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 .
Election/Restrictions
Applicant's election with traverse of Invention I (claims 1-8) in the reply filed on July, 7, 2025, is acknowledged. The traversal is on the ground(s) that the restriction requirement are directed to the same electrostatic precipitation air cleaning system. This is not found persuasive because applicant’s traverse is misplaced and moot because the standards for traversal are different for lack of unity versus US practice. The requirement is still deemed proper and is therefore made FINAL.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 102
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 (i.e., changing from AIA to pre-AIA ) 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 the appropriate paragraphs of 35 U.S.C. 102 that form the basis for the rejections under this section made in this Office action:
A person shall be entitled to a patent unless –
(a)(1) the claimed invention was patented, described in a printed publication, or in public use, on sale, or otherwise available to the public before the effective filing date of the claimed invention.
Claims 1-2, 4-8 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Andolino (US 6428611 B1).
Citations from prior art to Andolino (US 6428611 B1) follow below:
Claim 1. An electrostatic precipitation air cleaning system (Figs. 3, 4; col. 3, ll. 5-28) for removing mist, smoke or particles from an air stream, comprising: an ionizer (ionizer unit 38; Figs. 3, 4); a collector (collector unit 39; Figs. 3, 4); an exhaust fan (blower device 41; col. 3, ll. 29-38; Figs. 3, 4) configured to draw the air stream through the ionizer and the collector; a high voltage power supply (high voltage power supply circuit 56 provided with high voltage supply unit 57) that provides an ionizer voltage to the ionizer and at least a first collector voltage and a second collector voltage (col. 4, ll. 10-33; Figs. 3, 4); and an electrostatic precipitator controller coupled to the high voltage power supply (toggle switch 64; Figs. 3, 4) and operable to select one of the at least the first collector voltage and the second collector voltage to provide to the collector (col. 4, ll. 33-55; Figs. 3, 4).
Claim 2. The electrostatic precipitation air cleaning system of claim 1, wherein the high voltage power supply comprises a first power supply circuit that generates the ionizer voltage and a second power supply circuit that generates the at least the first collector voltage and the second collector voltage (col. 4, ll. 10-33; Figs. 3, 4).
Claim 4. The electrostatic precipitation air cleaning system of claim 2, wherein the electrostatic precipitator controller comprises a collector voltage controller (switch 62) coupled to the second power supply circuit that is operable to set the at least the first collector voltage and the second collector voltage to a value that is greater than zero and less than the ionizer voltage (col. 4, ll. 10-19; 38-65; Figs. 3, 4).
Claim 5. The electrostatic precipitation air cleaning system of claim 4, wherein the collector voltage controller is a collector switch (switch 62) having a first switch state and a second switch state, the collector switch operable to provide the first collector voltage to the collector when the collector switch is in the first switch state and to provide the second collector voltage to the collector when the collector switch is in the second switch state, wherein the second collector voltage is greater than zero and is less than the first collector voltage (col. 4, ll. 10-19; 38-65; Fig. 3, 4).
Claim 6. The electrostatic precipitation air cleaning system of claim 2, further comprising a collector indicator light (another LED) coupled to the high voltage power supply that changes from an illuminated state to a non-illuminated state or from the non-illuminated state to the illuminated state if the first collector voltage or the second collector voltage falls below a collector voltage threshold level which is approximately equal to zero volts (col. 4, ll. 10-19; 32-65; Fig. 3, 4).
Claim 7. The electrostatic precipitation air cleaning system of claim 2, further comprising a collector indicator light (indicator light 63) coupled to the second power supply circuit that changes from an illuminated state to a non-illuminated state or from the non-illuminated state to the illuminated state if the ionizer voltage falls below an ionizer threshold voltage level or if the first collector voltage or the second collector voltage falls below a collector voltage threshold level, wherein the ionizer threshold voltage level and the collector voltage threshold level are approximately equal to zero volts (col. 4, ll. 10-19; 32-65; Fig. 3, 4).
