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 .
DETAILED ACTION
Election/Restrictions
Applicant's election with traverse of Species I – fig. 1 (claims 1-7 and 13-16) in the reply filed on 7/1/26 is acknowledged.
The traversal is on the ground(s) that fig. 1 does not show a single feature that is not present in fig. 4. Applicant further asserts that the applies to figs. 2 and 3.
This is not found persuasive because this argument is not the basis for which an election of species is made. Figures 2-4 include structure not shown in figure 1.
Accordingly, claims 8-12 have been withdrawn from consideration as including structure not shown in elected fig. 1.
The requirement is still deemed proper and is therefore made FINAL.
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.
(a)(2) the claimed invention was described in a patent issued under section 151, or in an application for patent published or deemed published under section 122(b), in which the patent or application, as the case may be, names another inventor and was effectively filed before the effective filing date of the claimed invention.
Claims 1-7 and 13-16 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1)/(a)(2) as being anticipated by Kido (US 2018/0094806), which shows all of the claimed limitations. Kido shows:
1. A combustion chamber subassembly for a vaporizing burner 1, the combustion chamber subassembly comprising: a combustion chamber housing 3 having a circumferential wall extending along a longitudinal housing axis (fig. 2); said circumferential wall surrounding a combustion chamber 30 in a radially outward direction (fig. 2); said combustion chamber housing further having a combustion chamber base 8,10b,12,15 delimiting said combustion chamber in an axial direction (fig. 2); said combustion chamber base having a side facing said combustion chamber (fig. 2); a porous vaporizing medium 8 being provided at said side of said combustion chamber base (para. 0076; fig. 2); and, said porous vaporizing medium having a side facing said combustion chamber and being concave-curved 48 with respect to said combustion chamber at said side of said porous vaporizing medium facing said combustion chamber (para. 0076 – component 48 in fig. 23 is an impregnation member same as component 8 in fig. 2).
2. The combustion chamber subassembly of claim 1, wherein at least one of the following applies: i) said porous vaporizing medium is concave-curved with respect to said combustion chamber; and, ii) said porous vaporizing medium has a substantially constant thickness (fig. 23).
3. The combustion chamber subassembly of claim 1, further comprising: a fuel supply line 16 opening in said combustion chamber base in a radially central region (fig. 2,23); and, said porous vaporizing medium having a curvature apex in said radially central region (fig. 23).
4. The combustion chamber subassembly of claim 1, wherein said combustion chamber base has a vaporizing medium abutment face (component 15 includes an abutment face) at said side of said combustion chamber base facing said combustion chamber; and, said vaporizing medium abutment face is concave-curved with respect to said combustion chamber (fig. 23).
5. The combustion chamber subassembly of claim 4, wherein a curvature geometry of said vaporizing medium abutment face corresponds to a curvature geometry of said porous vaporizing medium at said side thereof facing said combustion chamber (fig. 23).
6. The combustion chamber subassembly of claim 4, wherein said combustion chamber base includes a base wall 15 which provides at least a portion of said vaporizing medium abutment face (fig. 23).
7. The combustion chamber subassembly of claim 6, wherein said base wall defines all of said vaporizing medium abutment face (fig. 23).
13. The combustion chamber subassembly of claim 1, wherein said porous vaporizing medium is fixed at the outer circumference thereof with respect to said combustion chamber base (fig. 2,23).
14. The combustion chamber subassembly of claim 6, wherein said combustion chamber base includes a retention element 15 annularly surrounding said base wall; and, said retention element includes at least one retention projection configured to retain said porous vaporizing medium against said base wall at said side thereof facing said combustion chamber (fig. 23).
15. The combustion chamber subassembly of claim 1, wherein said combustion chamber subassembly is for a vaporing burner including a fuel-operated vehicle heating device (para. 0002).
16. A fuel-operated vehicle heating device comprising: a burner area; said burner area including a combustion chamber subassembly; said combustion chamber subassembly including: a combustion chamber housing having a circumferential wall extending along a longitudinal housing axis; said circumferential wall surrounding a combustion chamber in a radially outward direction; said combustion chamber housing further having a combustion chamber base delimiting said combustion chamber in an axial direction; said combustion chamber base having a side facing said combustion chamber; a porous vaporizing medium being provided at said side of said combustion chamber base; and, said porous vaporizing medium having a side facing said combustion chamber and being concave-curved with respect to said combustion chamber at said side of said porous vaporizing medium facing said combustion chamber (see claim 1).
Prior Art
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure. These references disclose devices with many of the claimed components. Nevertheless, in order to avoid overburdening the applicant with redundant rejections, these references were not applied.
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to ALFRED BASICHAS whose telephone number is 571 272 4871. The examiner can normally be reached on Monday through Friday during regular business hours.
To contact the examiner’s supervisor please call MICHAEL HOANG whose telephone number is 571 272 6460.
Any inquiry of a general nature or relating to the status of this application or proceeding should be directed to the Tech Center telephone number is 571 272 3700.
July 20, 2026
/ALFRED BASICHAS/Primary Patent Examiner, Art Unit 3762
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