DETAILED ACTION
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.
Claims 1-5 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Nakagawa JP2022-120492 [translation] in view of Davis USPA 2006/0011173 A1.
Regarding claim 1, Nakagawa discloses an evaporated fuel treatment device (Abstract) comprising: a main body case (figures: 30); and a lid (figures: lid 23), the main body case including: two or more adsorption chambers (figures: chambers 11, 21 and 31), each adsorption chamber of the two or more adsorption chambers accommodating adsorbents therein (paragraph 16), the two more adsorption chambers including an atmosphere-side adsorption chamber communicating with the atmosphere (paragraphs 21 and 22: atmosphere port 4 communicates to adsorbent); an adsorber arranged at least in the atmosphere-side adsorption chamber (figure 1: adsorbent 21), the adsorber being an aggregate of the adsorbents (paragraph 18: aggregate of granules makes up the adsorbent); and an opening allowing the atmosphere-side adsorption chamber to communicate with the atmosphere (atmosphere port 4), the lid being configured to close at least a part of the opening and to be fixed to the main body case (figures: lid 23), and the lid being configured to be arranged in the vicinity of the adsorber (figure 3: lid 23 is near sorbent 21).
Nakagawa does not disclose that the lid has a snap-fit structure. Davis discloses an evaporated fuel treatment device having a lid with a snap-fit structure (see Davis paragraph 89). It would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art before the filing date of the claimed invention to modify Nakagawa so that the lid has a snap-fit structure, as disclosed by Davis, as this is a known convenient type of attachment mechanism for such a lid. MPEP 2144.03 (A-E).
Regarding claim 2, Nakagawa discloses that the adsorber is configured such that an outer periphery thereof contacts the main body case (figure 2: adsorber 21 contacts the main body case).
Regarding claim 3, Nakagawa discloses that the main body case further includes: a retaining portion retaining the adsorber (figure 3: portion 22 that retains adsorber 21), Nakagawa does not disclose a large-diameter portion configured to be arranged so as to surround the lid at a position away from and radially outward of the retaining portion and to be coupled to the lid with the snap-fit structure; and a stepped portion forming a step coupling the retaining portion and the large-diameter portion. Nevertheless, absent persuasive evidence that the particular configuration of the claimed lid is significant, it is deemed to be an obvious matter of design choice. MPEP 2144.04 (IV-B).
Regarding claim 4, Nakagawa does not disclose that the evaporated fuel treatment device further comprises a sealing member configured to seal a space between the opening and the lid over an entire circumference of the space. Davis discloses a sealing member configured to seal a space between the opening and the lid over an entire circumference of the space (see Davis figure 6: sealing member 224; paragraph 88). It would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art before the filing date of the claimed invention to modify Nakagawa to include a sealing member configured to seal a space between the opening and the lid over an entire circumference of the space, as disclosed by Davis, in order to prevent the leakage of gas.
Regarding claim 5, Nakagawa discloses that the atmosphere-side adsorption chamber is an auxiliary chamber formed to have a smaller volume with respect to a main chamber (figure 1: 21 is smaller than 31), the main chamber being an adsorption chamber included in the two or more adsorption chambers and communicating with the atmosphere-side adsorption chamber (figure 1: 11 and 31), and wherein the adsorber is formed such that a cross-sectional area thereof with respect to a gas flow in the auxiliary chamber is greater than a cross-sectional area of the adsorber with respect to a gas flow in the main chamber (see figure 1: 21 has a larger cross-sectional area than 11).
Conclusion
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/CHRISTOPHER P JONES/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 1776