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 .
Information Disclosure Statement
The information disclosure statement (IDS) submitted on 2/14/2025 was filed on or after the mailing date of the application. The submission is in compliance with the provisions of 37 CFR 1.97. Accordingly, the information disclosure statement is being considered by the examiner.
Specification
Applicant is reminded of the proper content of an abstract of the disclosure.
A patent abstract is a concise statement of the technical disclosure of the patent and should include that which is new in the art to which the invention pertains. The abstract should not refer to purported merits or speculative applications of the invention and should not compare the invention with the prior art.
If the patent is of a basic nature, the entire technical disclosure may be new in the art, and the abstract should be directed to the entire disclosure. If the patent is in the nature of an improvement in an old apparatus, process, product, or composition, the abstract should include the technical disclosure of the improvement. The abstract should also mention by way of example any preferred modifications or alternatives.
Where applicable, the abstract should include the following: (1) if a machine or apparatus, its organization and operation; (2) if an article, its method of making; (3) if a chemical compound, its identity and use; (4) if a mixture, its ingredients; (5) if a process, the steps.
Extensive mechanical and design details of an apparatus should not be included in the abstract. The abstract should be in narrative form and generally limited to a single paragraph within the range of 50 to 150 words in length.
See MPEP § 608.01(b) for guidelines for the preparation of patent abstracts.
The abstract of the disclosure is objected to because the abstract is not concise. At least the language “the system may alert…” is indicative of language that is not concise. A corrected abstract of the disclosure is required and must be presented on a separate sheet, apart from any other text. See MPEP § 608.01(b).
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 103
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 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Ren et al. (CN116222081A) in view of Ishii et al. (JP2002048450A) and Xie Fan et al. (CN114857853A).
Regarding Claim 1, Ren teaches a refrigerator [0001] comprising:
a cabinet [101] defining an internal cavity [0006; 0041];
an infrared camera [0093];
a refrigeration system operable to cool the internal cavity and the objects [0093];
a controller [see 0093];
and a transmitter in communication with the controller and operable to transmit data to an external device [see 0093].
Ren does not explicitly teach where the infrared camera is operable to monitor the internal cavity, monitor objects disposed within the internal cavity, and generate temperature data corresponding to temperatures within the internal cavity and temperatures of the objects;
where the controller is programmed to, (i) receive the temperature data from the infrared camera and (ii) in response to the temperature data including a temperature of at least one of the objects deviating from a range, control the refrigeration system to drive the temperature of the at least one of the objects toward the range;
and where the transmitter in communication with the controller and operable to transmit the temperature data to an external device.
However, Ishii teaches a refrigerator having an infrared camera [12; 0012; fig 1]
where the infrared camera is operable to monitor the internal cavity, monitor objects disposed within the internal cavity, and generate temperature data corresponding to temperatures within the internal cavity and temperatures of the objects [0014-0019];
where the controller is programmed to, (i) receive the temperature data from the infrared camera and (ii) in response to the temperature data including a temperature of at least one of the objects deviating from a range, control the refrigeration system to drive the temperature of the at least one of the objects toward the range [0014-0019] where one of ordinary skill in the art could have combined the elements as claimed by known methods and that in combination, each element would perform the same function as it did separately and one of ordinary skills would have recognized that the results of the combination were predictable i.e. provide a method for uniformly cooling various food materials without bringing a temperature sensor into contact with the food materials [0005].
Therefore, it would have been obvious to a person of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the invention to modify the assembly of Ren to have where the infrared camera is operable to monitor the internal cavity, monitor objects disposed within the internal cavity, and generate temperature data corresponding to temperatures within the internal cavity and temperatures of the objects;
where the controller is programmed to, (i) receive the temperature data from the infrared camera and (ii) in response to the temperature data including a temperature of at least one of the objects deviating from a range, control the refrigeration system to drive the temperature of the at least one of the objects toward the range in view of the teachings of Ishii where the elements could have been combined by known methods with no change in their respective functions, and the combination would have yielded predictable results i.e. provide a method for uniformly cooling various food materials without bringing a temperature sensor into contact with the food materials.
Lastly, Xie Fan teaches a refrigeration device [0001] having where a transmitter [5] in communication with a controller [at least modules 3, 4] and operable to transmit the temperature data to an external device [0028] where one of ordinary skill in the art could have combined the elements as claimed by known methods and that in combination, each element would perform the same function as it did separately and one of ordinary skills would have recognized that the results of the combination were predictable i.e. provide a method that securely improves the user experience with respect to detecting refrigerator contents [0010].
