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
Acknowledgment is made of applicant's claim for foreign priority based on an application filed in Japan on 11/24/23. It is noted, however, that applicant has not filed a certified copy of the Japanese application as required by 37 CFR 1.55.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 102
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 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 1-2 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Takahashi (JP 2009063860 A – see translation provided by Applicant).
With respect to claim 1, Takahashi teaches a vehicle horn system (Figure 1), comprising: a horn (1) provided at a vehicle; and a cooling part (6) that cools the horn (1) (see abstract, [0007], [0010]).
With respect to claim 2, Takahashi teaches wherein: the horn (1) comprises: a housing (defined in part by cover body #14); and a coil (5/C) that generates a magnetic force upon being supplied with electric power ([0012]), and the cooling part (6) is disposed between the housing (2) and the coil (5/C).
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.
Claims 3-5 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Takahashi (JP 2009063860 A – see translation provided by Applicant) in view of Welch (7,082,772).
With respect to claim 3, Takahashi teaches the vehicle horn system of claim 2. Takahashi further includes a cooling part in the form of a heat sink (6 – [00007], [0010])
Takahashi fails to teach wherein: the cooling part comprises a Peltier element, and a heat radiation side of the Peltier element contacts the housing, and a heat absorption side of the Peltier element contacts the coil.
Welch teaches where a similar vehicle audio device (Figure 1, #110, note device can also be a loud speaker Figure 6, #610) wherein a cooling part (120) is attached to a heat sink (111) of the audio device (110/610) and comprises a Peltier element (120/620), and a heat radiation side (122) of the Peltier element (120/620) contacts the housing (when attached to the heat sink of Takahashi, #6), and a heat absorption side (121) of the Peltier element contacts the coil (when attached to the heat sink of Takahashi, #6) (Col. 5, Lines 14-21, 56-67).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to combine the apparatus of Takahashi, with the apparatus of Welch, so as to provide an active-type cooling system, in addition to the heat sink of Takahashi (Figure 1, #6), that “reads the temperature sensor to obtain the temperature of an audio component of the equipment, and adjusts the drive for the Peltier effect module that cools the audio component (i.e. the cooling system), to prevent overheating of the component (see Welch, abstract).”
With respect to claim 4, Takahashi teaches the vehicle horn system of claim 2. Takahashi further includes a cooling part in the form of a heat sink (6 – [00007], [0010])
Takahashi fails to teach a controller that is configured to control the cooling part; and a temperature sensor that detects a temperature of the coil, wherein the controller effects control so as to cool the horn in a case in which the temperature of the coil detected by the temperature sensor has become equal to or higher than a predetermined temperature.
Welch teaches where a similar vehicle audio device (Figure 1, #110, note device can also be a loud speaker Figure 6, #610) wherein a cooling part (120) is attached to a heat sink (111) of the audio device (110/610) and further includes a controller (160) that is configured to control the cooling part (120); and a temperature sensor (140) that detects a temperature of the coil (of Takahashi, #5/C, when combined), wherein the controller (160) effects control so as to cool the horn (of Takahashi, #1, when combined) in a case in which the temperature of the coil detected by the temperature sensor (140) has become equal to or higher than a predetermined temperature (Col. 1, Line 64-Col. 2, Line 26; Col. 6, Lines 1-30).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to combine the apparatus of Takahashi, with the apparatus of Welch, so as to provide an active-type cooling system, in addition to the heat sink of Takahashi (Figure 1, #6), that “reads the temperature sensor to obtain the temperature of an audio component of the equipment, and adjusts the drive for the Peltier effect module that cools the audio component (i.e. the cooling system), to prevent overheating of the component (see Welch, abstract).”
With respect to claim 5, Takahashi as modified teaches wherein the temperature sensor (510) is disposed at an opposite side of the coil (defined by coil #C of Takahashi, when cooling side #121 is attached to heatsink #6 of Takahashi) from the cooling part (Takahashi, #6, when combined with heatsink #111 and Peltier device #120 of Welch). Note in Takahashi Figure 1, the temperature sensor #140 is on an opposite side of the audio component from the Peltier device, which when combined, the Peltier device #120 will be attached to the coil (of Takahashi, #5/C, ) via the heat sink (Takahashi #6, Welch, #111).
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure. Pertinent arts of record relating to Applicant’s disclosure are disclosed in the PTO-892.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to JEREMY AUSTIN LUKS whose telephone number is (571)272-2707. The examiner can normally be reached Monday-Friday (9:00-5:00).
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If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Dedei Hammond can be reached at (571) 270-7938. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/JEREMY A LUKS/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2837
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