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and the fee set forth in 37 CFR 1.17(e) has been timely paid, the finality of the previous Office action has been withdrawn pursuant to 37 CFR 1.114.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 02/24/2026 has been entered.
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.
Claim(s) 1-2, 4, 8, and 16-19 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Eich et al (DE 102011083103) in view of Frayer et al (US PUB. 20220282873, herein Frayer).
Regarding claim 1, A cooker hood, comprising a fan unit configured to extract cooking vapors,
a filter unit configured to filter the cooking vapors (0039 “contaminated air, which flows through the extractor hood 10 from below and which is also referred to as vapor, is freed from solid and liquid impurities, such as, for example, fat particles. In the embodiment shown, an odor filter 105 is also arranged downstream of the fat filter 104 in the direction of flow and upstream of the blower 102. This can be, for example, an activated carbon filter. The odor filter 105 can also be referred to as a prefilter and can also serve to separate odorous substances for separating particles. Alternatively, the prefilter can also serve, for example, only for separating particles”),
a first detecting unit configured to detect and/or sense a first series of first operating states, wherein each first operating state comprises a state selected from a first group of states consisting of (0044 “The operating elements 103 on the viewing hood 100 are connected to a control 106 of the extractor hood 10. By way of this control 106, for example, the fan 102 of the extractor hood 10 is controlled and set. The fan or blower stage set in this way is displayed on the display device 108. In addition, the operation of the extractor hood 10, in particular the duration of the operation and the fan stage set in the process, are preferably stored in the control 106 of the extractor hood 10. For this purpose, the values from the detection unit 107, which in the embodiment shown is shown as part of the controller 106, are detected and optionally also stored in this unit 107. Furthermore, in the illustrated embodiment, the controller 106 is also connected to the control unit 110 of the air preparation device 11 for communication via the communication interface 14”),
a fan speed of the fan unit, and a power level of the cooker hood and/or fan unit (0011 “operating state of the fan of the extractor hood, which is also referred toas a fan, is understood as the operating state of the extractor hood. In this case, the operating state can relate to the power, the duration of use and/or the frequency of the operation of the extractor hood and in particular of the fan.”, 0026 “in the case of a high fan stage of the extractor hood, an operating duration of the extractor hood is used with ahigher value than the actually detected value for the determination of the remaining service life. This makes it more precise to determine the remaining service life, since at a higher operating stage of the extractor hood, for example, ahigher volume flow and thus a faster deposition of odorous substances, reactive species and/or impurities in the filterfilterelement or on the air treatment device can be assumed.”)
a second detecting unit configured to detect and/or sense a second series of second operating states (0049 “When the extractor hood 10 is actuated, the operating time of the extractor hood 10 is measured, for example, by a detection unit 107, which can have a timer for this purpose.”), [wherein each second operating state comprises a state selected from a second group of states consisting of:
a temperature,
a humidity,
a type of food,
a cooking factor,
a user input,
data from a hob,
data from another appliance,
and
data from an interface unit]
an evaluation unit configured to evaluate filter states based at least on the first series of first operating states and the second series of second operating states (0049 “After one or more operations of the extractor hood 10, the operating time which is composed of the individual operating times of the extractor hood 10 is determined. In this case, the fan stage can be taken into account in the calculation of the time. This operating time can then be transmitted to the determination unit 15. There, the operating time is processed with the stored maximum value of the duration of use of the odor filter element 114 and the remaining service life of the odor filter element 114 is determined therefrom. If the fan stage has not yet been taken into account in the calculation of the service life, this is preferably taken into account at the latest when determining the remaining service life. This remaining service life can then be transmitted via the communication interface 14 to the display device 108 and displayed there”, remaining life is calculated based on the first and second detecting conditions. Filter state is determined),
and at least one notification unit configured to indicate or trigger a notification based on the filter states (0049 “This remaining service life can then be transmitted via the communication interface 14 to the display device 108 and displayed there”).
Eich does not teach wherein each second operating state comprises a state selected from a second group of states consisting of: a temperature, a humidity, a type of food, a cooking factor, a user input, data from a hob, data from another appliance, and
data from an interface unit.