Therefore, it would have been obvious to a person of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the invention to modify the assembly of Ren to have where the transmitter in communication with the controller and operable to transmit the temperature data to an external device in view of the teachings of Xie Fan where the elements could have been combined by known methods with no change in their respective functions, and the combination would have yielded predictable results i.e. provide a method that securely improves the user experience with respect to detecting refrigerator contents.
Regarding Claim 2, Ren, as modified, teaches the invention of claim 1 above and Ishii teaches wherein the controller is further programmed to, in response to the temperature of the at least one of the objects exceeding the range, activate the refrigeration system to decrease the temperature of the at least one of the objects and drive the temperature of the at least one of the objects toward the range [0014-0019].
Claim(s) 3 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Ren et al. (CN116222081A), Ishii et al. (JP2002048450A) and Xie Fan et al. (CN114857853A) as applied to claim 1 above, and further in view of Li et al. (US2018/0156518).
Regarding Claim 3, Ren, as modified, teaches the invention of claim 1 above but does not explicitly teach wherein the controller is further programmed to, in response to the temperature of the at least one of the objects being less than the range, deactivate the refrigeration system to increase the temperature of the at least one of the objects and drive the temperature of the at least one of the objects toward the range.
However, Li teaches a refrigeration control method [0001] having wherein a controller [700; 0069; see fig 7] is further programmed to, in response to the temperature of the at least one of the objects being less than the range, deactivate a refrigeration system to increase the temperature of the at least one of the objects and drive the temperature of the at least one of the objects toward the range [0011; 0069-0075] where one of ordinary skill in the art could have combined the elements as claimed by known methods and that in combination, each element would perform the same function as it did separately and one of ordinary skills would have recognized that the results of the combination were predictable i.e. ensures a refrigeration control according to a condition of the item stored in the corresponding item storage compartment, and electric energy waste caused by refrigeration of the whole refrigerating chamber is avoided [0025].
Therefore, it would have been obvious to a person of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the invention to modify the assembly of Ren to have wherein the controller is further programmed to, in response to the temperature of the at least one of the objects being less than the range, deactivate the refrigeration system to increase the temperature of the at least one of the objects and drive the temperature of the at least one of the objects toward the range in view of the teachings of Li where the elements could have been combined by known methods with no change in their respective functions, and the combination would have yielded predictable results i.e. ensures a refrigeration control according to a condition of the item stored in the corresponding item storage compartment, and electric energy waste caused by refrigeration of the whole refrigerating chamber is avoided.
Claim(s) 4 -8 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Ren et al. (CN116222081A), Ishii et al. (JP2002048450A) and Xie Fan et al. (CN114857853A) as applied to claim 1 above, and further in view of Koji et al. (JP2021071205A).
Regarding Claim 4, Ren, as modified, teaches the invention of claim 1 above but does not teach wherein the controller is further programmed to, in response to the temperature of the at least one of the objects deviating from the range for a predetermined period of time, generate and send an alert via the transmitter to the external device.
However, Koji teaches a storage management system [0006] having wherein a controller [at 32; 0018; 0019] is programmed to, in response to the temperature of an interior space deviating from a range for a predetermined period of time, generate and send an alert via a transmitter to an external device [0014; 0031; 0041; 0043; figs 1-4] where one of ordinary skill in the art could have combined the elements as claimed by known methods and that in combination, each element would perform the same function as it did separately and one of ordinary skills would have recognized that the results of the combination were predictable i.e. provide where a user can know that an abnormality has occurred and can respond to the abnormality more quickly [0008].
Therefore, it would have been obvious to a person of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the invention to modify the assembly of Ren to have wherein the controller is further programmed to, in response to the temperature of the at least one of the objects deviating from the range for a predetermined period of time, generate and send an alert via the transmitter to the external device in view of the teachings of Koji where the elements could have been combined by known methods with no change in their respective functions, and the combination would have yielded predictable results i.e. provide where a user can know that an abnormality has occurred and can respond to the abnormality more quickly.
Regarding Claim 5, Ren, as modified, teaches the invention of claim 1 above but does not teach wherein the controller is further programmed to, in response to the temperature of the at least one of the objects deviating from the range for a predetermined period of time, contact a service center via the transmitter to schedule maintenance for the refrigerator.
