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 .
This is the First Office action on the Merits from the examiner in charge of this application.
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 limitation in claim 18 of “at least one coupling member” to couple the adiabatic module with the coupling frame must be shown or the feature(s) canceled from the claim(s). No new matter should be entered.
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.
Specification
The specification is objected to as failing to provide proper antecedent basis for the claimed subject matter. See 37 CFR 1.75(d)(1) and MPEP § 608.01(o). Correction of the following is required: the limitation in claim 18 of “at least one coupling member” to couple the adiabatic module with the coupling frame.
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.
Claim 8 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 applications subject to pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, the applicant), regards as the invention. Since there are two (2) outer covers, the recitation in the claim of “an edge portion of the outer cover” renders the claim indefinite for failing to clearly define which outer cover.
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.
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) 1-20 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over WO 2014/103773 to Ishibashi et la (hereinafter Ishibashi) in view of WO 2017/023075 to Jung et al (hereinafter Jung).
Ishibashi discloses (Claim 1). A vacuum adiabatic body comprising (such as shown in Figs. 1-2, 5, 9): a first vacuum adiabatic module 13 and a second vacuum adiabatic module 9, each of the first vacuum adiabatic module and the second vacuum adiabatic module including: an inner cover 15E,15A defining at least a portion of a wall for a first space; an outer cover 14E,14A defining at least a portion of a wall for a second space; a vacuum space 16E provided between the inner cover and the outer cover; wherein the first vacuum adiabatic module 13 includes a first edge, and the second vacuum adiabatic module 9 includes a second edge coupled to the first edge (such as shown in Fig. 9); (Claim 2). The vacuum adiabatic body according to claim 1, wherein the first edge of the first vacuum adiabatic module 13 includes a coupling edge provided in the outer cover 14E; (Claim 3). The vacuum adiabatic body according to claim 1, wherein the first edge of the first vacuum adiabatic module 13 includes a coupling edge that extends from the outer cover 14E, and wherein the coupling edge is provided in a direction that corresponds to a surface on which the outer cover 14E faces the vacuum space 16E; (Claim 4). The vacuum adiabatic body according to claim 3, wherein the outer cover 14E is larger than the inner cover 15E by the coupling edge; (Claim 5). The vacuum adiabatic body according to claim 3, wherein the coupling edge includes a first portion and a second portion extending in a direction away from the outer cover from the first portion, and wherein an end of the second portion of the coupling edge is spaced a predetermined distance from a portion of the second vacuum adiabatic module; (Claim 6). The vacuum adiabatic body according to claim 1, further comprising an outer coupling frame 29 disposed in an inner space defined by the first edge of the first vacuum adiabatic module 13 and the second edge of the second vacuum adiabatic module 9; (Claim 7). The vacuum adiabatic body according to claim 6, wherein the outer coupling frame 29 includes a first portion and a second portion to connect edges of the outer covers 14E,14A of the first and second vacuum adiabatic modules; (Claim 8). The vacuum adiabatic body according to claim 6, wherein the outer coupling frame 29 includes a portion that is provided to overlap an edge portion of the outer cover 14A; (Claim 9). The vacuum adiabatic body according to claim 1, wherein the first edge of the first vacuum adiabatic module 13 includes an inner coupling frame 25 provided on the inner cover 15E; (Claim 10). The vacuum adiabatic body according to claim 9, wherein the inner coupling frame 25 includes a portion that is provided to overlap an edge portion of the inner cover 15E; (Claim 11). The vacuum adiabatic body according to claim 9, wherein the inner coupling frame 25 includes a portion coupled to the second edge of the second vacuum adiabatic module 9; (Claim 12). The vacuum adiabatic body according to claim 9, wherein the inner coupling frame 25 includes a first portion and a second portion to connect edges of the inner covers 15E,15A of the first and second vacuum adiabatic modules; (Claim 13). The vacuum adiabatic body according to claim 12, further comprising an adiabatic module 28 disposed in a space defined between the first edge of the first vacuum adiabatic module 13 and the second edge of the second vacuum adiabatic module 9, wherein an adiabatic degree (foamed styrene) of the adiabatic module is less than an adiabatic degree (vacuum) of the first vacuum adiabatic module or the second vacuum adiabatic module.; (Claim 15). A vacuum adiabatic body comprising (such as shown in Figs. 1-2, 5, 9): a