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 Objections
Claim 8 is objected to because of the following informalities: it appears “an output control module” should be “at least one output control module”. Appropriate correction is required.
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.
Claim(s) 1, 4, 6 and 7 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Mao CN-113331480-A (hereinafter Mao, wherein the citations refer to the provided English Translation).
Regarding claim 1, Mao discloses an atomization apparatus control method for an atomization apparatus (e.g. electronic cigarette) that includes at least two heating elements, the method comprising: obtaining a battery level parameter (i.e. battery electric quantity) of the atomization apparatus (e.g. pg. 2, 4th-7th, “An anti-odour…”; pg. 4, 4th ¶, “As shown in Fig. 1-6”; pg. 6-7, last ¶, “As shown in Fig. 5-6…”); and if the battery level parameter is less than a preset threshold (e.g. battery electric quantity less than half or total quantity), controlling the atomization apparatus to work in a single-heating element mode in which one heating element (wherein a group of heating components/first heating element is a single heating element) of the includes at least two heating elements works (e.g. pg. 2, 4th-7th, “An anti-odour…”; pg. 4, 4th ¶, “As shown in Fig. 1-6”; pg. 6-7, last ¶, “As shown in Fig. 5-6…”), or if the battery level parameter is greater than or equal to the preset threshold (e.g. when battery electric quantity is more than half), controlling the atomization apparatus to work in a multi-heating element mode in which the at least two heating elements (i.e. group of heating components) work simultaneously (e.g. pg. 2, 4th-7th, “An anti-odour…”; pg. 4, 4th ¶, “As shown in Fig. 1-6”; pg. 6-7, last ¶, “As shown in Fig. 5-6…”).
Regarding claim 4, Mao discloses the method of claim 1, wherein, after the obtaining a battery level parameter of the atomization apparatus, the method comprises: if the battery level parameter is less than a preset battery level threshold, controlling the atomization apparatus to work in a boost mode (e.g. pg. 2, 4th-7th, “An anti-odour…”; pg. 4, 4th ¶, “As shown in Fig. 1-6”; pg. 6-7, last ¶, “As shown in Fig. 5-6…”, wherein switching to the second heating member is a boost mode), or if the battery level parameter is greater than or equal to the preset battery level threshold, controlling the atomization apparatus to work in a straight-through chopping mode in which a voltage provided for a heating element of the at least two heating elements in the boost mode is greater than a voltage provided for the heating element in the straight-through chopping mode.
Regarding claim 6, Mao discloses the method of claim 1, wherein, before obtaining the battery level parameter of the atomization apparatus, the method comprises: determining whether a heating start signal is received; and if yes, executing the obtaining of the battery level parameter of the atomization apparatus (e.g. pg. 2, 4th-7th, “An anti-odour…”; pg. 4, 4th ¶, “As shown in Fig. 1-6”; pg. 6-7, last ¶, “As shown in Fig. 5-6…”).
Regarding claim 7, Mao discloses the method of claim 1, further comprising: in a working process of the at least two heating elements, if a heating stop signal is received (e.g. when battery electric quantity is zero), controlling the at least two heating elements to stop working (e.g. pg. 2, 4th-7th, “An anti-odour…”; pg. 4, 4th ¶, “As shown in Fig. 1-6”; pg. 6-7, last ¶, “As shown in Fig. 5-6…”).
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 2, 3, 5 and 8-10 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.
The following is a statement of reasons for the indication of allowable subject matter:
Regarding claim 2, Mao does not disclose a method, wherein controlling the atomization apparatus to work in the single-heating element mode comprises: successively controlling, within different time periods, one heating element of the at least one heating elements to work, different heating elements of the at least two heating elements working in different time periods; and if a total duration of working of the different heating elements is greater than a preset total duration threshold, controlling the different heating elements to stop working.
Regarding claim 3, Mao does not disclose a method, wherein controlling the atomization apparatus to work in the single-heating element mode comprises: controlling the at least two heating elements to work alternately; and if a sum of a cumulative duration of working of the at least two heating elements is greater than a preset total duration threshold, controlling the at least two heating elements to stop working.
Regarding claim 5, Mao does not disclose a method, wherein controlling the atomization apparatus to work in the multi-heating element mode comprises: controlling, at a same moment, at least two heating elements of the at least two heating elements to work simultaneously; and if a heating start duration is greater than a preset total duration threshold, controlling the at least two heating elements to stop working.
Regarding claim 8, Mao does not disclose an atomization apparatus, comprising: a power supply module; a control module; an output control module; and at least two heating elements, different heating elements of the at least two heating elements being correspondingly connected to different output control modules, wherein the power supply module and each output control module of the different output control modules are both connected to the control module, and wherein the control module is configured to implement the method of claim 1.
Conclusion
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CK
September 26, 2026
/CHARLES R KASENGE/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2116
