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 .
Continued Examination Under 37 CFR 1.114
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and the fee set forth in 37 CFR 1.17(e) has been timely paid, the finality of the previous Office action has been withdrawn pursuant to 37 CFR 1.114.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 July 16, 2026 has been entered.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 112
The following is a quotation of the first paragraph of 35 U.S.C. 112(a):
(a) IN GENERAL.—The specification shall contain a written description of the invention, and of the manner and process of making and using it, in such full, clear, concise, and exact terms as to enable any person skilled in the art to which it pertains, or with which it is most nearly connected, to make and use the same, and shall set forth the best mode contemplated by the inventor or joint inventor of carrying out the invention.
The following is a quotation of the first paragraph of pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112:
The specification shall contain a written description of the invention, and of the manner and process of making and using it, in such full, clear, concise, and exact terms as to enable any person skilled in the art to which it pertains, or with which it is most nearly connected, to make and use the same, and shall set forth the best mode contemplated by the inventor of carrying out his invention.
Claims 27 – 29 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 112(a) or 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), first paragraph, as failing to comply with the written description requirement. The claim(s) contains subject matter which was not described in the specification in such a way as to reasonably convey to one skilled in the relevant art that the inventor or a joint inventor, or for applications subject to pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, the inventor(s), at the time the application was filed, had possession of the claimed invention. Claim 27 requires a frame with a lip suitable for supporting the one or more V-configurations within a HVAC system. This claim is considered to be directed to the frame (248) shown in figures 7 – 9 of the present application, which has a lip (260) extending around it. The frame in claim 21, however, is considered to be directed to the frame (148) that extends around a perimeter of the filter panels and is received by corner sections (156). The specification does not disclose a frame that both extends around the perimeter of the filter panels with corner sections to receive the frame, and also has a lip suitable for supporting the one or more V-configurations within a HVAC system. Claims 28 and 29 depend from claim 27 and are also rejected.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 103
The text of those sections of Title 35, U.S. Code not included in this action can be found in a prior Office action.
Claims 21 – 26 and 30 – 40 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over US Patent Application Publication No. 2014/0237966 to Chin et al. (hereinafter referred to as Chin) in view of US Patent Application Publication No. 2016/0136560 to Gillilan (hereinafter referred to as Gillilan) and/or CN 102015062 to Muenkel et al. (hereinafter referred to as Muenkel).
In regard to claim 21, as shown in figures 2 – 4, Chin discloses am apparatus (12) for supporting a V-bank filter element. The apparatus includes a top member (50) and a bottom member (52) for supporting multiple filter panels (70). The bounding support members (72) together form a frame for coupling with the top member (50) and the bottom member (52). The frame (72) supports the multiple filter panels (70) and is disposed along a perimeter of the multiple filter panels, as discussed in paragraph [0027]. As shown in figures 2 – 4, the seats (44) and clips (80) have portions that meet to form corners sections and the frame (72) is received in these corner sections. As shown in figure 2, the frame (72) has one or more openings to allow an airstream to pass through the filter panels (70).
As discussed in paragraph [0026], the filter panels (70) are formed by filter media that can include a combination of multiple materials/components. The filter media inherently includes at least a first media layer. Chin does not specifically disclose a filter media to having a second media layer coupled together with the first media layer wherein the first media layer has a lower fiber density than the second media layer. As discussed in paragraphs [0034], [0035], and [0042] of Gillilan, it is known in the art to use filter media made of multiple layers coupled together. Both uniform layers and layers with a gradient in density are known in the art. As discussed in paragraph [0096] of the machine translation, Muenkel also discloses a filter medium having layers with a gradient in density. Muenkel describes this structure to improve a dust storage capacity of the filter medium.
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify Chin to include a filter media made from a at least two layers where one layer has a lower fiber density than the other as suggested by Gillilan and/or Muenkel as it is well known in the art to form filter media with layers having a gradient density and filter media of this type are known to provide an improved dust storage capacity.
In regard to claim 22, the top and bottom members (50, 52) are configured to support at least two filter panels (70), as shown in figures 2 – 4 of Chin.
In regard to claims 23 and 24, as shown in figures 2 – 4 of Chin, the top member (50) and the bottom member (52) are configured to angle the at least two filter panels (70) with respect to one another to form a V-configuration.
In regard to claim 25, the top member (50) and the bottom member (52) are configured to encapsulate the at least two filter panels (70) and couple with the frame (72) to provide structural rigidity.
In regard to claim 26, the frame (72) of Chin include all of the required structural limitations and is considered to be capable of orienting the one or more V-configurations within a HVAC system.
In regard to claim 30, as shown in figures 2 – 4 of Chin, the top member (50) and the bottom member (52) are configured to arrange the V-bank filter element such that front edges of an adjacent V-bank element panels are placed in contact and rear edges of adjacent V-bank filter element panels are placed in contact.
In regard to claim 31, as discussed in paragraph [0024] of Chin, the top member (50) and the bottom member (52) are configured to each include a seat (44) configured to receive respective top edges and bottom edges of the filter panels such that the filter panels are arranged into the one or more V-configurations.
In regard to claim 32, as shown in figure 2 of Chin, the one or more openings each allows the airstream to enter an upstream volume define by two adjacent filter panels (70).
In regard to claim 33, a downstream volume defined by two adjacent filter panels (70) allows a clean airstream to exit the V-bank filter element.
In regard to claims 34 and 35, as shown in figures 2 – 4 of Chin, the seats (44) are configured to fixate the one or more V-configurations such that upstream volumes defined by the one or more V-configurations include substantially identical angles and areas. Similarly, the seats (44) are configured to fixate the one or more V-configurations such that downstream volumes defined by the one or more V-configurations include substantially identical angles and areas.
In regard to claim 36, as discussed in paragraph [0024] of Chin, the top member (50) and the bottom member (52) are comprised of a rigid material suitable for maintaining the one or more V-configurations.
In regard to claim 37, the apparatus of Chin and Gillilan and/or Muenkel inherently performs a method for supporting a V-bank filter element, comprising: configuring a top member and a bottom member to support multiple filter panels; forming one or more openings in a frame to allow an airstream to pass through the frame wherein the frame is configured to couple the top member and the bottom member and further wherein the frame supports the multiple filter panels and further wherein the frame is disposed along a perimeter of the multiple filter panels; providing a plurality of filter media layers whereby the plurality of media layers having different densities between the plurality of filter media layers; coupling the frame to the top member and the bottom member, and providing a plurality of corner sections to receive the frame of the air filter.
In regard to claims 38 – 40, as shown in figures 2 – 4 of Chin, configuring the top and bottom members includes configuring seats (44) to receive respective top edges and bottom edges of the filter panels (70) such that the filter panels are arranged into one or more V-configurations. The seats (44) can be considered to be configured to fixate the one or more V-configurations such that upstream volumes defined by the one or more V-configurations include substantially identical angles and areas. Additionally, forming the openings includes configuring the one or more openings to each allow the airstream to enter an upstream volume defined by two adjacent filter panels (70).
Response to Arguments
Applicant’s arguments, see pages 5 – 8, filed July 16, 2026, with respect to the rejections of claims 21 – 40 under 35 USC 103 have been fully considered and are persuasive. Therefore, the rejections have been withdrawn. However, upon further consideration, a new ground(s) of rejection is made in view of a newly found prior art reference, see rejection above.
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure.
US Patent No. 6,464,75 discloses a frame for a filter panel having corner connectors (16) that connect frame pieces (18) together.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to Robert Clemente whose telephone number is (571)272-1476. The examiner can normally be reached M-F 9-5.
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/ROBERT CLEMENTE/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 1773
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