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 Objections
Claim 4 is objected to because of the following informalities:
Claim 4 depends from cancelled claim 3. For examination purposes claim 4 is assumed to depend from claim 1.
Appropriate correction is required.
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) 1-2 and 4-24 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Pan CN 205953604 in view of Ouyang et al. CN 114405133.
Claim 1, Pan teaches a filter cartridge comprising: a housing (1) enclosing a filter chamber and a filter element (3) disposed therein, a valve assembly comprising: a coupling configured to engage an adapter of a filtration system, an inlet channel (11 to 23) that is in fluid communication with the coupling and the filter chamber, a wastewater outlet valve (5) disposed in an outlet channel that is in fluid communication with the coupling and the filter chamber, wherein the wastewater outlet valve comprises an outlet valve poppet that is biased to seal against an outlet valve housing by a biasing member (52), the wastewater outlet valve is capable of being opened by a protrusion extending from an adapter and a purified water outlet channel extending through the outlet valve poppet, wherein a purified water outlet channel is in fluid communication with a purified outlet of the filter element, and a purified water outlet valve (at 6), disposed in the purified water outlet channel, wherein the purified water outlet valve is capable of being moved into an open condition by a central protrusion extending from an adapter (fig. 1-3). Pan does not teach the filter element comprising a center channel or an outlet tube extending into the filter chamber through the center channel of the filter element. The recitation of the filter cartridge being for a water filtration system which comprises an adapter including a central protrusion and one or more outer protrusions is a recitation of intended use and does not provide any further structural limitations to the filter cartridge.
Pan teaches the filter element is a reverse osmosis filter (abstract). Ouyang teaches a reverse osmosis filter element (130) comprising a center channel and an outlet tube (at 134) that extends into a filter chamber of a housing (110) through the center channel of the filter element (fig. 1). Reverse osmosis filter elements with an center channel with an outlet tube is a very common feature in the art and would have been well within the normal capabilities of one of ordinary skill in the art. The claim would have been obvious because a particular known technique was recognized as part of the ordinary capabilities of one skilled in the art, KSR International Co. v. Teleflex Inc., 82 USPQ2d 1385 (2007).
Claim 12, Pan teaches a water filtration system comprising: an adapter (9) comprising an inlet (91), an outlet (93), a cartridge receptacle in fluid communication with the inlet and an outlet receptacle in fluid communication with the outlet and a filter cartridge comprising: a housing (1) enclosing a filter chamber and a filter element (3) disposed therein, a valve assembly comprising: a coupling configured to engage an adapter of a filtration system, an inlet channel (11 to 23) that is in fluid communication with the coupling and the filter chamber, a wastewater outlet valve (5) disposed in an outlet channel that is in fluid communication with the coupling and the filter chamber, wherein the wastewater outlet valve comprises an outlet valve poppet that is biased to seal against an outlet valve housing by a biasing member (52) and a purified water outlet channel extending through the outlet valve poppet, wherein the purified water outlet channel is in fluid communication with a purified outlet of the filter element, wherein the outlet valve poppet is capable of being moved into an open condition by protrusions extending from an adapter of a filtration system (fig. 1-3). Pan does not teach the filter element comprising a center channel or an outlet tube extending into the filter chamber through the center channel of the filter element or the adapter comprising a central protrusion and one or more outer protrusions.
Pan teaches the filter cartridge comprises a central protrusion (6) and an outer protrusion (53) that are part of the valve assembly that interact with the adapter to open the valve assembly (fig. 2). The recitation of the adapter comprising the central protrusion and outer protrusion is a recitation of a rearrangement of the parts of Pan, namely moving the protrusions of Pan from the filter cartridge to the adapter. Shifting the position of an element is unpatentable if shifting the position of the element would not modify the operation of the device, In re Japikse, 86 USPQ 70 (1950). Moving the protrusions to the location as claimed would not modify the operation of the device as the protrusions would act on the valve assembly to open the valve assembly.
Pan teaches the filter element is a reverse osmosis filter (abstract). Ouyang teaches a reverse osmosis filter element (130) comprising a center channel and an outlet tube (at 134) that extends into a filter chamber of a housing (110) through the center channel of the filter element (fig. 1). Reverse osmosis filter elements with an center channel with an outlet tube is a very common feature in the art and would have been well within the normal capabilities of one of ordinary skill in the art. The claim would have been obvious because a particular known technique was recognized as part of the ordinary capabilities of one skilled in the art, KSR International Co. v. Teleflex Inc., 82 USPQ2d 1385 (2007).
Claims 2-3, 5-9, 13-14 and 16-20, Pan further teaches an inlet valve (4) disposed in the inlet channel, the inlet valve is configured to be opened by water pressure applied to the inlet valve via the inlet channel (fig. 1-2); a purified water outlet valve (at 6), wherein the purified water outlet valve is capable of being moved into an open condition by a central protrusion extending from an adapter (fig. 1-2); the inlet channel is offset from a center of the valve assembly (fig. 1-2); the outlet channel is in a center of the valve assembly (fig. 1-2); the wastewater outlet valve comprises an outlet valve housing that is connected to an outlet valve socket integrally formed in the housing of the filter cartridge (fig. 1-2); the outlet valve housing comprises an outlet valve chamber having a frustoconical valve seat (at 51) for forming a seal with the outlet valve poppet (fig. 1-2); and the outlet valve poppet comprises a seal member (51) for forming a seal with the valve seat of the outlet valve housing (fig. 1-2).
Claim 4, the wastewater outlet valve and purified water outlet valve can be opened by protrusions of an adapter.
