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 § 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)(2) the claimed invention was described in a patent issued under section 151, or in an application for patent published or deemed published under section 122(b), in which the patent or application, as the case may be, names another inventor and was effectively filed before the effective filing date of the claimed invention.
1. Claims 1, 7, 15 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102 (a)(2) as being anticipated by Leow et al (USPN 2023/0246434).
Regarding claim 1, Leow discloses an over-temperature protection circuit (an over-temperature protection circuit 4, see figures 1, 3) configured to control a running state of a heating module (a heating element 6) connected to the over-temperature protection circuit (4), wherein the over-temperature protection circuit (4) comprises a temperature detection module (18) , a comparison module (210 in figure 3), a control module (230), and a first protection switch (214) and a second protection switch (234) connected in series (see figure 3);
the temperature detection module (18) is disposed on the heating module (the temperature sensor 18 embedded in the heating element 6, see par. 0030) and configured to convert obtained temperature information of the heating module (6) into a voltage signal (a voltage signal 16, see par. 0030), and output the voltage signal (16) to the comparison module (210);
the comparison module (210) is configured to output a control level (such as a control signal 22 outputted from the AND gate 108 of the comparation module 210) to the first protection switch (214) according to the voltage signal (16) (see par. 0044-0045, 0057);
the first protection switch (214) is connected to the heating module (6) and is configured to be adjusted to be in an on-state or an off-state according to the control level (see par. 0045, 0069);
the control module (230) is configured to output a control signal (246) to the second protection switch (234); and
the second protection switch (234) is configured to be adjusted to be in an on-state or an off-state according to the control signal (see par. 0069).
Regarding claim 7, Leow wherein the second protection switch (234) comprises a second switching transistor (NMOS transistor, see figure 3); a control terminal of the second switching transistor (234) is connected to the control module (230), a first terminal (a source terminal D electrically coupled to the first switch 214) of the second switching transistor is connected to the first protection switch, and a second terminal (a drain terminal S) of the second switching transistor (234) is grounded (GND); and the second switching transistor (234) is configured to be adjusted to be in an on-state or an off-state according to the control signal (246)(see par. 0069).
Regarding claim 15, Leow discloses a test device (see par, 0081 and figures 1, 3), comprising a heating module (a heating element 6), and an over-temperature protection circuit (200, see figure 3), wherein the over-temperature protection circuit is connected to the heating module (6), and the over-temperature protection circuit (200) is configured to control a running state of the heating module (6), the over-temperature protection circuit comprises a temperature detection module (a temperature sensing 18), a comparison module (210), a control module (230), and a first protection switch (214) and a second protection switch (234) connected in series (see figure 3);
the temperature detection module (18) is disposed on the heating module (the temperature sensor 18 embedded in the heating element 6, see par. 0030) and configured to convert obtained temperature information of the heating module (6) into a voltage signal (a voltage signal 16, see par. 0030), and output the voltage signal (16) to the comparison module (210);
the comparison module (210) is configured to output a control level (such as a control signal 22 outputted from the AND gate 108 of the comparation module 210) to the first protection switch (214) according to the voltage signal (16) (see par. 0044-0045, 0057);
the first protection switch (214) is connected to the heating module (6) and is configured to be adjusted to be in an on-state or an off-state according to the control level (see par. 0045, 0069);
the control module (230) is configured to output a control signal (246) to the second protection switch (234); and
the second protection switch (234) is configured to be adjusted to be in an on-state or an off-state according to the control signal (see par. 0069).
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.
2. Claims 2, 16 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Leow et al (USPN 2023/0246434) in view of Chang (USPN 6,404,610).
Regarding claims 2, 16, Leow discloses the temperature detection module (18), wherein the temperature detection module (18) connected to the heating module (6), wherein the comparison module (210) comprises a comparator (U2, 102’) and the output terminal (102’) of the comparator is further connected to the first protection switch (214); and the comparator (U2 102) is configured to output the control level (22) to the first protection switch (214) according to the voltage signal (16)
Leow does not explicitly disclose the temperature detection module as claimed.
Chang discloses an over-temperature protection device (see figure 2) comprises a temperature detection module (33) includes a voltage divider (a voltage divider is formed by a thermistor 34 and a resistor 36), the voltage divider circuit comprises a thermistor (34); the thermistor connected to a heating element (32); and the voltage divider circuit is configured to obtain the voltage signal (a voltage signal V at a node S) according to a resistance value of the thermistor (see figure 3), and output the voltage signal (V) to a comparison module (38) (see figure 2) (see col. 3, lines 39-42, lines 46-54);
It 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 to have modified the temperature detection module of Leow to incorporate a voltage divider including a thermistor as disclosed by Chang in order to provide an accurate, real-time temperature measurement therefore, enhancing a temperature detection performance.
Allowable Subject Matter
3. Claims 8-14, 20 are allowed over prior art of record.
The following is an examiner's statement of reasons for allowance:
The prior art of record neither anticipates nor renders obvious the claimed subject matter of the instant application as a whole either taken alone or in combination, in particular, prior art of record does not teach:
An over-temperature protection circuit, comprises the preset number of comparison modules, and the preset number of first protection switches and second protection switches respectively connected in series, the preset number is greater than or equal to two; each of the temperature detection modules is disposed on a heating module to be protected, and is configured to convert obtained temperature information of the heating module into a voltage signal, and output the voltage signal to one of the comparison modules; each of the comparison modules is configured to output a control level to the logic processing module according to the voltage signal; the logic processing module is configured to output a logical level to all the first protection switches according to the control level output by each of the comparison modules; each of the first protection switches is connected to one of the heating modules and configured to be adjusted to be in an on-state or an off-state according to the logical level; the control module is configured to output a control signal to the second protection switches; and each of the second protection switches is configured to be adjusted to be in an on-state or an off-state according to the control signal as recited in claim 8.
4. Claims 3-6, 17-19 are objected to as being dependent upon a rejected base claim, but would be allowable if rewritten in independent form including all of the limitations of the base claim and any intervening claims.
Conclusion
5. Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to DANNY NGUYEN whose telephone number is (571)272-2054. The examiner can normally be reached M-F 8:00AM-4:30PM.
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/DANNY NGUYEN/ Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2838
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