DETAILED ACTION
Notice of Pre-AIA or AIA Status
1. The present application, filed on or after March 16, 2013, is being examined under the first inventor to file provisions of the AIA .
Continued Examination Under 37 CFR 1.114
2. A request for continued examination under 37 CFR 1.114, including the fee set forth in 37 CFR 1.17(e), was filed in this application after final rejection. Since this application is eligible for continued examination under 37 CFR 1.114, and the fee set forth in 37 CFR 1.17(e) has been timely paid, the finality of the previous Office action has been withdrawn pursuant to 37 CFR 1.114. Applicant's submission filed on 15 September 2025 has been entered.
Response to Amendment
3. The amendment filed 15 September 2025 has been received and considered for examination. Claims 1-22 are presently pending, with claim 20 withdrawn from consideration and claims 1-19 and 21-22 being examined herein.
4. All rejections and objections from the previous Office action are withdrawn in view of Applicant’s amendment.
5. New grounds of rejection under 35 U.S.C. 103 are necessitated by the amendments, as detailed below.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 103
6. 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.
This application currently names joint inventors. In considering patentability of the claims the examiner presumes that the subject matter of the various claims was commonly owned as of the effective filing date of the claimed invention(s) absent any evidence to the contrary. Applicant is advised of the obligation under 37 CFR 1.56 to point out the inventor and effective filing dates of each claim that was not commonly owned as of the effective filing date of the later invention in order for the examiner to consider the applicability of 35 U.S.C. 102(b)(2)(C) for any potential 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(2) prior art against the later invention.
7. Claims 1-5, 8-11, 13-14, 16, 19, and 21-22 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Uda (US 10,893,990 B1) in view of Garner et al (US 20130243647 A1).
8. Regarding claim 1, Uda teaches a sanitizing system for sanitizing a compartment of a vehicle (treatment unit 10 that disinfects an inside volume 12 of a mobile vehicle 14, Abstract, col 5 lines 46-50 and col 6 lines 4-41), the sanitizing system comprising:
a sanitizing system housing (treatment unit 10 has frame 16a, col 7 lines 24-27, FIGS. 6-7) configured to be disposed within the compartment of the vehicle (treatment unit 10 may be mounted from a ceiling, a floor, a vertical wall, or elsewhere, col 7 lines 28-31);
an air filtration assembly disposed at least partially within the sanitizing system housing (air mover 20 with filters, col 5 lines 58-60 and col 10 lines 54-56, FIG. 7), said air filtration assembly comprising:
an air inlet (air inlet 40, FIGS. 6-7) configured to be disposed in fluid communication with the compartment of the vehicle (air mover/fan 20 draws air within the surrounding space of vehicle through the inlet 40, col 8 lines 1-8);
an air outlet (FIG. 7, outlet from air mover 20 directs air toward UV light and outward when blocking part 26 is open, col 7 lines 48-67) configured to be in fluid communication with the compartment of the vehicle (air to redirect and expel from the outlet, col 8 lines 1-8);
an air filter disposed between the air inlet and the air outlet (filters, such as HEPA/carbon, to collect particles being drawn towards the air mover 20 and directed away therefrom, col 10 lines 54-56, FIG. 7); and
a blower fan configured to direct an air flow from the air inlet to the air outlet (air mover/fan 20 draws air within the surrounding space through the inlet…expel from the outlet, col 8 lines 1-8) through the filter (filters, such as HEPA/carbon, to collect particles being drawn towards the air mover 20 and directed away therefrom, col 10 lines 54-56);
an ultraviolet (UV) lighting assembly (UV light source 18, col 7 lines 37-47), adjacent to the air filtration assembly (FIG. 7) and in a path of the air flow downstream of the blower fan (FIGS. 6-7, the UV rays disinfect surfaces in a line of sight with the bulbs 30), comprising:
a UV light source fitting configured to receive a UV light source (UV light source 18 consists of two UV light generating bulbs 30 mounted on a ballast/converter 32, col 7 lines 37-47); and
a controller (on/off switch 74, disabling structure 76, and control 86 operable by Bluetooth controller such as cell phone, col 9 lines 5-57 and col 10 lines 5-11; all system functions described may be controlled through Bluetooth operation, col 10 lines 51-53) configured to simultaneously (designed to allow controlled surface treatment i.e. outward UV irradiation, if desired, with the treatment unit in the first state i.e. airflow UV irradiation, col 10 lines 41-47) operate: the air filtration assembly (step of operating the treatment unit involves causing the air mover to move air in a flow path, col 4 lines 15-17) and the UV lighting assembly (actuator 84 of lighting assembly may be operated through control 86, col 10 lines 5-11) to sanitize both the air flow exiting the air outlet and one or more interior surfaces of the compartment of the vehicle (first state which allows ongoing disinfecting of the air within the inside volume 12, second state to effect primarily surface treatment and incidental air treatment, col 10 lines 23-47).