However, Koji teaches a storage management system [0006] having wherein a controller [at 32; 0018; 0019] having wherein a controller [at 32; 0018; 0019] is programmed to, in response to the temperature of an interior space deviating from the range for a predetermined period of time, contact a service center via a transmitter [0014; 0031; 0041; 0043; figs 1-4; where an information terminal is notified via email] where one of ordinary skill in the art could have combined the elements as claimed by known methods and that in combination, each element would perform the same function as it did separately and one of ordinary skills would have recognized that the results of the combination were predictable i.e. provide where a user can know that an abnormality has occurred and can respond to the abnormality more quickly [0008].
Therefore, it would have been obvious to a person of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the invention to modify the assembly of Ren to have wherein the controller is further programmed to, in response to the temperature of the at least one of the objects deviating from the range for a predetermined period of time, contact a service center via the transmitter to schedule maintenance for the refrigerator in view of the teachings of Koji where the elements could have been combined by known methods with no change in their respective functions, and the combination would have yielded predictable results i.e. provide where a user can know that an abnormality has occurred and can respond to the abnormality more quickly.
For clarity, the recitation of " to schedule maintenance for the refrigerator " recited in the claim has been considered a recitation of intended use. The prior art controller and transmitter is capable of preforming as intended i.e. transmit data. It has been held that the recitation with respect to the manner in which a claimed apparatus is intended to be employed does not differentiate the claimed apparatus from a prior art apparatus satisfying the claimed structural limitation. That implication that the data is used to “schedule maintenance” does not differentiate the claimed apparatus from the prior art apparatus. See MPEP 2114
Regarding Claim 6, Ren, as modified, teaches the invention of claim 1 above but does not explicitly teach wherein the controller is further programmed to, in response to the temperature of the at least one of the objects deviating from the range for a predetermined period of time, contact a service center via the transmitter to order replacement parts.
However, Koji teaches a storage management system [0006] having wherein a controller [at 32; 0018; 0019] having wherein a controller [at 32; 0018; 0019] is programmed to, in response to the temperature of an internal space deviating from the range for a predetermined period of time, contact a service center via a transmitter [0014; 0031; 0041; 0043; figs 1-4; where an information terminal is notified via email] where one of ordinary skill in the art could have combined the elements as claimed by known methods and that in combination, each element would perform the same function as it did separately and one of ordinary skills would have recognized that the results of the combination were predictable i.e. provide where a user can know that an abnormality has occurred and can respond to the abnormality more quickly [0008].
Therefore, it would have been obvious to a person of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the invention to modify the assembly of Ren to have wherein the controller is further programmed to, in response to the temperature of the at least one of the objects deviating from the range for a predetermined period of time, contact a service center via the transmitter to order replacement parts in view of the teachings of Koji where the elements could have been combined by known methods with no change in their respective functions, and the combination would have yielded predictable results i.e. provide where a user can know that an abnormality has occurred and can respond to the abnormality more quickly.
For clarity, the recitation of " to order replacement parts" recited in the claim has been considered a recitation of intended use. The prior art controller and transmitter is capable of preforming as intended i.e. transmit data. It has been held that the recitation with respect to the manner in which a claimed apparatus is intended to be employed does not differentiate the claimed apparatus from a prior art apparatus satisfying the claimed structural limitation. That implication that the data is used to “order replacement parts” does not differentiate the claimed apparatus from the prior art apparatus. See MPEP 2114
Regarding Claim 7, Ren, as modified, teaches the invention of claim 1 above but does not explicitly teach wherein the controller is further programmed to, in response to the temperature data being indicative of a leak from the cabinet, contact a service center via the transmitter to schedule maintenance for the refrigerator.
However, Koji teaches a storage management system [0006] having wherein a controller [at 32; 0018; 0019] having wherein a controller [at 32; 0018; 0019] is programmed to, in response to the temperature of an internal space deviating from the range for a predetermined period of time, contact a service center via a transmitter [0014; 0031; 0041; 0043; figs 1-4; where an information terminal is notified via email] where one of ordinary skill in the art could have combined the elements as claimed by known methods and that in combination, each element would perform the same function as it did separately and one of ordinary skills would have recognized that the results of the combination were predictable i.e. provide where a user can know that an abnormality has occurred and can respond to the abnormality more quickly [0008].
Therefore, it would have been obvious to a person of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the invention to modify the assembly of Ren to have wherein the controller is further programmed to, in response to the temperature data being indicative of a leak from the cabinet, contact a service center via the transmitter to schedule maintenance for the refrigerator in view of the teachings of Koji where the elements could have been combined by known methods with no change in their respective functions, and the combination would have yielded predictable results i.e. provide where a user can know that an abnormality has occurred and can respond to the abnormality more quickly.
