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 (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 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.
Claims 1-19 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Mantes et al. (11,839,344).
Regarding claim 1, Mantes discloses dust collector comprising: a main-body housing (10) having a suction port (30), which in fluid communication with an interior of the main-body housing; a motor assembly that comprises: a blower fan (88), which is disposed in the interior of the main-body housing; and a suction motor (90), which is configured to rotate the blower fan, the motor assembly being configured to generate suction force at the suction port; and at least first (70) and second (78) air-exhaust passageways provided in an up-down direction in the interior of the main-body housing and through which air exhausted from the motor assembly flows.
Regarding claim 2, Mantes further discloses that the second air-exhaust passageway is disposed above the first air-exhaust passageway such that a vertically extending line intersects the first air-exhaust passageway and the second air-exhaust passageway.
Regarding claims 3 and 13 (depending from claim 12, which is addressed below), Mantes further discloses that a communication-path opening (at lower end of second passageway 78) fluidly connects the first air-exhaust passageway to the second air-exhaust passageway.
Regarding claims 4-6 and 14 (limitations of claims 4-6 are included in claim 17, depending from claim 16, which is addressed below), Mantes further discloses that the communication-path opening fluidly connects one-end portion of the first air-exhaust passageway to one-end portion of the second air-exhaust passageway (claim 4), that the communication-path opening has a quadrangular shape (duct 78 shown to have a quadrangle cross section at the inlet that defines the communication-path opening that also has a quadrangle shape; claim 5) and a horizontal cross-sectional area of the communication-path opening is 1/2 or less of the maximum cross-sectional area of the first air-exhaust passageway (the cross-section of the opening is substantially smaller than the maximum cross-sectional area of the first passageway, which will be in the horizontal direction and is much less than ½ the area; claim 6).
Regarding claims 7 and 14 (indirectly depending from claim 12, via claims 13-15 which are all addressed below), Mantes further discloses that when the motor assembly is generating the suction force, the direction in which air flows through the first air-exhaust passageway is opposite of the direction in which air flows through the second air-exhaust passageway
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(portions of the airflow in each passageway will travel in opposite directions from airflow on an opposite side of the other passageway, with an example shown here).
Regarding claims 8 and 15 (indirectly depending from claim 12, which is addressed below, via other claim(s) that are addressed above), Mantes further discloses that an air-exhaust port (32) is fluidly connected to the second air-exhaust passageway and fluidly communicates with the exterior of the main-body housing.
Regarding claims 9 and 16 (indirectly depending from claim 12, which is addressed below, via other claim(s) that are addressed above), Mantes further discloses that air exhausted from the motor assembly flows through the first air-exhaust passageway, then flows into the second air-exhaust passageway via a (the) communication-path opening (addressed for claim 3) and then flows through the second air-exhaust passageway, and finally is exhausted from an air-exhaust port.
Regarding claims 10 and 18 (indirectly depending from claim 12, which is addressed below, via other claim(s) that are addressed above), Mantes further discloses a tank (14), on which the suction port is provided (via the cowling 26); wherein: the main-body housing comprises: a tank cover (plate shown in Fig. 3, defining the plate and first passageway 70 having the separator thereon), which is disposed on the upper side of the tank; a separator (Fig. 4), which is disposed on the upper side of the tank cover; and a cowling (26), which is disposed on the upper side of the separator; the first air-exhaust passageway is defined by the tank cover and the separator (ending at the connection between the tank cover and separator, thus defined by a portion of the separator); and the second air-exhaust passageway is defined by the separator and the cowling (cowling defining the exhaust outlet that ends the second passageway).
Regarding claims 11 and 19 (indirectly depending from claim 12, which is addressed below, via other claim(s) that are addressed above), Mantes further discloses that the tank cover comprises a first cover-plate part (base plate as seen in Fig. 3), which covers the tank, and a first guide-plate part (diffuser 70), which protrudes upward from an upper surface of the first cover-plate part; the separator comprises a second cover-plate part (planar portion of the lower surface), which (partially) covers the tank cover, and a second guide-plate part (vertical walls of the duct), which protrudes upward from an upper surface of the second cover-plate part; the first air-exhaust passageway is defined by the upper surface of the first cover-plate part, the first guide-plate part, and a lower surface of the second cover-plate part (opening defining the communication-path opening is considered a lower surface of the second cover plate part, and defines the end of the first passageway, as discussed for claim 10); and the second air-exhaust passageway is defined by the upper surface of the second cover-plate part, the second guide-plate part, and a lower surface of the cowling (the exhaust port 32 defined from the upper to the lower surface of the cowling, such that the second passageway may be considered to be at least partially defined by a lower surface of the cowling).
Regarding claim 12, Mantes further discloses that each of the first and second air-exhaust passageway has a longest dimension that extends in a horizontal direction perpendicular to the up-down direction (both passageways having their longest dimension oriented horizontally).
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to BRYAN R MULLER whose telephone number is (571)272-4489. The examiner can normally be reached M-F 8am-5pm.
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/BRYAN R MULLER/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3723 18 February 2026