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 statement (IDS) dated October 26, 2023 has been received and considered.
Claim Objections
Claim 14 is objected to because of the following informalities: “outlet air outlet” should read “outer air outlet”. 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.
Claim 1 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. It is unclear what the applicant intends regarding the airflow "protect[ing]" uncovered face regions. For examination purposes, the examiner has interpreted this limitation to broadly cover any form of laminar air flow in a direction adjacent to the uncovered face regions.
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.
(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, 6, 14, 19, 28, 30-31, and 34 rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Rice et al. (US 20050036100 A1, hereinafter "Rice").
Regarding Claim 1, Rice discloses: A facial mask assembly positionable to cover naso-buccal passages (Paragraph 0009, the present invention provides a goggle comprising a lens; a body structure supporting the lens and defining therewith an ocular chamber for extending over the eyes of a wearer, wherein the body structure further defines an exhalation chamber for extending over at least one of the nose and mouth of a wearer; and an inlet chamber, at least part of which is arranged to be in front of the exhalation chamber in use), the facial mask assembly defining:
a deflecting air path receiving a first body of air (Paragraph [0015] Preferably, the deflection means partially defines a channel having an outlet that is adjacent to the lens. This helps to promote the smooth laminar flow of air across the lens. For the same reason, the air deflection means is preferably arranged to direct air in a direction substantially parallel to the lens so that the air flows across the inner surface of the lens, and the ocular chamber outlet is preferably positioned adjacent to the lens so that air flowing across the lens can flow on through the outlet),
and the deflecting air path being configured to convert the first body of air into a laminar airflow (Paragraph 0016, the shape of the air deflection means and the fan speed are arranged to direct the air so that it flows across the lens in a substantially laminar manner. The laminar air flow can be controlled in a relatively easy manner because the ocular chamber is separate from the exhalation chamber in which the airflow will be affected by the breath of the wearer. Preferably, the air deflection means is arranged to direct the air flow in the ocular chamber so that it occurs mostly in a region of the ocular chamber adjacent to the lens and spaced from the wearer's face), thereby forming an air shield to uncovered face regions (Paragraph 0010, the air deflection means is arranged to direct air across the lens in an upward direction. However, it can be arranged to direct air in other directions, such as outwards from a central nose region);
and an air chamber in fluid communication with the naso-buccal passages and being supplied with a second body of air (Paragraph 0041, The nose protection portion 24 and jaw protection portion 26 define an exhalation chamber 36 in front of the wearer's mouth 38 and nose 40, the top of which is defined by the lower portion 30a of the gasket 30, which fits over the bridge of the wearer's nose 40 and provides a seal between the ocular chamber 34 and the nose and mouth chamber 36).
Regarding Claim 2, Rice discloses all of the limitations of Claim 1. Rice further discloses: a main hull positionable to cover the naso-buccal passages (Paragraph 0041, The body 14 is of a semirigid, flexible construction such that it can follow, and fit to, the contours of the wearer's face when it is worn. The body 14 comprises a lens frame portion 22, which surrounds and supports the lens 12, a nose protection portion 24, a jaw protection portion 26 and ear protection portions 28 on either side), the main hull comprising:
a main component having a cup-like shape and defining the air chamber in fluid communication with the naso-buccal passages (Paragraph 0044, The bottom of the exhalation chamber 36 is formed by part of the jaw protection portion 26 of the body 14. This has a number of apertures 56 through it to allow air to enter the exhalation chamber 36 for the wearer to breath in, and to allow air exhaled by the wearer to escape),
and a deflecting lip extending outwardly from an end portion of the main component and being tapered at a given angle (Paragraph 0042, The back of the plenum channel 42 is formed by a substantially vertical crescent-shaped air diverter plate 54 that separates the plenum channel 42 from the nose and mouth chamber 36 and which deflects air from the fan 46 upwards towards the ocular chamber 34);
an inlet unit comprising:
a first air inlet in fluid communication with the deflecting lip to provide the first body of air thereto at a first inlet flowrate (Paragraph 0042, From the back of the fan chamber 51, an upper part 42a of the plenum channel 42 extends upwards into the ocular chamber 34. The back of the plenum channel 42 is formed by a substantially vertical crescent-shaped air diverter plate 54 that separates the plenum channel 42 from the nose and mouth chamber 36 and which deflects air from the fan 46 upwards towards the ocular chamber 34. The back 54a of this diverter plate 54 carries the lower part of the gasket 30, which seals against the wearer's face in the region over his nose 40. The front of the upper part 42a of the plenum channel 42 is formed by the lens frame portion 22 of the body 14. The upper part 42a of the plenum channel 42 is therefore a wide and flat and crescent-shaped opening into the ocular chamber 34 adjacent to the lower edge 12a of the lens 12. The lens 12 is convex, as can be seen in FIG. 3, and the top end 42b of the plenum channel 42 directs air traveling along it in a direction substantially parallel to the plane of the lower edge 12a of the lens 12),
