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 .
Election/Restrictions
Applicant’s election without traverse of Group I, Claims 1, 10, and 11 and Species I, Figures 2-11 and Sub-Species A, Fig. 6A in the reply filed on July 21, 2025 is acknowledged.
Claims 2-9 and 12-17 have been withdrawn from further consideration pursuant to 37 CFR 1.142(b) as being drawn to a nonelected Groups II-IV and Species II-V, there being no allowable generic or linking claim. Election was made without traverse in the reply filed on July 21, 2025.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 112
The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 112(b):
(b) CONCLUSION.—The specification shall conclude with one or more claims particularly pointing out and distinctly claiming the subject matter which the inventor or a joint inventor regards as the invention.
The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), second paragraph:
The specification shall conclude with one or more claims particularly pointing out and distinctly claiming the subject matter which the applicant regards as his invention.
Claim 1, 10 and 11 are 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.
The term "type" in claim 1 is a relative term which renders the claim indefinite. The term "type" is not defined by the claim, the specification does not provide a standard for ascertaining the requisite degree, and one of ordinary skill in the art would not be reasonably apprised of the scope of the invention. See MPEP 2173.05(b) III E.
The limitation ‘small hydraulic power generator” in claim 11 is a relative term which renders the claim indefinite. The term “small” is not defined by the claim, the specification does not provide a standard for ascertaining the requisite degree, and one of ordinary skill in the art would not be reasonably apprised of the scope of the invention.
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.
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 1 and 10 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Kim et al. (US 2014/0352698 A1) in view of Seorin Architects & Engineers Co., LTD. (KR 200296703).
With regard to claim 1, Kim discloses an in-building access path installation type smoke control system (Fig. 28), which is openably and closably installed in an in-building access path (Fig. 28), the in-building access path installation type smoke control system comprising: a door casing (gate casing shown in Fig. 28) having an intake port and a discharge port; a door nozzle (nozzle of 910) installed in the door casing and configured to spray water supplied from the outside (Fig. 28); and the door including a negative pressure inducer (Fig. 3 and Par. 0194) configured to allow water sprayed from the door nozzle to pass therethrough, generate negative pressure on the basis of the Venturi effect while the water passes therethrough, suck gas at the periphery of the door casing through the intake port, mix the sucked gas with water, and move the gas mixed with the water downward toward the discharge port (abstract and claims 24 and 29).
Kim does not disclose the smoke control system is installed in a main door body.
However, Seorin teaches a smoke control system installed in a main boor body (figures).
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 device of Kim, by arranging the smoke control system of Kim inside of a main door body as taught by Seorin, for the benefit of preventing smoke and toxic gases from spreading to a place where people are taking refuge through a gap between the fire door and the floor (Par. 0014).
With regard to claim 10, the device of Kim as modified by Seorin discloses the invention as disclosed in the rejection of claim 1 above. Kim further discloses that a mixing spacer (190) installed in the door casing and configured to mix water with gas while colliding with the sprayed water (Fig. 3).
Claim 11 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Kim in view of Seorin as applied to claim 1 above, and further in view of McLoughlin et al. (US 2012/0012344 A1) and Gu (CN 107998565 A).
With regard to claim 11, the device of Kim as modified by Seorin discloses the invention as disclosed in the rejection of claim 1 above. They do not disclose that a small hydraulic power generator configured to produce electric power by receiving kinetic energy of water supplied in the event of a fire; an emergency lighting part configured to operate by receiving electric power of the small hydraulic power generator; and an anion generator configured to trap and remove positively charged particles in the gas by outputting anions.
McLoughlin teaches a firefighting apparatus comprising a small hydraulic power generator configured to produce electric power by receiving kinetic energy of water supplied in the event of a fire; an emergency lighting part configured to operate by receiving electric power of the small hydraulic power generator (Par. 0013).
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 device of Kim, by incorporating the hydraulic power generator and the emergency lighting as taught by McLoughlin, for the benefit of providing a self-sustained and completely independent power system (Par. 0013).
Gu teaches a firefighting apparatus comprising an anion generator configured to trap and remove positively charged particles in the gas by outputting anions (Par. 0012, 0018).
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 device of Kim, by incorporating the anion generator as taught by Gu, for the benefit of improving the device sprays negative ion content of the fluid and the device sprays the fluid purified ambient air. (Par. 0018).
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to JOEL ZHOU whose telephone number is (571)270-1163. The examiner can normally be reached Mon-Fri 9AM-5PM.
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JOEL . ZHOU
Primary Examiner
Art Unit 3752
/QINGZHANG ZHOU/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3752