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 .
Information Disclosure Statement
The information disclosure statements (IDS) submitted on 08/28/2023, 01/30/2024, 04/03/2024, and 07/31/2024, are in compliance with the provisions of 37 CFR 1.97. Accordingly, the information disclosure statement is being considered by the examiner.
Objection/s to the Specification
The title of the invention, “PROJECTOR CASE,” is not descriptive. A new title is required that is clearly indicative of the invention to which the claims are directed.
Objection/s to the Claim/s
Claim 1 is objected to because of the following informalities: “A projector case capable of accommodating a projector, comprising: a case having…” on line 3 of claim 1. It appears that “the case having…” is intended. Appropriate correction is required.
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 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.
(a)(2) the claimed invention was described in a patent issued under section 151, or in an application for patent published or deemed published under section 122(b), in which the patent or application, as the case may be, names another inventor and was effectively filed before the effective filing date of the claimed invention.
Claims 1, 2, 4, 5, 7, 12, and 13 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1)/(a)(2) as being anticipated by Huang (CN 115128890 A).
Regarding claim 1, Huang teaches a projector case (1; Fig. 1-8) capable of accommodating a projector, comprising: a case (1) having formed therein an intake/exhaust port (at 24) and multiple attachment target holes (screw holes; Fig. 1), the multiple attachment target holes (screw holes) being provided on an outer circumference of the intake/exhaust port (at 24); and a duct cover (2) configured to be attached to the case (1) in multiple orientations and having formed therein a connection opening (at 24) connecting to the intake/exhaust port (at 24), an external opening (25) communicating with the connection opening (at 24), and multiple attachment holes (screw holes; Fig. 1), the multiple attachment holes (screw holes) being provided on an outer circumference of the connection opening (at 24).
Regarding claim 2, Huang further teaches the attachment target holes (screw holes) and the attachment holes (screw holes) are both provided in such a manner as to be positioned at vertexes of a regular polygon (Fig. 1).
Regarding claim 4, Huang further teaches the duct cover (2) is configured in such a manner that an axial center of the external opening (25) is at right angles to an axial center of the connection opening (at 24).
Regarding claim 5, Huang further teaches the duct cover (2) is configured in such a manner that an axial center of the external opening (25) is positioned parallel to an axial center of the connection opening (at 24).
Regarding claim 7, Huang further teaches a fixing component (screw) configured to be passed through the attachment target hole (screw hole) and the attachment hole (screw hole) to fix the duct cover (2) to the case (1; Fig. 1).
Regarding claim 12, Huang further teaches four attachment target holes (screw holes) and four attachment holes (screw holes) are provided, each positioned at vertexes of a regular quadrangle (Fig. 1, 2, 4).
Regarding claim 13, Huang further teaches a filter (41) is provided at the external opening (25) so as to reduce dust attempting to enter the external opening (25).
Claim Rejections - AIA 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 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 of this title, 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.
Claims 1, 6, 9, 11, and 13 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Guo (CN 112164250 A) in view of Huang.
Regarding claim 1, Guo teaches a projector case (19; Fig. 1-6) capable of accommodating a projector (20), comprising: a case (19) having formed therein an intake/exhaust port (at 22); and a duct cover (13) configured to be attached to the case (19) in multiple orientations and having formed therein a connection opening (at 22) connecting to the intake/exhaust port (at 22), an external opening (at 23) communicating with the connection opening (at 22).
Gou does not teach multiple attachment target holes on an outer circumference of the intake/exhaust port and multiple attachment holes on an outer circumference of the connection opening.
Huang teaches a case (19) having formed therein an intake/exhaust port (at 24) and multiple attachment target holes (screw holes; Fig. 1), the multiple attachment target holes (screw holes) being provided on an outer circumference of the intake/exhaust port (at 24); and a duct cover (2) configured to be attached to the case (19) in multiple orientations and having formed therein a connection opening (at 24) connecting to the intake/exhaust port (at 24), an external opening (at 23) communicating with the connection opening (at 24), and multiple attachment holes (screw holes; Fig. 1), the multiple attachment holes (screw holes) being provided on an outer circumference of the connection opening (at 24).
It would have been obvious to a person of ordinary skills in the art at the time of the invention to combine Guo with Huang; because it allows securely attach the removable dust cover to the case.
Regarding claim 6, Guo further teaches the duct cover (13) is configured in such a manner that an axial center of the external opening (at 23) is positioned concentric with an axial center of the connection opening (at 22; Fig. 4).
Regarding claim 9, Guo further teaches the case (19) comprises a pedestal (26, 27) configured to fix the projector (20) with a space defined between an internal surface of the case (19) and the pedestal (26, 27).
Regarding claim 11, Guo further teaches the intake/exhaust port (at 22) is provided in such a manner as to correspond to a position of an intake port or an exhaust port (30) of the projector (20; Fig. 4-6).
Regarding claim 13, Guo further teaches a filter (23) is provided at the external opening (at 23) so as to reduce dust attempting to enter the external opening (at 23; Fig. 1-6).
Claim 3 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Huang in view of Tsuda (JP H09319007 A).
Regarding claim 3, Huang further teaches each of the multiple attachment target holes (screw holes) is an elongated hole of an arc shape.
Tsuda teaches having the multiple attachment target holes (screw holes) is an elongated hole of an arc shape (Fig. 1, 2, and 5).
It would have been obvious to a person of ordinary skills in the art at the time of the invention to combine Huang with Tsuda; because it allows flexible adjustment of the orientation of the flow guide.
Claim 8 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Huang in view of Barrau (US 20020051120 A1).
Regarding claim 8, Huang further teaches the case (1) comprises a projected light emitting port (Fig. 1).
Huang does not explicitly teach a connector configured to connect the projected light emitting port with a projection port of the projector, and wherein a dust-proof component is provided between the projected light emitting port and the projection port, and the connector.
Barrau teaches a connector (131A, 131B) configured to connect the projected light emitting port (112) with a projection port (5) of the projector, and wherein a dust-proof component (130) is provided between the projected light emitting port (112) and the projection port (5), and the connector (131A, 131B).
It would have been obvious to a person of ordinary skills in the art at the time of the invention to combine Huang with Barrau; because it prevents dust entering the projector.
Claim 10 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Huang in view of Otsuka (JP 2007272007 A).
Regarding claim 10, Huang further teaches a fan (29) provided in the intake/exhaust port (at 24); and an internal duct provided on an outer circumference of the fan (29).
Huang does not teach the internal duct comprises an inclined plate configured to incline in such a manner as to descend from a lower side of the fan towards an upper surface of a bottom plate of the case.
Otsuka teaches the internal duct comprises an inclined plate (4; Fig. 1-9) configured to incline in such a manner as to descend from a lower side of the duct towards an upper surface of a bottom plate of the case.
It would have been obvious to a person of ordinary skills in the art at the time of the invention to combine Huang with Otsuka such that the inclined plate configured to incline in such a manner as to descend from a lower side of the fan towards an upper surface of a bottom plate of the case; because it allows more efficient air flow.
Conclusion
The prior art references cited in PTO-892 are made of record and considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure.
Patent documents, CN 108490721 A, CN 102830580 A, KR 20100054247 A, and US 20020008852 A1, disclose a air flow guide attached to the case of a projector.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to BAO-LUAN Q LE whose telephone number is (571)270-5362. The examiner can normally be reached on Monday-Friday; 9:00AM-5:00PM.
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Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2882