and a second air inlet in fluid communication with the air chamber to provide the second body of air therein for supply to the naso-buccal passages at a second inlet flowrate (Paragraph 0042, In the center of the body 14 below the lens 12, an air inlet means in the form of a duct or plenum channel 42 is formed. This plenum channel 42 has a broad inlet chamber 44 with a fan 46 mounted in it driven by an electric motor 47 (see FIG. 8). The fan is arranged to rotate about a substantially horizontal axis, drawing air in from the forward direction and propelling it in a rearward direction towards the exhalation chamber 36. The front of the inlet chamber 44 is formed by an inlet cover portion 48 of the body that has a number of apertures 50 formed through it. In the back 52 of the inlet chamber, a fan chamber 51 is formed, surrounded by a fan chamber wall 53 and opening at its front into the inlet chamber 44);
and an outlet unit comprising an air outlet defined in the main hull and being in fluid communication with the air chamber to expel air from the air chamber (Paragraph 0048, As can best be seen in FIGS. 3 and 4, the flow of air to and from the wearer's mouth 38 and nose 40 as he breathes is through the exhalation chamber 36 and through the apertures 56 in the jaw protection portion 26 of the goggle, as well as between the very bottom edge 26a of the goggle and the wearer's jaw 58. Because these apertures are in the lower part of the goggle and face in a generally downward direction, air exhaled by the wearer is generally directed downwards away from the goggle, as shown by arrows E, and therefore also away from the inlet 44 which is in the front of the goggle facing in a generally forward direction. This means that the moisture in the wearer's breath is directed away from the inlet 44 to the plenum channel 42 and therefore tends not to enter the ocular chamber 34, which is beneficial in avoiding fogging of the lens 12);
wherein the first body of air being communicated to the deflecting lip is further converted into the laminar airflow upon being deflected at the given angle by the deflecting lip (Paragraph 0042, The upper part 42a of the plenum channel 42 is therefore a wide and flat and crescent-shaped opening into the ocular chamber 34 adjacent to the lower edge 12a of the lens 12. The lens 12 is convex, as can be seen in FIG. 3, and the top end 42b of the plenum channel 42 directs air traveling along it in a direction substantially parallel to the plane of the lower edge 12a of the lens 12), the laminar airflow flowing away from the deflecting lip to form an air shield to the uncovered face regions (Paragraph 0010, Preferably, the air deflection means is arranged to direct air across the lens in an upward direction. However, it can be arranged to direct air in other directions, such as outwards from a central nose region)
and wherein the first body of air is fed via the first air inlet at the first inlet flowrate that is adjusted to provide a laminar flowrate being optionally of at least 0.1 L/min (Paragraph 0016, the shape of the air deflection means and the fan speed are arranged to direct the air so that it flows across the lens in a substantially laminar manner. The laminar air flow can be controlled in a relatively easy manner because the ocular chamber is separate from the exhalation chamber in which the airflow will be affected by the breath of the wearer. Preferably, the air deflection means is arranged to direct the air flow in the ocular chamber so that it occurs mostly in a region of the ocular chamber adjacent to the lens and spaced from the wearer's face)
Regarding Claim 3, Rice discloses all of the limitations of Claim 2. Rice further discloses: wherein the deflecting lip extends from at least one of: an upper end region of the main component so that the resulting laminar airflow protects at least an ocular region of the uncovered face regions; a side end region of the main component so that the resulting laminar airflow protects an auricular region of the uncovered face regions; a lower end region of the main component so that the resulting laminar airflow protects a cervical region of the uncovered face regions (Paragraph 0047, The speed of the fan 42 is also controlled so that the air speed across the lens remains low enough for the laminar flow to remain stable. This is so that turbulent flow, which can result in air being directed towards the wearer's eyes, is avoided. A further advantage of this thin layer of laminar flow is that it produces a lower pressure region in the ocular chamber adjacent to the lens, and this tends to draw air away from the wearer's face 32, as shown by arrows C, into the upward flow and out through the top of the ocular chamber 34. This aids in the evaporation and removal of sweat from the wearer's face. A further advantage of the upward flow across the lens is that convection cause by heat from the wearer's face contributes to the upward flow and does not disturb the smooth laminar flow).
