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 .
Response to Arguments
Applicant's arguments filed 04/08/2026 have been fully considered but they are not persuasive. The applicant argues, on pp. 7 of the response, that the annular fence member cannot be connected to the peripheral edge of the fan unit as required by the amended claims. The examiner respectfully disagrees. “Connect” is defined as “[t]o join, fasten, or link together: said either of the personal agent or of the connecting medium or instrumentality”1 therefore “a second baffle ring configured to connect to a peripheral edge of the impeller…” [see claim 1 line 11, dated 04/08/2026] does not require direct contact between the baffle ring and the peripheral edge of the impeller because the structures can be linked by intervening structure. In this case the second baffle ring [reference character 20 in Fig. 4 of Lin] is connected or “linked” to the peripheral edge of the impeller via the intervening structure of the hood and the impeller motor. For this reason, the rejections are maintained.
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) 1-8, and 12 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Lin (US 5,537,988).
With respect to claim 1 Lin discloses a range hood [reference character 100] comprising: a box [reference character 102] provided with an accommodation cavity [see annotated Fig. below], and an air inlet [reference character 101] and an air outlet [see annotated Fig. below], wherein the air inlet and the air outlet are in fluid communication with the accommodation cavity; a fan [reference characters 104 and a fan blade unit, see Fig. 4 and column 4 lines 6-22] at least partially housed in the accommodation cavity, the fan comprising an impeller [a fan blade unit, see Fig. 4 and column 4 lines 6-22] and a motor [reference character 104] which is connected to the impeller and configured to drive the impeller, wherein a projection of the impeller [reference character 1032] is within a projection of the air inlet [reference character 11] in an axial direction of the impeller, a gap [reference character 1021] existing between the projection of the impeller and the projection of the air inlet; and a first baffle ring [reference characters 10], wherein a projection of the first baffle ring covers the gap in the axial direction of the impeller [see Fig. 4], the first baffle fing extending along a radial direction of the impeller [see Figs. 2 and 4]. Lin further discloses a second baffle ring [reference character 20] configured to connect to a peripheral edge of the impeller [via the intervening structure of the hood and the impeller motor], the second baffle ring extending along the axial direction of the impeller [see Fig. 4]
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With respect to claim 2 Lin discloses that an inner ring of the first baffle ring being connected to the second baffle ring [via the intervening structure of the hood see Fig. 4].
With respect to claim 3 Lin discloses that the first baffle ring has a side located opposite to the accommodation cavity [at reference character 18] which is connected in a smooth transition way to an inner ring of the second baffle ring [reference character 22 see Figs. 2 and 4].
With respect to claim 4 Lin discloses that the inner ring of the first baffle ring extends to form a guide arc ring [reference character 26] facing away and protruding beyond the motor, and the guide arch ring is connected to the second baffle ring [see Fig. 2].
With respect to claim 5 Lin discloses that the first baffle ring and the box define an air passage communicating with the gap [see Fig. 4].
With respect to claim 6 Lin discloses that a depth of the air passage in the axial direction of the impeller ranges from 3 mm to 8 mm [column 4 lines 31-32].
With respect to claim 7 Lin discloses that the first baffle ring, the second baffle ring and the impeller are integrally formed2 [see Fig. 4].
With respect to claim 8 Lin discloses that the box comprises a box body provided with the accommodation cavity and the air outlet [see Fig. 4], and a first housing [see annotated Fig. below] detachably connected to the box body [the housing can be detached by cutting], the first housing provided with the air inlet which tapers toward the fan.
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With respect to claim 12 Lin discloses that the fan is configured as an axial flow fan3 [see Fig. 4, where the flow is shown as entering and exiting parallel to the rotational axis of the fan].
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.
The factual inquiries for establishing a background for determining obviousness under 35 U.S.C. 103 are summarized as follows:
1. Determining the scope and contents of the prior art.
2. Ascertaining the differences between the prior art and the claims at issue.
3. Resolving the level of ordinary skill in the pertinent art.
4. Considering objective evidence present in the application indicating obviousness or nonobviousness.
Claim(s) 11 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Lin (US 5,537,988) in view of Bernstein (US 2,857,836).
With respect to claim 11 Lin does not disclose that an extending direction of the air inlet is different from an extending direction of the air outlet.
Bernstein discloses an exhaust fan where an extending direction of the air inlet [through reference character 20 in Fig. 1] is different from an extending direction of the air outlet [reference character 14 in Fig. 1].
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art at the time of the filing date of the invention to modify the system taught by Lin by extending the direction of the air outlet such that it is different from the air inlet, as taught by Bernstein, in order to allow for the installation of the exhaust in the lower floor of a building without extending the exhaust duct all the way through the roof.
Claim(s) 13 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Crean et. al (US 2006/0267363 A1) in view of Lin (US 5,537,988).
With respect to claim 13 Crean disclose a vehicle [reference character 100] including a stove [see Fig. 3A].
Crean does not disclose the range hood according to claim 1.
Lin discloses the exhaust hood according to claim 1 [see rejection for claim 1].
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art at the time of the filing date of the invention to modify the vehicle taught by Crean by integrating the exhaust hood taught by Lin over the stove taught by Crean in order to allow for the removal of cooking fumes from the stove.
Allowable Subject Matter
Claim 14 is allowed.
Claims 9-10 are objected to as being dependent upon a rejected base claim, but would be allowable if rewritten in independent form including all of the limitations of the base claim and any intervening claims.
Conclusion
THIS ACTION IS MADE FINAL. 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.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to VIVEK K SHIRSAT whose telephone number is (571)272-3722. The examiner can normally be reached M-F 9:00AM-5:20AM.
Examiner interviews are available via telephone, in-person, and video conferencing using a USPTO supplied web-based collaboration tool. To schedule an interview, applicant is encouraged to use the USPTO Automated Interview Request (AIR) at http://www.uspto.gov/interviewpractice.
If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Steven B McAllister can be reached at 571-272-6785. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/VIVEK K SHIRSAT/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3762
1 “Connect, V.” Oxford English Dictionary, Oxford UP, December 2025, https://doi.org/10.1093/OED/1984232333.
2 Integral is defined as “[m]ade up of component parts which together constitute a unity…” [“Integral, Adj. & N.” Oxford English Dictionary, Oxford UP, December 2025, https://doi.org/10.1093/OED/7705476803.]. Therefore, since all of the component parts of Lin together constitute a unified exhaust fan the components required by claim 12 are interpreted as “integrally formed”.
3 An axial flow fan is defined as “[a] fan with blades that cause a gas, usually air, to flow primarily parallel to the shaft around which the blades rotate” [Atkins, T., & Escudier, M. (2013). axial fan. In A Dictionary of Mechanical Engineering.: Oxford University Press. Retrieved 7 Jan. 2026, from https://www.oxfordreference.com/view/10.1093/acref/9780199587438.001.0001/acref-9780199587438-e-361].