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 .
Specification
The abstract of the disclosure is objected to because of undue length. A corrected abstract of the disclosure is required and must be presented on a separate sheet, apart from any other text. See MPEP § 608.01(b).
The disclosure is objected to because of the following informalities: The examiner suggests adding the following paragraph at the beginning of the specification.
This application is a U.S. National Stage Entry of International Patent Application Serial Number PCT/JP2022/013558, now WO 2022/230463, filed October 9, 2023, which claims priority to Japanese Patent Application No. JP2021-073754, filed April 26, 2021, the entire contents of all of which are incorporated herein by reference.
Appropriate correction is required.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 112
The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 112(b):
(b) CONCLUSION.—The specification shall conclude with one or more claims particularly pointing out and distinctly claiming the subject matter which the inventor or a joint inventor regards as the invention.
The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), second paragraph:
The specification shall conclude with one or more claims particularly pointing out and distinctly claiming the subject matter which the applicant regards as his invention.
Claims 1-13 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 112(b) or 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), second paragraph, as being indefinite for failing to particularly point out and distinctly claim the subject matter which the inventor or a joint inventor (or for applications subject to pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, the applicant), regards as the invention.
Regarding claim 1, it is unclear what is meant by the “drive means”.
The specification discloses “drive means” (see paragraphs 0017-018, 0021-0022, and 0025, 0031-0033, 0036-0037), drive mechanism” (see paragraphs 0045 and 0073), and “drive device” (see paragraphs 0044-0045, 0050, 0052, 0054, and 0073).
The examine will use the broadest reasonable interpretation of “drive means” from paragraph 0021. The drive means is manual manipulation or an automatic travel by the floor-surface moving means (11) which travels/moves on a floor surface, wherein the floor-surface moving means are wheels and the drive means is the manual pushing of the indoor decontamination device.
Allowable Subject Matter
Claim 1 would be allowable if rewritten or amended to overcome the rejection(s) under 35 U.S.C. 112(b) or 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), 2nd paragraph, set forth in this Office action.
The closest prior art references are Adams (WO 2011//051645 A1) and JP H01151967 A.
Regarding claim 1, Adama discloses an indoor decontamination device (10) dimensioned to be disposed inside a work room and configured to decontaminate entirety of said work room, the indoor decontamination device comprising: a decontamination device main-body (housing, 14), wherein: said decontamination device main-body (14) includes a drive means (castor wheel, 12) and a supply means (a pump and a delivery conduit, 30) configured to supply a decontamination chemical solution to said mist discharging dispersion device (nozzle, 26) (see Abstract; figures 1-10; and pages 2-12).
JP H01151967 A discloses the purpose to automatically prevent the frequency deviation of acoustic waves in a stationary state during operation and to increase the standing wave energy by forming a reflector of two ultrasonic transmitters having nearly the same acoustic characteristics; the transmitters (1) and (2) of the reflector are vibrated at approximately the same frequency by a frequency generator (5); an atomized medium; a transmitter board (see Abstract; figure 1; and description).
The prior art references fail to disclose or suggest an indoor decontamination device dimensioned to be disposed inside a work room and configured to decontaminate entirety of said work room, the indoor decontamination device comprising: a decontamination device main-body and a mist discharging dispersion device connected to said decontamination device main-body directly or via a connecting device, wherein: said decontamination device main-body includes a drive means and a supply means configured to supply a decontamination chemical solution to said mist discharging dispersion device, said mist discharging dispersion device includes a mist discharging means and a mist dispersion means, said mist discharging means is configured to convert said decontamination chemical solution to a decontamination mist and to supply the decontamination mist into said work room, and said mist dispersion means includes a board carrying a plurality of transmitters, and is configured (a) to subject said plurality of transmitters to an ultrasonic vibration thereby causing an acoustic wave to be generated and propagated in a vertical direction from a board surface of said board, (b) to causes a pressing force due to acoustic radiation pressure to act on said decontamination mist supplied into said work room, and (c) to disperse the decontamination mist in said work room.
Claims 2-13 depend on claim 1.
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to NATASHA E YOUNG whose telephone number is (571)270-3163. The examiner can normally be reached M-F 7:00 am - 6:00 pm.
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NATASHA E. YOUNG
Examiner
Art Unit 1774
/NATASHA E YOUNG/ Primary Examiner, Art Unit 1774
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