Claim 8. The electrostatic precipitation air cleaning system of claim 2, further comprising an ionizer indicator light (external LED) coupled to the high voltage power supply that changes from an illuminated state to a non-illuminated state or from the non-illuminated state to the illuminated state if the ionizer voltage falls below an ionizer threshold voltage level that is approximately equal to zero volts (col. 4, ll. 56-64; Figs. 3, 4).
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 (i.e., changing from AIA to pre-AIA ) 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.
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.
Claim 1 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Wallgren (US 20200316612 A1).
Citations from prior art to Wallgren (US 20200316612 A1) follow below:
Claim 1. An electrostatic precipitation air cleaning system (electrostatic precipitator 10; Figs. 1, 2) for removing mist, smoke or particles from an air stream, comprising: an ionizer (par [0003]; Fig. 2); a collector (par [0003]; Fig. 2); a high voltage power supply (Figs. 1, 2) that provides an ionizer voltage to the ionizer and at least a first collector voltage and a second collector voltage; and an electrostatic precipitator controller (pars [0014], [0033]; Figs. 1, 2) coupled to the high voltage power supply and operable to select one of the at least the first collector voltage and the second collector voltage to provide to the collector (Figs. 1, 2).
Wallgren does not appear to disclose explicitly an exhaust fan configured to draw the air stream through the ionizer and the collector but does teach gases are arranged to pass through the negative electric field provided by the emitting electrodes, causing the solid particulate to be negatively charged. The negatively charged particles are subsequently attracted to the collecting electrodes to which they adhere (par [0003]). It would have been obvious for one of ordinary skill in the art at the effective filing date of the current invention that an exhaust fan would be utilized to draw air into the electrostatic precipitator to clean the air flowing through the system with a reasonable expectation of success.
Claim 2 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Wallgren (US 20200316612 A1) and Kroeger (US 5542964 A).
Citations from prior art to Wallgren (US 20200316612 A1) and Kroeger (US 5542964 A) follow as indicated below:
Claim 2. The electrostatic precipitation air cleaning system of claim 1, wherein the high voltage power supply comprises a first power supply circuit that generates the ionizer voltage and a second power supply circuit that generates the at least the first collector voltage and the second collector voltage (see Kroeger: variable high voltage (HV) DC circuit 56; Fig. 3B).
Regarding claim 2, Wallgren is relied upon as indicated above and further teaches said voltage power supply comprises a first power supply circuit that generates the ionizer voltage and a second power supply circuit that generates the at least the first collector voltage (par [0013]) but does not appear to teach explicitly a second collector voltage. Kroeger discloses a second power supply circuit that generates the at least the first collector voltage and the second collector voltage (see Kroeger: variable high voltage circuit 56 in Fig. 3B) to maintain voltage at a desire level (see Kroeger: col. 6, ll. 26-32). It would have been obvious for one of ordinary skill in the art at the effective filing date of the current invention to substitute the second power supply circuit taught in Kroeger in the system disclosed in Wallgren to maintain voltage at desired voltage levels because the second power supply circuits of each prior art reference are art‐recognized equivalents. See MPEP § 2144.06.
Regarding claim 3,the prior art is relied upon as set forth above. Wallgren further teaches the limitations of clam 3 as indicated as followed below:
Claim 3. The electrostatic precipitation air cleaning system of claim 2, wherein the first power supply circuit includes a pulse width modulation circuit, a first transformer and a first voltage multiplier, the first voltage multiplier having a first output that provides the ionizer voltage (see Wallgren: pars [0011], [0035]-[0038], [0040], [0045]; Fig. 2), and wherein the second power supply circuit includes an oscillator, a second transformer and a second voltage multiplier, the second voltage multiplier having a second output that provides the at least the first collector voltage and the second collector voltage (see Wallgren: pars [0011], [0012], [0034]; claim 19, Fig. 2).
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure.
US 20060137528 A1: electrostatic precipitator and exhaust fan.
US 20200009578 A1: teaches limitations of claim 1; Figs. 1, 2; pars [0005], [0013], [0026], [0027], [0032], and [0033].
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/SONJI TURNER/Examiner, Art Unit 1776 July 25, 2025 /DUANE SMITH/ Supervisory Patent Examiner, Art Unit 1759