramic, preferably of aluminum oxide”).
19 (essentially equivalent to claim 9).
The protective cover according to claim 9, wherein the adhesive is a conductive adhesive (which may be in a form of, e.g., an active braze; Col. 3, line 64 – Col. 4, line 10).
20 (essentially equivalent to claim 15).
The measuring device according to claim 10, wherein the measuring device is a ceramic pressure measuring cell (as discussed above in claim 1; Abstract: “measuring cell 1”).
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 12 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Banholzer in view of Okubo et al. (US 7,015,804 B2; hereinafter “Okubo”).
Banholzer teaches the protective cover according to claims 4 and 5, but is silent about: wherein the conductive region (19) including the sheet metal element (19) is grid-shaped.
Okubo teaches a protective cover (73) to protect an electrical circuit of a pressure sensor (32) against outside electromagnetic fields and thus allows the pressure sensor (32) to accurately measure a pressure. The protective cover (73) includes a sheet metal element (500) which may be grid-shaped (“a mesh structure”). As such, radio waves of a particular frequency can be blocked by the sheet metal element (500) according to a size of openings of the grid/mesh (Col. 6, lines 37-41).
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It would have been obvious to one ordinarily skilled in the art before the effective filing date of the present application to apply Okubo teaching to Banholzer protective cover by having the conductive region (19) including the sheet metal element (19) is grid-shaped. As such, radio waves of a particular frequency can be blocked by the sheet metal element (19) according to a size of openings of the grid.
Claims 10 and 17-18 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Banholzer in view of Probst et al. (US 6,209,399 B1; hereinafter “Probst”).
10 (essentially equivalent to claim 1).
Banholzer teaches a measuring device, comprising:
a protective cover (19, 37, 39) for an electronic device (being a pressure sensor; Abstract) including a ceramic pressure measuring cell 1 (Col. 3, line 64 – Col. 4, line 10: “The measuring cell 1 is made of ceramic, preferably of aluminum oxide”), comprising:
at least one connecting element (39, 17) configured to provide a data connection (as discussed above in claim 1),
wherein the protective cover (19, 37, 39) protects an electrical circuit 13 (against electromagnetic disturbances, as discussed above in claim 1).
Banholzer is silent about: the electrical circuit (13) including an application-specific integrated circuit.
Probst teaches an electronic device (1) being a pressure sensor (1) having a measuring cell (19) including an application-specific integrated circuit (Fig. 1, reproduced below; Col. 3, lines 61-64: “…the pressure sensor comprises an integrated circuit chip…;” Col. 7, lines 35-40: “…integrated circuits, particularly ASIC…”).
Note: Similar to Banholzer, the electronic device 1 also comprises a protective cover (3a, 39) made of metal to protect the measuring cell (19).
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It would have been obvious to one ordinarily skilled in the art before the effective filing date of the present application to apply Probst teaching to Banholzer electronic device by having the electrical circuit (13) including an application-specific integrated circuit, so as to generate a pressure signal for example.
17-18. Banholzer as modified teaches the protective cover according to claims 1 and 2, wherein the electrical circuit (13) is an application-specific integrated circuit (See discussion above in claim 10).
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to Nguyen (Wyn) Q. Ha whose telephone number is (571) 272-2863, email: nguyenq.ha@uspto.gov. The examiner can normally be reached Monday - Friday 8 am - 4:30 pm (Eastern Time).
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If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Stephen Meier can be reached at (571) 272-2149. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/Nguyen Q. Ha/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2853 March 4, 2026