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 .
Response to Amendment
2. This is an office action in response to applicant's arguments and remarks filed on 06/27/2025. Claims 1 and 4-10 are pending in the application. Claims 9-10 have been withdrawn and claims 1 and 4-8 are being examined herein.
Status of Objections and Rejections
3. The objection to claim 4 has been withdrawn in view of Applicant's amendment.
The rejection of claim 6 under 35 USC 112(b) is withdrawn in view of Applicant's amendment.
All rejections from the previous office action are withdrawn in view of Applicant's amendment.
New grounds of rejection under 35 U.S.C. 103 are necessitated by the amendments.
Response to Arguments
4. In the arguments presented on 6-10 of the amendment, the applicant argues that the technical problem solved by the present application is not taught or suggested by Bohlen et al. (US 20130047858 A1). For example, the electrostatic cell precipitator frame (632, Fig. 6) is designed to have the collection plates fixed, meaning the plates cannot be separated, which is what the instant application is claiming. This leads to the technical solution of providing an air purifier that is easy/convenient to clean not being shown by Bohlen.
Applicant's arguments filed 06/27/2025 have been fully considered but they are not persuasive. The term “detachable” in claim 1 is a broad term and any part, fixed with a screw, hook and loop fastener, nail, or any other method of fixing, is still considered detachable. In the context of Bohlen the plates are fixed but can be removed, i.e., detachable. Furthermore, the technical solution of providing an air purifier that is easy/convenient to clean is not specifically disclosed in the claims. The recited structure of amended claim 1 does not state the aforementioned technical solutions, and thus, the claim limitations cannot be only interpreted with this technical solution in mind.
Applicant also argues that Bohlen fails to teach the amended limitation “there are one plate of the plurality of first collection electrode plates and one plate of the plurality of second collection electrode plates between two adjacent plates of the plurality of repulsion electrode plates”.
Applicant’s arguments, see p.6-7, filed 06/27/2025, with respect to the rejection of claim 1 under 35 U.S.C. 102 have been fully considered and are persuasive. Therefore, the rejection has been withdrawn. However, upon further consideration, a new ground(s) of rejection is made in view of Bohlen et al. (US 20130047858 A1), further in view of Lu et al. (CN 111167608 A).
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 112
5. The text of those sections of Title 35, U.S. Code not included in this action can be found in a prior Office action.
6. Claim 1 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 1 recites “the second collection electrode plate group”. There is insufficient antecedent basis for this limitation in the claim. It is apparent to the Examiner that there is a typo in the limitation prior, where the claim recites “wherein the collection electrode plate group comprises a first collection electrode plate group and a second collection electrode plate” and not “wherein the collection electrode plate group comprises a first collection electrode plate group and a second collection electrode plate group”. This amendment would overcome this rejection.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 103
7. The text of those sections of Title 35, U.S. Code not included in this action can be found in a prior Office action.
8. Claims 1, 4-5, and 7-8 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Bohlen et al. (US 20130047858 A1), further in view of Lu et al. (CN 111167608 A).
