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 .
Election/Restrictions
Applicant’s election without traverse of the invention of Group I (claims 1-13) in the rely filed on February 12, 2026 is acknowledged. Claims 14-18 are withdrawn from further consideration pursuant to 37 CFR 1.142(b) as being drawn to a nonelected invention, there being no allowable generic or linking claim.
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.
Claim 13 is 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 13 recites the limitation "the air inlet groove" and “the vaporization surface” in lines 5 and 6, respectively. There is insufficient antecedent basis for this limitation in the claim.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 102
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.
Claims 1-5 and 12 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by CN 207428418 (hereinafter referred to as “Changzhou”; see attached English Mechanical Translation).
Regarding independent claim 1, Changzhou discloses an electronic cigarette (100) (read: vaporization core support assembly) which comprises an atomizing device (30) (read: a first support) and a battery device (50) (read: a second support) (see abstract) (corresponding to the claimed “[a] vaporization core support assembly, comprising: a first support…and a second support”).
The atomizing device (30) comprises an atomizing head (31) which includes a connecting seat (35) and an atomizing head body (39) (read: a liquid guide element) detachably connected thereto. The atomizing head body (39) is made out of a porous material and is able to absorb e-liquid. As evident from Fig. 10 of Changzhou, at least one sidewall of the atomizing device (30) is provided with a (second) holding part (37) (read: first matching surface) which is in the form of a protrusion and/or groove (see paras. [0057]-[061], [0083]) (corresponding to the claimed “a first support configured to accommodate a liquid guide element, and a support side wall of the first support being provided with a first matching surface”).
The battery device (50) has a third side (53) (read: main part) connected to first and second groove walls (511,512) (read: blocking wall) that are higher than the third side (53) to which the atomizing device (30) is detachably installed onto. A mounting groove/first holding part (51, 56) are provided on the groove walls (511, 512) in order to serve as guides to slidably engage with the second holding part (37) of the atomizing device (30). As such, when the atomizing device (30) is installed onto the battery device (50) via the opening at a “top surface” of the third side (53) of the battery device (50), the second holding part (37) (read: bottom surface) of the atomizing device (30) along with the first holding part (56) enable said parts to be “slidably pushed” into each other. Based on the aforementioned, it is clear that these structures in the Changzhou electronic cigarette are in “stop fit” with each other as such is described in the instant written specification (see paras. [0081]-[0082]) (corresponding to the claimed “a second support comprising a main part and a bocking wall higher than the amin part, the blocking wall being arranged on one side of the second support, and a top surface of the main part and a bottom surface of the first support being slidable relatively, so that the first matching surface is in stop fit with the blocking wall”).
Regarding claim 2, because the second holding part (37) comprises a groove, it can be held that this structural arrangement includes a “vacant” part because the groove is designed to receive a complementary part (i.e., a protrusion) within the “void space” created by said groove (corresponding to the claimed “a support side wall of the fist support has a vacant part and the vacant part forms the first matching surface”).
Regarding claim 3, as stated above, the battery device (50) includes a first holding part (56) on each of the two groove walls (511, 512) (read: positioning blocks) structured to engage with the second holding part (37) (read: positioning groove) of the atomizing device (30). It is clear that these structural features would serve to ensure that the battery device (50) and the atomizing device (30) stay connected together because Changzhou discloses that the first holding part (56) is a protrusion and the second holding part (37) is a groove and both combine to serve as “retaining parts” (read: limit the first support to move away from the second support) (corresponding to the claimed “the first matching surface further comprises positioning groove, and the blocking wall is further provided with a positioning block; and the positioning block is inserted into the positioning groove to limit the first support to move in a direction away from the second support”).
Regarding claim 4, since the groove walls (511, 512), along with the adjacent sidewalls (read: blocking wall) of the battery device (50) do not extend completely around the perimeter of the battery device, it can be said that the cross-section of this “blocking wall” is semi-annular as it forms an incomplete circular shape (corresponding to the claimed “a cross section of the blocking wall is semi-annular”).
Regarding claim 5, Changzhou discloses that a positive electrode contact seat (54) and a negative electrode contact seat (55) (read: conductive element) are both disclosed in the first groove wall (511) (see para. [0082]). As evident from Fig. 8, these electrode contacts are provided (read: molded) on said first groove wall (corresponding to the claimed “the vaporization core support assembly further comprises a conductive element, and the conductive element is molded on the second support”).
Regarding claim 12, the atomizing device (30) is provided with a mouthpiece (70) (read: an open end) and a lower end face (350) (read: closed end) opposite the mouthpiece (70) - both of which enclose a space for accommodating the atomizing head body (39) (read: liquid guide element) (see Fig. 3) (corresponding to the claimed “the first support is further provided with a second open end and a second closed end opposite to the second open end and the support side wall and the second closed end enclose a first accommodating space for accommodating the liquid guide element”).
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 6-11 are objected to as being dependent upon a rejected base claim, but would be allowable if rewritten in independent form including all of the limitations of the base claim and any intervening claims.
Claim 13 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.
The following is a statement of reasons for the indication of allowable subject matter:
-the prior art of record neither teaches nor reasonably suggests a vaporization core support assembly having the claimed combination of structural elements, specifically including (1) the conductive element comprising a part suspended in the first support, or (2) the support side wall of the first support provided with a through hole higher than the first matching surface, the second support provided with a conductive element which comp[rises a first part extending in the second support and a second part bent towards the through hold relative to the first part; and the second part extends into the first support by the through hole for connection with a heating element arranged on the liquid guide element, or (3) an air inlet groove defined between the first support and the second support and the air inlet groove is in communication with a vaporization surface of the liquid guide element accommodated in the first support, or (4) a first side of the first support provided with a first air inlet groove configured to form a first air inlet channel which is in communication with a vaporization surface of the liquid guide element; a second side of the first support provided with a second air inlet groove, the blocking wall provided with a groove at a part corresponding to the second air inlet groove, the two grooves being configured to form a second air inlet channel together which is in communication with the vaporization surface; and the first and second air inlet channels have the same size, or (5) the main part of the second support defines a second accommodating space, wherein air can sequentially flow through the second accommodating space and the air inlet groove defined between the first support and the second support wherein air is then conveyed to the vaporization surface.
Conclusion
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/DIONNE W. MAYES/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 1747
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