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 Group II (claims 16-29) in the reply filed on November 14, 2025 is acknowledged.
Priority
Receipt is acknowledged of certified copies of papers required by 37 CFR 1.55.
Drawings
The drawings are objected to under 37 CFR 1.83(a). The drawings must show every feature of the invention specified in the claims. Therefore, the limitation elastic sheets, which is not identified in the drawings or the specification with a reference character, must be shown or the feature(s) canceled from the claim(s). No new matter should be entered.
Corrected drawing sheets in compliance with 37 CFR 1.121(d) are required in reply to the Office action to avoid abandonment of the application. Any amended replacement drawing sheet should include all of the figures appearing on the immediate prior version of the sheet, even if only one figure is being amended. The figure or figure number of an amended drawing should not be labeled as “amended.” If a drawing figure is to be canceled, the appropriate figure must be removed from the replacement sheet, and where necessary, the remaining figures must be renumbered and appropriate changes made to the brief description of the several views of the drawings for consistency. Additional replacement sheets may be necessary to show the renumbering of the remaining figures. Each drawing sheet submitted after the filing date of an application must be labeled in the top margin as either “Replacement Sheet” or “New Sheet” pursuant to 37 CFR 1.121(d). If the changes are not accepted by the examiner, the applicant will be notified and informed of any required corrective action in the next Office action. The objection to the drawings will not be held in abeyance.
Specification
The disclosure is objected to because of the following informalities: Claimed subject matter, i.e., elastic sheets, does not have a reference character..
Appropriate correction is required.
Claim Objections
Claim 26 is objected to because of the following informalities:
Claim 26 line 3, an electrical connection member.
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 16, 26, and 29 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 16 recites “a plurality of power supply elements arranged at intervals at the housing in the first direction and having a one-to-one correspondence with the plurality of electrical connectors, each of the plurality of power supply elements being provided with a plurality of power supply contacts each configured to be in contact with one of the plurality of electrical connectors” in lines 5-8 The limitation “a one-to-one correspondence with the plurality of electrical connectors” has been recited; however, it is unclear whether the pronoun “each” in line 8 refers to the limitation “the plurality of power supply elements” or “the plurality of electrical connectors.” The phrase “each of the plurality of power supply elements being provided with a plurality of power supply contacts each configured to be in contact with one of the plurality of electrical connectors” makes the scope of the claim is unclear [emphasis added]. If the antecedent the plurality of power elements refers to the pronoun “each,” consider amending the phrase as follows: “…each of the plurality of power supply elements being provided with a plurality of power supply contacts each of the plurality of power elements is configured to be in contact with one corresponding electrical connector[[s]].”
Claim 26 recites the limitations "the plurality of power supply sheets" in line 4 and "the first electrical connection member" in line 8. There is insufficient antecedent basis for this limitation in the claim. The limitations “a plurality of power supply sheets” and “the first electrical connection member” were not previously recited.
Claim 26 recites the limitation "a second connection hole is formed at the fixation base" in line 6 which make the scope of the claim unclear. The question raised is as follows: Is a first connection hole also formed at the fixation base and if so, should the limitation "a first connection hole" in line 5 be interpreted as being formed at the fixation base?
Similarly, claim 29 recites the limitation "a second connection hole is formed at the filter module" in line 6. Claims 15-29 that depend from claim 16 are also rejected.
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 (i.e., changing from AIA to pre-AIA ) 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.
Claim(s) 16, 17, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Zeping (CN 109028531 A).
For claim 16, Zeping discloses an air purification device (Fig. 1) comprising: a housing (panel 10) having an accommodation cavity (inlet 10a); a filter module (module 30) disposed within the accommodation cavity, the filter module being provided with a plurality of electrical connectors (Fig. 16) arranged at intervals in a first direction; and a plurality of power supply elements (conductive element 421, 422) arranged at intervals at the housing in the first direction and having a one-to-one correspondence with the plurality of electrical connectors, each of the plurality of power supply elements being provided with a plurality of power supply contacts each configured to be in contact with one of the plurality of electrical connectors (Figs 1, 16, 18, 21, 22).
