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 Status
Claims 1-10 are withdrawn.
Claims 11-20 are rejected.
Election/Restrictions
Applicant’s election without traverse of Group III, claims 11-20, in the reply filed on July 30, 2026, is acknowledged.
Accordingly, claims 1-10 are withdrawn from further consideration because they are drawn to non-elected inventions.
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.
Claim 20 is 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.
Claim 20 recites the limitation “wherein the plurality of thread sets and the plurality of slots are positioned axially between the ramp element and the filter medium”. It is not clear what applicant intends to claim. Fig. 1 shows the filter medium 20 and the ramp element at the bottom of the filter medium and the threads are at the outer surface of the component 32. Applicant should clarify the positional relationship intended to claimed.
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.
Claim(s) 11-17 and 20 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Thienel (US 2012/0152199).
With respect to claim 11, Thienel discloses a liquid filter system, as shown in Fig. 1, having: a connecting member 20 (filter housing component) defining a filter axis extending between a first axial end and a second axial end, as shown in Fig. 1, and including a peripheral surface having a insertion projections 90b (plurality of thread sets) and a plurality of slots (see paragraphs 0051-0052, projections 90b are interrupted or segments, matching projections 90a, as shown in Fig. 4, and the space between the projections/sets are considered to be the slots); the first axial end including an axial end surface spaced axially outward of the plurality of threads sets 90b and the plurality of slots, as shown in Fig. 1, and a securing ring 70 (ramp element) for aligning projections 90a (thread sets) and slots of a connecting end 16 (second filter component) with the plurality of thread sets 90b and the plurality of slots of the filter housing component 20, as shown in Figs. 1 and 4; the ramp element 70 extending circumferentially around the filter axis, and sloping from a heightened ramp end to an edge area 74 (shortened ramp end), as shown in the figure below.
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With respect to claim 12, Thienel discloses wherein the first axial end further includes a connection 78 (detent feature) adjacent to the heightened ramp end, as shown in Fig. 1.
With respect to claim 13, Thienel discloses wherein the detent feature 78 includes a locking element 78a (detent bump), as shown in Fig. 1.
With respect to claim 14, Thienel discloses a detent pocket extending circumferentially between the detent bump 78a and the heightened ramp end, as shown in the figure above.
With respect to claim 15, Thienel discloses wherein the ramp element 70 is one of a plurality of ramp elements 70, 56, 72 (also the space between elements 78a can be considered ramps since they are curved), and the detent feature 78 is one of a plurality of detent features 78a, formed on the axial end surface, as shown in Fig. 1.
With respect to claim 16, Thienel discloses wherein the plurality of ramp elements and the plurality of detent features 78a are arranged in an alternating pattern around the filter axis and located adjacent to the peripheral surface in a radial direction, as shown in Fig. 1.
With respect to claim 17, Thienel discloses wherein the peripheral surface is an outer peripheral surface circumferentially extending around the filter axis, as shown in Fig. 1.
With respect to claim 20, Thienel discloses a filter medium 40 attached to the filter housing component 20, as shown in Fig. 1, and wherein the plurality of thread sets 90b and the plurality of slots are positioned axially between the ramp element 70 and the filter medium 40, as shown in Fig. 1.
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) 18-19 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Thienel (US 2012/0152199).
With respect to claim 18, Thienel lacks wherein the plurality of thread sets and the plurality of slots includes a total of two thread sets and a total of two slots. However, Thienel teaches the plurality of thread sets 90b being interrupted to segmented, which these interruptions have been considered the claimed slots, and they match the projections 90a and slots shown in Fig. 4. It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art to provide a total of two thread sets and a total of two slots, as claimed by applicant, in order to secure the filter insert to the housing, and since one or ordinary skill would recognize to choose a desired amount of threads and slots according to a desired application.
With respect to claim 19, Thienel discloses wherein a diametric line intersecting the two thread sets is arranged perpendicular to a diametric line intersecting the two slots, as shown in Fig. 4.
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure. Betcher et al. (US 2020/0406169) and Kotale et al. (US 2015/0090653) disclose filter cartridges having a threaded connection to a housing. Decugniere (US 2023/0166208) discloses a connector having thread sets and slots. Schmid et al. (US 7,887,701) discloses a filter having a lower end disk with a ramp.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to MADELINE GONZALEZ whose telephone number is (571)272-5502. The examiner can normally be reached M-F 9-5:30.
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If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Benjamin Lebron can be reached at 571-272-0475. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/MADELINE GONZALEZ/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 1773
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