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
Election/Restrictions
Applicant’s election without traverse of claims 1-2 in the reply filed on 7/6/26 is acknowledged.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 102
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.
Claim(s) 1 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by KR20140098977 to Lee et al. (Lee).
Regarding claim 1, Lee teaches a. a first component comprising a first cover that is sized and configured for covering one open end of an article (36. Figure 1); and b. a second component comprising a second cover that is sized and configured for covering another open end of an article (24, Figure 1), wherein at least one of said first component and said second component has a mechanism joined thereto for joining said first and second components together around the article in a spaced apart relationship (34 and 32, Figure 1), and one of said first component and said second component comprises at least one port for transferring heat into the interior space of an article (openings shown in 36, Figure 1).
Allowable Subject Matter
Claim 2 is allowed.
U.S. PGPUB 20230143686 teaches a similar orientation but does not teach a member and connection between the first component and the second component.
U.S. Patent 4223873 to Battles teaches a similar orientation but does not teach a member and connection between the first component and the second component.
Lee teaches a similar orientation but there does not appear to be a reasonable combination to teach the tubular members in combination with this piece of prior art.
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure. These are discussed in the allowable subject matter section.
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/STEVEN S ANDERSON II/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3762