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 .
Drawings
Figures 2 and 3 should be designated by a legend such as --Prior Art-- because only that which is old is illustrated. See MPEP § 608.02(g). Page 6 of the instant specifications states that figs.2-3 illustrate solutions of prior art for heating measuring equipment.
Corrected drawings in compliance with 37 CFR 1.121(d) are required in reply to the Office action to avoid abandonment of the application. The replacement sheet(s) should be labeled “Replacement Sheet” in the page header (as per 37 CFR 1.84(c)) so as not to obstruct any portion of the drawing figures. 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.
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 1-10 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 112(b) or 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), second paragraph.
As to claim 1, claim 1 recites limitations “the skin” in line 2 of claim 1. There is insufficient antecedent basis for this limitation in the claim. Claim 1 is 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 pre-AIA the applicant regards as the invention. The claim languages “the skin” appear for the first time, however, read as though they have already been recited. See MPEP 2173.05(e).
As to claim 1, claim 1 recites limitations “the axis” in line 9 of claim 1. There is insufficient antecedent basis for this limitation in the claim. Claim 1 is 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 pre-AIA the applicant regards as the invention. The claim languages “the axis” appear for the first time, however, read as though they have already been recited. See MPEP 2173.05(e).
As to claim 1, claim 1 recites limitations “the overlap zone” in lines 11-12 of claim 1. There is insufficient antecedent basis for this limitation in the claim. Claim 1 is 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 pre-AIA the applicant regards as the invention. The claim languages “the overlap zone” appear for the first time, however, read as though they have already been recited. See MPEP 2173.05(e).
As to claim 1, claim 1 recites “a vehicle apt”, which renders the claim indefinite because it is not exactly clear what exactly constitute “a vehicle apt”. Hence, it is unclear.
As to claim 8, claim 8 recites limitations “the Totale” of claim 8. There is insufficient antecedent basis for this limitation in the claim. Claim 1 is 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 pre-AIA the applicant regards as the invention. The claim languages “the Totale” appear for the first time, however, read as though they have already been recited. See MPEP 2173.05(e).
Claims 2-10 are also rejected because they are dependent on the rejected claim 1 as set forth above.
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.
As best understood, claims 1-4 and 7-10 are rejected under pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable by Wang – Translate_WO 2020155175 and further in view of Marty – US 20200141964.
As to claim 1, Wang teaches a measuring equipment item 200 (fig.2A: pitot tube) comprising a heating device (abstract and page 9: to provide heating more effectively to different portions of the pitot tube, multiple coils can be utilized), said measuring equipment 200 being intended to be arranged on a vehicle that moves in a hostile climatic environment associated with icing climatic conditions (page 5), said equipment 200 corresponding to a body formed of a mast carrying a tube 200 closed at one of the ends thereof (fig.2A: a frontal opening 211 and the tube 200 is closed at one of the ends),
the heating device being intended to be housed within said tube 200 and comprising at least one heating wire 223 wound inside the body of said tube 200 (abstract; fig.2A and 3; page 9: induction coils 223 can be replaced with conventional electrical resistance wire winding),
wherein the coiling of said heating wire is a bridged back-and- forth coiling defined by the presence of a bridge 301-302, the bridge 301-302 corresponding to a portion of heating wire overlapping, along an axis of said tube 200 (page 11: straight portion lead 302 (or bridge) of heating wire/coil 223 can extend through a length of the straight portion within the annulus between air channel tube 228 and outer tube 229; thus “the coiling of said heating wire is a bridged back-and- forth coiling defined by the presence of a bridge, the bridge corresponding to a portion of heating wire overlapping, along an axis of said tube”),
a predetermined number of turns of the end of said coiling 223 located proximate to the open end 211 of said tube 200, said overlapped turns being evenly spaced at a predetermined pitch associated with the overlap zone (page 9: the straight portion coil 223 can be multiple-turn helical coils with predetermined number of turns, pitch distances, and coil diameters; thus “a predetermined number of turns of the end of said coiling located proximate to the open end of said tube, said overlapped turns being evenly spaced at a predetermined pitch associated with the overlap zone”).
Wang does not explicitly teach said measuring equipment being intended to be arranged outside and at a skin of a vehicle.
