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 § 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.
The factual inquiries for establishing a background for determining obviousness under 35 U.S.C. 103 are summarized as follows:
1. Determining the scope and contents of the prior art.
2. Ascertaining the differences between the prior art and the claims at issue.
3. Resolving the level of ordinary skill in the pertinent art.
4. Considering objective evidence present in the application indicating obviousness or nonobviousness.
Claim(s) 1-3 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over US 20200363268 A1 (Matsushima) in view of JP 2019133888 A (Toyota).
Regarding claim 1: Matsushima teaches a temperature sensor comprising: a sensor part (NTC thermistor 12) that is attached to a flexible thin sheet-shaped electric wire (flexible printed wiring board 20) and detects a temperature of a part to be measured (NTC thermistor 12); and a heat collecting part that is formed of a member with high thermal conductivity (metal leaf spring 30).
Matsushima dose not teach that the heat collecting part contacts the part to be measured, and that can transfer heat generated by the part to be measured to the sensor part, wherein the heat collecting part includes a peripheral wall arranged to surround at least a part of sides of the sensor part.
However, Toyota teaches “a thermistor 81 is mounted on the mounting section 65” and “A heat transfer plate 69 is disposed between the upper surface 11d of the power storage cell 11 and the mounting section 65. The heat transfer plate 69 is formed of, for example, a metal such as copper or aluminum. As an example, the heat transfer plate 69 may be formed in a rectangular plate shape” in Paragraph [0034].
Therefore, before the effective filing date of the claimed invention it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art to modify the heat collecting part of Matsushima with the heat collecting part of Toyota. This is because they are both heat collecting members that surround a thermistor. This is important in order to obtain accurate temperature measurements from the thermistor.
Regarding claim 2: Modified Matsushima teaches the temperature sensor according to claim 1 (see above), wherein the heat collecting part further includes a bottom wall that is connected consecutively to the peripheral wall and is disposed between the electric wire and the part to be measured (Toyota: heat transfer plate 69; Fig. 4), a frame-shaped member arranged to surround a whole circumference of the sides of the sensor part is attached to the electric wire (Toyota: mounting section 65; Fig. 4), a resin cover part covering the sensor part is formed between the frame-shaped member and the sensor part, and the frame-shaped member is fitted into the peripheral wall (Matsushima: Paragraph [0024]: “Between each pair of legs 32, 32 of the both side portions 31c, 31c in the wiring direction of the flat plate portion 31 incorporated by soldering so as to surround the chip NTC thermistor 12 on the flexible printed wiring board 20, a moisture-proof material 29 is injected from the opening 33d of the elastic piece 33 through the opening 31d of the flat plate portion 31 so as to cover the chip NTC thermistor 12 and is potted (resin heaping).”).
Regarding claim 3: Modified Matsushima teaches the temperature sensor according to claim 1 (see above), wherein the heat collecting part is arranged to surround a whole circumference of the sides of the sensor part, a resin cover part covering the sensor part is formed between the heat collecting part and the sensor part, and a surface of the heat collecting part on a side opposite to a side attached to the electric wire is in contact with the part to be measured (Matsushima: Paragraph [0024]: “Between each pair of legs 32, 32 of the both side portions 31c, 31c in the wiring direction of the flat plate portion 31 incorporated by soldering so as to surround the chip NTC thermistor 12 on the flexible printed wiring board 20, a moisture-proof material 29 is injected from the opening 33d of the elastic piece 33 through the opening 31d of the flat plate portion 31 so as to cover the chip NTC thermistor 12 and is potted (resin heaping).”).
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure:
CN 210487079 U teaches an infrared temperature sensor, the infrared temperature sensor comprising: a housing, comprising an outer peripheral wall and a bottom wall, the peripheral wall is set on the bottom wall.
JP 2020012809 A teaches a temperatures sensor fitting structure with resin covering a soldered portion and a temperature sensor on a flexible printed wiring board.
US 20200014083 A1 teaches a temperature sensor mounting structure with a resin case on a flexible printed wiring board.
JP 2019039834 A teaches a thermistor, heat collecting part, and resin parts in order to measure a temperature.
JP 2019002892 A teaches a temperature sensor with a fitting member and a coil spring, connected to a sensor body by a pair of electric wires, and a heat collecting plate.
US 10060803 B2 teaches an internal temperature sensor that includes substrates with one surface to be placed in contact with a measurement surface of an object to measure an internal temperature of the object, a heat flux sensor on another surface of the substrates, and a temperature sensor.
JP 2009122090 A teaches a sensor part that includes a printed circuit board that is made of resin and formed with a pair of electrically conductive metal patterns.
US 20090110024 A1 teaches a sensor part is provided with a printed circuit board that is made of resin and formed with a pair of electrically conductive metal patterns.
JP H08233845 A teaches a sheet-shaped flow rate/temp. meter that is constituted by arranging a large number of the flow rate sensors and temp. sensors formed on a silicon substrate by semiconductor fine processing technique on a flexible sheet provided with printed wirings.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to JULIA FITZPATRICK whose telephone number is (703)756-5783. The examiner can normally be reached Mon-Fri 8am-4pm.
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/JULIA FITZPATRICK/ Examiner, Art Unit 2855
/LAURA MARTIN SWEENEY/ Supervisory Patent Examiner, Art Unit 2855
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