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 .
Response to Amendment
This office action is responsive to the amendment filed on November 21, 2025. As directed by the amendment: claim 1 has been amended, claim 12 has been canceled, and no new claims have been added. Thus, claims 1-11 and 13-22 are presently pending in the application.
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, 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 1-6, 11, and 13-18 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Mack, JR et al. (US 2015/0104355), in view of Princiotta et al. (US 5,709,252).
As to claim 1, Mack discloses a chemical oxygen generator (COG) 8 comprising a manifold (see Fig. 1, the manifold being depicted on the bottom of the COG 8, unlabeled, paragraph [0012]), but does not expressly disclose that the manifold comprises:
a locating plate configured to interface with a COG;
a plenum body rotatably attached to the locating plate, the plenum body having an inlet for receiving oxygen, the plenum body further having at least one output port in pneumatic communication with the inlet; and
a lock non-removably engaged to the plenum body configured to immobilize the plenum body with respect to the locating plate in at least a first position.
However, Princiotta teaches a manifold (Fig. 1) for a pressurized gas cylinder 41, comprising: a locating plate (cylinder boss 28, Fig. 6) configured to interface with the cylinder 41; a plenum body (valve adaptor/collar mounting plate 27) rotatably attached to the locating plate 28 (via screw threads on stem 47, col. 5, ln. 47-56), the plenum body 27 having an inlet 47 for receiving the gas from the cylinder 41), the plenum body 27 further having at least one output port 51 in pneumatic communication with the inlet 47 (col. 6, ln. 9-13) ; and a lock (locking pin 25) non-removably engaged to the plenum body 27 (at pin hole 49) configured to immobilize the plenum body 27 with respect to the locating plate 28 in at least a first position (see Fig. 6, col. 5, ln. 56 - col. 6, ln. 8).
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art as of the effective filing date of the invention to modify the chemical oxygen generator of Mack to include the manifold, as taught by Princiotta, in order to provide a suitable type of valve arrangement for dispensing the pressurized gas that includes handles for lifting the cylinder and provides a protective collar for the valve should the cylinder be inadvertently be dropped or impacted.
As to claim 2, modified Mack discloses the COG of claim 1, wherein the lock comprises a pin, a latch, a tab, a stud, or a clip (pin 25, see Princiotta, col. 5, ln. 56-62).
As to claim 3, modified Mack discloses the COG of claim 1, wherein the lock comprises a pin 25 located in the plenum body 27 and configured to cooperate with the locating plate 28 to immobilize the plenum body 27 with respect to the locating plate 28 (see Princiotta, Fig. 6; col. 5, ln. 56-62).
As to claim 4, modified Mack discloses the COG of claim 3, wherein the pin 25 is configured to cooperate with a receiver 49 of the locating plate 28 (see Princiotta, Fig. 6; col. 5, ln. 56-62).
As to claim 5, modified Mack discloses the COG of claim 4, wherein the receiver 49 is a notch, a hole, a slot, or an indentation (pin hole 49, see Princiotta, Fig. 6; col. 5, ln. 56-62).
As to claim 6, modified Mack discloses the manifold of claim 1, wherein the lock is configured to irreversibly immobilize the plenum body 27 with respect to the locating plate 28 (see Princiotta, Fig. 6, col. 5, ln. 60 – col. 6, ln. 8).
As to claim 11, modified Mack discloses the COG of claim 1, wherein the locating plate 27 is fixed relative to the COG (via pin 25, see Princiotta, col. 5, ln. 60 – col. 6, ln. 8).
As to claim 13, modified Mack discloses the COG of claim 1, further comprising: a housing (body 10 of oxygen generator 8, see Mack, Fig. 1, paragraph [0013]), wherein the locating plate 28 is attached to the housing 10 (Princiotta teaches plate/boss 28 attached to the gas cylinder housing 41, which means the modified COG will have the plate attached to Mack’s cylinder housing 10); and wherein the inlet 47 of the plenum body 27 is configured to receive oxygen from an interior of the housing 41 (through the aperture in boss/plate 28, see Princiotta, Fig. 6; col. 5, ln. 47-56).
As to claim 14, modified Mack discloses the COG of claim 13, wherein the lock 25 comprises a pin, a latch, a tab, a stud, or a clip (pin 25, see Princiotta, col. 5, ln. 56-62).
