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 .
This action is a response to the amendments and remarks filed on 22 June 2026.
Response to Amendment
Claims 1-3, 5, 12, 17, and 19- 21 have been amended. Claims 1-22 are pending. In the previous action (Non-Final Rejection filed on 20 March 2026), claims 3-4, 6-7, 9, and 12-22 were indicated as containing allowable subject matter.
In view of the amendment to the specification, the objection to the drawings is withdrawn. In view of the amendments to the claims, the objections thereto, as well as the rejections under 35 USC 112(b) are withdrawn.
Response to Arguments
Applicant’s arguments, see Remarks, filed 22 June 2026 (p. 9, middle), with respect to the rejection of claim 1 under 35 USC 103 have been fully considered and are persuasive. The rejection of the claim has been withdrawn.
EXAMINER’S NOTE
On 17 July 2026, the examiner informed Applicant that newly found prior art CN218096340U would affect the patentability of the claims in an interview. In a subsequent interview on 22 July 2026, Applicant agreed to proposed examiner’s amendments to overcome the prior art. However, the examiner required further clarification of what language would be acceptable to Applicant, and left voice messages for Applicant on 23 and 27 July, 2026. However, as of 3 August 2026, these attempts at placing the application in condition for allowance did not result in further communication from Applicant. Therefore, a new rejection in view of CN218096340U is presented herein as a non-final rejection.
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 and 10 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Wang (CN218096340U), as evidenced by Pan et al. (CN104343706A).
Regarding claim 1, Wang discloses a portable EFU (Electronic Fusion Filter) (Fig. 1; [n0019]) (i.e., a portable air purification system) comprising:
a hollow housing 1 with a bottom wall ([n0019]; Figs. 4, 5) (i.e., a housing with a bottom wall, a top wall and side walls extending between the bottom wall and the top wall, which side walls surround a receiving space),
wherein a right half 12 including a high-efficiency filter 4 and an air outlet plate 10 with air outlets 13 (i.e., a second side wall) is connected to a left half 11 including a pre-filter 2, air inlets 7 of a pre-filter panel 6 (i.e., a first side wall), and a fan 3 extending into the right half 12 (Figs. 1, 2, 3; [n0019]) (i.e., wherein a flow channel for receiving an air filter unit is arranged in the receiving space, which flow channel extends between an air inlet in a first side wall of the housing and an air outlet in at least one second side wall of the housing, wherein the air filter unit comprises an air filter and a fan rotatable about an axis of rotation for generating an air flow from the air inlet to the air outlet),
wherein the square area of the air inlets 7 (Fig. 2) is smaller than the square area of the air outlets 13 (Fig. 3) (i.e., wherein a flow-through area of the air inlet is smaller than a flow-through area of the air outlet).
Further regarding “a fan rotatable about an axis of rotation,” Wang teaches a Xiangming fan ([n0007]) with a central hub (behind central buckle 5 in Fig. 1), and it was known in the art that a Xiangming fan having a central hub was rotatable, as evidenced by Pan (Figs. 1, 7; [0016], [0028]).
Regarding claim 10, Wang teaches the left half 11 and the right half 12, which are adjacent but separated along an interface or separation spanned by the buckles 5 (Fig. 1; [n0019]) (i.e., wherein the housing comprises a first housing part and a second housing part, which accommodate the receiving space, and the first housing part and the second housing part are arranged adjacent to each other along a housing separation).
Claims 3 and 4 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Wang, as evidenced by Pan.
Regarding claim 3, Wang discloses a portable EFU (Electronic Fusion Filter) (Fig. 1; [n0019]) (i.e., a portable air purification system) comprising:
a hollow housing 1 with a bottom wall ([n0019]; Figs. 4, 5) (i.e., a housing with a bottom wall, a top wall and side walls extending between the bottom wall and the top wall, which side walls surround a receiving space),
wherein a right half 12 including a high-efficiency filter 4 and an air outlet plate 10 with air outlets 13 (i.e., a second side wall) is connected to a left half 11 including a pre-filter 2, air inlets 7 of a pre-filter panel 6 (i.e., a first side wall), and a fan 3 extending into the right half 12 (Figs. 1, 2, 3; [n0019]) (i.e., wherein a flow channel for receiving an air filter unit is arranged in the receiving space, which flow channel extends between an air inlet in a first side wall of the housing and an air outlet in at least one second side wall of the housing, wherein the air filter unit comprises an air filter and a fan rotatable about an axis of rotation for generating an air flow from the air inlet to the air outlet),
wherein the square area of the air inlets 7 (Fig. 2) is smaller than the square area of the air outlets 13 (Fig. 3) (i.e., wherein a flow-through area of the air inlet is smaller than or equal to a flow-through area of the air outlet, wherein the air inlet and the air outlet are arranged on opposite side walls of the housing, the first side wall is arranged opposite one of the second side walls in the direction of the axis of rotation, the air outlet is arranged on a side wall opposite the first side wall).