Although Uda teaches a second state in which UV light is directed from the UV light onto surfaces of the vehicle (col 4 lines 47-67), Uda does not teach a reflector disposed adjacent the air outlet, between the UV light source and a portion of the sanitizing system housing, the reflector configured to direct UV light from the UV light source into the compartment of the vehicle.
Garner teaches an analogous UV disinfection system (Abstract, pars 0011-0016) with air flowing therethrough (par 0056) having a reflector mounted within the housing behind the light source for concentrating and directing the light toward a target (pars 0060-0062). The reflector may be semicircular (par 0061) and may rotate to direct the concentrated beam around a room, thereby making more efficient use of the energy being emitted (Abstract, par 0013).
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art, before the effective filing date of the claimed invention, to dispose within the sanitization system housing of Uda a reflector between the UV light source and a portion of the sanitizing system housing, the reflector configured to direct UV light from the UV light source into the compartment of the vehicle as taught by Garner. Doing so would predictably provide the same advantage of concentrating the UV light for directing toward a target as taught by Garner, while the reflector is disposed adjacent the air outlet as Uda teaches the UV light source is disposed adjacent the air outlet (Uda FIG. 7).
9. Regarding claim 2, Uda as modified by Garner teaches the sanitizing system of claim 1, wherein the sanitizing system housing is configured to be permanently coupled to the compartment of the vehicle (maintained in its operative position at locations A, B, and C by mounting the frame to the roof/ceiling, Uda col 8 lines 51-53; treatment unit 10 may be mounted from a ceiling, a floor, a vertical wall, or elsewhere, Uda col 7 lines 28-32).
10. Regarding claim 3, Uda as modified by Garner teaches the sanitizing system of claim 2, wherein the sanitizing system housing is configured to be permanently coupled to a ceiling of the compartment of the vehicle (maintained in its operative position at locations A, B, and C by mounting the frame to the roof/ceiling, Uda col 8 lines 51-53).
11. Regarding claim 4, Uda as modified by Garner teaches the sanitizing system of claim 2, wherein the sanitizing system housing is configured to be permanently coupled to a floor of the compartment of the vehicle (treatment unit 10 may be mounted from a ceiling, a floor, a vertical wall, or elsewhere, Uda col 7 lines 28-32).
12. Regarding claim 5, Uda as modified by Garner teaches the sanitizing system of claim 1, wherein the air outlet is configured to direct the air flow through the UV light emitted by the UV light source (environmental air is caused to move in a flow path…to be treated by UV rays generated thereby then discharged from the outlet, Uda col 8 lines 9-16, Uda FIG. 7).
13. Regarding claim 6, Uda as modified by Garner teaches the sanitizing system of claim 1, wherein the reflector comprises a semi-circular cross-sectional profile (reflector may be semicircular, Garner par 0061).
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14. Regarding claim 8, Uda as modified by Garner teaches the sanitizing system of claim 1, wherein the air outlet is disposed between the UV lighting assembly and the air inlet (Uda FIG. 7, outlet of air filtration assembly between UV light 30 and air inlet 48).
15. Regarding claim 9, Uda as modified by Garner teaches the sanitizing system of claim 1, wherein the controller is further configured to sequentially operate: the air filtration assembly (first state which allows ongoing disinfecting of the air within the inside volume 12, Uda col 10 lines 23-47); and
the UV lighting assembly to sanitize both the air flow exiting the air outlet and one or more interior surfaces of the compartment of the vehicle (second state to effect primarily surface treatment and incidental air treatment, Uda col 10 lines 23-47).
16. Regarding claim 10, Uda as modified by Garner teaches the sanitizing system of claim 1, and Uda teaches that the lighting assembly further comprises an actuator 84 coupled to move either a cover part or the entire UV lighting structure (actuator 84 to reposition pars 26, 26’, col 10 lines 5-11, Uda FIG. 11), the latter of which provides that the reflector would be rotated in the modified device (col 6 line 57 to col 7 line 13) per the discussion of claim 1 above. Thus, the combination teaches wherein the actuator is configured to rotate the reflector, but the combination does not specifically teach that the controller is further configured to:
control rotation of the reflector to control dosing of ultraviolet light emitted by the lighting assembly within the compartment of the vehicle.