For clarity, the recitation of " to schedule maintenance" recited in the claim has been considered a recitation of intended use. The prior art controller and transmitter is capable of preforming as intended i.e. transmit data. It has been held that the recitation with respect to the manner in which a claimed apparatus is intended to be employed does not differentiate the claimed apparatus from a prior art apparatus satisfying the claimed structural limitation. That implication that the data is used to “schedule maintenance” does not differentiate the claimed apparatus from the prior art apparatus. See MPEP 2114
Regarding Claim 8, Ren, as modified, teaches the invention of claim 1 above but does not explicitly teach wherein the controller is further programmed to, in response to the temperature data being indicative of a leak from the cabinet, contact a service center via the transmitter to order replacement parts.
However, Koji teaches a storage management system [0006] having wherein a controller [at 32; 0018; 0019] having wherein a controller [at 32; 0018; 0019] is programmed to, in response to the temperature of an internal space deviating from the range for a predetermined period of time, contact a service center via a transmitter [0014; 0031; 0041; 0043; figs 1-4; where an information terminal is notified via email] where one of ordinary skill in the art could have combined the elements as claimed by known methods and that in combination, each element would perform the same function as it did separately and one of ordinary skills would have recognized that the results of the combination were predictable i.e. provide where a user can know that an abnormality has occurred and can respond to the abnormality more quickly [0008].
Therefore, it would have been obvious to a person of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the invention to modify the assembly of Ren to have wherein the controller is further programmed to, in response to the temperature of the at least one of the objects deviating from the range for a predetermined period of time, contact a service center via the transmitter to order replacement parts in view of the teachings of Koji where the elements could have been combined by known methods with no change in their respective functions, and the combination would have yielded predictable results i.e. provide where a user can know that an abnormality has occurred and can respond to the abnormality more quickly.
For clarity, the recitation of " to order replacement parts" recited in the claim has been considered a recitation of intended use. The prior art controller and transmitter is capable of preforming as intended i.e. transmit data. It has been held that the recitation with respect to the manner in which a claimed apparatus is intended to be employed does not differentiate the claimed apparatus from a prior art apparatus satisfying the claimed structural limitation. That implication that the data is used to “order replacement parts” does not differentiate the claimed apparatus from the prior art apparatus. See MPEP 2114
Claim(s) 9 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Ren et al. (CN116222081A), Ishii et al. (JP2002048450A) and Xie Fan et al. (CN114857853A) as applied to claim 1 above, and further in view of Roper et al. (US2022/0120488).
Regarding Claim 9, Ren, as modified, teaches the invention of claim 1 above but does not teach wherein the temperature data corresponds to a temperature map of the internal cavity.
However, Roper teaches a refrigerated storage unit [0002] having wherein the temperature data corresponds to a temperature map of the internal cavity [0044] where one of ordinary skill in the art could have combined the elements as claimed by known methods and that in combination, each element would perform the same function as it did separately and one of ordinary skills would have recognized that the results of the combination were predictable i.e. provide structure that realizes the presence or absence of items and thereby improves the system [0044].
Therefore, it would have been obvious to a person of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the invention to modify the assembly of Ren to have wherein the temperature data corresponds to a temperature map of the internal cavity in view of the teachings of Roper where the elements could have been combined by known methods with no change in their respective functions, and the combination would have yielded predictable results i.e. provide structure that realizes the presence or absence of items and thereby improves the system.
Claim(s) 10, 13 and 19 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Ren et al. (CN116222081A) in view of Roper et al. (US2022/0120488) and Choi (JP2000205723A).
Regarding Claim 10, Ren teaches refrigeration equipment [0001] comprising:
a refrigerant circuit (i) having a compressor and (ii) operable to cool an internal space defined within the refrigerator via activation of the compressor [0062] and an infrared camera [0093] and a controller [0096].
Ren does not teach where the infrared camera is operable to create a temperature map of the internal space; and where the controller is programmed to, (i) receive the temperature map from the infrared camera and (ii) control the compressor based on the temperature map to drive a temperature of an object disposed within the internal space toward a desired range.