Regarding claim 1, Bohlen teaches an air purifier (air cleaner 200, Fig. 2), comprising: a housing (“Air cleaner 200 includes a housing which can comprise an outer top 250, a latch assembly 254, an inner top housing 256, a front panel 258, a rear panel 260, an air inlet grill 210, an air outlet grill 212, a bottom inner housing assembly 266, an outer bottom assembly 268”, Fig. 2 and [0031]),
the housing being provided with an air inlet and an air outlet (an air inlet grill 210 and an air outlet grill 212, Fig. 2) and a detachable door panel (“front panel 258 can be removable or can include a door”, Fig. 2 and [0031]);
a protective cover (electrostatic precipitator cell frame 632, Fig. 6, where Fig. 6 is a “detailed view of an electrostatic precipitator cell”, [0022], having a corona wire assembly and collection assembly, which is stated in Fig. 2, “electrostatic precipitator cell 224 containing collection assembly and corona wire assembly”, [0034]), the protective cover detachably disposed (claim 17 on electrostatic precipitator 224, Fig. 2) on an inner wall of the housing and opposite to the door panel (rear panel 260 is an inner wall of the housing that is opposite to front panel 258, where the frame 632 is disposed in, Fig. 2), and located between the air inlet and the air outlet (between air inlet grill 210 and air outlet grill 212, Fig. 2); and
an electrostatic filter element (electrostatic precipitator cell 224 in Fig. 2 equating to 600 in Fig. 6), comprising an emission assembly (corona wire assembly 602, Fig. 6) and a collection assembly (collection assembly 604, Fig. 6), the emission assembly detachably disposed in the protective cover (claim 4), the emission assembly being located at a side of the collection assembly close to the air inlet (“Dirt and debris in the air become ionized when they are brought into the electrical field by the airflow. Charged electrodes in an electrostatic precipitator cell air cleaner, such as positive and negative plates or positive and grounded plates, attract the ionized dirt and debris”, [0038], implying the corona wire assembly is closer to the air inlet),
wherein the collection assembly (electrostatic precipitator cell 224 in Fig. 2 and 600 in Fig. 6) comprises: a repulsion electrode plate group (charged plates 638, Fig. 6), the repulsion electrode plate group being detachably disposed in the protective cover (the installment of the plates within the electrostatic precipitator cell frame 632, Fig. 6, inherently make the plates detachable); and
at least one collection electrode plate group (ground plates 640, Fig. 6), the collection electrode plate group being detachably inserted in the repulsion electrode plate group (the installment of the plates within the electrostatic precipitator cell frame 632, Fig. 6, inherently make the plates detachable),
wherein the repulsion electrode plate group (charged plates 638, Fig. 6) comprises a frame body (frame 632, Fig. 6) and a plurality of repulsion electrode plates distributed in arrays in the frame body (the plates are distributed in a linear array, Fig. 6), a first mounting groove matching with the frame body is provided on the protective cover, and the frame body is detachably disposed in the first mounting groove (groove of receptacle 244 is configured to receive the precipitator 224/600, Fig. 2 and 6); and
wherein the collection electrode plate group (ground plates 640, Fig. 6) comprises a first collection electrode plate group, the first collection electrode plate group comprises a plurality of first collection electrode plates distributed in arrays (the plates are distributed in a linear array, Fig. 6), and the plurality of first collection electrode plates are detachably inserted in the frame body (the installment of the ground plates 640 within the electrostatic precipitator cell frame 632, Fig. 6, inherently make the plates detachable) and are distributed in a staggered manner with the plurality of repulsion electrode plates (plates 638 to 640 are staggered, Fig. 6).
Bohlen fails to teach a second collection electrode plate group comprising a plurality of second collection electrode plates distributed in arrays, wherein the plurality of second collection electrode plates are detachably inserted in the frame body and the plurality of second collection electrode plates are distributed in a staggered manner with the plurality of repulsion electrode plates such that there are one plate of the plurality of first collection electrode plates and one plate of the plurality of second collection electrode plates between two adjacent plates of the plurality of repulsion electrode plates.
Lu teaches a detachable purifying electrostatic plate assembly (electrode structure 100, Fig. 1), wherein the collection electrode plate group comprises a first collection electrode plate group (collecting electrode plate group 22, Fig. 4) and a second collection electrode plate (collecting pole lower inserting plate group 23, Fig. 4), where the first collection electrode plate group comprises a plurality of first collection electrode plates distributed in arrays (array via flashboard 221, Fig. 4), the second collection electrode plate group comprises a plurality of second collection electrode plates distributed in arrays (array via flashboard 231, Fig. 4), and the plurality of first collection electrode plates and the plurality of second collection electrode plates are detachably inserted in the frame body (see p.5, last paragraph of English translation) and are distributed in a staggered manner with the plurality of repulsion electrode plates such that there are one plate of the plurality of first collection electrode plates and one plate of the plurality of second collection electrode plates between two adjacent plates of the plurality of repulsion electrode plates (the plate groups 22 and 23 are referred to as collection plate 21, where Fig. 3 shows the plate group of 21 alternating with repulsion group 31, see p.5, last paragraph of English translation).
