DETAILED ACTION
Notice of Pre-AIA or AIA Status
1. 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
2. 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 allowance or after an Office action under Ex Parte Quayle, 25 USPQ 74, 453 O.G. 213 (Comm'r Pat. 1935). 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, prosecution in this application has been reopened pursuant to 37 CFR 1.114. Applicant's submission filed on 5/14/26 has been entered.
EXAMINER’S AMENDMENT
3. An examiner’s amendment to the record appears below. Should the changes and/or additions be unacceptable to applicant, an amendment may be filed as provided by 37 CFR 1.312. To ensure consideration of such an amendment, it MUST be submitted no later than the payment of the issue fee.
Authorization for this examiner’s amendment was given in an interview with Lynn Hunsberger on 3/3/26.
The application has been amended as follows:
In claim 10, line 3, after “layer” insert “of the multilayer optical film”
In claim 11, line 4, after “layer” insert “of the multilayer optical film”
In claim 12, line 3, after “layer” insert “of the multilayer optical film”
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.
4. Claims 8-14 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.
Regarding claim 8, the phrase “major surface” in line 9 is indefinite. The scope of the claim is not clear as the term “major” is a relative term that 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.
Claims 9-14, which depend from claim 8, are rejected for at least the reasons above by virtue of their claim dependency.
Allowable Subject Matter
5. Claims 1-5, 7, and 15 are allowed.
6. The following is an examiner’s statement of reasons for allowance: the prior art, alone or in combination, fails to teach or fairly suggest “at least one window defined in the housing, wherein the window comprises a UV-C radiation band-pass mirror film comprised of a plurality of alternating first and second optical layers collectively transmitting UV-C radiation at a wavelength from 190 nm to 230 nm and does not substantially transmit UV-A and UV-B radiation at a wavelength of from 280 nm to 400 nm”, in the claimed environment.
The closest prior art to the claimed invention is Dujowich et al. (US 2017/0216466 A1) and Hebrink et al. (WO 2020/136557 A1).
Dujowich et al. discloses a UV-C pocket sterilizer that includes a UV light source 32 comprising a lamp that is adapted to provide a peak emission between 200 nm and 280 nm. The UV light source 32 may be further equipped with a UV-C bandpass filter, depending upon embodiment. The UV light source 32 can be activated and controlled via one or more control buttons 30 disposed on the upper side 26 of the housing member 22. Without limitation, the control buttons 30 may be used to adjust the wavelength of the light, the duration of exposure, and/or the frequency of the exposure (see para [0031]).
Hebrink et al. discloses (para [0001]-[0003]) a UV-C light guide 10 that transmits UV light while reflecting visible light using multiple layers of alternating optical film (see figure 1; see para [0084]). However, there is not a teaching regarding the light guides ability to not substantially transmit UV-A and UV-B radiation at a wavelength of from 280 nm to 400 nm.
In view of this, none of the prior art discloses or suggests at least one window defined in the housing, wherein the window comprises a UV-C radiation band-pass mirror film comprised of a plurality of alternating first and second optical layers collectively transmitting UV-C radiation at a wavelength from 190 nm to 230 nm and does not substantially transmit UV-A and UV-B radiation at a wavelength of from 280 nm to 400 nm, in combination with the claimed environment.
Therefore, claims 1-5 and 7-15 are allowable over the prior art.
Any comments considered necessary by applicant must be submitted no later than the payment of the issue fee and, to avoid processing delays, should preferably accompany the issue fee. Such submissions should be clearly labeled “Comments on Statement of Reasons for Allowance.”
7. Claims 8-14 would be allowable if rewritten to overcome the rejection(s) under 35 U.S.C. 112(b) or 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), 2nd paragraph, set forth in this Office action and to include all of the limitations of the base claim and any intervening claims.
Conclusion
8. Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to SEAN E CONLEY whose telephone number is (571)272-8414. The examiner can normally be reached on M-F, 8:30am-4pm.
If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Mike Marcheschi can be reached on 571-272-1374. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/SEAN E CONLEY/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 1799
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