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 .
Status of Application
Applicant’s amendments and remarks filed 6/24/2026 have been acknowledged. Claims 1-12, 15, and 17-20 are pending.
In an interview conducted on 7/7/2026, Applicant’s representative, Mr. Wang Mao (John) Wang, explained that Applicant had amended claim terms of claim 1, for example, “pressure relief mechanism” to “pressure relief structure”, in order to avoid potential means-plus-function interpretations. In response, the Examiner has made the following objections and rejections.
Specification
The disclosure is objected to because, throughout the specification, the terms corresponding to the claim amendments should be changed accordingly, in a case that the claim amendments do not raise new matter or other issues. For example, in the case that “protective member” is referred to as “protector” in claim 10, the corresponding changes should be made to the specification. Appropriate correction is required.
Claim Objections
Claim 1 is objected to because the last two lines should be changed to the following to make subject-verb agreement:
“there is a plurality of tubular structures, which are stacked and connected to each other, wherein the tubular structures have a honeycomb-shaped cross-section.”
Appropriate correction is required.
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 1-12, 15, and 17-20 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. Applicant amended, throughout the claims, terms from “pressure relief mechanism” to “pressure relief structure”, from “thermal management component” to “thermal management structure”, and from “support member” to “support structure”. The amendments make the claim limitations broader than the disclosure because not all structures are mechanisms and, while “component” and “member” suggest a constituent of a larger whole, the term “structure” can be any part. Claim 1 and its dependent claims are rejected for lacking written support for the amendments that are broader than the disclosure.
Additionally, claim 15 requires a plurality of tubular structures arranged apart from each other in the collection chamber, while parent claim 1 requires a plurality of tubular structure stacked and connected to each other. There is no disclosure that the tubular support structure comprises both connected tubular structures and ones that are apart from each other. The instant claim thus constitutes new matter.
Response to Arguments
Applicant has incorporated previously indicated allowable subject matter into claim 1. The previous rejections have been withdrawn. An updated search did not reveal a new reference. However, the claim amendments raise issues under 35 U.S.C. 112(a) as indicated above.
Conclusion
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.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to HENG M CHAN whose telephone number is (571)270-5859. The examiner can normally be reached 9 am - 5:30 pm on Monday, 9 am - 3 pm on Tuesday, and 9 am to 1 pm on Wednesday and Thursday.
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If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Basia Ridley can be reached at 571-272-1453. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/Heng M. Chan/Examiner, Art Unit 1725
/Sean P Cullen, Ph.D./Primary Examiner, Art Unit 1725
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