Regarding Claim 6, Rice discloses all of the limitations of Claim 2. Rice further discloses: wherein the deflecting lip is defined by multiple lip portions, each lip portion being tapered differently from an adjacent lip portion (Paragraph 0042, The back of the plenum channel 42 is formed by a substantially vertical crescent-shaped air diverter plate 54 that separates the plenum channel 42 from the nose and mouth chamber 36 and which deflects air from the fan 46 upwards towards the ocular chamber 34), (Paragraph 0061, A deflecter 653a extends downward from the fan chamber wall 53 toward the jaw protection portion 626 of the goggle 610, but stops short of the jaw protection portion 626 so that a small opening 653b is left between them. This deflecter 653a acts to deflect exhaled air downward away from the inlet chamber 644, and therefore serves the same function as the web 53a of FIG. 3, but without forming a total seal between the exhalation chamber 636 and the inlet chamber 644. In this case, it is the shape of the deflecter 653a and the direction of flow of the exhaled air which ensure that no significant amount of exhaled air passes into the inlet chamber 644).
Regarding Claim 14, Rice discloses all of the limitations of Claim 7. Rice further discloses: wherein the outlet unit further comprises: an outer air outlet being defined as at least one aperture in the outer hull; wherein the air outlet is in fluid communication with the outlet air outlet to expel air from the air chamber (Paragraph 0044, The bottom of the exhalation chamber 36 is formed by part of the jaw protection portion 26 of the body 14. This has a number of apertures 56 through it to allow air to enter the exhalation chamber 36 for the wearer to breath in, and to allow air exhaled by the wearer to escape).
Regarding Claim 15, Rice discloses all of the limitations of Claim 14. Rice further discloses: wherein the main hull further comprises a protrusion extending inwardly from the main component of the main hull and towards the naso-buccal passages to define a cavity, and wherein the air outlet of the main hull comprises multiple inner apertures defined in a proximal surface of the protrusion (Paragraph 0044, The bottom of the exhalation chamber 36 is formed by part of the jaw protection portion 26 of the body 14. This has a number of apertures 56 through it to allow air to enter the exhalation chamber 36 for the wearer to breath in, and to allow air exhaled by the wearer to escape), (Paragraph 0042, In the center of the body 14 below the lens 12, an air inlet means in the form of a duct or plenum channel 42 is formed. This plenum channel 42 has a broad inlet chamber 44 […] The back of the plenum channel 42 is formed by a substantially vertical crescent-shaped air diverter plate 54 that separates the plenum channel 42 from the nose and mouth chamber 36 and which deflects air from the fan 46 upwards towards the ocular chamber 34)
Regarding Claim 28, Rice discloses all of the limitations of Claim 2. Rice further discloses: a controller unit to adjust at least one of the first inlet flowrate and the second inlet flowrate (Paragraph 0046, Referring to FIG. 6, a power module 60 for the fan 46 is mounted inside the body 14 to one side of the inlet plenum channel 42, just below the ocular chamber 34. The power module 60 contains batteries 62 for powering the fan 46, control electronics in the form of an integrated circuit board 64 for controlling the speed of the fan 46 and a tactile switch 66 that allows the wearer to turn the fan on and off and adjust the speed of the fan when it is running), (Paragraph 0047, The speed of the fan 42 is also controlled so that the air speed across the lens remains low enough for the laminar flow to remain stable. This is so that turbulent flow, which can result in air being directed towards the wearer's eyes, is avoided).
Regarding Claim 30, Rice discloses all of the limitations of Claim 2. Rice further discloses: wherein the second inlet flowrate is lower than the first inlet flowrate ( The exact timing of the switching on and off of the motor can be varied in a number of ways depending on the type of goggle and the circumstances under which it is expected to be use), (Paragraph 0047, The speed of the fan 42 is also controlled so that the air speed across the lens remains low enough for the laminar flow to remain stable. This is so that turbulent flow, which can result in air being directed towards the wearer's eyes, is avoided).
Though Rice does not explicitly disclose a lower flowrate, It would have been obvious to one skilled in the art before the effective filing date to use the control mechanism disclosed by Rice to adjust the flowrates accordingly.
