2 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. 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 (s) 15- 18, 20, and 22-23 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over US 2004/0258559 (Paskal et al.) . Regarding claim 1, Paskal et al. discloses an apparatus for treating an object, the apparatus comprising a base (element 36) in which a passage is located (element 78) , a vent inlet to the passage (element 80) , an outlet from the passage (element 30) , the base including a platform at which said outlet from the passage is positioned (fig. 2, unlabeled) a housing which includes a volume within which the at least one object is removably located, the housing being configured to be engaged with the platform whereby the outlet from the passage is placed in air communication with the vo lume (element 12), an air heater (element 62) , an air fan (element 74) and a controller for regulating operation of the air heater and the fan thereby to produce a stream of air which is at a predetermined air temperature and which is directed through the passage and from the outlet into the volume (element 48) , an ultraviolet source positioned to direct ultraviolet radiation into the volume (“ Furthermore systems may include the use of ozone and/or ultraviolet light to further enhance the sanitization and operation of this system. ” P 45) . Paskal et al. does not specify whether the housing is impervious to ultraviolet radiation, or whether ultraviolet light source is positioned on the platform , and further does not include a water outlet from the passage which is located at what in use is a lowermost point of the passage . It would have been obvious to a person having ordinary skill in the art at the time the application was filed to position the ultraviolet light source on the platform so that it can shine up onto the articles. It would further have been obvious to make the housing impervious to ultraviolet radiation so that the UV light does not escape. It would also have been obvious to provide a water outlet so that liquids which condense before exiting through the cover vents could exit the base. It would further have been obvious to place the water outlet at what in use is a lowermost point of the passage so that the water could drain using gravity. Regarding claim 16 , Paskal et al. disclose the apparatus according to claim 15 wherein said controller is operable to produce said stream of conditioned air at a predetermined air flow rate (“ With this configuration, fan 74 will move air through duct 78 and into chamber 28 via duct outlets 30. ” P 27). Regarding claim 17, Paskal et al. disclose the claimed invention except for said vent inlet to the passage being higher than said air fan and said air heater. It would have been obvious to a person having ordinary skill in the art at the time the application was filed to move the vent inlet higher than said air fan as a matter of design choice, since the relative heights of the fan and the vent are not material to the workings of the fan. Regarding claim 18, Paskal et al. disclose the claimed invention except for the ultraviolet source, which is operable by the controller, is located at said outlet from the passage. It would have been obvious to a person having ordinary skill in the art at the time the application was filed to place the ultraviolet source at the outlet of the passage so that the air could be sanitized as it leaves the outlet. Regarding claim 20, Paskal et al. disclose the apparatus according to claim 15 which includes a support which is inside said volume in the housing and which is configured to support at least said object inside said volume (element 90) . Regarding claim 2 2 , Paskal et al. disclose the apparatus according to claim 15 which includes an air escape port from the housing (element 14) . Regarding claim 23, Paskal et al. disclose the claimed invention except for a fuse which, in response to a temperature of said stream of conditioned air above a threshold value, inhibits further operation at least of the air heater. Fuses are well-known in the art, and it would have been obvious to a person having ordinary skill in the art at the time the application was filed to modify the apparatus of Paskal et al. to include such a fuse in order to prevent overheating. Claim (s) 15- 17, 19-20, and 22-23 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over US 2021/0041170 (Schumaier) . Regarding claim 1, Schumaier discloses an apparatus for treating an object, the apparatus comprising a base in which a passage is located (element 20) , a vent inlet to the passage (element 50) , an outlet from the passage (element 60) , the base including a platform at which said outlet from the passage is positioned (element 16) a housing which is impervious to ultraviolet radiation and which includes a volume within which the at least one object is removably located, the housing being configured to be engaged with the platform whereby the outlet from the passage is placed in air communication with the vo lume (element 28), an air heater (element 52) , an air fan (element 54) and a controller for regulating operation of the air heater and the fan thereby to produce a stream of air which is at a predetermined air temperature and which is directed through the passage and from the outlet into the volume (element 44); an ultraviolet source positioned on the platform to direct ultraviolet radiation into the volume (element 38). Schumaier does not disclose a water outlet from the passage which is located at what in use is a lowermost point of the passage . It would have been obvious to provide a water outlet so that liquids could exit the base. It would further have been obvious to place the water outlet at what in use is a lowermost point of the passage so that the water could drain using gravity. Regarding claim 16, Schumaier discloses the apparatus according to claim 15 wherein said controller is operable to produce said