For claim 17, Zeping further discloses wherein each power supply element includes a plurality of elastic sheets that are elastically deformable (frame 40), the plurality of elastic sheets being formed as the plurality of power supply contacts and arranged at intervals in a length direction of the power supply element (Figs. 6, 16, 18, 21, 22).
For claim 19, Zeping further discloses said air purification device comprising a fixation base connected to the housing (Fig. 1); wherein the plurality of power supply elements are disposed at the fixation base (Fig. 1).
For claim 20, Zeping discloses further wherein the fixation base is connected to the housing by at least one of a fastener or a snap (second buckle 37 in Fig. 6).
For claim 21, Zeping further discloses further comprising: a positioning assembly including a positioning hole and a positioning member engaged in the positioning hole (Figs. 8, 18; par [0084]), the positioning hole being formed at one of the fixation base and the housing, and the positioning member is disposed at another of the fixation base and the housing (Figs. 8, 18; par [0084]).
For claim 22, Zeping discloses further wherein the fixation base has a plurality of fixation positions (where conductive element 421 and 422 connect in Fig. 21) having a one-to-one correspondence with the plurality of power supply elements (conductive element 421 and 422 in Fig. 21), and each of the plurality of power supply elements is disposed at one of the plurality of fixation positions (Fig. 21).
For claim 23, Zeping additionally discloses wherein a plurality of limiting stop sheets (located at cover plate 43 in Fig. 2) are provided at each of the plurality of fixation positions and are arranged at intervals in a length direction of the fixation position (Fig. 21), a limiting space being formed between each of the plurality of limiting stop sheets and the fixation base (Fig. 1), and each of the plurality of power supply elements being disposed in one limiting space (Fig. 18).
For claim 24, Zeping discloses wherein each of the plurality of limiting stop sheets includes: a first stop member connected to the fixation base and located on a side of the power supply element in a width direction of the power supply element (one of two wider portions of 43 illustrated in Fig. 21 spaced in intervals at opposing ends of cover 43); and a second stop member connected to the first stop member and opposite to a side surface of the power supply element in a thickness direction of the power supply element (another one of two wider portions of 43 illustrated in Fig. 21 spaced in intervals at opposing ends of cover 43).
For claim 25, Zeping discloses wherein a plurality of limit members is provided at the plurality of fixation positions and is arranged at intervals in the length direction of the fixation position, and the plurality of limit members and the first stop member are located at two sides of each of the plurality of fixation positions in a width direction of the fixation position, respectively (wider portions of 43 illustrated in Fig. 21 spaced in intervals at opposing ends of cover 43).
For claim 26, Zeping further discloses a screw (par [0108]); wherein: a[n] electrical connection member (high voltage coil main body 50 in Fig. 18) is disposed at one of the plurality of power supply sheets, and has a first connection hole (Figs. 18, 21, 22); a second connection hole is formed at the fixation base and corresponds to the first connection hole; the screw passes through the first connection hole and the second connection hole (Figs. 18, 21, 22); and a wire harness electrically (Fig. 21) connected to a power supply is connected between the screw and the first electrical connection member (pars [0103], [0105], [0107], [0108]).
For claim 27, Zeping discloses wherein one of the plurality of power supply elements is locked at the fixation base by a fastener (fasteners are illustrated vertically second from left in Fig. 1).
For claim 28, Zeping discloses wherein the filter module has a mounting hole formed at a side wall of the filter module (see circled portion in excerpt of Fig. 7 below), and wherein one of the plurality of electrical connectors (Fig. 16) is disposed in the mounting hole and includes: a protrusion opposite to the mounting hole; and a first limit arm and a second limit arm that are connected to two ends of the protrusion, the first limit arm and the second limit arm being configured to abut against an inner wall surface of the side wall of the filter module (Fig. 7).