Garner teaches a control algorithm that adjusts the speed of rotation of a reflector/lamp combination to achieve desired energy densities on room surfaces (par 0020).
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art, before the effective filing date of the claimed invention, to further configure the controller of modified Uda to control rotation of the reflector to control dosing of ultraviolet light emitted by the lighting assembly as taught by Garner. Doing so would predictably provide the same advantageous capability of achieving desired energy densities conferred upon target surfaces within the compartment of the vehicle.
17. Regarding claim 11, Uda as modified by Garner teaches the sanitizing system of claim 1, further comprising a remote control wirelessly coupled to the controller (all system functions described may be controlled through Bluetooth operation, as by using a cell phone, Uda col 10 lines 51-53), wherein the remote control is configured to remotely activate and deactivate the sanitizing system (treatment system 10 may have an on/off switch that may be Bluetooth operated such as by a cell phone, Uda col 9 lines 5-14).
18. Regarding claim 13, Uda as modified by Garner teaches the sanitizing system of claim 1, further comprising a timer (delayed start timer 82, Uda col 9 lines 39-57) configured to start the system (activated so that changing of the treatment unit from the “off” state into the “on” state is delayed by a set or selected time interval, Uda col 9 lines 39-53) and turn off the system after a predetermined time set by an operator (cause the treatment unit 10 to shut off after a fixed or settable time interval, Uda col 9 lines 54-57).
19. Regarding claim 14, Uda as modified by Garner teaches the sanitizing system of claim 1, wherein the controller is operatively coupled to the vehicle (actuator 84 may be operated through a control 86, either on the actuator 84 or from a remote location on the vehicle, Uda col 10 lines 5-11).
20. Regarding claim 16 Uda as modified by Garner teaches the sanitizing system of claim 14, wherein the controller is further configured to: control operation of the sanitizing system when the vehicle is unoccupied (when the vehicle is not occupied, the treatment unit can be placed in the second state to effect primarily surface treatment and incidental air treatment, col 10 lines 23-36).
21. Regarding claim 19, Uda teaches a sanitizing system for sanitizing a compartment of a vehicle (treatment unit 10 that disinfects an inside volume 12 of a mobile vehicle 14, Abstract, col 5 lines 46-50 and col 6 lines 4-41), the sanitizing system comprising:
a service assembly (treatment unit 10, col 5 lines 46-64, FIGS. 6-7) comprising:
a service housing (treatment unit 10 has frame 16a, col 7 lines 24-27, FIGS. 6-7) configured to be disposed within the compartment of the vehicle (treatment unit 10 may be mounted from a ceiling, a floor, a vertical wall, or elsewhere, col 7 lines 28-31);
an air inlet defined in the service housing (air inlet 40, FIGS. 6-7), the air inlet in fluid communication with the compartment of the vehicle (air mover/fan 20 draws air within the surrounding space of vehicle through the inlet 40, col 8 lines 1-8);
an air outlet defined in the service housing (FIG. 7, outlet from air mover 20 directs air toward UV light and outward when blocking part 26 is open, col 7 lines 48-67), the air outlet in fluid communication with the compartment of the vehicle (air to redirect and expel from the outlet, col 8 lines 1-8);
a filter disposed between the air inlet and the air outlet (filters, such as HEPA/carbon, to collect particles being drawn towards the air mover 20 and directed away therefrom, col 10 lines 54-56, FIG. 7); and
a blower disposed within the service housing (FIG. 7, air mover/fan 20) and configured to direct an air flow from the air inlet to the air outlet (air mover/fan 20 draws air within the surrounding space through the inlet…expel from the outlet, col 8 lines 1-8) through the filter (filters, such as HEPA/carbon, to collect particles being drawn towards the air mover 20 and directed away therefrom, col 10 lines 54-56, FIG. 7);
at least one lighting assembly in the air flow downstream of the blower fan (FIG. 7, lighting assembly including UV light 30 downstream from air mover 20) and operatively coupled to the service assembly (FIG. 7, UV light 30 operated within service assembly via ballasts 32, col 7 lines 37-47), the at least one lighting assembly comprising:
a lighting assembly housing (FIG. 7);
a light source coupled to the lighting assembly housing (UV light source 18 consists of two UV light generating bulbs 30 mounted on a ballast/converter 32, col 7 lines 37-47), the light source configured to emit ultraviolet light when energized (UV light source 18 that generates germicidal ultraviolet light rays, col 5 lines 51-57); and
a controller communicatively coupled to the service assembly and the at least one lighting assembly (on/off switch 74, disabling structure 76, and control 86 operable by Bluetooth controller such as cell phone, col 9 lines 5-57 and col 10 lines 5-11; all system functions described may be controlled through Bluetooth operation, col 10 lines 51-53), the controller configured to simultaneously (designed to allow controlled surface treatment i.e. outward UV irradiation, if desired, with the treatment unit in the first state i.e. airflow UV irradiation, col 10 lines 41-47) operate:
the blower (step of operating the treatment unit involves causing the air mover to move air in a flow path, col 4 lines 15-17);
the air outlet (actuator 84 may be operated through a control 86 to reposition parts 26, 26’, col 10 lines 5-11); and
the at least one lighting assembly (actuator 84 of lighting assembly may be operated through control 86, col 10 lines 5-11) to sanitize both an air flow exiting the air outlet and one or more interior surfaces of the compartment of the vehicle (first state which allows ongoing disinfecting of the air within the inside volume 12, second state to effect primarily surface treatment and incidental air treatment, col 10 lines 23-47).