Regarding Claim 31, Rice discloses all of the limitations of Claim 2. Rice further discloses: a sealing member that is secured to a circumference of the main hull and ensuring sealing of the air chamber when the main hull is positioned to cover the naso-buccal passages (Paragraph 0042, The back 54a of this diverter plate 54 carries the lower part of the gasket 30, which seals against the wearer's face in the region over his nose 40), (Paragraph 0044, A web 53a extends between the region where the jaw protection portion 26 is joined to the inlet cover portion 48 and the lower edge of the fan chamber wall 53. The web 53a therefore forms a seal preventing air from flowing from the exhalation chamber around the lower edge of the fan chamber wall 53 into the inlet chamber 44).
Regarding Claim 34, Rice discloses all of the limitations of Claim 2. Rice further discloses: a flow control component that is operatively connected to the main hull and located within the air chamber to create a local flow resistance to the incoming second body of air in a lower region of the air chamber, thereby guiding the second body of air mainly towards nasal passages (Paragraph 0047, The speed of the fan 42 is also controlled so that the air speed across the lens remains low enough for the laminar flow to remain stable. This is so that turbulent flow, which can result in air being directed towards the wearer's eyes, is avoided), (Paragraph 0047, Referring to FIGS. 1, 3, 4 and 5, when the fan 46 is running, air is drawn into the inlet chamber 44 as indicated by the arrows A and through the fan chamber 51 past the fan 46, and then is directed upwards from the back 51 of the fan chamber by the deflector plate 54 up the upper part 42a of the plenum channel 42 into the ocular chamber 34. When it reaches the ocular chamber 34, it exits the top 42b of the plenum channel 42, traveling upwards and outwards across the inner surface 12a of the lens 12 as shown by arrows B. As can be seen most clearly in FIGS. 1 and 5, because the plenum channel 42 is arched over the wearer's nose)
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 103
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.
Claim 39 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Rice (US 20050036100 A1) in view of Feasey et al. (US 20180296864 A1, hereinafter "Feasey").
Regarding Claim 39, Rice discloses all of the limitations of Claim 2. Rice does not disclose the inlet unit further comprising a filtering membrane.
Feasey does disclose: wherein the inlet unit further comprises a filtering membrane (Paragraph 0109, The filtration efficiency of the filter media or mechanism may at least meet applicable industry standards by those skilled in the art such as Ashrae 52.2 (2012), Eurovent EN 779 (2012), ASTM F2100-11 and N95-98 for face masks) to remove contaminants from at least one of the first body of air and the second body of air (Paragraph 0107, The filter media may include a three stage filtration system or mechanism where particulate and gas phase removal may be effected by use of composite filters and combinations thereof for different applications. For example, filtration mechanisms may include, but not be limited to, adsorption, absorption, size exclusion, interception, inertial impactment, electrostatic attraction and diffusion).
It would have been obvious to one skilled in the art before the effective filing date to incorporate the filtration means taught by Feasley with the inlet unit disclosed by Rice, so as to provide a common and art-recognized means of improving comfort and air quality for a user wearing the facial mask assembly. It is well-known in the art of respirators to include some form of filtered media to provide an additional degree of protection from contaminants and particulates for a user.
Claim 47 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Rice (US 20050036100 A1) in view of Yu et al. (US 20200215359 A1, hereinafter "Yu").
Regarding Claim 47, Rice discloses all of the limitations of Claim 2. Rice does not disclose the outlet unit further comprising a one-way valve.
Yu does disclose: wherein the outlet unit further comprises a one-way valve allowing air from the air chamber to be expelled towards the outside of the mask assembly via the at least one air outlet, and preventing air from entering the air chamber via the at least one air outlet (Paragraph 0157, To further improve comfort for a user, an expiratory active valve (EAV) may be used to reduce the amount of CO2 built up at a mask or other flow interface. In this regard, an EAV may be triggered to open upon the detection of a user exhaling. As such, the exhaled air will exit the clean air system, thereby removing the CO2 immediately from the CAS [Clean Air System], and reducing the stuffiness felt by the user. In some embodiments, the CAS may trigger the EAV to open when the CO2 level at the user's mask is above a predetermined threshold value).
It would have been obvious to one skilled in the art before the effective filing date to incorporate the exhaust valve taught by Yu with the outlet unit disclosed by Rice, so as to provide a common and art-recognized means of improving comfort and air quality for a user wearing the facial mask assembly.
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 7, 10, 19, 20, 22-23, 26, and 42 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. The following is a statement of reasons for the indication of allowable subject matter.