Frayer teaches wherein each second operating state comprises a state selected from a second group of states consisting of:
a temperature,
a humidity,
a type of food,
a cooking factor,
a user input,
data from a hob,
data from another appliance,
and
data from an interface unit (0011 “a vent hood method is provided. A first air quality signal indicative of air quality parameters of air before entering a filter of a vent hood is received from a pre-filter air quality sensor.”).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the instant application to have modified the teachings of Eich and the teachings of Frayer since Frayer teaches a means for alerting lack of filter efficiency (abstract).
Claims 17 and 18 are rejected using similar reasoning as the rejection of claim 1 due to reciting similar limitations but directed towards an appliance and a method.
Regarding claim 2, the cited prior art teach The cooker hood according to claim 1.
Eich teaches wherein: the first detecting unit does not comprise a sensor (0044 “The operating elements 103 on the viewing hood 100 are connected to a control 106 of the extractor hood 10. By way of this control 106, for example, the fan 102 of the extractor hood 10 is controlled and set. The fan or blower stage set in this way is displayed on the display device 108. In addition, the operation of the extractor hood 10, in particular the duration of the operation and the fan stage set in the process, are preferably stored in the control 106 of the extractor hood 10);
and/or the second detecting unit is configured to detect the second operating states from an interface unit (0044 “The operating elements 103 on the viewing hood 100 are connected to a control 106 of the extractor hood 10. By way of this control 106, for example, the fan 102 of the extractor hood 10 is controlled and set. The fan or blower stage set in this way is displayed on the display device 108. In addition, the operation of the extractor hood 10, in particular the duration of the operation and the fan stage set in the process, are preferably stored in the control 106 of the extractor hood 10”).
Regarding claim 4, the cited prior art teach The cooker hood according to claim 1.
Frayer teaches wherein: the second detecting unit comprises at least one sensor unit; and/or the second detecting unit comprises a camera arranged on or at the cooker hood, the camera configured to identify types of food cooked; and/or each second operating state is or comprises a type of food identified by means of the second detecting unit (0011 “a vent hood method is provided. A first air quality signal indicative of air quality parameters of air before entering a filter of a vent hood is received from a pre-filter air quality sensor.”).
Regarding claim 8, the cited prior art teach The cooker hood according to claim 1.
Eich teaches wherein the at least one notification unit comprises at least one unit from a group of units consisting of:
a communication unit (0049 “This remaining service life can then be transmitted via the communication interface 14 to the display device 108 and displayed there”);
a remote notification unit;
a display unit;
an indicator unit:
a lamp unit;
and an LED unit.
Regarding claim 16, the cited prior art teach The cooker hood according to claim 1.
Eich teaches wherein the cooker hood further comprises: - an input unit configured to input operating parameters and/or states; and/or a display unit configured to display notifications; and/or a fan speed or power level setting unit configured to set the fan speed and/or the power level (0049 “This remaining service life can then be transmitted via the communication interface 14 to the display device 108 and displayed there”).
Regarding claim 19, the cited prior art teach The cooker hood according to claim 1.
Frayer teaches wherein the notification comprises a filter cleaning or replacement notification or reminder (0034).
Claim(s) 3, 5, 9-13 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Eich et al (DE 102011083103) in view of Frayer et al (US PUB. 20220282873, herein Frayer) in further view of Andronescu et al (US PUB. 20230245543, herein Andronescu).
Regarding claim 3, the cited prior art teach The cooker hood according to claim 1.
The cited prior art do not teach Wherein: the second detecting unit comprises at least one sensor unit, selected from a group of sensor units consisting of: a temperature sensor unit, and a humidity sensor unit, wherein the at least one sensor unit is placed on or at the cooker hood.
Andronescu teaches wherein: the second detecting unit comprises at least one sensor unit, selected from a group of sensor units consisting of: a temperature sensor unit, and a humidity sensor unit, wherein the at least one sensor unit is placed on or at the cooker hood (0031),.
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the instant application to have modified the of Eich and the teachings of Frayer with the teachings of Andronescu since Andronescu teaches that these “products serve more as a gateway to a fully integrated kitchen accessible from a user's personal computer or smartphone” (0002).
