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
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 102
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 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 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) 1,4-18 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by ADELI WO 2019056137 A1 (using US publication version US 20210187149 A1 for citations).
Regarding Claim(s) 1, ADELI teaches: An ultraviolet disinfectant head for disinfecting a fluid housed in a cavity of a fluid container having a central axis, the ultraviolet disinfectant head comprising: an ultraviolet light emitting diode (UV-LED) having a principal emission axis; and a lens having a primary optical axis, the lens oriented and/or located to receive radiation from the UV-LED and direct refracted radiation toward a fill plane of the cavity of the fluid container. (ADELI [0070]-[0109])
Regarding Claim(s) 4, ADELI teaches: wherein when the ultraviolet disinfectant head is attached to the fluid container: the principal emission axis of the UV-LED is co-axial with the central axis of the fluid container; and the principal emission axis of the UV-LED is co-axial with the primary optical axis of the lens. (ADELI [0070]-[0109])
Regarding Claim(s) 5, ADELI teaches: wherein the principal emission axis of the UV-LED is spaced apart from and parallel to the central axis of the fluid container when the ultraviolet disinfectant head is attached to the fluid container. (ADELI [0070]-[0109])
Regarding Claim(s) 6, ADELI teaches: wherein the principal emission axis of the UV-LED is co-axial to the primary optical axis of the lens. (ADELI [0070]-[0109])
Regarding Claim(s) 7, ADELI teaches: wherein the principal emission axis of the UV-LED is spaced apart from and parallel to the primary optical axis of the lens. (ADELI [0070]-[0109])
Regarding Claim(s) 8, ADELI teaches: wherein the principal emission axis of the UV-LED is oriented at a first angle relative to the primary optical axis of the lens and the first angle is an acute angle. (ADELI [0070]-[0109])
Regarding Claim(s) 9, ADELI teaches: wherein the UV-LED is spaced apart from the central axis of the fluid container and the principal emission axis of the UV-LED is non-parallel to the central axis of the fluid container when the ultraviolet disinfectant head is attached to the fluid container. (ADELI [0070]-[0109])
Regarding Claim(s) 10, ADELI teaches: wherein the principal emission axis of the UV-LED is co-axial to the primary optical axis of the lens. (ADELI [0070]-[0109])
Regarding Claim(s) 11, ADELI teaches: wherein the principal emission axis of the UV-LED is spaced apart from and parallel to the primary optical axis of the lens. (ADELI [0070]-[0109])
Regarding Claim(s) 12, ADELI teaches: wherein the primary optical axis of the lens is spaced apart from and parallel to the central axis of the fluid container. (ADELI [0070]-[0109])
Regarding Claim(s) 13, ADELI teaches: wherein the principal emission axis of the UV-LED is oriented at a second angle relative to the primary optical axis of the lens and the second angle is an acute angle. (ADELI [0070]-[0109])
Regarding Claim(s) 14, ADELI teaches: wherein the UV-LED is spaced apart from the central axis of the fluid container and the principal emission axis of the UV-LED is oriented at a third angle relative to the central axis of the fluid container when the ultraviolet disinfectant head is attached to the fluid container and the third angle is an acute angle. (ADELI [0070]-[0109])
Regarding Claim(s) 15, ADELI teaches: wherein the principal emission axis of the UV-LED is co-axial to the primary optical axis of the lens. (ADELI [0070]-[0109])
Regarding Claim(s) 16, ADELI teaches: wherein the principal emission axis of the UV-LED is spaced apart from and parallel to the primary optical axis of the lens. (ADELI [0070]-[0109])
Regarding Claim(s) 17, ADELI teaches: wherein the primary optical axis of the lens is spaced apart from and parallel to the central axis of the fluid container. (ADELI [0070]-[0109])
Regarding Claim(s) 18, ADELI teaches: wherein the principal emission axis of the UV-LED is oriented at a fourth angle relative to the primary optical axis of the lens and the fourth angle is an acute angle. (ADELI [0070]-[0109])
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 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 of this title, 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) 2-3,19-20 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over ADELI WO 2019056137 A1 (using US publication version US 20210187149 A1 for citations) in view of Taghipour US 20180201521 A1.
Regarding Claim(s) 2,3, ADELI does not adequately teach: wherein the lens is a diverging lens. wherein that the refracted radiation is diverging when it reaches the fill plane of the fluid container. (ADELI [0070]-[0109],[0095])
Taghipour teaches: wherein the lens is a diverging lens. (Taghipour [0051],[0133])
Adeli teaches lens variations and configurations that imply but fall short of explicitly stating that a lens is specifically a diverging lens. However, Adeli does state in paragraph [0095] and other places that the radiation may be diverging from the sources and those sources including the combination of UV-led and lenses. At the very minimum, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in art to utilize a diverging lens since it is generally disclosed in Adeli that diverging radiation and different configurations of lenses may be used to ensure proper sterilization for the conditions. (ADELI [0070]-[0109],[0095]) Further, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in art to utilize the diverging lens of Taghipour in Adeli since Taghipour explicitly discloses the use of diverging lenses and Adeli discloses the use of diverging radiation. (Taghipour [0051],[0133])
Regarding Claim(s) 19-20, ADELI does not adequately teach: comprising a filter for filtering fluid that passes through the ultraviolet disinfectant head into or out of the fluid container. wherein the central axis of the fluid container intersects the filter when the ultraviolet disinfectant head is attached to the fluid container.
Taghipour teaches: comprising a filter for filtering fluid that passes through the ultraviolet disinfectant head into or out of the fluid container. wherein the central axis of the fluid container intersects the filter when the ultraviolet disinfectant head is attached to the fluid container. (Taghipour [0025)]
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in art to combine water filtration as disclosed in Taghipour with the water sterilizer taught in Adeli to ensure the sterilized water is as cleaned by filtration. (Taghipour [0025), “The UV-LED reactor may be integrated in these devices/equipment along with other forms of water purification methods such as filtration.”]
Conclusion
1. The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure. See PTO-892.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to SEAN M LUCK whose telephone number is (571)272-6493. The examiner can normally be reached on 8-5 M-F.
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/SEAN M LUCK/Examiner, Art Unit 2881