DETAILED ACTION
Election/Restrictions
Applicant’s election without traverse of claims 1-9 in the reply filed on 12/12/2025 is acknowledged.
Claims 10-19 are withdrawn from further consideration pursuant to 37 CFR 1.142(b) as being drawn to a nonelected invention, there being no allowable generic or linking claim. Election was made without traverse in the reply filed on 12/12/2025.
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.
Claims 1-5 and 7-9 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Mitsubishi H0730358 [translation].
Regarding claim 1, Mitsubishi discloses a filter element for a filter system, the filter element comprising: a hollow cylinder-type filter bellows surrounding an interior of the filter element (Abstract; cylindrical filter 10); a bottom at an end face of the filter bellows (bottom of filter 10), wherein the bottom is substantially closed (32A); at least one resonator structure embodied at the bottom and configured to provide noise attenuation of a flowing fluid (32a), wherein the at least one resonator structure comprises two or more grooves arranged at an outer side of the bottom facing away from the interior of the filter element (figure 4: 32A), wherein the grooves are separated from each other by a partition (32a); wherein at least one of the grooves is connected in fluid communication through an opening to the interior of the filter element (radial outer ends of the grooves 31A in figure 4); wherein the at least one resonator structure, when the filter element is installed in a filter housing of the filter system as intended, is configured to seal tightly relative to a complementary resonator structure of the filter housing (26A; paragraph 13); wherein the grooves are connected in fluid communication through connection openings arranged in the at least one resonator structure of the filter element and/or arranged in the complementary resonator structure of the filter housing (see figures; paragraph 18).
Regarding claim 2, Mitsubishi discloses a central tube, wherein the central tube comprises the bottom, wherein the central tube is arranged about a longitudinal axis of the filter element inside the filter bellows (figure 1: central tube).
Regarding claim 3, Mitsubishi discloses that the bottom comprises an end disk, wherein the at least one resonator structure of the filter element is integrated in the end disk (figure 2).
Regarding claim 4, Mitsubishi implies that the end disk comprises a seal structure is configured to seal the at least one resonator structure of the filter element in relation to the complementary resonator structure of the filter housing, when the filter element is installed in the filter housing of the filter system as intended (paragraph 13; it is implied that the elements are sealed otherwise the air would not flow through the device as intended).
Regarding claim 5, Mitsubishi discloses that the grooves are segments arranged adjacent to each other (figure 4: grooves 31a)
Regarding claim 7, Mitsubishi discloses that the opening to the interior of the filter element is arranged in at least one of the grooves (paragraph 18).
Regarding claim 8, Mitsubishi discloses that the partition comprises one or more of the connection openings connecting in fluid communication the grooves (paragraph 18).
Regarding claim 9, Mitsubishi discloses that the one or more connection openings of the partition are axially extending slots (paragraph 18).
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 6 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Mitsubishi H0730358 [translation].
Mitsubishi is relied upon as above.
Regarding claim 6, Mitsubishi does not disclose that the segments are circular ring segments. Nevertheless, it would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art to change the shape of the segments as an obvious matter of design choice. Absent persuasive evidence that the particular shape of the segments is significant, it is deemed to be an obvious matter of design choice. MPEP 2144.04 (IV-B). The segments of Mitsubishi are partial circular ring segments (see figure 4: 31a). Changing them to full circular ring segments would not change the way that the apparatus would function.
Conclusion
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/CHRISTOPHER P JONES/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 1776