Regarding claim 5, the cited prior art teach The cooker hood according to claim 1.
wherein: the second detecting unit does not comprise a sensor (0049 “When the extractor hood 10 is actuated, the operating time of the extractor hood 10 is measured, for example, by a detection unit 107, which can have a timer for this purpose.”);
and/or the second detecting unit is configured and arranged to detect the second series of second operating states from an interface unit;
and/or the second detecting unit is configured and arranged to detect the second series of second operating states from a unit selected from a group of units consisting of:
an input unit arranged to receive user inputs on a user interface (0019 “Thus, for example, an input of the user on an operating element of the extractor hood can be taken into account when setting the operating parameters at the air treatment device”).
and the second series of second operating states comprises at least one state selected from a group of states consisting of a user input, data from a hob, data from another appliance, and data from the interface unit (0019).
The cited prior art do not teach a communication unit arranged under the cooker hood and/or configured to receive data from at least one of a hob; and a communication unit arranged to receive data from another appliance, and/or an air purifier, and/or an air conditioner.
Andronescu teaches a communication unit arranged under the cooker hood and/or configured to receive data from at least one of a hob; and a communication unit arranged to receive data from another appliance, and/or an air purifier, and/or an air conditioner (0114-0115, 0036 “the versatility of the smart hood apparatus may allow it to be seamlessly plugged in to a smart kitchen environment”, 0002 “With the goal of smart kitchen, a variety of products such as a smart oven, smart stove top and smart range hood have emerged on the market”).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the instant application to have modified the of Eich and the teachings of Frayer with the teachings of Andronescu since Andronescu teaches that these “products serve more as a gateway to a fully integrated kitchen accessible from a user's personal computer or smartphone” (0002).
Regarding claim 9, the cited prior art teach The cooker hood according to claim 1.
The cited prior art do not teach further comprising at least one communication unit configured to communicate with a hob such that data is sent and/or received.
Andronescu teaches further comprising at least one communication unit configured to communicate with a hob such that data is sent and/or received (0036 “the versatility of the smart hood apparatus may allow it to be seamlessly plugged in to a smart kitchen environment”, 0002 “With the goal of smart kitchen, a variety of products such as a smart oven, smart stove top and smart range hood have emerged on the market”).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the instant application to have modified the of Eich and the teachings of Frayer with the teachings of Andronescu since Andronescu teaches that these “products serve more as a gateway to a fully integrated kitchen accessible from a user's personal computer or smartphone” (0002).
Regarding claim 10, the cited prior art teach The cooker hood to claim 9.
Andronescu teaches wherein the at least one communication unit is configured to communicate with the hob by way of a hob- to-hood communication (0036 “the versatility of the smart hood apparatus may allow it to be seamlessly plugged in to a smart kitchen environment”, 0002 “With the goal of smart kitchen, a variety of products such as a smart oven, smart stove top and smart range hood have emerged on the market”, 0114-0115).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the instant application to have modified the of Eich and the teachings of Frayer with the teachings of Andronescu since Andronescu teaches that these “products serve more as a gateway to a fully integrated kitchen accessible from a user's personal computer or smartphone” (0002).
Regarding claim 11, the cited prior art teach The cooker hood according to claim 9.
Andronescu teaches wherein the at least one communication unit is configured to communicate with at least one other appliance (0036 “the versatility of the smart hood apparatus may allow it to be seamlessly plugged in to a smart kitchen environment”, 0002 “With the goal of smart kitchen, a variety of products such as a smart oven, smart stove top and smart range hood have emerged on the market”).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the instant application to have modified the of Eich and the teachings of Frayer with the teachings of Andronescu since Andronescu teaches that these “products serve more as a gateway to a fully integrated kitchen accessible from a user's personal computer or smartphone” (0002).
Regarding claim 12, the cited prior art teach The cooker hood according to claim 9.