first vacuum adiabatic module 13 and a second vacuum adiabatic module 9, each of the first vacuum adiabatic module 13 and the second vacuum adiabatic module 9 including: an inner cover 15E,15A defining at least a portion of a wall for a first space; an outer cover 14E,14A defining at least a portion of a wall for a second space; a vacuum space 16 provided between the inner cover and the outer cover; and a coupling frame 29,25 provided on edges of the first vacuum adiabatic module 13 and the second vacuum adiabatic module 9; (Claim 16). The vacuum adiabatic body according to claim 15, wherein the coupling frame includes an inner coupling frame 25 to couple the inner covers 15E,15A of the first vacuum adiabatic module 13 and the second vacuum adiabatic module 9; (Claim 17). The vacuum adiabatic body according to claim 15, wherein the coupling frame includes an outer coupling frame 29 to couple the outer covers 14E,14A of the first vacuum adiabatic module 13 and the second vacuum adiabatic module 9; (Claim 18). The vacuum adiabatic body according to claim 15, further comprising: an adiabatic module 28 disposed in a space defined between the edges of the first vacuum adiabatic module 13 and the second vacuum adiabatic module 9; and at least one coupling member (shapes of 28 and 25) to couple the adiabatic module 28 with the coupling frame; (Claim 19). A vacuum adiabatic body comprising: a first vacuum adiabatic module 13 and a second vacuum adiabatic module 9, each of the first vacuum adiabatic module 13 and the second vacuum adiabatic module 9 including: an inner cover 15E,15A defining at least a portion of a wall for a first space; an outer cover 14E,14A defining at least a portion of a wall for a second space; a vacuum space 16 provided between the inner cover and the outer cover; and an adiabatic module 28 disposed in a space defined between the edges of the first vacuum adiabatic module 13 and the second vacuum adiabatic module 9, wherein an adiabatic degree (foamed styrene) of the adiabatic module 28 is less than an adiabatic degree (vacuum) of the first vacuum adiabatic module 13 or the second vacuum adiabatic module 9; (Claim 20). The vacuum adiabatic body according to claim 19, further comprising a third vacuum adiabatic module 10, wherein the second vacuum adiabatic module 9 and the third vacuum adiabatic module 10 are coupled to a first edge and a second edge of the first vacuum adiabatic module 13.
The differences being that Ishibashi fails to clearly disclose the limitations in (i) claim 1 of a support configured to maintain an interval of the vacuum space; (ii) claim 14; (iii) claim 15 of a support comprising a support plate provided on at least one of the inner cover or the outer cover and extending in a first direction of the vacuum space, and a bar connected to the support plate and extending in a second direction of the vacuum space that is different from the first direction; (iv) claim 19 of a bar extending in a first direction of the vacuum space to maintain an interval of the vacuum space.
However, Jung discloses a vacuum adiabatic module comprising: an inner cover 10; an outer cover 20; a vacuum space 50 provided between the inner cover 10 and the outer cover 20; and a support 30 configured to maintain an interval of the vacuum space 50; wherein the support 30 comprises a support plate 35 provided on at least one of the inner cover or the outer cover and extending in a first direction of the vacuum space 50, and a bar 31 connected to the support plate 35 and extending in a second direction of the vacuum space 50 that is different from the first direction.
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention, in view of Jung, to modify Ishibashi to include the limitations in (i) claim 1 of a support configured to maintain an interval of the vacuum space; (ii) claim 14 of wherein the support comprises: a support plate provided on at least one of the inner cover or the outer cover and extending in a first direction of the vacuum space; and a bar connected to the support plate and extending in a second direction of the vacuum space that is different from the first direction; (iii) claim 15 of a support comprising a support plate provided on at least one of the inner cover or the outer cover and extending in a first direction of the vacuum space, and a bar connected to the support plate and extending in a second direction of the vacuum space that is different from the first direction; (iv) claim 19 of a bar extending in a first direction of the vacuum space to maintain an interval of the vacuum space with a reasonable expectation of success in order to increase the overall versatility of the vacuum adiabatic body.
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure, and all show structures similar to various elements of applicant’s disclosure.
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If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, DANIEL TROY can be reached at (571)270-3742. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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HVT
January 23, 2026
/HANH V TRAN/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3637