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 .
Priority
Receipt is acknowledged of certified copies of papers required by 37 CFR 1.55.
Information Disclosure Statement
The information disclosure statement (IDS) was submitted on 10/24/2024. The submission is in compliance with the provisions of 37 CFR 1.97. Accordingly, the information disclosure statement is being considered by the examiner.
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 1-6 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Glass et al. (US 5,306,414; cited in the IDS filed on 10/24/2024).
Regarding claim 1, Glass teaches an atmospheric corrosion sensor (Abstract; Figures 1-3; Column 5, Lines 5-40) for detecting corrosion of electrical equipment (15 and 16; Figures 1-3; Column 5, Lines 5-40), comprising:
at least two atmospheric corrosion sensing structures (15 and 16; Figures 1-3) placed on at least one insulated corrosion sensor substrate (9; Figures 1 and 3; Column 6, Lines 35-39 and Column 7, Lines 21-35);
wherein the at least two atmospheric corrosion sensing structures (15 and 16) are accessible to corrosion atmosphere (surrounding environment; Abstract; Column 5, Line 6 – Column 6, Line 5);
wherein the at least two atmospheric corrosion sensing structures (15 and 16) have the same spatial dimensions (See Figures 1 and 3; Column 6, Lines 15-34); and
wherein each of the at least two atmospheric corrosion sensing structures (15 and 16; Column 5, Lines 20-24) comprises a different composition of corrodible material (Structure 15 is aluminum 2024 and structure 16 is aluminum 7075; it is known in the art that aluminum 2024 and aluminum 7075 have different compositions of corrodible material since they both contain at least aluminum, copper, magnesium and zinc with different concentrations of each said element; Column 5, Lines 20-24).
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818
1151
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**Note**: the table above is not from prior art Glass et al. (US 5,306,414) but evidence of material composition comparison between aluminum 2024 and 7075.
Regarding claim 1, the Examiner notes that the limitations, “for detecting corrosion of electrical equipment” is an intended use type limitation. A recitation of the intended use of the claimed invention must result in a structural difference between the claimed invention and the prior art in order to patentably distinguish the claimed invention from the prior art. If the prior art structure is capable of performing the intended use, then it meets the claim. In this case, the corrosion sensor of Glass is capable of detecting corrosion of electrical equipment that uses aluminum 2024 and/or aluminum 7074. See In re Casey, 152 USPQ 235 (CCPA 1967) and In re Otto, 136 USPQ 458, 459 (CCPA 1963). See MPEP 2114.
Regarding claim 2, Glass teaches wherein the at least two atmospheric corrosion sensing structures (15 and 16) comprise a different concentration of a same chemical composition of corrodible material (per the evidence of the table presented above, the concentration of materials copper, magnesium and/or zinc for both aluminum 2024 and aluminum 7075 are different).
Regarding claim 3, Glass teaches wherein each of the at least two atmospheric corrosion sensing structures (15 and 16) comprises a different chemical composition of corrodible material (per the evidence of the table presented above, the concentration of materials copper, magnesium and/or zinc for both aluminum 2024 and aluminum 7075 are different; therefore, the chemical compositions of both aluminum 2024 and aluminum 7075 are different).
Regarding claim 4, Glass teaches wherein the corrodible material is corrodible a metal alloy selected from the group consisting of copper, aluminum, iron, zinc, nickel, silver, tin, steel, and brass (both aluminum 2024 and 7075 contain elements/materials aluminum, copper, iron and zinc; See the table above).
Regarding claim 5, Glass teaches wherein each of the at least two atmospheric corrosion sensing structures (15 and 16) is constructed as a film (See Figures 1 and 3; Column 6, Lines 15-34).
Regarding claim 6, Glass teaches wherein each of the at least two atmospheric corrosion sensing structures (15 and 16) is connected in series to a resistive component (pads 40 and/or leads 48 have an internal resistance, i.e. resistive components; Column 6, Lines 40-47; Column 7, Lines 21-35).
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to ANTHONY W MEGNA FUENTES whose telephone number is (571)272-6456. The examiner can normally be reached M-F: 8AM-4PM.
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/ANTHONY W MEGNA FUENTES/Examiner, Art Unit 2855
/LAURA MARTIN SWEENEY/Supervisory Patent Examiner, Art Unit 2855
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