Frayer teaches wherein the at least one communication unit is configured to communicate: operational states, and/or notifications to other appliances and/or a notification to a mobile computing device (0042 “offboard devices 316 may be any of various types of portable computing devices, such as cellular phones, tablet computers, smart watches, laptop computers, portable music players, or other devices capable of communication with the vent hood controller”).
Regarding claim 13, the cited prior art teach The cooker hood according to claim 1.
Frayer teaches wherein the filter unit comprises a grease filter element and/or a charcoal filter element (0028 “Vent hoods 106 are generally designed to remove odors, moisture and grease from the cooking environment 100, as well as carbon monoxide, nitrogen dioxide, and other pollutants”, 0016).
Claim(s) 6-7 and 20 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Eich et al (DE 102011083103) in view of Frayer et al (US PUB. 20220282873, herein Frayer) in further view of Cargnelli et al (US PUB. 20160170405, herein Cargnelli).
Regarding claim 6, the cited prior art teach The cooker hood according to claim 1.
Eich teaches wherein the evaluation unit comprises a memory unit at least one unit selected from a group of units consisting of: (0044 “the operation of the extractor hood 10, in particular the duration of the operation and the fan stage set in the process, are preferably stored in the control 106 of the extractor hood 10. For this purpose, the values from the detection unit 107, which in the embodiment shown is shown as part of the controller 106, are detected and optionally also stored in this unit 107”),
first operating states (0044 “The operating elements 103 on the viewing hood 100 are connected to a control 106 of the extractor hood 10. By way of this control 106, for example, the fan 102 of the extractor hood 10 is controlled and set. The fan or blower stage set in this way is displayed on the display device 108. In addition, the operation of the extractor hood 10, in particular the duration of the operation and the fan stage set in the process, are preferably stored in the control 106 of the extractor hood 10. For this purpose, the values from the detection unit 107, which in the embodiment shown is shown as part of the controller 106, are detected and optionally also stored in this unit 107. Furthermore, in the illustrated embodiment, the controller 106 is also connected to the control unit 110 of the air preparation device 11 for communication via the communication interface 14”)
second operating states ((0049 “When the extractor hood 10 is actuated, the operating time of the extractor hood 10 is measured, for example, by a detection unit 107, which can have a timer for this purpose.”).
The cited prior art do not teach a first mapping unit configured to map the first series of first operating states to respective mapped first operating states by means of a first mapping table stored in the memory unit and - a second mapping unit configured to map the second series of second operating states to respective mapped second operating states by means of a second mapping table stored in the memory unit.
Cargnelli teaches - a first mapping unit configured to map the first series of first operating states to respective mapped first operating states by means of a first mapping table stored in the memory unit (0008 “FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of an embodiment of an industrial control system, including a plurality of devices having memory maps”),
and - a second mapping unit configured to map the second series of second operating states to respective mapped second operating states by means of a second mapping table stored in the memory unit (0008 “FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of an embodiment of an industrial control system, including a plurality of devices having memory maps”).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the instant application to have modified the of Eich and the teachings of Frayer with the teachings of Cargnelli since Cargnelli teaches a means for “dynamic memory map may provide for a mechanism by which older device behavior is provided via a memory map lookup facility, and may provide the desired data at a desired timing” (0013).
Regarding claim 7, the cited prior art teach The cooker hood according to claim 6.