However, Roper teaches a refrigerated storage unit [0002] having an infrared camera [410] that is operable to create a temperature map of the internal space [0044]; and where a controller [700] is programmed to, (i) receive the temperature map from the infrared camera [0044-0051; fig 1A] where one of ordinary skill in the art could have combined the elements as claimed by known methods and that in combination, each element would perform the same function as it did separately and one of ordinary skills would have recognized that the results of the combination were predictable i.e. provide structure that realizes the presence or absence of items and thereby improves the system [0044].
Therefore, it would have been obvious to a person of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the invention to modify the assembly of Ren to have where the infrared camera is operable to create a temperature map of the internal space; and where the controller is programmed to receive the temperature map from the infrared camera in view of the teachings of Roper where the elements could have been combined by known methods with no change in their respective functions, and the combination would have yielded predictable results i.e. provide structure that realizes the presence or absence of items and thereby improves the system.
Also, Choi teaches a method for controlling an inverter refrigerator [0001] that controls a compressor based on the temperature map i.e. temperature table to drive a temperature of an object disposed within the internal space toward a desired range [0004-0008] where one of ordinary skill in the art could have combined the elements as claimed by known methods and that in combination, each element would perform the same function as it did separately and one of ordinary skills would have recognized that the results of the combination were predictable i.e. provide a control that maintains the inside temperature set by the user [0008].
Therefore, it would have been obvious to a person of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the invention to modify the assembly of Ren to control the compressor based on the temperature map to drive a temperature of an object disposed within the internal space toward a desired range in view of the teachings of Choi where the elements could have been combined by known methods with no change in their respective functions, and the combination would have yielded predictable results i.e. provide a control that maintains the inside temperature set by the user.
Regarding Claim 13, Ren, as modified, teaches the invention of claim 10 above and Roper teaches wherein the controller [at 700] is further programmed to wirelessly transmit the temperature map to an external device [via 760; 0044; 0073; 0074].
Regarding Claim 19, Ren teaches a refrigerator [0001] comprising:
a refrigeration system operable to cool an internal space defined within the refrigerator [0062]; an infrared camera [0093] and a controller [0096].
Ren does not teach the infrared camera operable to create a temperature map of the internal space; and a controller programmed to, receive the temperature map from the infrared camera; and wirelessly transmit the temperature map to an external device; and control the refrigeration system based the temperature map.
However, Roper teaches a refrigerated storage unit [0002] having an infrared camera [410] that is operable to create a temperature map of the internal space [0044]; and where a controller [700] is programmed to, (i) receive the temperature map from the infrared camera [0044-0051; fig 1A] and wirelessly transmit the temperature map to an external device[via 760; 0044; 0073; 0074] where one of ordinary skill in the art could have combined the elements as claimed by known methods and that in combination, each element would perform the same function as it did separately and one of ordinary skills would have recognized that the results of the combination were predictable i.e. provide structure that realizes the presence or absence of items and thereby improves the system [0044].
Therefore, it would have been obvious to a person of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the invention to modify the assembly of Ren to have the infrared camera operable to create a temperature map of the internal space; and a controller programmed to, receive the temperature map from the infrared camera; and wirelessly transmit the temperature map to an external device in view of the teachings of Roper where the elements could have been combined by known methods with no change in their respective functions, and the combination would have yielded predictable results i.e. provide structure that realizes the presence or absence of items and thereby improves the system.
Also, Choi teaches a method for controlling an inverter refrigerator [0001] that control the refrigeration system based the temperature map [0004-0008] where one of ordinary skill in the art could have combined the elements as claimed by known methods and that in combination, each element would perform the same function as it did separately and one of ordinary skills would have recognized that the results of the combination were predictable i.e. provide a control that maintains the inside temperature set by the user [0008].
Therefore, it would have been obvious to a person of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the invention to modify the assembly of Ren to control the refrigeration system based the temperature map in view of the teachings of Choi where the elements could have been combined by known methods with no change in their respective functions, and the combination would have yielded predictable results i.e. provide a control that maintains the inside temperature set by the user.
Claim(s) 11 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Ren et al. (CN116222081A), Roper et al. (US2022/0120488) and Choi (JP2000205723A) as applied to claim 10 above, and further in view of Ishii et al. (JP2002048450A).
Regarding Claim 11, Ren, as modified, teaches the invention of claim 10 above and Roper teaches where the temperature map is indicative of the temperature of an object [See the rejection of claim 10 above for detailed discussion]. However, Ren does not teach where the controller is programmed to, in response to the temperature of the object exceeding the desired range, activate the compressor to decrease the temperature of the object and drive the temperature of the object toward the desired range.