Claims 10 and 21, Pan further teaches the outlet valve poppet comprises a seal element (the smooth surface) for forming a seal with a purified water outlet of the housing (fig. 1-2) and Ouyang further teaches the outlet tube comprises a seal element for forming a seal with a purified water outlet of the housing (fig. 2).
Claims 11 and 22, Pan further teaches the filter element is a reverse osmosis filter (abstract) and Ouyang further teaches the outlet tube comprises a plurality of perforations (fig. 1).
Claim 15, Pan further teaches the central protrusion and the outer protrusion simultaneously cause the wastewater outlet valve and the purified water outlet valve to open when the filter cartridge is coupled to the adapter (fig. 1-2).
Claim 23, Pan teaches a filter cartridge comprising: a housing (1) enclosing a filter chamber and a filter element (3) disposed therein, a valve assembly comprising: a coupling configured to engage an adapter of a filtration system, an inlet channel (11 to 23) that is in fluid communication with the coupling and the filter chamber, a wastewater outlet valve (5) disposed in an outlet channel that is in fluid communication with the coupling and the filter chamber, wherein the wastewater outlet valve comprises an outlet valve poppet that is biased to seal against an outlet valve housing by a biasing member (52), the wastewater outlet valve is capable of being opened by a protrusion extending from an adapter and a purified water outlet channel extending through the outlet valve poppet, wherein a purified water outlet channel is in fluid communication with a purified outlet of the filter element, and a purified water outlet valve (at 6), disposed in the purified water outlet channel, wherein the purified water outlet valve is capable of being moved into an open condition by a central protrusion extending from an adapter (fig. 1-3). Pan does not teach the filter element comprising a center channel, an outlet tube extending into the filter chamber through the center channel of the filter element or the purified water outlet valve having an actuating end recessed within the outlet valve poppet. The recitation of the filter cartridge being for a water filtration system which comprises an adapter including a central protrusion and one or more outer protrusions is a recitation of intended use and does not provide any further structural limitations to the filter cartridge.
Pan teaches the filter cartridge comprises a central protrusion (6) and an outer protrusion (53) that are part of the valve assembly that interact with an adapter to open the valve assembly (fig. 2). The recitation of the adapter comprising the central protrusion and outer protrusion is a recitation of a rearrangement of the parts of Pan, namely moving the protrusions of Pan from the filter cartridge to the adapter. Shifting the position of an element is unpatentable if shifting the position of the element would not modify the operation of the device, In re Japikse, 86 USPQ 70 (1950). Moving the protrusions to the location as claimed would not modify the operation of the device as the protrusions would be able to act on the valve assembly to open the valve assembly. Additionally, providing the protrusion (6) of the purified water outlet valve on the adapter rather than on the purified water outlet valve would make the purified water outlet valve to have an actuating end that is recessed within the outlet valve poppet as shown in the annotated figure below. Also, providing a recessed actuating end of a valve is a known feature as demonstrated by Ouyang as shown in the annotated figure below. The claim would have been obvious because a particular known technique was recognized as part of the ordinary capabilities of one skilled in the art, KSR International Co. v. Teleflex Inc., 82 USPQ2d 1385 (2007).
Pan teaches the filter element is a reverse osmosis filter (abstract). Ouyang teaches a reverse osmosis filter element (130) comprising a center channel and an outlet tube (at 134) that extends into a filter chamber of a housing (110) through the center channel of the filter element (fig. 1). Reverse osmosis filter elements with an center channel with an outlet tube is a very common feature in the art and would have been well within the normal capabilities of one of ordinary skill in the art. The claim would have been obvious because a particular known technique was recognized as part of the ordinary capabilities of one skilled in the art, KSR International Co. v. Teleflex Inc., 82 USPQ2d 1385 (2007).
Claim 24, as shown below, if the protrusion (6) of Pan were moved from the purified water outlet valve to an adapter, the purified water outlet valve would be entirely disposed within the purified water outlet channel (see below).
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Response to Arguments
Applicant's arguments filed 1/21/26 have been fully considered but they are not persuasive.
Regarding claim 1, applicant argues that in Pan the flat surface of the wall base rotating valve (9), corresponding to the recited adapter, actuates the protrusion (6) and the protrusion (54). Therefore, Pan does not teach a wastewater outlet valve and purified water outlet valve which are configured to be opening by different protrusions extending from the adapter. Claim 1 is directed to a filter cartridge intended to be used with an adapter. The structure of the adapter does not provide any further structural limitations to the claimed invention because the adapter is not part of the claimed invention. Both the wastewater outlet valve and the purified water outlet valve of Pan are capable of being actuated by separate protrusions extending from an adapter and are therefore is deemed to meet the limitations set forth in the claim.
Regarding claim 12, applicant argues that the adapter (9) of Pan does not include a central protrusion nor one or more outer protrusions. The rejection does not state that Pan teaches these features but sets forth rationale as to why the recited structure is obvious. Pan teaches protrusions (6) and (54) that are located on the valves that interact with the adapter (9) to open the valves. The recited structure is a rearrangement of the parts of Pan, namely, rearranging the protrusions (6) and (54) to extend from the adapter rather than from the valves. Moving the protrusions from the valves to the adapter would not modify the operation of the apparatus as the protrusions would still actuate the valves. Figure 2 of Pan shows the interaction between the adapter and the protrusions. As would be clearly seen and understood by one of ordinary skill in the art, attaching the protrusions to the adapter would allow the protrusions to interact with valves.
Regarding claims 23 and 24 the claims are rejected for the reasons stated in the rejection above.
Conclusion
Applicant's amendment necessitated the new ground(s) of rejection presented in this Office action. Accordingly, THIS ACTION IS MADE FINAL. See MPEP § 706.07(a). 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.
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/BENJAMIN M KURTZ/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 1779