Eich teaches wherein the evaluation unit further comprises at least one unit selected from another group of units consisting of :
- a combining unit configured to combine and/or multiply each mapped first operating state and mapped and second operating state to a combined operating state, there by generating a plurality of combined operating states (0049 “After one or more operations of the extractor hood 10, the operating time which is composed of the individual operating times of the extractor hood 10 is determined. In this case, the fan stage can be taken into account in the calculation of the time. This operating time can then be transmitted to the determination unit 15. There, the operating time is processed with the stored maximum value of the duration of use of the odor filter element 114 and the remaining service life of the odor filter element 114 is determined therefrom. If the fan stage has not yet been taken into account in the calculation of the service life, this is preferably taken into account at the latest when determining the remaining service life. This remaining service life can then be transmitted via the communication interface 14 to the display device 108 and displayed there”, remaining life is calculated based on the first and second detecting conditions);
- an accumulation unit configured to sum and/or count the plurality of combined operating states to generate accumulated operating states (0049 “After one or more operations of the extractor hood 10, the operating time which is composed of the individual operating times of the extractor hood 10 is determined. In this case, the fan stage can be taken into account in the calculation of the time. This operating time can then be transmitted to the determination unit 15. There, the operating time is processed with the stored maximum value of the duration of use of the odor filter element 114 and the remaining service life of the odor filter element 114 is determined therefrom. If the fan stage has not yet been taken into account in the calculation of the service life, this is preferably taken into account at the latest when determining the remaining service life. This remaining service life can then be transmitted via the communication interface 14 to the display device 108 and displayed there”, remaining life is calculated based on the first and second detecting conditions);
and - a threshold unit configured to determine the third operating states based on whether the accumulated operating states have reached a predetermined threshold value (0010 “The determination of the remaining service life is preferably understood to mean the calculation of the remaining service life. For this purpose, one or more current values of a parameter can be compared with a threshold value for the respective parameter. The threshold value can be stored in the vapour extraction device”).
Regarding claim 20, the cited prior art teach The cooker hood according to claim 1.
Eich teaches wherein the evaluation unit comprises:
a memory unit (0044 “the operation of the extractor hood 10, in particular the duration of the operation and the fan stage set in the process, are preferably stored in the control 106 of the extractor hood 10. For this purpose, the values from the detection unit 107, which in the embodiment shown is shown as part of the controller 106, are detected and optionally also stored in this unit 107”),
first operating states (0044 “The operating elements 103 on the viewing hood 100 are connected to a control 106 of the extractor hood 10. By way of this control 106, for example, the fan 102 of the extractor hood 10 is controlled and set. The fan or blower stage set in this way is displayed on the display device 108. In addition, the operation of the extractor hood 10, in particular the duration of the operation and the fan stage set in the process, are preferably stored in the control 106 of the extractor hood 10. For this purpose, the values from the detection unit 107, which in the embodiment shown is shown as part of the controller 106, are detected and optionally also stored in this unit 107. Furthermore, in the illustrated embodiment, the controller 106 is also connected to the control unit 110 of the air preparation device 11 for communication via the communication interface 14”)
second operating states ((0049 “When the extractor hood 10 is actuated, the operating time of the extractor hood 10 is measured, for example, by a detection unit 107, which can have a timer for this purpose.”)
wherein the evaluation unit is configured to determine the third operating states based on mapped first operating states and mapped second operating states (0010 “The determination of the remaining service life is preferably understood to mean the calculation of the remaining service life. For this purpose, one or more current values of a parameter can be compared with a threshold value for the respective parameter. The threshold value can be stored in the vapour extraction device”).
The cited prior art do not teach a first mapping unit configured to map the first series of first operating states to respective mapped first operating states by means of a first mapping table stored in the memory unit, and a second mapping unit configured to map the second series of second operating states to respective mapped second operating states by means of a second mapping table stored in the memory unit.
a first mapping unit configured to map the first series of first operating states to respective mapped first operating states by means of a first mapping table stored in the memory unit (0008 “FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of an embodiment of an industrial control system, including a plurality of devices having memory maps”),
and a second mapping unit configured to map the second series of second operating states to respective mapped second operating states by means of a second mapping table stored in the memory unit (0008 “FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of an embodiment of an industrial control system, including a plurality of devices having memory maps”).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the instant application to have modified the of Eich and the teachings of Frayer with the teachings of Cargnelli since Cargnelli teaches a means for “dynamic memory map may provide for a mechanism by which older device behavior is provided via a memory map lookup facility, and may provide the desired data at a desired timing” (0013).
Claim(s) 14 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Eich et al (DE 102011083103) in view of Frayer et al (US PUB. 20220282873, herein Frayer) in further view of Armstrong et al (US PUB. 20200041139, herein Armstrong).
Regarding claim 14, the cited prior art teach The cooker hood according to claim 1.
wherein: - the fan unit is configured to extract cooking vapors and/or an air flow from at least one cooking vessel and/or the hob placed underneath the cooker hood (fig. 1 Frayer).