Bohlen and Lu are both considered to be analogous to the claimed invention because they are in the same field of air purifiers with electrostatic plate assemblies for the collection of charged air particulates.
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to substitute each collection/ground plate between two adjacent charged plates of Bohlen with two collection/ground plates between two adjacent repulsion/charged plates as taught by Lu because the substitution of this feature would yield the predictable result of collecting charged air particulates [KSR Rationale B, see MPEP 2143]).
Furthermore, it would also have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art to duplicate Bohlen’s one collection/ground plate between two adjacent charged plates into two or more collection/ground plates (each ground plate assigned to a separate collection electrode plate group) between two adjacent charged plates (yielding the predictable result of collecting charged air particulates or even increasing the collection efficiency due to more collection/ground plates) because “mere duplication of parts has no patentable significance unless a new and unexpected result is produced” (see MPEP 2144.04(VI)(B)).
Regarding claim 4, Bohlen teaches wherein the frame body (frame 632 equating to the frame of the precipitator cell 224, Fig. 2 and 6) is pluggably disposed in the first mounting groove (groove of receptacle 244 is configured to receive the precipitator 224/600, Fig. 2 and 6); and a handle is provided on the frame body (handle 644, Fig. 6).
Regarding claim 5, Bohlen teaches wherein a second mounting groove is provided on the protective cover (receiving slots 634 on frame 632, Fig. 6), and the emission assembly is detachably disposed in the second mounting groove and is opposite to the collection assembly at an interval (claim 5).
Regarding claim 7, Bohlen teaches a primary filter member (pre-filter 222, Fig. 2), the primary filter member being detachably disposed in the housing (“Due to the independent nature of pre-filter 222, electrostatic precipitator cell 224, and photo-catalytic oxidizing assembly 230, each can be independently installed and independently removed”, [0034]) and located at a side of the emission assembly close to the air inlet (pre-filter 222 is on a side of the corona wire assembly close to the air inlet grille 210, Fig. 2).
Regarding claim 8, modified Bohlen teaches a catalytic filter element (photocatalytic oxidizing assembly 230 in Fig. 2 equivalent to photocatalytic oxidizing assembly 500 in Fig. 5, see [0033]), the catalytic filter element being detachably disposed in the housing (“Due to the independent nature of pre-filter 222, electrostatic precipitator cell 224, and photo-catalytic oxidizing assembly 230, each can be independently installed and independently removed”, [0034]) and located at a side of the collection assembly close to the air outlet (oxidizing assembly 230 is at a side of the collection assembly close to the air outlet 212, Fig. 2).
9. Claim 6 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Bohlen et al. (US 20130047858 A1), further in view of Lu et al. (CN 111167608 A), as applied to claim 1 above, further in view of Lu et al. (CN 106594895 A), hereinafter Lu ‘895.
Regarding claim 6, modified Bohlen teaches the protective cover (Bohlen, receptacle 244, Fig. 2), but is silent to the material composition of the protective cover, specifically wherein the protective cover is a rubber cover made of an insulating material.
Lu ‘895 teaches wherein the protective cover is a rubber cover made of an insulating material (inner liner 2, Fig. 4, where “the material of the inner lining body is silicone electrically insulating adhesive”, see p.3, 2nd paragraph of English translation).
Bohlen, Lu, and Lu ‘895 are both considered to be analogous to the claimed invention because they are in the same field of purifying air via an electrostatic device.
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify the Bohlen/Lu combination of an electrostatic precipitator cell receptacle/protective cover by incorporating a silicone material composition as taught by Lu ‘895 in order to make the cover/receptacle electrically insulative (Lu, p.3, 2nd paragraph of English translation).
Conclusion
10. 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.
11. Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to Aham Lee whose telephone number is (703)756-5622. The examiner can normally be reached Monday to Thursday, 10:00 AM - 8:00 PM EST.
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If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Maris R. 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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/Aham Lee/Examiner, Art Unit 1758
/MARIS R KESSEL/Supervisory Patent Examiner, Art Unit 1758
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