However, Ishii teaches a refrigerator having an infrared camera [12; 0012; fig 1] having where a controller [11] is programmed to, in response to the temperature of the object exceeding the desired range, activate the compressor to decrease the temperature of the object and drive the temperature of the object toward the desired range [0014-0019] where one of ordinary skill in the art could have combined the elements as claimed by known methods and that in combination, each element would perform the same function as it did separately and one of ordinary skills would have recognized that the results of the combination were predictable i.e. provide a method for uniformly cooling various food materials [0005].
Therefore, it would have been obvious to a person of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the invention to modify the assembly of Ren to have where the controller is programmed to, in response to the temperature of the object exceeding the desired range, activate the compressor to decrease the temperature of the object and drive the temperature of the object toward the desired range in view of the teachings of Ishii where the elements could have been combined by known methods with no change in their respective functions, and the combination would have yielded predictable results i.e. provide a method for uniformly cooling various food materials.
Claim(s) 12 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Ren et al. (CN116222081A), Roper et al. (US2022/0120488) and Choi (JP2000205723A) as applied to claim 10 above, and further in view of Li et al. (US2018/0156518).
Regarding Claim 12, Ren, as modified, teaches the invention of claim 10 above and Roper teaches where the temperature map is indicative of the temperature of an object [See the rejection of claim 10 above for detailed discussion]. Ren does not teach wherein the controller is further programmed to, in response to the temperature of the object being less than the desired range, deactivate the compressor to increase the temperature of the object and drive the temperature of the object toward the desired range.
However, Li teaches a refrigeration control method [0001] having wherein a controller [700; 0069; see fig 7] is programmed to, in response to the temperature of the object being less than the desired range, deactivate the compressor to increase the temperature of the object and drive the temperature of the object toward the desired range [0011; 0069-0075] where one of ordinary skill in the art could have combined the elements as claimed by known methods and that in combination, each element would perform the same function as it did separately and one of ordinary skills would have recognized that the results of the combination were predictable i.e. ensures a refrigeration control according to a condition of the item stored in the corresponding item storage compartment, and electric energy waste caused by refrigeration of the whole refrigerating chamber is avoided [0025].
Therefore, it would have been obvious to a person of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the invention to modify the assembly of Ren to have wherein the controller is further programmed to, in response to the temperature of the object being less than the desired range, deactivate the compressor to increase the temperature of the object and drive the temperature of the object toward the desired range in view of the teachings of Li where the elements could have been combined by known methods with no change in their respective functions, and the combination would have yielded predictable results i.e. ensures a refrigeration control according to a condition of the item stored in the corresponding item storage compartment, and electric energy waste caused by refrigeration of the whole refrigerating chamber is avoided.
Claim(s) 14-16 and 20 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Ren et al. (CN116222081A), Roper et al. (US2022/0120488) and Choi (JP2000205723A) as applied to claim 10 above, and further in view of Koji et al. (JP2021071205A).
Regarding Claim 14, Ren, as modified, teaches the invention of claim 13 above and teaches the temperature map being indicative of the temperature of the object [see the rejection of claim 10 above]. However, Ren does not teach where the controller is further programmed to, in response to the temperature of the object deviating from the desired range for a predetermined period of time, wirelessly send an alert to the external device.
However, Koji teaches a storage management system [0006] having wherein a controller [at 32; 0018; 0019] is programmed to, in response to the temperature of the object deviating from the desired range for a predetermined period of time, wirelessly send an alert to the external device [0014; 0031; 0041; 0043; figs 1-4] where one of ordinary skill in the art could have combined the elements as claimed by known methods and that in combination, each element would perform the same function as it did separately and one of ordinary skills would have recognized that the results of the combination were predictable i.e. provide where a user can know that an abnormality has occurred and can respond to the abnormality more quickly [0008].
Therefore, it would have been obvious to a person of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the invention to modify the assembly of Ren to have wherein the controller is further programmed to, in response to the temperature of the object deviating from the desired range for a predetermined period of time, wirelessly send an alert to the external device in view of the teachings of Koji where the elements could have been combined by known methods with no change in their respective functions, and the combination would have yielded predictable results i.e. provide where a user can know that an abnormality has occurred and can respond to the abnormality more quickly.
Regarding Claim 15, Ren, as modified, teaches the invention of claim 10 above and teaches the temperature map being indicative of the temperature of the object [see the rejection of claim 10 above]. However, Ren does not teach wherein the controller is further programmed to, in response to the temperature of the object deviating from the desired range for a predetermined period of time, wirelessly contact a service center to schedule maintenance for the refrigerator.