The cited prior art do not teach the cooking vapors and/or the air flow is/are sucked through the filter unit and/or filtered by the filter unit, and - the fan unit comprises at least one fan selected from a group of fans consisting of a radial fan, an axial fan and a vortex fan and at least one vortex fans, configured to generate a vortex configured to suck in an air stream.
Armstrong teaches - the cooking vapors and/or the air flow is/are sucked through the filter unit and/or filtered by the filter unit, and - the fan unit comprises at least one fan selected from a group of fans consisting of a radial fan, an axial fan and a vortex fan and at least one vortex fans, configured to generate a vortex configured to suck in an air stream (0044 “The common air handler 216 may be provided as any suitable blower or fan (e.g., radial fan, tangential fan, etc.) positioned within hood casing 116 to actively rotate or motivate air therethrough”).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the instant application to have modified the of Eich and the teachings of Frayer with the teachings of Armstrong since Armstrong teaches a common method of actively rotate or motivate air therethrough (0044).
Claim(s) 15 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Eich et al (DE 102011083103) in view of Frayer et al (US PUB. 20220282873, herein Frayer) in further view of Burdett et al (US PUB. 20080274683, herein Burdett).
Regarding claim 15, the cited prior art teach The cooker hood according to claim 1.
The cited prior art do not teach wherein: - the cooker hood is configured and arranged to exhaust cooking vapors and/or air flow outwards from an interior space to an exterior space of an enclosed location; and - the cooker hood is configured and arranged to circulate the cooking vapors and/or air flow within an interior space of the enclosed location.
Burdett teaches wherein: - the cooker hood is configured and arranged to exhaust cooking vapors and/or air flow outwards from an interior space to an exterior space of an enclosed location; and - the cooker hood is configured and arranged to circulate the cooking vapors and/or air flow within an interior space of the enclosed location (0015 “FIG. 1 depicts a facility 100 where a particular embodiment may be utilized. Facility 100 may be a restaurant, for example, that includes a kitchen 102 and at least one adjacent room 104 separated by a wall 106. Wall 106 contains a doorway 108 that allows access between kitchen 102 and adjacent room 104. Facility 100 also includes an HVAC system 110 that provides conditioned air to the interior of facility 100 via interior vents 112. Kitchen 102 includes one or more pieces of cooking equipment 114, an exhaust hood 116, a ceiling supply air vent 118, and a ceiling exhaust vent 124. Examples of cooking equipment 114 include, but are not limited to, stoves, cooktops, ovens, fryers, and broilers. Exhaust hood 116 is oriented such that a downward-facing opening 120 is operable to direct an air contaminant 122 associated with the operation of cooking equipment 114 through ceiling exhaust vent 124 and ultimately out an exterior exhaust vent 130 via an exhaust duct 132”).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the instant application to have modified the of Eich and the teachings of Frayer with the teachings of Burdett since Burdett teaches a means for increasing the comfort of the ventilated area (0007).
Response to Arguments
Applicant's arguments filed 02/24/2025 have been fully considered but they are not persuasive.
Applicant argues on page 8 and 9 that Eich fails to disclose evaluating filter states based on one of the second operating states as is now claimed in claim 1. Eich, applicant argues, evaluates filter service life based on fan level and operating time.
Examiner disagrees. Eich teaches determining service life of the filter fan using variables such as operating time and high fan stage of the hood. Therefore, Eich teaches using multiple variables/parameters in determining service life (0026 0031). Frayer further teaches using air quality measurements in determining filter life (0011). In response to applicant's arguments against the references individually, one cannot show nonobviousness by attacking references individually where the rejections are based on combinations of references. See In re Keller, 642 F.2d 413, 208 USPQ 871 (CCPA 1981); In re Merck & Co., 800 F.2d 1091, 231 USPQ 375 (Fed. Cir. 1986).
Therefore, claim 1 has been rejected along with its dependent claims. Applicant makes similar arguments for claims 2=20 which are similarly rejected.
Conclusion
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/TAMEEM D SIDDIQUEE/
Primary Examiner
Art Unit 2116
Prosecution Insights