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
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 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.
Claims 1-7, 14-20 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Cazenave et al (2015/0327438).
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1. An extractor for a crop harvester configured to receive a crop material outputted from a chopper assembly of the crop harvester, the extractor comprising:
an extractor body having a chamber that extends between a first end and a second end of the extractor body (fig 9, on either side of the inlet opening 76a),
the first end positioned to receive entrance of the crop material into the chamber (intended use shown at feed stream 212),
the first end of the extractor body defining an inlet opening into the chamber (chamber inlet at opening 76a),
the inlet opening having a non-circular shape across the inlet opening (design shape marked up).
[AltContent: textbox (Nozzle wall inclined at a 1st angle (in re cl. 3))][AltContent: arrow][AltContent: arrow][AltContent: textbox (Deflection plate assembly defines a generally straight portion of the inlet opening)][AltContent: arrow]
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2. The extractor of claim 1, wherein the extractor body includes an inlet portion and a body portion (inlet portion 76a; body portion that defines a portion of the chamber 48),
the inlet portion positioned between the first end and the body portion (shown/taught above) and comprising a nozzle wall and at least one deflection plate assembly (both marked up),
wherein the deflection plate assembly defines at least a relatively straight portion of the inlet opening (shown/taught above), and
wherein the nozzle wall defines at least a portion of the chamber (shown/taught above).
“[0031] Various features on the housing (and other bodies) of the extractor may also be included, in order to provide a smoother and more uniform air flow (or otherwise condition flow through the extractor). In certain embodiments, for example, an extended cylindrical wall, a venturi duct, or both may be provided in order to streamline and vertically (or otherwise) orient air flow through the extractor. In certain embodiments, various vanes may be provided even with, above, or below the fan blades in order to provide similar effects. In certain embodiments, various mounting configurations (e.g., the mounting attachment for the extractor hood) may be modified in order to reduce or remove shoulders or other flow impediments from the interior of the extractor.
[0032] In some embodiments, various features may be arranged to serve as deflectors, in order to direct streams of cane billets and other materials by physical impact with portions of the streams. For example, a deflector body may be configured to extend into a cleaning chamber where a feed stream of cane billets and other material enters the cleaning chamber. A deflection surface of the deflector body may be configured to deflect a portion of the cane billets and other material within the cleaning chamber, thereby affecting the interaction of cane billets and other materials with the air flow of the generated flow field.”
“In certain embodiments, the vanes 120 (or other vanes) may be angled with the rotation of the fan assembly 124, may vary in orientation from vane to vane (i.e., may not be uniformly angled), or may otherwise vary from the example configuration depicted in FIG. 3.”
3. The extractor of claim 2, wherein the deflection plate assembly is secured to the nozzle wall and includes a deflector plate (marked up, also including the teachings above),
the nozzle wall being inclined at a first inclined angle (marked up),
the deflector plate defining a portion of the inlet opening (shown/taught above),
a portion of the deflector plate being inclined away from the inlet opening at a second incline angle (shown/taught above),
the second incline angle being different than the first incline angle (shown/taught above).
[AltContent: textbox (Additional deflection plate assemblies (i.e. 1st & 2nd) at opposing sides of the inlet opening wall & are parallel)][AltContent: arrow][AltContent: arrow]
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4. The extractor of claim 2, wherein the at least one deflection plate assembly comprises a first deflection plate assembly and a second deflection plate assembly, wherein the first and second deflection plate assemblies define at least portions of opposing side walls of the inlet opening (vanes as deflectors and/or deflection plate 210 which includes 1st portion & and 2nd portion among others, on opposing sides as taught above; and/or as shown and marked up above).
5. The extractor of claim 4, wherein the first deflection plate assembly defines at least a portion of a first sidewall of the inlet opening (shown above), and
wherein the second deflection plate assembly defines at least a portion of a second sidewall of the inlet opening, wherein the portion of the first sidewall defined by the first deflection plate assembly is generally parallel to the portion of the second sidewall defined by the second deflection plate assembly (as discussed above, 1st & 2nd portions are at opposing sidewalls, as shown parallel when a line taken at middle; and/or as marked up above).
6. The extractor of claim 3, wherein the deflector plate has a lower wall and a top wall, the top wall extending from opposing ends of the lower wall (among the guide vanes as deflectors, deflector assemblies having the deflector plate, as shown/taught above include a top & lower walls).
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7. The extractor of claim 6, wherein the top wall upwardly extends from the lower wall in a curved orientation (marked up),
the top wall having an apex that is centrally located about the top wall at a location that is at aligned with a center portion of the lower wall (an imaginary line extending from the center portion is considered the top wall apex).
The following are already addressed above, unless otherwise noted:
[AltContent: textbox (Nozzle wall with a conical shape)][AltContent: textbox (Opposing sides abut the nozzle wall)][AltContent: arrow][AltContent: arrow]
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14. An extractor comprising: a fan assembly having a fan housing defining a cavity (124); and
an extractor body that defines a chamber that extends from a first end of the extractor body to a second end of the extractor body, the chamber being in fluid communication with the cavity, the extractor body defining an inlet opening of the chamber at the first end, the inlet opening having a non-round shape (see in re cl. 1),
the second end being coupled to the fan assembly (fig 9).
15. The extractor of claim 14, wherein the extractor body includes an inlet portion and a body portion, the inlet portion positioned between the first end and the body portion and comprising a nozzle wall and at least one deflection plate assembly, wherein the at least one deflection plate assembly defines at least a relatively straight portion of the inlet opening, and wherein the nozzle wall defines at least a portion of the chamber (cl. 2).
16. The extractor of claim 15, wherein the deflection plate assembly is secured to the nozzle wall and includes a deflector plate, the nozzle wall being inclined at a first inclined angle, the deflector plate defining a portion of the inlet opening, at least a portion of the deflector plate being inclined at a second incline angle away from the inlet opening and to a top wall of deflector plate, the second incline angle being different than the first incline angle (cl. 3).
17. The extractor of claim 15, wherein the at least one deflection plate assembly comprises a first deflection plate assembly and a second deflection plate assembly, wherein the first and second deflection plate assemblies define at least portions of opposing side walls of the inlet opening (cl. 4).
18. The extractor of claim 17, wherein the first deflection plate assembly defines at least a portion of a first sidewall of the inlet opening, and wherein the second deflection plate assembly defines at least a portion of a second sidewall of the inlet opening, wherein the portion of the first sidewall defined by the first deflection plate assembly is generally parallel to the portion of the second sidewall defined by the second deflection plate assembly (cl. 5).
19. The extractor of claim 16, wherein the deflector plate is planar and the nozzle wall has a conical configuration, and wherein opposing sides of the deflector plate abut the nozzle wall (fig 9).
20. The extractor of claim 19, wherein deflector plate include a top wall and a bottom wall, the top wall extends from opposing ends of the bottom wall to an apex and is adjacent to a portion of the nozzle wall, the apex being positioned at a central along the top wall that aligns with a central portion of the bottom wall (cl. 6, 7).
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 8-13 are allowed.
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure. See form 892.
Dommert (5092110) teaches having a non-circular extractor cleaning chamber (figs 1, 4).
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to ARPAD FABIAN-KOVACS whose telephone number is (571) 272-6990. The examiner can normally be reached Mo-Th.
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/ARPAD FABIAN-KOVACS/
Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3671