Claims 7, 20, 23, 26, and 42 are allowable in view of the following limitations:
Claim 7: an outer hull providing coverage to the main hull and operatively connected to the main component of the main hull to define a gap there between, and wherein the first body of air is supplied to the gap via the first air inlet and further flows along the gap to the deflecting lip to generate the laminar airflow.
Claim 20: wherein the main hull is configured to define multiple hollow channels extending within the main hull from the first air inlet to a base of the deflecting lip for guiding the first body of air
Claim 23: wherein the inlet unit further comprises: a first tubular connector that is connected to the first air inlet; and a second tubular connector that is connected to the second air inlet; wherein the first tubular connector and the second tubular connector are connectable to the air source to provide the first body of air and second body of air respectively.
Claim 26: multiple blowing chambers that are distributed over a surface of the main hull, each blowing chamber having an outlet located proximal to a base of the deflecting lip and having an inlet encasing a fan that is actuable to make a portion of the first body of air flow through the blowing chamber at the first inlet flowrate
Claim 42: a deflection wall that extends outwardly and upwardly to convert a third body of air into a secondary laminar airflow along an upper region of the facial mask assembly, thereby directing air expelled from the air chamber between two laminar airflows
Regarding Claim 7, Rice discloses all of the limitations of Claim 2. Rice teaches air being directed to the deflecting lip to generate the laminar airflow (Paragraph 0016, the shape of the air deflection means and the fan speed are arranged to direct the air so that it flows across the lens in a substantially laminar manner. The laminar air flow can be controlled in a relatively easy manner because the ocular chamber is separate from the exhalation chamber in which the airflow will be affected by the breath of the wearer. Preferably, the air deflection means is arranged to direct the air flow in the ocular chamber so that it occurs mostly in a region of the ocular chamber adjacent to the lens and spaced from the wearer's face).
Feasey does disclose wherein the first body of air is supplied to a gap via the first air inlet (Paragraph 0207, A gap 24 allows positive flow of purified air and of exhaled air but prevents lateral mixing of external unpurified air by ingress through the gap 24 into the cavity 3. The gap 24 area ranges from 15-100 cm.sup.2, and is calculated from the supply air flow and bleed velocity respectively (see calculations further below) and further flows along the gap to generate the laminar airflow (Paragraph 0076, The term ‘positive flow’ or grammatical variations thereof refers to a laminar flow of air created by the powered impeller unit into the internal cavity of the face mask and out of the gap between an edge of the face mask and the user's face. This laminar flow of air provides a constant supply of filtered breathable air for the user and excludes lateral mixing of unpurified external air in the face mask from the gap. This is in contrast to turbulent flow which is a less orderly flow regime that is characterised by eddies or small packets of fluid particles which results in lateral air mixing).
Phillips-Reyes et al. (US 20230285780 A1, hereinafter “Reyes”) discloses an outer hull providing coverage to the main hull and operatively connected to the main component of the main hull (Paragraph 0031, FIG. 5 is an illustrative representation of multi-function mask 500 in accordance with embodiments of the present invention. As illustrated, multi-function mask 500 includes mask body 502, which houses the structures required to provide the utility disclosed above. Further illustrated is removable filter unit 504 which filters both intake and exhaust air. Filters may be selected for any level of filtration without limitation. Further illustrated is outer shell 506, which may be attached with mask body 502 with magnets 508, with clips (not shown), or with any other suitable method known in the art without departing from embodiments provided herein. In addition, outer shell embodiments may include easily changed shell covers to enable different aesthetic or identifying looks).
However, none of the above references (applied individually or in combination) teach all of the limitations of Claim 7 as disclosed above, specifically in regard to the outer hull structure maintain a gap for allowing laminar airflow to travel through. All subsequent dependent claims would be allowable in view of this limitation.
Regarding Claim 20, Rice discloses all of the limitations of Claim 2. Rice discloses a channel extending within the main hull from the first air inlet to a base of the deflecting lip for guiding the first body of air (Paragraph 0042, The back of the plenum channel 42 is formed by a substantially vertical crescent-shaped air diverter plate 54 that separates the plenum channel 42 from the nose and mouth chamber 36 and which deflects air from the fan 46 upwards towards the ocular chamber 34)
Belousov et al. (US 20200121005 A1, hereinafter “Belousov”) discloses a hollow channel extending within the main hull from the first air inlet to a base for guiding the first body of air. (Paragraph 0037, Some embodiments described herein relate to masks including a housing (also referred to as a hollow frame) defining an outer layer, an inner layer, and a volume 125 (also referred to as a cavity 125) between the outer layer and the inner layer. Part of the cavity 125 forms one or more channel(s) for guiding airflows generated during exhalation and inhalation of the wearer. The inlet(s) of the channel(s) are in the proximity of the mouth and/or the nose of the wearer and the outlet(s) of the channel(s) are disposed distally from the inlet(s) so as to, e.g., direct the airflows away from the sterile area where the wearer is locating.)