stream of conditioned air at a predetermined air flow rate (“T he microprocessor 44 is programmed to provide a desired air temperature, time and fan speed to provide the desired drying effect. ” P 42) . Regarding claim 17, Schumaier discloses the claimed apparatus except it is silent as to whether said vent inlet to the passage being higher than said air fan and said air heater. It would have been obvious to a person having ordinary skill in the art at the time the application was filed to place the vent inlet higher than said air fan as a matter of design choice, since the relative heights of the fan and the vent are not material to the workings of the fan. Regarding claim 19, Schumaier discloses the apparatus according to claim 15 which includes a safety switch at the platform which prevents operation at least of the ultraviolet source unless the housing is engaged with the platform (element 46) . Regarding claim 20, Schumaier discloses the apparatus according to claim 15 which includes a support which is inside said volume in the housing and which is configured to support at least said object inside said volume (element 14) . Regarding claim 22, Schumaier discloses the apparatus according to claim 15 which includes an air escape port from the housing ( “ air outlet vents 48 in the lid 28. ” P 48 ) . Regarding claim 23, Schumaier discloses the claimed invention except for a fuse which, in response to a temperature of said stream of conditioned air above a threshold value, inhibits further operation at least of the air heater. Fuses are well-known in the art, and it would have been obvious to a person having ordinary skill in the art at the time the application was filed to modify the apparatus of Schumai e r to include such a fuse as a failsafe in case the thermostat fails. Claim(s) 19 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Paskal et al. as applied to claim 1 above, and further in view of US 2021/0041170 (Schumaier). Regarding claim 19, Paskal et al. discloses the claimed invention except for a safety switch at the platform which prevents operation at least of the ultraviolet source unless the housing is engaged with the platform. Schumaier discloses a similar apparatus for treating an object on a platform including a safety switch at the platform which prevents operation at least of the ultraviolet source unless the housing is engaged with the platform (element 46). It would have been obvious to a person having ordinary skill in the art at the time the application was filed to modify the apparatus of Paskal et al. to include the safety switch of Schumaier to prevent the UV light from turning on when a person could be exposed to the dangerous rays. Claim(s) 21 & 24 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Paskal et al. as applied to claim 1 above, and further in view of US 2021/0145991 (Moughton) . Regarding claim 21, Paskal et al. discloses the a pparatus according to claim 15 wherein the platform is configured to support a container which is inside said volume and which has a mouth (“ Bottle support system 94 may be configured to support a bottle 96 as well as a top 98 and nipple 100. ” P 44). Paskal et al. does not disclose the platform being configured to position the mouth over the outlet from the passage. Moughton discloses an apparatus for treating an object on a platform the platform is configured to support a container which is inside the sterilizer volume and which has a mouth which is positioned over said outlet from the passage (platform 46/146 with bosses 50/150 configured to support a bottle with mouth positioned over air outlet 48/148) . It would have been obvious to a person having ordinary skill in the art at the time the application was filed to modify the apparatus of Paskal et al. to include the bosses and associated air outlets of Moughton so that the inner surfaces of the bottles are dried. Regarding claim 24, Paskal et al. in view of Moughton disclose the claimed invention except for an elongate tubular member which is configured to extend from the platform through the mouth into an interior of the container to allow the stream of air to be emitted into the interior of the container through outlets from the tubular member. However, Paskal et al. discloses an elongate tubular member which is configured to extend from the platform through the mouth into an interior of the container (element 94) and it would have been obvious to modify this to allow the stream of air to be emitted into the interior of the container through outlets from the tubular member in light of the use of bosses in Moughton for this purpose (element 50/150). Conclusion Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to FILLIN "Examiner name" \* MERGEFORMAT ELIZA W OSENBAUGH-STEWART whose telephone number is FILLIN "Phone number" \* MERGEFORMAT (571)270-5782 . The examiner can normally be reached FILLIN "Work Schedule?" \* MERGEFORMAT 10am - 6pm Pacific Time M-F . 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, FILLIN "SPE Name?" \* MERGEFORMAT Robert Kim can be reached at FILLIN "SPE Phone?" \* MERGEFORMAT 571-272-2293 . The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300. Information regarding the status of published or unpublished applications may be obtained from Patent Center. Unpublished application information in Patent Center is available to registered users. To file and manage patent submissions in Patent Center, visit: https://patentcenter.uspto.gov. Visit https://www.uspto.gov/patents/apply/patent-center for more information about Patent Center and https://www.uspto.gov/patents/docx for information about filing in DOCX format. For additional questions, contact the Electronic Business Center (EBC) at 866-217-9197 (toll-free). If you would like assistance from a USPTO Customer Service Representative, call 800-786-9199 (IN USA OR CANADA) or 571-272-1000. /ELIZA W OSENBAUGH-STEWART/ Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2881