Further regarding “a fan rotatable about an axis of rotation,” Wang teaches a Xiangming fan ([n0007]) with a central hub (behind central buckle 5 in Fig. 1), and it was known in the art that a Xiangming fan having a central hub was rotatable, as evidenced by Pan (Figs. 1, 7; [0016], [0028]).
Regarding claim 4, Wang teaches that pre-filter panel 6 and the air outlet plate 10 are opposite side walls in the axis through the central hub (Fig. 1) (i.e., wherein the air outlet is arranged on the side wall opposite the first side wall in the direction of the axis of rotation).
Claim 1 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Kinkade (US 4,261,712).
Kinkade discloses a portable electrostatic air purifier unit (Figs. 1, 2; col. 1, line 59) comprising a housing 12 having opposite side walls 13 and 14 integrally connected by a bottom wall 16 (col. 1, lines 59-62), a top cover (col. 1, line 68), and projecting flanges 17 and grills 27 (col. 1, line 66; col. 2, lines 10, 12) (i.e., a portable air purification system comprising a housing with a bottom wall, a top wall and side walls extending between the bottom wall and the top wall, which side walls surround a receiving space),
the housing enclosing a prefilter panel 25, a charcoal filter panel 30 (col. 2, line 8, 25), a fan blade 37 and a fan motor 38 (col. 2, lines 32, 34) (i.e., wherein a flow channel for receiving an air filter unit is arranged in the receiving space, which flow channel extends between an air inlet in a first side wall of the housing and an air outlet in at least one second side wall of the housing, wherein the air filter unit comprises an air filter and a fan rotatable about an axis of rotation for generating an air flow from the air inlet to the air outlet),
wherein the flanges 17 surrounding each filter 25, 30 appear equal in size (Fig. 2) (i.e., wherein a flow-through area of the air inlet is equal to a flow-through area of the air outlet).
Claims 3 and 4 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Kinkade (US 4,261,712).
Regarding claim 3, Kinkade discloses a portable electrostatic air purifier unit (Figs. 1, 2; col. 1, line 59) comprising a housing 12 having opposite side walls 13 and 14 integrally connected by a bottom wall 16 (col. 1, lines 59-62), a top cover (col. 1, line 68), and projecting flanges 17 and grills 27 (col. 1, line 66; col. 2, lines 10, 12) (i.e., a portable air purification system comprising a housing with a bottom wall, a top wall and side walls extending between the bottom wall and the top wall, which side walls surround a receiving space),
the housing enclosing a prefilter panel 25, a charcoal filter panel 30 (col. 2, line 8, 25), a fan blade 37 and a fan motor 38 (col. 2, lines 32, 34) (i.e., wherein a flow channel for receiving an air filter unit is arranged in the receiving space, which flow channel extends between an air inlet in a first side wall of the housing and an air outlet in at least one second side wall of the housing, wherein the air filter unit comprises an air filter and a fan rotatable about an axis of rotation for generating an air flow from the air inlet to the air outlet),
wherein the flanges 17 surrounding each filter 25, 30 appear equal in size (Fig. 2) (i.e., wherein a flow-through area of the air inlet is equal to a flow-through area of the air outlet; wherein the air inlet and the air outlet are arranged on opposite side walls of the housing; the first side wall is arranged opposite one of the second side walls in the direction of the axis of rotation; the air outlet is arranged on a side wall opposite the first side wall).
Regarding claim 4, Kinkade teaches that the flanges 17 are on opposite sides of the unit in the direction of the axis of the fan blade 37 (Fig. 2) (i.e., wherein the air outlet is arranged on the side wall opposite the first side wall in the direction of the axis of rotation).
Claim Objections
Claims 2, 5-9, and 11-14 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.
Allowable Subject Matter
The following is a statement of reasons for the indication of allowable subject matter:
A thorough search for pertinent prior art did not locate any prior art that discloses or suggests the invention recited in claims 2, 5-9, and 11-22.
