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 .
Priority
Acknowledgement is made to Applicant’s claim to priority to Foreign App. No. CN20221094965538 filed August 9, 2022.
Status of Claims
This Office Action is responsive to the preliminary amendment filed on September 26, 2023. As directed by the amendment: claim 18 has been amended. Thus, claims 1-20 are presently pending in this application.
Claim Objections
Claims 1, 7, 9, 13, and 17 are objected to because of the following informalities:
Claim 1 recites "the at least two splitting members sleeved sequentially, in each two adjacent splitting members, the large aperture end of one splitting member being located in the small aperture end of the other splitting member,", ln 7-9 should read --the at least two splitting members sleeved sequentially, such that, in each two adjacent splitting members, the large aperture end of one splitting member being located in the small aperture end of the other splitting member,--;
Claim 7 recites “wherein a plurality of auxiliary flow pathways are form between the inner splitting member and the outer splitting member.”, ln 1-2 should read --wherein a plurality of auxiliary flow pathways are formed between the inner splitting member and the outer splitting member.--
Claim 9 recites “the second splitting member; ;an annular gap”, ln 12 should read --the second splitting member; an annular gap--;
Claim 13 recites “of the flow pathway; .”, ln 4 should read --of the flow pathway.--;
Claim 17 recites "the at least two splitting members sleeved sequentially, in each two adjacent splitting members, the large aperture end of one splitting member being located in the small aperture end of the other splitting member,", ln 14-16 should read --the at least two splitting members sleeved sequentially, such that, in each two adjacent splitting members, the large aperture end of one splitting member being located in the small aperture end of the other splitting 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.
Claim 9, and claims 10-16 by dependency, 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 9 recites "and the splitting member", ln 7, there is insufficient antecedent basis for this limitation in the claim. It is unclear whether the splitting member is intended to reference the second splitting member or introduce a new element. For the purpose of this Office Action the limitation "and the splitting member" has been interpreted as --and the second splitting member--.
Allowable Subject Matter
Claim 9 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.
The following is an examiner’s statement of reasons for allowance: prior art of Inoshiri et al. (U.S. Pat. No. 5,937,938; hereinafter: “Inoshiri”) an airflow splitter, comprising: an inlet (A, Fig. A annotated below); an outlet (B, Fig. A annotated below); and at least two splitting members (C, Fig. A annotated below), each splitting member comprising a small aperture end (D, Fig. A annotated below)and a large aperture end (E, Fig. A annotated below) opposite to each other (Fig. 5), the small aperture ends of all the splitting members facing the inlet (Fig. 5; col 4, ln 37-52), and the large aperture ends of all the splitting members facing the outlet (Fig. 5; col 4, ln 37-52); a flow pathway defined between the small aperture ends and the large aperture ends (F, Fig. A annotated below), and an annular gap (G, Fig. A annotated below) being formed between each two adjacent splitting members, and the annular gap being communicated with the flow pathway (Fig. 5; col 4, ln 37-52).
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Figure A, Adapted from Figure 5 of Inoshiri.
Prior art of Künzelmann (U.S. Pub. No. 2022/0128070) discloses an airflow splitting assembly, comprising: an airflow splitter (11, 11’; Fig. 2, 3), the airflow splitter comprising: an inlet (31; Fig. 2, 3); an outlet (32; Fig. 2, 3); a first splitting member (27; Fig. 2); and a second splitting member (17; Fig. 2) sleeved outside of the first splitting member (Fig. 2; ¶¶ 0035-0042); wherein each of the first splitting member and the second splitting member having a small aperture end (A, Fig. B annotated below) and a large aperture end (B, Fig. B annotated below) opposite to each other, the small aperture ends of the first splitting member and the second splitting member facing the inlet (Fig. 2; ¶¶ 0035-0042), and the large aperture ends of the first splitting member and the second splitting member facing the outlet (Fig. 2; ¶¶ 0035-0042); a flow pathway (25, 29; Fig. 2, 3) defined between the small aperture ends and the large aperture ends (¶¶ 0035-0042); an annular gap (C, Fig. B annotated below) being formed between the first splitting member and the second splitting member, and the annular gap communicated with the flow pathway (Fig. 2; ¶¶ 0035-0042); and a strainer (57; Fig. 3), arranged at the outlet of the airflow splitter to enable the gas to pass through (¶¶ 0044, 0045).
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Figure B, Adapted from Figure 2 of Künzelmann.
Prior art of Inoshiri and Künzelmann alone or in combination fail to disclose or render obvious the air flow splitter:
wherein the at least two splitting members sleeved sequentially, such that, in each two adjacent splitting members, the large aperture end of one splitting member being located in the small aperture end of the other splitting member, as recited in independent claims 1 and 17.
where the large aperture end of the first splitting member is located in the small aperture end of the second splitting member, as recited in independent claim 9.
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.”
Conclusion
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/ELLIOT S RUDDIE/Primary Patent Examiner, Art Unit 3785