Marty teaches pitot probe being intended to be arranged outside and at a skin of a vehicle ([0019]: Pitot probe 10 is installed on an aircraft. Pitot probe 10 may be mounted to a fuselage of the aircraft via mounting flange 16 and fasteners, such as screws or bolts).
It would thus have been obvious for one having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify Pitot probe of Wang with teachings of Marty to include said measuring equipment being intended to be arranged outside and at a skin of a vehicle, to generate air data parameters related to aircraft flight condition ([0019]).
As to claim 2, Wang further teaches in a first configuration, said bridge 302 is external, being located on the overlapped turns along a radial direction from the inside to the outside of said tube 200 (fig.2A and see described fig.3).
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As to claim 3, Wang further teaches according to a second configuration, said bridge 301 is internal of pitot tube 200, being located under the overlapped turns 223, along a radial direction going from the inside to the outside of said tube 200 (fig.2A and fig.3).
As to claim 4, Wang further teaches each turn forming the coiling is wound in the same direction with a coiling diameter (D) substantially equal from one turn to the other (fig.3).
As to claim 7, modified Wang does not explicitly teach said equipment has a groove within said tube configured to receive said bridge 302.
Marty teaches probe head 12 of pitot probe 10 includes a mandrel having a helical groove, a heater within the helical groove of the mandrel/air channel tube (abstract and fig.4A).
It would thus have been obvious for one having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify air channel tube 228 and/or inner wall of outer tube 229 of Pitot probe of Wang with teachings of Marty to include a groove such that said equipment has a groove within said tube configured to receive said bridge (as recited in claim 7); said equipment has a groove within said tube configured to receive said bridge, said groove being formed at the tube of the tube of the Totale of said Pitot tube to house an external bridge according to said first configuration (as recited in claim 8); wherein said equipment has a groove within said tube configured to receive said bridge, said groove being provided at said inner tube of said Pitot tube to house an inner bridge according to said second configuration (as recited in claim 9), such that an exterior surface of heater and/or bridge is flush with an exterior surface of the mandrel/air channel tube or the outer shell/tube for an air-tight contact configuration among inner components of the pitot tube (abstract).
As to claim 10, claim 10 is rejected as reasons stated in the rejection of claim 1.
As to claim 8, claim 8 is rejected as reasons stated in the rejection of claims 1-2 and 7.
As to claim 9, Wang further teaches wherein said measuring equipment is a Pitot probe or a Pitot-static probe 200, said tube 200 corresponding to a Pitot tube 200, said Pitot tube 200 further comprising an inner tube (or air channel tube) 228, and wherein said equipment 200 has a groove within said tube 228 configured to receive said bridge 301, said groove being provided at said inner tube 228 of said Pitot tube 200 to house an inner bridge 301 according to said second configuration (as reasons stated in the rejection of claims 3 and 7).
Claims 5-6 are rejected under pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable by Wang and Marty and further in view of Isebrand – US 20230106016.
As to claim 5, modified Wang does not explicitly teach said predetermined number of turns and/or spacing pitch of said turns is predetermined as a function of the heat density needed to deice the open end of said tube, and according to a predetermined mission of the vehicle.
Isebrand teaches a concept of: heaters are positioned within air data probes to ensure the air data probes function properly in liquid water, ice crystal, and mixed phase icing conditions ([0004]); power density or heating density along heater 224 is determined based on amount of turns/coils ([0058]); Heater 224 may have more tightly wound coils at an end of heater 224 adjacent first end 218 of probe head 212 to deliver a greater amount of heat to the tip; Alternatively, heater 224 may be uniform such that the power density of heater 224 is uniform along heater 224 ([0058]).
It would thus have been obvious for one having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify number of turns of modified Wang with concept teachings of Isebrand to include said predetermined number of turns and/or spacing pitch of said turns is predetermined as a function of the heat density needed to deice the open end of said tube, and according to a predetermined mission of the vehicle, to deliver a greater amount of heat to the tip as desired ([0058]).
As to claim 6, Wang further teaches said turns 223 overlapped by said bridge 302 are contiguous (fig.3).
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to TRUONG D PHAN whose telephone number is (571)272-8883. The examiner can normally be reached Monday-Friday.
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If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, John Breene can be reached on 571-272-4107. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/TRUONG D PHAN/ Examiner, Art Unit 2855
/JOHN E BREENE/ Supervisory Patent Examiner, Art Unit 2855
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