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 .
DETAILED ACTION
Election/Restrictions
Applicant’s election of Group I in the reply filed on 12/08/2025 is acknowledged. Because applicant did not distinctly and specifically point out the supposed errors in the restriction requirement, the election has been treated as an election without traverse (MPEP § 818.01(a)).
Claims 8-9 are withdrawn from further consideration pursuant to 37 CFR 1.142(b) as being drawn to a nonelected group, there being no allowable generic or linking claim. Election was made without traverse in the reply filed on 12/08/2025.
Claim Objections
Claims 1-7 are objected to because of the following informalities:
in line 9 of Claim 1, insert –and -- after “generator,”;
in line 11 of Claim 1, insert --air-- before “outlet”;
in line 1 of Claim 2, insert --disinfection-- before “device”;
in line 4 of Claim 2, insert --disinfection-- before “device”;
in line 4 of Claim 6, delete “and”;
in line 5 of Claim 6,
insert --, and-- after “blower”,
insert --disinfection-- before “device”.
Appropriate correction is required.
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.
Claims 1-7 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.
Claim 1 recites the limitation "the upper portion" in line 5. There is insufficient antecedent basis for this limitation in the claim.
Claim 1 recites the limitation "the outlet" in line 11. There is insufficient antecedent basis for this limitation in the claim. For examination purpose, this limitation will be interpreted to read as “the air outlet”.
Claim 2 recites the limitation "the house opening" in line 2. There is insufficient antecedent basis for this limitation in the claim.
Claim 2 recites the limitation "the ozone filter" in line 3. There is insufficient antecedent basis for this limitation in the claim.
Claim 2 recites the limitation "the environment" in line 4. There is insufficient antecedent basis for this limitation in the claim.
In Claim 3, it is not clear whether “a distributer” attempting to set forth an additional component along with “an ozone distributer” set forth in the parent claim 1 or it is pointing to the same structure.
In Claim 3, it is not clear whether “an ozone generator” and “an air blower” are attempting to set forth additional components along with “an ozone generator” and “a blower” set forth in the parent claim 1, or are pointing to the same structures.
Claim 4 is rejected due to its dependence on a rejected parent claim (i.e. claim 1).
Claim 5 recites the limitation "the outlet" in line 2. There is insufficient antecedent basis for this limitation in the claim.
Claim 6 recites the limitation "the disinfecting chamber" in line 4. There is insufficient antecedent basis for this limitation in the claim.
In Claim 6, it is not clear whether the limitation “at the air suction” in line 4 is attempting to set forth a structure such as an inlet or an outlet of “the blower” or to indicate a certain location with respect to the blower.
Claim 7 recites the limitation "the ozone filter" in line 1. There is insufficient antecedent basis for this limitation in the claim.
Allowable Subject Matter
The following is a statement of reasons for the indication of allowable subject matter: the primary reason for the indication of allowable subject matter is due to inclusion of limitation that “the suction duct comprises an entry located between the entrance guide wall and the disinfection chamber and extends toward the air outlet”. While prior art such as Hiroshi (JP3016983) discloses a disinfection device (see Figures 1-2), Ishii (20110277342) discloses a disinfection device (see Figures 1-2) and Shiraishi (JP2005177415) discloses a disinfection device (see Figure 1), none of Hiroshi (‘983), Ishii (‘342) and Shiraishi (‘415) specifically teach a “suction duct [that] comprises an entry located between the entrance guide wall and the disinfection chamber and extends toward the air outlet”. It would not have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to provide a disinfection device comprised of components in the configuration as set forth in the claims.
Claims 1-7 would be allowable if rewritten or amended 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.
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure. The following references relate either to the field of the invention or subject matter of the invention, but are not relied upon in the rejection of record: DE102020112847 and WO2021228682 and WO9926668 (a hand disinfection device with an ozone generator), WO2021236816 (a cabinet type disinfection device), 11000611/20220016287 (a disinfection device for a facemask with ozone generator and a separate disinfection chamber), 10258704 (a clamshell type sterilization device with a disinfection chamber and an ozone generator), 20230211030 (a wash basin-type disinfection device with an ozone generator), KR101182835 (a walk-in type sterilizer for objects with an ozone generator), 5853579 (a treatment system), CN206745647 (a sterilization box with an ozone generator), CN106798596 ( mobile device with a sterilization chamber, an ozone generator, and an air outlet), 5725762 (a material treatment system).
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to REGINA M YOO whose telephone number is (571)272-6690. The examiner can normally be reached Monday - Friday, 9:00 am - 5:00 pm EST.
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/REGINA M YOO/ Primary Examiner, Art Unit 1758