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 12/05/2025 have been fully considered but they are not persuasive.
Regarding the argument that Fujita (WO 2019/163820 A1) does not disclose, “a pair of fitting parts configured to be fitted with the pair of rail parts and slidable in an axial direction which is parallel to the direction of the rotation axis and extends from the blower lower case to the blower upper case,” and “wherein a gap is provided between the curved wall and the rail parts in the axial direction at a lower portion of the blower lower case.”
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The Examiner respectfully presents annotated Fig. 7 above, wherein there is a pair of fitting parts (31) configured to be fitted with the pair of rail pairs (23) and slidable in an axial direction (indicated by the lines between 30 and the rail parts) which is parallel to the direction of the rotation axis (See Fig. 8 where the mount is fully engaged with the case and is parallel to the rotational axis) and extends from the blower lower case to the blower upper case (Fig. 7, Fig. 8; both the rail part and the axial direction extend between the blower lower case and the blower upper case) and wherein a gap (See annotated Fig. 7 above, and magnified Fig. 7 below) is provided between the curved wall and the rail parts in the axial direction at a lower portion of the blower lower case.
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Applicant’s arguments with respect to claims 6 has been considered but are moot because the new ground of rejection does not rely on any reference applied in the prior rejection of record for any teaching or matter specifically challenged in the argument.
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, 3-4, and 8-11 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Fujita (WO 2019/163820 A1).
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Regarding claim 1, Fujita discloses a blower device (1, Figs. 6-8) comprising:
a blower case (2) configured to accommodate an impeller (7), the blower case comprising a blower upper case (5) and blower lower case (6); and
a fixing member (3) attached to an outer periphery of the blower case and configured to fix the blower device at a mounting target (See the mounting legs 4),
wherein an outer peripheral surface (6, Fig. 6 shows the outer peripheral surface includes rail parts 23) of the blower case includes
a pair of rail parts (23; Fig. 7) extending in a direction of a rotation axis of the impeller (Fig. 6), and
an engagement rib (24, Fig. 7) configured to connect the rail parts to each other at intermediate portions of the rail parts in a longitudinal direction (Fig. 7, note the ribs are at an intermediate portion),
wherein the fixing member includes a pair of fitting parts (31) configured to be fitted with the pair of rail parts and slidable in an axial direction which is parallel to the direction of the rotation axis and extends from the blower lower case to the blower upper case (See Fig. 7, Fig. 8; wherein fixing member 3 is attached by sliding), and
a claw part (30) disposed between the pair of fitting parts (Fig. 7) and configured to be engaged with the engagement rib in the direction of the of the rotation axis (Fig. 8 shows the inlet 5 of the impeller and shows the in place fixing member),
wherein the pair of rail parts includes a plurality of rail parts (Fig. 8 shows at least three attachment points) disposed along the outer periphery of the blower case,
wherein the fixing member is selectively attachable at the pair of rail parts (Fig. 8 shows at least one more attachment portion 3 in a second location), wherein the blower case includes a sidewall (6) having a substantially cylindrical shape (See Fig. 1), a lower wall having a substantially disk shape (5, also the bottom shown in Fig. 1), and a curved wall
(Fig. 8, there are curved portions joining both the top and the bottom portions to the sidewall) having an arc-like cross-sectional shape (Fig. 7) and configured to connect the sidewall and the lower wall,
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wherein a gap (See annotated Fig. 7 above) is provided between the curved wall and the rail parts in the axial direction at a lower portion of the blower lower case (See annotated Fig. 7 above), and
wherein the gap has a surface (see the surface on the sidewall 6 that is shown in Fig. 5) that continues to the sidewall along a circumferential direction about the rotation axis (Fig. 5).
Regarding claim 3, Fujita discloses all of claim 1 as above, wherein a contacting part (See annotated Fig. 7 above) configured to come into contact with end portions of the pair of rail parts are provided at end portions of the pair of fitting parts (Fig. 7 above).
Regarding claim 4, Fujita discloses all of claim 1 as above, wherein the pair of rail parts includes projection parts including upper end parts having convex shapes facing opposite directions to each other, and the fitting parts have the same concave shapes as cross-section shapes of the projection parts (Fig. 7, see the cooperating grooves 31 and the rails 23 which the convex/concave arrangement as claimed).
Regarding claim 8, Fujita discloses all of claim 1 as above, wherein a pair of ridges (22) extending in the direction of the rotation axis a provided at the outer peripheral surface of the blow case (6), and the pair of rail parts are fixed so as to cover the pair of ridges (Fig. 8).
Regarding claim 9, Fujita discloses all of claim 1 as above, wherein the blower case includes a first blower case (6) and a second blower case (5), the first blower case is provided with a locking piece (26, a locking claw) projecting in a direction of the rotation axis (Fig. 8), and the second blower case is provided with a locking piece receiving part (27), and the locking piece is inserted into the locking piece receiving part so as to be engaged (Fig. 8).
Regarding claim 10, Fujita discloses all of claim 9 as above, wherein the locking piece receiving part has a tubular shape (Fig. 8) having a rectangular cross section, a claw part is projecting to an outside in a radial direction (Fig. 8) is provided at a leading portion of the locking piece, and a cutout part is configured to be engaged with the claw partis provided at an end portion of the locking piece receiving part in the direction of the rotation axis (Fig. 8).