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For claim 29, Zeping discloses further comprising: a screw (par [0108]); wherein: an electrical connection member (high voltage coil main body 50 in Fig. 18) is disposed at one of the plurality of electrical connectors (Figs. 18, 21, 22), and has a first connection hole; a second connection hole is formed at the filter module and corresponds to the first connection hole (Figs. 18, 21, 22); the screw passes through the first connection hole and the second connection hole (Fig. 1); and a wire harness (Fig. 21) electrically connected to an internal circuit of the filter module is connected between the screw and the electrical connection member (pars [0103], [0105], [0107], [0108]).
Claim Rejections - 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 (i.e., changing from AIA to pre-AIA ) 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, 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.
This application currently names joint inventors. In considering patentability of the claims the examiner presumes that the subject matter of the various claims was commonly owned as of the effective filing date of the claimed invention(s) absent any evidence to the contrary. Applicant is advised of the obligation under 37 CFR 1.56 to point out the inventor and effective filing dates of each claim that was not commonly owned as of the effective filing date of the later invention in order for the examiner to consider the applicability of 35 U.S.C. 102(b)(2)(C) for any potential 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(2) prior art against the later invention.
Claim(s) 18 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Zeping.
Regarding claim 18, the teaching of Zeping is set forth above and teaches the air purification device and the plurality of elastic sheets (frame 40 in Figs. 16, 18, 21, 22). Zeping discloses wherein each of the plurality of elastic sheets includes: a connection member connected to the power supply element (Figs. 18, 21); and an elastic member connected to the connection member (Fig. 18, 21). Zeping teaches an integral elastic member instead of including a first elastic section and a second elastic section and does not appear to specifically state the first elastic section having an end connected to the connection member and another end extending away from the power supply element, and the second elastic section having an end connected to the other end of the first elastic section and another end extending towards the power supply element, and the other end of the second elastic section being spaced apart from the power supply element. Nonetheless, the later features are considered location of parts. It would have been obvious for one of ordinary skill in the art at the effective filing date of the current invention to relocate these structures as recited in claim 18 since it has been held that rearranging parts of an invention involves only routine skill in the art and relocating the structures would not have changed the function of the device. See MPEP § 2144.04(VIC). Additionally, it would have been obvious for one of ordinary skill in the art at the effective filing date of the current invention to separate the elastic member including a first elastic section and a second elastic section, since it has been held that constricting a formerly integral structure into various elements involves only routine skill in the art. See MPEP § 2144.04(V‐C)
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure follows—
JP 2950943 B2: air purifier comprising terminals (41a) and (41b) are inside the recesses provided in the side portions (41c) and (41d) of the auxiliary frame (39) by a gap (A) of 2 mm from the side portions (41c) and (41d).
CN 211476119 U: air purification module provided with a mounting port connected with the purifying air channel; a purifying component, a shell body provided with a first clamping matching part and a first aligning piece.
CN 109028379 B: air processing device comprises a wiring frame installed on a grid component; with a routing groove, a lead is set in the wiring groove.
CN 205641412 U: a board assembly 100 comprises a fixing plate 1, a lifting plate 2, a lifting mechanism 3, a positioning mechanism 4, a static dust removing mechanism, a trigger switch 6, and a power control module 7.
US 10464074 B2: electric dust collector 500, power-receiving terminals 518 and 548, ground-receiving terminals 519 and 549 are disposed such that the power terminals and the ground terminals can contact power-receiving terminals 518 and 548 and the ground-receiving terminals 519 and 549, respectively, only when the electric dust collector 500 is fully inserted into the body 130.
US 7531141 B2: electrical control box 205 houses the powers supplies and control electronics for all of the electrical components in the air treatment system 100; electrical connector 208 that may be engaged by an electrical cable 206 extends from electrical control box 205. The electrical cable 206 terminates with an electrical connector 207 which mates with the electrical connector 208.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to SONJI TURNER whose telephone number is (571)272-1203. The examiner can normally be reached Monday - Friday, 10:00 am - 2:00 pm (EST).
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If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Jennifer Dieterle can be reached at (571) 270-7872. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/SONJI TURNER/Examiner, Art Unit 1776 December 19, 2025
/Jennifer Dieterle/Supervisory Patent Examiner, Art Unit 1776