DETAILED ACTION
(1)
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 . Applicant’s response filed September 21, 2026, is entered. Applicant amended claims 1 and 2 and added claim 5-8. No new matter is entered. Claims 1-8 are pending before the Office for review.
(2)
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 112
The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 112(b):
(b) CONCLUSION.—The specification shall conclude with one or more claims particularly pointing out and distinctly claiming the subject matter which the inventor or a joint inventor regards as the invention.
The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), second paragraph:
The specification shall conclude with one or more claims particularly pointing out and distinctly claiming the subject matter which the applicant regards as his invention.
Claim 7 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 112(b) or 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), second paragraph, as being indefinite for failing to particularly point out and distinctly claim the subject matter which the inventor or a joint inventor (or for applications subject to pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, the applicant), regards as the invention.
Claim 7 recites the limitation "the corresponding portion" in line 3. There is insufficient antecedent basis for this limitation in the claim.
Therefore, the claim is indefinite because its scope is unascertainable to one ordinarily skilled in the art.
(3)
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 1-6 and 8 are allowed.
Claim 7 would be allowable if rewritten to overcome the rejection(s) under 35 U.S.C. 112(b) or 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), 2nd paragraph, set forth in this Office action and to include 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:
Yang et al. (KR 20220086192 A). The text citations to Yang refer to the included English-language machine translation.
Ohno (EP 1 970 974 A1) teaches a pi-type thermoelectric conversion module (Figures 1, 2 and 3) comprising a first electrode (9) and a second electrode (5) positioned opposing each other, a thermoelectric conversion member A (3; p-type) including thermoelectric conversion element M (Bi-Te system, for example), and member B (4; n-type) including a thermoelectric conversion element K (Bi-Te system, for example), wherein the p-type and n-type thermoelectric conversion members are arranged alternately and apart from each other between the first and second electrodes and electrically connected in series via the first electrode and the second electrode. Figures 1, 2 and 3 and Paragraphs 23, 24 and 44. The thermoelectric conversion elements are p-type and n-type, meaning carries of thermoelectric conversion element M are different than those of thermoelectric conversion element K, with one of the carriers being a hole and the other of the carriers being an electron. Paragraphs 23 and 24.
Ohno further teaches a sum of areas of surface sides of the thermoelectric conversion member A bonded to the first and second electrode is larger than a sum of areas of surface sides of member B bonded to the first electrode and the second electrode. Figures 1, 2 and 3 and Paragraphs 23, 24 and 26.
Ohno fails to teach or fairly suggest a ratio of the sum of the areas of the surface sides of the thermoelectric conversion member A bonded to the first electrode and the second electrode to a sum of the sum of the areas of the surface sides of the thermoelectric conversion member A bonded to the first electrode and the second electrode and the sum of the areas of the surfaces sides of the heat back-flow suppression member B bonded to the first electrode and the second electrode is 0.75 or more and less than 0.95, as required by claim 1.
(4)
Conclusion
Applicant's amendment necessitated the new ground(s) of rejection presented in this Office action. Accordingly, THIS ACTION IS MADE FINAL. See MPEP § 706.07(a). Applicant is reminded of the extension of time policy as set forth in 37 CFR 1.136(a).
A shortened statutory period for reply to this final action is set to expire THREE MONTHS from the mailing date of this action. In the event a first reply is filed within TWO MONTHS of the mailing date of this final action and the advisory action is not mailed until after the end of the THREE-MONTH shortened statutory period, then the shortened statutory period will expire on the date the advisory action is mailed, and any nonprovisional extension fee (37 CFR 1.17(a)) pursuant to 37 CFR 1.136(a) will be calculated from the mailing date of the advisory action. In no event, however, will the statutory period for reply expire later than SIX MONTHS from the mailing date of this final action.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to ELI S MEKHLIN whose telephone number is (571)270-7597. The examiner can normally be reached Monday-Friday 7:00 am to 5:00 pm EST.
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/ELI S MEKHLIN/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 1759