Regarding claim 11, Fujita discloses all of claim 1 as above, wherein one end portions of the rail parts are inserted into the fitting parts (the Examiner notes that the rail parts and fitting parts interlock together when the fitting part and the rail part are slid together and therefore get inserted into each other), the fixing member is slidden toward another end portions of the rail parts (the rail parts and the fixing member slide relative to each other), and the gap is disposed between one end portions of the rail parts and the curved wall (the gap is between the end of the rail part shown in Fig. 7 and the curved wall 5).
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.
Claims 2 and 6-7 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Fujita (WO 2019/163820 A1) in view of Suzuki Co. (JP 160501/1981).
Regarding claim 2, Fujita discloses all of claim 1 as above.
However, Fujita does not explicitly teach, "the claw part is configured gets over the engagement rib so as to become engaged with the engagement rib by insertion and sliding of the pair of rail parts into the pair of fitting parts, and the engagement rib is provided with an inclined rib including an inclined surface having an ascending gradient toward a direction of the insertion and sliding of the pair of rail parts into the pair of fitting parts."
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Suzuki Co. teaches in the field of mounting structures (Fig. 6), a method of joining parts with rails (14, 13) and an engagement rib (7) with a claw (12).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art to use the locking mechanism taught by Suzuki Co. on the fan casing of Fujita, as both references are in the same field of endeavor, and one of ordinary skill in the art would appreciate that the locking mechanism of Suzuki Co. would be a suitable structure for locking the flanges (3) to the casing (6) of Fujita and that it would be simple substitution of equivalents for the same purpose (See MPEP 2144.06 II.).
Regarding claim 6, Fujita discloses a blower device (1, Figs. 6-8) comprising:
a fixing member (3) attached to an outer periphery of the blower case (2) and configured to fix the blower device at a mounting target (See the mounting legs 4), wherein
an outer peripheral surface (6, Fig. 6 shows the outer peripheral surface including the rail parts 23) of the blower case includes:
a pair of rail parts (23; Fig. 7) extending in a direction of a rotation axis of the impeller (Fig. 7), and
an engagement rib (24, Fig. 7) bridge at a middle of the pair of rail parts (Fig. 7, 24 is between the two rail parts) the rail parts at an intermediate portion (Fig. 7, the engagement rib is between the extreme ends of the rails) of the rail parts in a longitudinal direction (Fig. 7, note the ribs are at an intermediate portion), wherein the fixing member includes:
a pair of fitting parts (31) configured to be fitted with the pair of rail parts and slidable in the direction of the rotation axis (See Fig. 7, Fig. 8; wherein fixing member 3 is attached by sliding), and
a claw part (30) disposed between the pair of fitting parts (Fig. 7) and configured to be engaged with the engagement rib in the direction of the rotation axis (Fig. 8 shows the inlet 5 of the impeller and shows the in place fixing member),
wherein the pair of rail parts include a plurality of pairs of rail parts (Fig. 8 shows at least three attachment points) disposed along the outer periphery of the blower case, and
wherein the fixing member is selectively attachable at the pair of rail parts (Fig. 8 shows at least one more attachment portion 3 in a second location),
wherein the fixing member includes a first fixing mounting leg projecting to one end side in a direction of the rotation axis (Fig. 7, there are shown at least two mounting legs as shown by indicia 4), second fixing mounting leg projecting from an end portion of the first fixing mounting leg to another end side in the direction of the rotation axis (Fig. 7, there are shown at least two mounting legs as shown by indicia 4), and
an engaging part (Fig. 7, the body of the mounting leg 3, indicated by the body between the two mounting legs) projecting from an intermediate portion (Fig. 7) between the first and second mounting legs in a circumferential direction about the rotation axis, and the pair of fitting parts are disposed at the engaging part (Fig. 7).
However, Fujita does not disclose, “and an inclined rib having a triangular shape and including an inclined surface having an ascending gradient toward an upper side in an axial direction is formed at a central portion of the engagement rib”
Suzuki Co. teaches in the field of mounting structures (Fig. 6), a method of joining parts with rails (14, 13) and an inclined rib (7) having a triangular shape including and inclined surface having an ascending gradient toward an upper side in an axial direction formed at a central portion of the engagement rib (The Examiner notes that the inclined rib is triangular (as it has an inclined surface having an ascending gradient toward an upper side in an axial direction, and is also the same at a central portion of the engagement rib) with a claw (12).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art to use the locking mechanism taught by Suzuki Co. on the fan casing of Fujita, as both references are in the same field of endeavor, and one of ordinary skill in the art would appreciate that the locking mechanism of Suzuki Co. would be a suitable structure for locking the flanges (3) to the casing (6) of Fujita and that it would be simple substitution of equivalents for the same purpose (See MPEP 2144.06 II.).
Regarding claim 7, the combination of Fujita and Suzuki Co. teach all of claim 6 as above, wherein the engaging part includes a cutout part (Fujita, 31) formed by cutting a wall portion of the engaging part into a U-shape (Fujita; Fig. 7, see the U-shape formed by the cut-out created by 31), and the claw part projecting to an inside in a radial direction is provided at a tip end (Fujita, 30) of the cutout part (Fujita, Fig. 7).
Conclusion
Applicant's amendment necessitated the new ground(s) of rejection presented in this Office action. Accordingly, THIS ACTION IS MADE FINAL. See MPEP § 706.07(a). 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 RYAN C CLARK whose telephone number is (571)272-2871. The examiner can normally be reached Monday - Thursday 0730-1730, Alternate Fridays 0730-1630.
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If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Courtney D Heinle can be reached at (571)-270-3508. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/RYAN C CLARK/Examiner, Art Unit 3745