However, Koji teaches a storage management system [0006] having wherein a controller [at 32; 0018; 0019] having wherein a controller [at 32; 0018; 0019] is programmed to, in response to the temperature of the object deviating from the desired range for a predetermined period of time, wirelessly contact a service center [0014; 0031; 0041; 0043; figs 1-4; where an information terminal is notified via email] where one of ordinary skill in the art could have combined the elements as claimed by known methods and that in combination, each element would perform the same function as it did separately and one of ordinary skills would have recognized that the results of the combination were predictable i.e. provide where a user can know that an abnormality has occurred and can respond to the abnormality more quickly [0008].
Therefore, it would have been obvious to a person of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the invention to modify the assembly of Ren to have wherein the controller is further programmed to, in response to the temperature of the object deviating from the desired range for a predetermined period of time, wirelessly contact a service center to schedule maintenance for the refrigerator in view of the teachings of Koji where the elements could have been combined by known methods with no change in their respective functions, and the combination would have yielded predictable results i.e. provide where a user can know that an abnormality has occurred and can respond to the abnormality more quickly.
For clarity, the recitation of " to schedule maintenance for the refrigerator " recited in the claim has been considered a recitation of intended use. The prior art controller and transmitter is capable of preforming as intended i.e. transmit data. It has been held that the recitation with respect to the manner in which a claimed apparatus is intended to be employed does not differentiate the claimed apparatus from a prior art apparatus satisfying the claimed structural limitation. That implication that the data is used to “schedule maintenance” does not differentiate the claimed apparatus from the prior art apparatus. See MPEP 2114
Regarding Claim 16, Ren, as modified, teaches the invention of claim 10 above and teaches the temperature map being indicative of the temperature of the object [see the rejection of claim 10 above]. However, Ren does not teach where the controller is further programmed to, in response to the temperature of the object deviating from the desired range for a predetermined period of time, wirelessly contact a service center to order replacement parts for the refrigerator.
However, Koji teaches a storage management system [0006] having wherein a controller [at 32; 0018; 0019] having wherein a controller [at 32; 0018; 0019] is programmed to, in response to the temperature of the object deviating from the desired range for a predetermined period of time, wirelessly contact a service center [0014; 0031; 0041; 0043; figs 1-4; where an information terminal is notified via email] where one of ordinary skill in the art could have combined the elements as claimed by known methods and that in combination, each element would perform the same function as it did separately and one of ordinary skills would have recognized that the results of the combination were predictable i.e. provide where a user can know that an abnormality has occurred and can respond to the abnormality more quickly [0008].
Therefore, it would have been obvious to a person of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the invention to modify the assembly of Ren to have wherein the controller is further programmed to, in response to the temperature of the object deviating from the desired range for a predetermined period of time, wirelessly contact a service center to order replacement parts for the refrigerator in view of the teachings of Koji where the elements could have been combined by known methods with no change in their respective functions, and the combination would have yielded predictable results i.e. provide where a user can know that an abnormality has occurred and can respond to the abnormality more quickly.
For clarity, the recitation of " to order replacement parts for the refrigerator" recited in the claim has been considered a recitation of intended use. The prior art controller and transmitter is capable of preforming as intended i.e. transmit data. It has been held that the recitation with respect to the manner in which a claimed apparatus is intended to be employed does not differentiate the claimed apparatus from a prior art apparatus satisfying the claimed structural limitation. That implication that the data is used to “order replacement parts for the refrigerator” does not differentiate the claimed apparatus from the prior art apparatus. See MPEP 2114
Regarding Claim 20, Ren, as modified, teaches the invention of claim 19 above and teaches the temperature map being indicative of the temperature of the object [see the rejection of claim 10 above]. However, Ren does not teach where the controller is further programmed to, in response to the temperature of the object within the internal space deviating from a range, wirelessly send an alert to the external device.
However, Koji teaches a storage management system [0006] having wherein a controller [at 32; 0018; 0019] is programmed to, in response to the temperature of the object within the internal space deviating from a range, wirelessly send an alert to the external device [0014; 0031; 0041; 0043; figs 1-4] where one of ordinary skill in the art could have combined the elements as claimed by known methods and that in combination, each element would perform the same function as it did separately and one of ordinary skills would have recognized that the results of the combination were predictable i.e. provide where a user can know that an abnormality has occurred and can respond to the abnormality more quickly [0008].