Although Uda teaches a second state in which UV light is directed from the UV light onto surfaces of the vehicle (col 4 lines 47-67), Uda does not teach a reflector disposed between the light source and the lighting assembly housing, the reflector defining a beam angle to direct the ultraviolet light into the compartment of the vehicle.
Garner teaches an analogous UV disinfection system (Abstract, pars 0011-0016) with air flowing therethrough (par 0056) having a reflector mounted within the housing behind the light source for concentrating and directing the light toward a target (pars 0060-0062). The reflector may be semicircular (par 0061) and may rotate to direct the concentrated beam around a room i.e. defining a beam angle, thereby making more efficient use of the energy being emitted (Abstract, par 0013).
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art, before the effective filing date of the claimed invention, to dispose within the sanitization system housing of Uda a reflector between the light source and the lighting assembly housing, the reflector defining a beam angle to direct the ultraviolet light into the compartment of the vehicle as taught by Garner. Doing so would predictably provide the same advantage of concentrating the UV light for directing toward a target as taught by Garner.
22. Regarding claim 21, Uda as modified by Garner teaches the sanitizing system of claim 1, wherein the UV lighting assembly and the controller are disposed, at least partially, within the sanitizing system housing (Uda FIG. 11, control 86 and 84 actuator connects to hinge arrangement H of housing 16a, Uda col 9 lines 63-67 and col 10 lines 1-11; Uda FIGS. 6-7, UV lighting assembly disposed within housing 16a).
23. Regarding claim 22, Uda as modified by Garner teaches the sanitizing system of claim 1, wherein the UV lighting assembly is not within the air filtration assembly (Uda FIG. 7 above).
24. Claim 7 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Uda (US 10,893,990 B1) and Garner et al (US 20130243647 A1) as applied to claim 1 above, and further in view of Scheir et al (US 20040175290 A1).
Regarding claim 7, Uda as modified by Garner teaches the sanitizing system of claim 6, but the combination does not teach wherein the reflector comprises a tab to permit an operator to rotate the reflector.
Scheir teaches an ultraviolet lamp coupled to a reflector (par 0032) to emit ultraviolet radiation to decontaminate a surface (par 0032). The reflector is attached to an axis via a locking clamp (par 0039) that projects from the lamp housing (FIG. 2B, tab 276) and allows the user to control the direction of UV radiation emitted (par 0039).
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art, before the effective filing date of the claimed invention, to include within the reflector configuration of modified Uda a tabbed clamp as taught by Scheir. Doing so would predictably provide the user with a similar ability to manually rotate the reflector and adjust the direction of UV radiation so as to ensure irradiation of the target surfaces.
25. Claim 12 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Uda (US 10,893,990 B1) and Garner et al (US 20130243647 A1) as applied to claim 1 above, and further in view of Palmer (US 20150359921A1).
Regarding claim 12, Uda as modified by Garner teaches the sanitizing system of claim 1. The combination does not teach a display operatively coupled to the controller, wherein the display is configured to: display an operation metric of the lighting assembly within the compartment of the vehicle; and display an exchange of air by the air filtration assembly within the compartment of the vehicle.
Palmer teaches an analogous system for reducing airborne contamination that uses UV light sources and filters that sterilize the air passing through the system (Abstract, pars 0003-0006), further comprising a display (par 0023) operatively coupled to the controller (par 0158). The microprocessor controller may send a message to the control panel indicating the signal level of an air velocity sensor (par 0043), i.e., display an exchange of air by the air filtration assembly to determine if air is flowing and the filters are not blocked (par 0169).
