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 .
Continued Examination Under 37 CFR 1.114
A request for continued examination under 37 CFR 1.114, including the fee set forth in 37 CFR 1.17(e), was filed in this application after final rejection. Since this application is eligible for continued examination under 37 CFR 1.114, and the fee set forth in 37 CFR 1.17(e) has been timely paid, the finality of the previous Office action has been withdrawn pursuant to 37 CFR 1.114. Applicant's submission filed on 03/17/2026 has been entered.
Response to Amendment
The amendment submitted 03/17/2026 has been entered. Claims 1-4, 6-7, 9-13, 15-19, and 21 remain pending. Claims 5, 8, 14, and 20 have been cancelled.
Response to Arguments
Applicant's arguments filed 03/17/2026 have been fully considered but they are not fully persuasive. Claim 7 has been amended to be in independent form changing the scope of the claim necessitating modified grounds of rejection. Please see modified grounds of rejection below.
The Applicant argues claim 7 is allowable since the supporting portions of Liu “are curved to extend in a circumferential direction” and not “only in a straight line parallel with the radial direction” as claimed. The Examiner respectfully disagrees. Absent any disclosure of criticality, or any new or unexpected results, of the supporting portions being straight a mere change of shape supports a prima facie obviousness determination, see MPEP 2144.04(IV)(B).
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.
Claim(s) 7 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over US 10563659 to Liu.
(a) Regarding claim 7:
(i) Liu discloses (in embodiment 4, Fig 9) a blower (see abstract) comprising:
a first axial fan (first fan 211, Fig 7, excluding and distinct from the flange area of inlet 2121 and second supporting portions 2126, Fig 6);
a second axial fan (second fan 212, Fig 7) located on one side in an axial direction with respect to the first axial fan (Fig 7);
a first current plate (second combining part 214; Figs 6-9) in which first hollow cells (second holes 2141, Figs 6/9), partitioned by a lattice-shaped first partition wall (walls of second combining part 214 defining second holes 2141, Figs 6/9) and penetrating in the axial direction (Figs 6-9), are two-dimensionally arranged (Figs 6-7/9); and
a holder (flange plate portion of second air outlet 2122, Fig 6 and unlabeled in Fig 8) that holds the first current plate (Figs 6/8);
wherein the first axial fan is connected in series with the second axial fan in the axial direction via the first current plate and the holder (Fig 8);
the holder includes a support portion (radially inner and outer surfaces of holder into which second combining part is press/snap fitted or bonded to, Fig 8) that includes openings (connecting space 2127, Fig 9) opened in the axial direction (Figs 6/8-9) and is located on one side in the axial direction of the first current plate (shown as extending axially downstream beyond second combining part 214, Fig 8);
rigidity of the support portion is higher than rigidity of the first current plate (holder made of same material as second combining part 214, Col 4 Lns 21-24, and shown has having both greater thickness and axial length than the walls of second combining part 214, Figs 6-8; i.e. second supporting portions 2126 must be more rigid than second combining part 214); and
the holder and the first current plate are each defined by separate non-integral structures (holder of Liu defined by the thicker and larger walls of flange portion of second air outlet 2122, Figs 6-9; second combining part 214 is press/snap fit or bonded into spaces 2127, Fig 9, Col 4 Lns 39-44) spaced apart and positioned such that a surface of the first current plate directly opposes a surface of the holder in a radial direction (there must be at least one surface of second combining part 214 radially facing the holder when installed into space 2127); and
the first axial fan and the first current plate are defined by separate non-integral spaced apart structures (second combining part is formed separately from the first axial fan and at least some structures of the first axial fan and the first current plate must be spaced apart in some way, Fig 9);
the first axial fan includes:
an impeller (first rotor blade unit 22, Figs 6/8-9) including a rotor blade (fan blades 222, Fig 6) rotatable about a central axis extending in the axial direction (axis of first shaft 221, Fig 6);
a motor that drives the impeller to rotate the rotor blade (unlabeled motor between first rotor blade unit 22 and housing of the first axial fan, and first base 2113; Fig 6);
a housing (housing of first axial fan 211 comprising first passage 2115, Fig 8) having a tubular shape extending in the axial direction and accommodating the impeller and the motor (Fig 8); and
a connecting portion (first supporting portions 2116, Fig 6) that connects the housing and the motor and supports the motor (Fig 6);
the holder further includes:
a base (second base 2123, Fig 6) that overlaps the motor when viewed from the axial direction (Fig 6); and
a holding tube portion (radially inner surface of housing radially aligned with base 2123 and second combining part 214, Figs 6-9) that has a tubular shape extending in the axial direction and surrounds the base (Figs 6-9);
the support portion further includes support ribs (ribs of second supporting portions 2126, Figs 6-9) extending from a radially outer end of the base portion to the holding tube portion and arranged in a circumferential direction (Figs 6/8-9); and
at least a portion of radially outer ends of the support ribs is connected to a radially inner surface of the holding tube portion (Figs 6-7/9); and
the support portion is located axially below the first axial fan (Fig 8) and axially above the second axial fan (Fig 8), with an axially upper surface of the support portion contacting an axially lowermost surface of the first current plate (second combining parts 214 of Liu are press/snap fit or adhesively bonded to the flange area of inlet 2121 and second supporting portions 2126, both of which extend obliquely below second combining parts 214, therefore there must be at least some upper surface of said flange and/or supporting portions which contact at least some lower surface of a respective one of the second combining parts 214).
(ii) Liu discloses wherein the support ribs are curved and therefore does not disclose wherein at least one of the support ribs extends from the base only in a straight line parallel with the radial direction.
(iii) Applicant has disclosed no criticality, nor any new or unexpected results, from at least one of the support ribs extending in a straight line parallel with the radial direction and the prior art would perform the same with at least one support rib extending from the base only in a straight line parallel with the radial direction. Merely changing the shape of the support ribs supports a prima facie obviousness determination, see MPEP 2144.04(IV)(B).
(iv) It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have modified at least one of the support ribs as disclosed by Liu to extend from the base only in a straight line parallel with the radial direction as claimed as an obvious matter of design choice, see MPEP 2144.04(IV)(B).
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 1-4, 6, 9-13, 15-19, and 21 allowed.
The following is an examiner’s statement of reasons for allowance: the closest prior art is US 10563659 to Liu however the prior art does not teach nor disclose wherein the second impeller is located on another axial direction side with respect to the second motor and opposes the first current plate and the support portion.
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
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to Justin A Pruitt whose telephone number is (571)272-8383. The examiner can normally be reached T-F 8:30am - 6:30pm.
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If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Nathaniel Wiehe can be reached at (571) 272-8648. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/JUSTIN A PRUITT/ Examiner, Art Unit 3745
/NATHANIEL E WIEHE/ Supervisory Patent Examiner, Art Unit 3745
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