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 .
Claim Status
Claims 1-10, 12, 17-22 and 27-36 have been cancelled.
Claims 11, 13-16 and 37-40 are rejected.
Claims 23-26 are withdrawn.
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(s) 11, 13-16 and 37-39 are finally rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Chandra et al. (US 2019/0351354) [hereinafter Chandra] in view of Li et al. (US 2020/0001211) [hereinafter Li].
With respect to claims 11 and 13, Chandra discloses a water filter assembly 200, as shown in Fig. 4, having: a housing or sump 230 having an internal cavity 231 with filter media 232 therein, as shown in Fig. 5, and a top surface, as shown in Fig. 5; an axially centered stem 260 extending from said top surface and having an ingress port 241 and egress port 242 in fluid communication with said internal cavity 231, as shown in Fig. 5; attachment lugs 281, 291, positioned on or extending from said housing top surface, as shown in Fig. 6; said attachment lugs 281, 291, located radially opposite one another about a circumferential direction, as shown in Fig. 6; a magnetic structure 280, 290, located on or above and or in close proximity to said top surface, as shown in Fig. 6, and disposed between said attachment lugs 281, 291, about the circumferential direction, as shown in Figs. 6 and 10.
Chandra lacks wherein said magnetic structure includes a correlated magnet; wherein said correlated magnet includes a plurality of magnetic field emission sources having positions and polarities relating to a predefined spatial force function that corresponds to a predetermined alignment of said magnetic field emission sources.
Li teaches a filter cartridge 30 connected to a manifold 12, as shown in Fig. 4A, by means of a magnetic structure 34, 16, as shown in Fig. 4A. Each magnet 34, 16, is a correlated magnet. Li teaches correlated magnets are used to attach first and second components and that a first component includes a first field emission structure and the second component includes a second field emission structure, wherein each field emission structure includes multiple magnetic field emission sources having positions and polarities relating to a predefined spatial force function that corresponds to a predetermined alignment of the field emission structures, and the components are adapted to be attached to each other when the first field emission structure is in proximity of the second field emission structure (see paragraphs 0002-0007). The advantage of using these correlated magnets is that there is very little positive holding force outside the region where there is a strong alignment force, and this removes the possibility of attachment when the components are misaligned (see paragraph 0014). It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art to use correlated magnets having a plurality of magnetic field emission sources having positions and polarities relating to a predefined spatial force function that corresponds to a predetermined alignment of said magnetic field emission sources, as taught by Li, in the magnetic structure disclosed by Chandra, in order to improve the alignment between the body and the head and provide a strong connection between the head and body (see paragraph 0014).
With respect to claim 14, Chandra discloses wherein said magnetic structure 280, 290, is located a predetermined distance from an axial center of said top surface, as shown in Fig. 6.
With respect to claim 15, Chandra as modified by Li discloses wherein predefined spatial force function is a magnetic shear force (see paragraph 0069 of Li, magnet surfaces slide or displaced).
With respect to claim 16, Chandra discloses wherein said attachment lugs 281, 291, include an axially extended portion 283, 293, extending upwards from said filter cartridge top surface, as shown in Fig. 6, and a radially extended portion 284, 294, extending perpendicular to said axially extending portion 283, 293, above said filter cartridge top surface, as shown in Fig. 6.
With respect to claim 37, Chandra discloses wherein said attachment lugs 281, 291, are diametrically opposed on said housing top surface, as shown in Fig. 6.
With respect to claim 38, Chandra discloses wherein said attachment lugs 281, 291, are radially opposite one another on said housing top surface about the circumferential direction, as shown in Fig. 6.
With respect to claim 39, Chandra discloses wherein said magnetic structure 280, 290, 300, 302, extends radially outwards with respect to an axial center of said top surface, as shown in Fig. 10.
Allowable Subject Matter
Claim 40 is 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: Claim 40 would be allowed because the prior art of record does not show or suggest wherein said radially extended portion of each attachment lug extends inwards towards said axially-centered stem, in combination with any remaining limitations in the claim. Chandra and Li lack these limitations and it would have not been obvious to modify because there is no reason or suggestion to do so and the filters would not operate as intended.
Response to Arguments
Applicant's arguments filed on June 2, 2026, have been fully considered but they are not persuasive.
In response to applicant’s arguments that Chandra and Li lack the new limitations added to claim 11: This argument is not persuasive. The new limitations are obvious under Chandra in view of Li, as stated above.
Conclusion
THIS ACTION IS MADE FINAL. Applicant is reminded of the extension of time policy as set forth in 37 CFR 1.136(a).
A shortened statutory period for reply to this final action is set to expire THREE MONTHS from the mailing date of this action. In the event a first reply is filed within TWO MONTHS of the mailing date of this final action and the advisory action is not mailed until after the end of the THREE-MONTH shortened statutory period, then the shortened statutory period will expire on the date the advisory action is mailed, and any nonprovisional extension fee (37 CFR 1.17(a)) pursuant to 37 CFR 1.136(a) will be calculated from the mailing date of the advisory action. In no event, however, will the statutory period for reply expire later than SIX MONTHS from the mailing date of this final action.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to MADELINE GONZALEZ whose telephone number is (571)272-5502. The examiner can normally be reached M-F 9-5:30.
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/MADELINE GONZALEZ/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 1773
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