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art, before the effective filing date of the claimed invention, to combine the sanitizing system of modified Uda with a display for outputting operation metrics regarding the lighting and air filtration assemblies as taught by Palmer. Doing so would predictably provide the same advantage of communicating to the user whether the UV light source and air filter are operating as intended, as Palmer the merits of a user-interactive display in concert with analogous control systems.
26. Claim 15 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Uda (US 10,893,990 B1) and Garner et al (US 20130243647 A1) as applied to claim 14 above, and further in view of Boodaghians et al (US 20160089459 A1).
Regarding claim 15, Uda as modified by Garner teaches the sanitizing system of claim 14, wherein the controller is configured to control operation of the sanitizing system when a cabin of the vehicle contains no users (par 0031). However, the combination is silent regarding whether the controller would control operation of the sanitizing system when the vehicle is in an engine off state.
Boodaghians teaches a disinfection system “for treating passenger transportation vehicle cabin surfaces” (Abstract) using “LEDs to produce ultraviolet light” (Abstract), these lights may “generally be operated via a safety system” (par 0015) with an exemplary sequence wherein lights may be activated “once the aircraft is parked and the aircraft engines are off” (par 0015). Boodaghians teaches that by making it “possible for the lights to be activated only when all aircraft systems are powered down” (par 0015) or “only after a certain amount of time has elapsed since aircraft shut down” (par 0015), the system will “ensure safety and operation of the air treatment only when passengers and personnel are not present in the cabin” (Abstract).
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art, before the effective filing date of the claimed invention, to further modify the controller of modified Uda to control operation of the sanitizing system when the vehicle is in an engine off state as taught by Boodaghians. Doing so would provide the same advantage of identifying an unoccupied period for UV disinfection to improve protection of users from UV radiation exposure.
27. Claim 17 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Uda (US 10,893,990 B1) and Garner et al (US 20130243647 A1) as applied to claim 1 above, and further in view of Line et al (US 20200198445 A1).
Regarding claim 17, Uda as modified by Garner teaches the sanitizing system of claim 1, but the combination does not teach an air ionizer in fluid communication with the air inlet and the air outlet.
Line teaches an analogous air sanitizing apparatus for a vehicle interior (Abstract, par 0014) using a UV radiation source (ultraviolet radiation source 44, pars 0056 and 0058, FIG. 5), the apparatus further having within an air passage having an inlet and an outlet (air flow tube 62, par 0058, FIGS. 3 and 5) inside which a negative ion generator 42 i.e. ionizer can negatively ionize air molecules to attract and remove particulates from the air (par 0056, FIG. 3).
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art, before the effective filing date of the claimed invention, to include within the sanitizing system of modified Uda an air ionizer in fluid communication with the air inlet and the air outlet as taught by Line. Doing so would predictably provide a similar capability to remove particulates from the air by ionic attraction as advantageously taught by Line (pars 0056 and 0058).
28. Claim 18 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Uda (US 10,893,990 B1) and Garner et al (US 20130243647 A1) as applied to claim 1 above, and further in view of Palmer (US 20150359921A1).
Regarding claim 18, Uda as modified by Garner teaches the sanitizing system of claim 1, but the combination does not teach that the sanitizing system further comprises a heating element.
Palmer teaches an analogous system for reducing airborne contamination that uses UV light sources and filters that sterilize the air passing through the system (Abstract, pars 0003-0006), wherein the system can include a resistive heater within the housing (par 0022) to temper the air in order to maintain comfortable living conditions in the space (pars 0022 and 0041).
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art, before the effective filing date of the claimed invention, to include within the housing of the sanitizing system of modified Uda a heating element as taught by Palmer. Doing so would predictably provide the same benefit of tempering the air for improved comfort within the vehicle.
Response to Arguments
29. Applicant’s arguments with respect to claim 1 and its dependents have been considered but are moot because the new ground of rejection does not rely on any reference applied in the prior rejection of record for any teaching or matter specifically challenged in the argument.
Conclusion
30. Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to Eric Talbert whose telephone number is (703)756-5538. The examiner can normally be reached Mon-Fri 8:00-5:00 Eastern Time.
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If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Maris Kessel can be reached at (571) 270-7698. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/ERIC TALBERT/Examiner, Art Unit 1758
/MARIS R KESSEL/Supervisory Patent Examiner, Art Unit 1758