However, none of the above references (applied individually or in combination) teach all of the limitations of Claim 20 as disclosed above, specifically in regard to the main hull having multiple hollow chambers to direct airflow from the first inlet. All subsequent dependent claims would be allowable in view of this limitation.
Regarding Claim 23, Rice discloses all of the limitations of Claim 2. Feasey discloses a first tubular connector that is connected to the first air inlet (Paragraph 0193, The air supply line 5 that is in fluid communication with the face shield 2 is a clear hollow plastic material and configured to allow for an integrated dual air line configuration on either side of the wearer's head such that a positive stream of laminar flow of air 13 is provided on each side of the face shield 2. In one embodiment, a jet nozzle (not shown) is attached to a distal end of the air supply line 5 such that the positive stream of laminar flow 13 is directed to the intersection region 8 (best seen in FIG. 5) within the cavity 3 of the face shield 2); wherein the first tubular connector is connectable to the air source to provide a first body of air (Paragraph 0072, A PAPR may comprise a powered fan which forces incoming air through one or more filters for delivery to the user for breathing. The fan and filters may be carried by the user or the air may be fed to the user via tubing while the fan and filters are remotely mounted)
However, none of the prior art references (applied individually or in combination) teach all of the limitations of Claim 23 as disclosed above, specifically in regard to multiple tubular connectors connected to different air inlets. Furthermore, it would not have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art to incorporate those connectors into the facial mask assembly disclosed by Rice.
Regarding Claim 26, Rice discloses all of the limitations of Claim 2. Rice further discloses: having an inlet encasing a fan that is actuable to make a portion of the first body of air flow through the blowing chamber at the first inlet flowrate (Paragraph 0042, In the center of the body 14 below the lens 12, an air inlet means in the form of a duct or plenum channel 42 is formed. This plenum channel 42 has a broad inlet chamber 44 with a fan 46 mounted in it driven by an electric motor 47 (see FIG. 8). The fan is arranged to rotate about a substantially horizontal axis, drawing air in from the forward direction and propelling it in a rearward direction towards the exhalation chamber 36. The front of the inlet chamber 44 is formed by an inlet cover portion 48 of the body that has a number of apertures 50 formed through it. In the back 52 of the inlet chamber, a fan chamber 51 is formed, surrounded by a fan chamber wall 53 and opening at its front into the inlet chamber 44. From the back of the fan chamber 51, an upper part 42a of the plenum channel 42 extends upwards into the ocular chamber 34. The back of the plenum channel 42 is formed by a substantially vertical crescent-shaped air diverter plate 54 that separates the plenum channel 42 from the nose and mouth chamber 36 and which deflects air from the fan 46 upwards towards the ocular chamber 34).
However, Rice does not disclose multiple blowing chambers distributed over a surface of the main hull, nor would it be obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date to implement this structural modification.
Regarding Claim 42, Rice discloses all of the limitations of Claim 2. Rice does not disclose a deflection wall or a secondary laminar flow. None of the prior art references (applied individually or in combination) teach all of the limitations of Claim 42 as disclosed above, specifically in regard to the secondary laminar flow. Furthermore, it would not have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art to incorporate an additional deflector wall into the facial mask assembly to create a secondary flow.
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure.
Gelinas et al. (US 20030029454 A1) discloses a cup-shaped respirator with multiple components and layers assembled together in a shell-like manner
Joseph et al. (US 20220331619 A1) discloses a protective face shield that utilizes laminar flow to protect a user from airborne contaminants
Markert (US 4764990 A) discloses a ventilated face shield with a smooth, substantially laminar channeled air flow
Blum et al. (WO 2024006089 A1) discloses a device for generating an upward blowing air curtain
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to MISHAL Z HUSSAIN whose telephone number is (703)756-1206. The examiner can normally be reached M-F, 8:30am - 5:00pm.
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If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Brandy S. Lee can be reached at (571) 270-7410. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/MISHAL HUSSAIN/
Examiner
Art Unit 3785
/BRANDY S LEE/Supervisory Patent Examiner, Art Unit 3785
Prosecution Insights