Patent Application 18325358 - HEATER DRIVE CONTROLLING APPARATUS ELECTRONIC

Title: HEATER DRIVE CONTROLLING APPARATUS, ELECTRONIC COMPONENT HANDLING APPARATUS, ELECTRONIC COMPONENT TESTING APPARATUS, AND HEATER DRIVE CONTROLLING METHOD

Application Information

Invention Title: HEATER DRIVE CONTROLLING APPARATUS, ELECTRONIC COMPONENT HANDLING APPARATUS, ELECTRONIC COMPONENT TESTING APPARATUS, AND HEATER DRIVE CONTROLLING METHOD
Application Number: 18325358
Submission Date: 2025-05-21T00:00:00.000Z
Effective Filing Date: 2023-05-30T00:00:00.000Z
Filing Date: 2023-05-30T00:00:00.000Z
National Class: 324
National Sub-Class: 750110
Examiner Employee Number: 87416
Art Unit: 2858
Tech Center: 2800

Rejection Summary

102 Rejections: 0
103 Rejections: 2

Cited Patents

The following patents were cited in the rejection:

US 0327595🔗
US 0337046🔗

Office Action Text

DETAILED ACTION
The present application, filed on or after March 16, 2013, is being examined under the first inventor to file provisions of the AIA .
Status of claims
Claim 7 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 112(b).
Claims 1 and 8-10 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103.
Claims 2-6 are objected to.
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 pre-AIA the applicant regards as the invention.
Regarding claim 7, claim 7 depend on claim 1, claim 1 recites “electric currents” in line 4, and claim 7 recites “the electric current” in lines 6-8; it is not clear which one of the “electric currents” that “the electric current” is referring to.
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 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 of this title, 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 1 and 8-10 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Saito (US 6,304,073), and further in view of Reinders et al. (US 2016/0327595) and Erven (US 2022/0337046).
Regarding claims 1 and 10, Saito teaches a heater drive controlling apparatus (e.g. fig. 1, IC testing apparatus 1 has a heater drive to drive a heater to obtain hot temperature as describe in column 5: lines 56-60) for an electronic component testing apparatus comprising:
a power source (e.g. column 5: lines 56-60, constant temperature chamber 101 has an associated heater to generate desire high temperature thermal stress to maintain the desire high temperature where a power source is required to generate electricity to power the heater)
heaters (e.g. column 5: lines 56-60, constant temperature chamber 101 has an associated heater to generate desire high temperature thermal stress to maintain the desire high temperature; and also e.g. column 5: lines 65-67 and column 6: lines 1-4, soak chamber 103 has an associated heater to generate heat to heat DUTs from a low temperature); and
controls electric currents supplied from the power source to the heaters (e.g. column 5: lines 56-60, constant temperature chamber 101 has an associated heater to generate desire high temperature thermal stress to maintain the desire high temperature where a power source is required to generate electricity to power the heater for the constant temperature chamber and also e.g. column 5: lines 65-67 and column 6: lines 1-4, soak chamber 103 has an associated heater to generate heat to heat DUTs from a low temperature also requires the power source to generate electricity to power the heater for soak chamber 103) in order according to a first priority set for the heaters (e.g. fig. 2, DUTs pass from constant temperature chamber 101 first and soak chamber 103 last as shown in fig. 2; therefore, electrical current supplies to the heater for the constant temperature chamber 101 first and electrical current supplies to the heater for soak chamber 103 last),
wherein the electronic component testing apparatus includes a test chamber (e.g. fig. 1-2, column 5: lines 54-64, test chamber 102),
a thermal-stress applying chamber (e.g. fig. 1-2, column 5: lines 54-64, constat temperature chamber 101 for giving a desired high temperature or low temperature thermal stress), and
a thermal-stress removing chamber (e.g. fig. 1-2, column 5: lines 54-64, soak chamber 103 for removing the given thermal stress)
each of which includes the heaters (e.g. column 5: lines 56-60, constant temperature chamber 101 has an associated heater to generate desire high temperature thermal stress to maintain the desire high temperature; and also e.g. column 5: lines 65-67 and column 6: lines 1-4, soak chamber 103 has an associated heater to generate heat to heat DUTs from a low temperature).
However, Saito is silent with regard to
a breaker disposed between the power source and the heaters, and
a controller.
Reinders teaches a breaker (e.g. fig. 1, circuit breaker) disposed between a power source (e.g. fig. 1, AC Source 106) and electric outlets (e.g. a bank of outputs 104),
a controller (e.g. fig. 1, microcontroller 102).
Saito teaches the power source supplies electric currents to the heaters, and Reinders teaches a breaker connected between a power source and electric outlets.
It would produce a predictive result of connecting the heaters of Saito by connecting plugs of the heaters into the outlets of Reinders to receive electrical currents from the AC Source of Reinders via a circuit break and using a controller to controls the electric currents to improve controller efficient and safety without a need to operate manually, for the purpose of protecting the heaters and an operator from overcurrent damages and/or electric hazards.
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have modified the invention of Saito by applying the teaching of Reinders to include a breaker disposed between the power source and the heaters, and a controller controls the electric currents, for the purpose of protecting the heaters and an operator from overcurrent damages and/or electric hazards.
However, combination of Saito and Reinders is silent with regard to a sum of the supplied electric currents is within a rated current of the breaker.
Erven teaches a breaker disposed between the power source and a load (e.g. fig. 2, [0083], circuit breaker is connected between energy source EQ and energy sink ES (load)); and a sum of supplied electric currents is within a rated current of the breaker (e.g. [0005], a circuit breaker has a rated or /and switch-off currents the maximum current at which electric circuit is interrupted).
It would produce a predictive result of choose a corrected rate current of the breaker to ensure that total current of supplies to the heaters does not exceed a maximum rated current of the breaker.
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have modified the invention of Saito and Reinders by applying the teaching of Erven to ensure that a sum of the supplied electric currents is within a rated current of the breaker, for the purpose of choosing a corrected rate current of the breaker to ensure that total current of supplies to the heaters does not exceed a maximum rated current of the breaker so that the breaker can interrupted supply of current more accurately in the event of overcurrent damages and/or electric hazards.
Regarding claim 8, combination of Saito, Reinders and Erven teaches an electronic component handling apparatus (e.g. Saito, figs. 1-2, column 4: lines 16-26, IC testing apparatus 1 handling tests of DUTs) comprising the heater drive controlling apparatus according to claim 1.
Regarding claim 9, combination of Saito, Reinders and Erven teaches an electronic component testing apparatus (e.g. Saito, figs. 1-2, column 4: lines 16-26, IC testing apparatus 1 testing DUTs) comprising the heater drive controlling apparatus according to claim 1.
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 2-6 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
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to HAIDONG ZHANG whose telephone number is (571)270-5815. The examiner can normally be reached on M-F 8:00 AM - 5:00 PM.
If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Huy Phan can be reached on (571) 272-7924. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/HAIDONG ZHANG/Examiner, Art Unit 2858