As to claim 15, modified Mack discloses the COG of claim 13, wherein the lock comprises a pin 25 located in the plenum body 27 and configured to cooperate with the locating plate 28 to immobilize the plenum body 27 with respect to the locating plate 28 (see Princiotta, Fig. 6; col. 5, ln. 60 – col. 6, ln. 8).
As to claim 16, modified Mack discloses the COG of claim 15, wherein the pin 25 is configured to cooperate with a receiver 49 of the locating plate 28 (see Princiotta, Fig. 6; col. 5, ln. 60 – col. 6, ln. 8).
As to claim 17, modified Mack discloses the COG of claim 16, wherein the receiver is a notch, a hole, a slot, or an indentation (pin hole 49, see Princiotta, Fig. 6; col. 5, ln. 56-62).
As to claim 18, modified Mack discloses the COG of claim 13, wherein the lock 25 is configured to irreversibly immobilize the plenum body 27 with respect to the locating plate 28 (see Princiotta, Fig. 6, col. 5, ln. 60 – col. 6, ln. 8).
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 7-10 and 19-22 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.
Response to Arguments
Applicant's arguments filed November 21, 2025 have been fully considered but they are not persuasive.
It is first noted that although claim 1 is still rejected over Mack, in view of Princiotta, the application of Princiotta has changed in light of the newly added limitation. The locating plate (previously considered as the valve plate 24 of Princiotta) is now being considered as the cylindrical boss 28, the plenum body (previously considered as the valve assembly 11 and mounting plate 27) is now considered as just the mounting plate 27, and the lock (previously considered as the pin 25 and the bolts 37) is now considered as just the pin 25. Thus, only the arguments that apply to the new rejection will be addressed herein.
Applicant argues on pages 5-6 of the remarks that Princiotta teaches a locking pin 25 meant to prevent the cylinder valve adapter 27 from loosening or unscrewing with respect to the cylinder boss 28 and thus, the locking pin 25 must be removable from the cylinder valve adapter 27 when unscrewing the cylinder valve adapter 27 from the cylinder boss 28 as shown in FIG. 6. Applicant then concludes that Princiotta fails to teach "a lock non-removably engaged with the plenum body configured to immobilize the plenum body with respect to the locating plate in at least a first position," as recited in claim 1.
However, Examiner disagrees with the assertion that the pin 25 must be removable from the cylinder valve adapter 27 and that the valve adapter 27 is meant to be unscrewed from the cylinder boss 27. Princiotta discloses that the pin holes 48, 49 are preferably drilled together at the same time through the valve adapter plate 27 and into cylinder boss 28 after plate 27 has been properly torqued to cylinder 41. Princiotta then discloses that the hole 48, 49 is drilled slightly undersize so that when the pin 25 is inserted, the result will be a press fit, resulting in a tight lock preventing rotation of the valve adapter/mounting plate 27 with respect to the cylinder boss 28. Thus, during manufacturing, the adapter/plate 27 is properly torqued to the boss 28 and the holes 48, 49 are drilled therein. At this point, it is true that the adapter/plate 27 is removable from the boss 28 by unscrewing the stem 47 from the treaded aperture of the boss 28. However, once finally assembled for use, the stem 47 of adapter/plate 27 is screwed into boss 28 until the holes 48, 49 line up in the properly torqued position and the locking pin 25 is then press fit within the holes 48, 49 to lock the adapter/plate 27 in this positioned. Once the pin is secured into the holes 48, 49, the adapter/plate 27 can no longer be removed or unscrewed from the boss 28.
In further support of the position that the pin 25 is not meant to be removable from the holes 48, 49, Figs. 1-5 of Princiotta, showing the components fully assembled, does not show any portion of pin 25 exposed above the surface of hole 48 that could be gripped to remove pin 25. Thus, it is clear from the disclosure of Princiotta that the adapter/mounting plate 27 is meant to be permanently secured to the cylinder 41 and boss 28 in the final state of assembly.
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to VALERIE L WOODWARD whose telephone number is (571)270-1479. The examiner can normally be reached Monday - Friday 8:30 am - 4:30 pm.
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/VALERIE L WOODWARD/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3785