Therefore, it would have been obvious to a person of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the invention to modify the assembly of Ren to have where the controller is further programmed to, in response to the temperature of the object within the internal space deviating from a range, wirelessly send an alert to the external device in view of the teachings of Koji where the elements could have been combined by known methods with no change in their respective functions, and the combination would have yielded predictable results i.e. provide where a user can know that an abnormality has occurred and can respond to the abnormality more quickly.
Claim(s) 17 and 18 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Ren et al. (CN116222081A), Roper et al. (US2022/0120488) and Choi (JP2000205723A) as applied to claim 10 above, and further in view of Zeringue (US2019/0170613).
Regarding Claim 17, Ren, as modified, teaches the invention of claim 10 above and teaches the temperature map being indicative of a leak from the internal space [see the rejection of claim 10 above]. Ren does not teach wherein the controller is further programmed to, in response to the temperature being indicative of a leak from the internal space, wirelessly contact a service center to schedule maintenance for the refrigerator.
However, Zeringue teaches a refrigerator [0002] having where a controller [at least a process that performs the steps of fig 3] in response to a temperature being indicative of a leak from the internal space, wirelessly contact a service center to schedule maintenance for the refrigerator [0003; 0025; where an interior temperature may be indicative of a door seal leak] where one of ordinary skill in the art could have combined the elements as claimed by known methods and that in combination, each element would perform the same function as it did separately and one of ordinary skills would have recognized that the results of the combination were predictable i.e. provide where action to be taken to correct the anomaly [0025].
Therefore, it would have been obvious to a person of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the invention to modify the assembly of Ren to have wherein the controller is further programmed to, in response to the temperature map being indicative of a leak from the internal space, wirelessly contact a service center to schedule maintenance for the refrigerator in view of the teachings of Zeringue where the elements could have been combined by known methods with no change in their respective functions, and the combination would have yielded predictable results i.e. provide where action to be taken to correct the anomaly.
For clarity, the recitation of " to schedule maintenance for the refrigerator" recited in the claim has been considered a recitation of intended use. The prior art controller and transmitter is capable of preforming as intended i.e. transmit data. It has been held that the recitation with respect to the manner in which a claimed apparatus is intended to be employed does not differentiate the claimed apparatus from a prior art apparatus satisfying the claimed structural limitation. That implication that the data is used to “schedule maintenance for the refrigerator” does not differentiate the claimed apparatus from the prior art apparatus. See MPEP 2114
Regarding Claim 18, Ren, as modified, teaches the invention of claim 10 above and teaches the temperature map being indicative of a leak from the internal space [see the rejection of claim 10 above]. Ren does not teach wherein the controller is further programmed to, in response to the temperature map being indicative of a leak from the internal space, wirelessly contact a service center to order replacement parts for the refrigerator.
However, Zeringue teaches a refrigerator [0002] having where a controller [at least a process that performs the steps of fig 3] is further programmed to, in response to the temperature being indicative of a leak from the internal space, wirelessly contact a service center to order replacement parts for the refrigerator [0003; 0025; where an interior temperature may be indicative of a door seal leak] where one of ordinary skill in the art could have combined the elements as claimed by known methods and that in combination, each element would perform the same function as it did separately and one of ordinary skills would have recognized that the results of the combination were predictable i.e. provide where action to be taken to correct the anomaly [0025].
Therefore, it would have been obvious to a person of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the invention to modify the assembly of Ren to have wherein the controller is further programmed to, in response to the temperature map being indicative of a leak from the internal space, wirelessly contact a service center to order replacement parts for the refrigerator in view of the teachings of Zeringue where the elements could have been combined by known methods with no change in their respective functions, and the combination would have yielded predictable results i.e. provide where action to be taken to correct the anomaly.
For clarity, the recitation of " to order replacement parts for the refrigerator" recited in the claim has been considered a recitation of intended use. The prior art controller and transmitter is capable of preforming as intended i.e. transmit data. It has been held that the recitation with respect to the manner in which a claimed apparatus is intended to be employed does not differentiate the claimed apparatus from a prior art apparatus satisfying the claimed structural limitation. That implication that the data is used to “order replacement parts for the refrigerator” does not differentiate the claimed apparatus from the prior art apparatus. See MPEP 2114
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to LARRY L FURDGE whose telephone number is (313)446-4895. The examiner can normally be reached M-R 6a-3p; F 6a-10a.
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/LARRY L FURDGE/ Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3763
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