The concept of a portable air purification system comprising a housing with a bottom wall, a top wall and side walls extending between the bottom wall and the top wall, which side walls surround a receiving space, wherein a flow channel for receiving an air filter unit is arranged in the receiving space, which flow channel extends between an air inlet in a first side wall of the housing and an air outlet in at least one second side wall of the housing, wherein the air filter unit comprises an air filter and a fan rotatable about an axis of rotation for generating an air flow from the air inlet to the air outlet, wherein a flow-through area of the air inlet is smaller than or equal to a flow-through area of the air outlet (claim 1);
wherein the air outlet has at least two air outlet sections which are arranged on at least two different side walls, wherein the at least two air outlet sections are arranged on side walls which are different from the first side wall (claim 2);
wherein the air outlet has at least two air outlet sections which are arranged on at least two different side walls, wherein the at least two air outlet sections are arranged on adjacent side walls and/or opposite side walls (claim 5);
wherein two radial air outlets are provided, which are arranged on opposite side walls, and an axial air outlet is provided, which is arranged on a side wall adjacent to the radial air outlets (claim 9);
wherein the housing comprises a first housing part and a second housing part, which accommodate the receiving space, and the first housing part and the second housing part are arranged adjacent to each other along a housing separation (claim 10); wherein a support structure is provided in the housing, which is structurally connected to the housing and is suitable for supporting the air filter unit, and wherein the support structure mechanically connects the first and second housing parts to each other or the first and second housing parts are fixed to each other by means of the support structure (claim 11); or wherein the first housing part is a first housing lower part and the second housing part is a second housing lower part, wherein the first housing lower part comprises the bottom wall and the second housing lower part is arranged on the side of the first housing lower part facing away from the bottom wall in order to form the housing separation, and/or the first housing part and the second housing part form a lower housing part (claim 12); or wherein the housing separation is arranged in a plane parallel to the bottom wall (claim 13);
wherein an intermediate floor is provided in the housing, which divides the receiving space into a first receiving space for receiving the air filter unit and a second receiving space (claim 14)
is considered to define patentable subject matter over the prior art.
The concept of a portable air purification system comprising a housing with a bottom wall, a top wall and side walls extending between the bottom wall and the top wall, which side walls surround a receiving space, wherein a flow channel for receiving an air filter unit is arranged in the receiving space, which flow channel extends between an air inlet in a first side wall of the housing and an air outlet in at least one second side wall of the housing, wherein the air filter unit comprises an air filter and a fan rotatable about an axis of rotation for generating an air flow from the air inlet to the air outlet, wherein an intermediate floor is provided in the housing, which divides the receiving space into a first receiving space for receiving the air filter unit and a second receiving space (claim 15)
is considered to define patentable subject matter over the prior art.
The concept of a portable air purification system comprising a housing with a bottom wall, a top wall and side walls extending between the bottom wall and the top wall, which side walls surround a receiving space, wherein a flow channel for receiving an air filter unit is arranged in the receiving space, which flow channel extends between an air inlet in a first side wall of the housing and an air outlet in at least one second side wall of the housing, wherein the air filter unit comprises an air filter and a fan rotatable about an axis of rotation for generating an air flow from the air inlet to the air outlet, wherein a flow-through area of the air inlet is smaller than or equal to a flow-through area of the air outlet and/or the air outlet has at least two air outlet sections which are arranged on at least two different side walls, wherein the air purification system comprises a coupling interface with which a releasable, vertically tension-proof coupling to one or more system boxes can be established, so that the air purification system can form a vertical stack together with the one or more system boxes (claim 20)
is considered to define patentable subject matter over the prior art.
The concept of a stacking arrangement, comprising a portable air purification system according to claim 1, as well as a lower system box and/or an upper system box, wherein the air purification system is placed on the lower system box and/or the upper system box is placed on the air purification system, so that the air purification system, the lower system box and/or the upper system box together form a vertical stack, and wherein a coupling interface comprises a lower coupling interface, which provides a lower releasable, vertically tension-proof coupling to the lower system box, and/or an upper coupling interface, which provides an upper releasable, vertically tension-proof coupling to the upper system box (claim 22)
is considered to define patentable subject matter over the prior art.
The closest prior arts are Wang (CN218096340U) and Kinkade (US 4,261,712). However, neither prior art suggests an air outlet with at least two air outlet sections or radial air outlets which are arranged on at least two different side walls; a support structure as claimed in claim 11; a lower housing part; a housing separation arranged in a plane parallel to a bottom wall; an intermediate floor; or a stackable arrangement.
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to GABRIEL E GITMAN whose telephone number is (571)272-7934. The examiner can normally be reached M-Th 7:15-5:45pm.
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If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, In Suk Bullock can be reached at 571-272-3471. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/GABRIEL E GITMAN/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 1772
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