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 .
Priority
Receipt is acknowledged of certified copies of papers required by 37 CFR 1.55.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 103
In the event the determination of the status of the application as subject to AIA 35 U.S.C. 102 and 103 (or as subject to pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 102 and 103) is incorrect, any correction of the statutory basis (i.e., changing from AIA to pre-AIA ) for the rejection will not be considered a new ground of rejection if the prior art relied upon, and the rationale supporting the rejection, would be the same under either status.
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.
The factual inquiries for establishing a background for determining obviousness under 35 U.S.C. 103 are summarized as follows:
1. Determining the scope and contents of the prior art.
2. Ascertaining the differences between the prior art and the claims at issue.
3. Resolving the level of ordinary skill in the pertinent art.
4. Considering objective evidence present in the application indicating obviousness or nonobviousness.
Claims 1-16 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Nyui (WO 2017183538 A1) in view of Sakashita (JP 2015143603 A).
Regarding claim 1, Nyui teaches a casing having an opening (air intake port formed as opening in main body case, page 11 paragraph 3); an air passage formed in the casing (an air passage connecting the air intake port and the air outlet port is formed inside the air purifier, page 19 paragraph 2); a first unit disposed in the air passage (fan unit is installed in an air passage connecting the air intake and air outlet, page 19 paragraph 2); a predetermined function component disposed in the air passage (filter is installed in the air passage connecting the air intake and the air outlet, page 19 paragraph 2); an irradiator configured to irradiate the function component with ultraviolet rays (ultraviolet irradiation devices arranged along the longitudinal direction of the filter, page 19 paragraph 1); a light blocking member arranged for air in the air passage to pass therethrough, the light blocking member being arranged to block the ultraviolet rays emitted from the irradiator (reflection suppression portions formed on front and side cover to prevent ultraviolet rays from leaking to the outside of the air purifier, page 39 paragraph 3, and Figure 6 reflection suppression portions “71” formed in air intake “12c” to allow air into the purifier “100”). While Nyui does not explicitly teach the light blocking member being disposed between the first unit and the irradiator, Nyui teaches the reflection suppression may be formed at any location where it can suppress the reflection of the ultraviolet light (page 21 paragraph 3 – page 22 paragraph 1) and the objective to prevent users from exposure to ultraviolet light (page 2 paragraph 4). Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art to place the light blocking member between the first unit and the irradiator to achieve the desired exposure protection without a change in structure operation through a rearrangement of parts (See MPE 2144.04 VI (C)). Nyui does not teach the first unit being removeable from the casing through the opening. However, Sakashita teaches the first unit being removable from the casing through the opening (Figure 10 humidification unit “33” removed through opening “15”).
Nyui and Sakashita are considered analogous to the current invention because all are in the field of air purification units. Therefore it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art to combine the air purification unit taught by Nyui with the removable unit taught by Sakashita because Sakashita teaches the removability of the first unit advantageously increases the accessibility to the purification filter during maintenance (paragraph [0110]).
Regarding claim 2, the combination of Nyui and Sakashita teaches wherein the irradiator, the functional components, and the first unit are arranged in order from one end to an other end of the air passage (Figure 6 ultraviolet lights “70”, filter “40”, and fan unit “30” are arranged in order, Nyui). While the combination of Nyui and Sakashita does not explicitly teach the light blocking member between the function component and the first unit, Nyui teaches the reflection suppression unit may be formed at any location where it can suppress the reflection of the ultraviolet light (page 21 paragraph 3 – page 22 paragraph 1) and the objective to prevent users from exposure to ultraviolet light (page 2 paragraph 4). Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art to place the light blocking member between the first unit and the irradiator to achieve the desired exposure protection without a change in structure operation through a rearrangement of parts (See MPE 2144.04 VI (C)).
Regarding claim 3, the combination of Nyui and Sakashita teaches a container disposed in the air passage (front body main case forms the front portion of the main body case, page 6 paragraph 3, Nyui), the container containing the irradiator, the function component, and the light blocking member (Figure 6 ultraviolet lights “70”, reflection suppression unit “71”, and filter “40” in front main body case “21”, Nyui).
Regarding claim 4, the combination of Nyui and Sakashita teaches a container disposed in the air passage (front body main case forms the front portion of the main body case, page 6 paragraph 3, Nyui), the container containing the irradiator, the function component, and the light blocking member (Figure 6 ultraviolet lights “70”, reflection suppression unit “71”, and filter “40” in front main body case “21”, Nyui).
Regarding claim 5, the combination of Nyui and Sakashita teaches wherein the light blocking member is configured to be detachable from the air passage (reflection suppression portions formed on front and side cover, page 39 paragraph 3, cover is detachable from casing, page 3 paragraph 2, Nyui), and when the light blocking member is removed from the air passage the irradiator stops emitting ultraviolet rays (when cover is removed, the ultraviolet irradiation stops, page 3 paragraph 2, Nyui).
Regarding claim 6, the combination of Nyui and Sakashita teaches wherein the light blocking member is configured to be detachable from the air passage (reflection suppression portions formed on front and side cover, page 39 paragraph 3, cover is detachable from casing, page 3 paragraph 2, Nyui), and when the light blocking member is removed from the air passage the irradiator stops emitting ultraviolet rays (when cover is removed, the ultraviolet irradiation stops, page 3 paragraph 2, Nyui).
Regarding claim 7, the combination of Nyui and Sakashita teaches wherein the light blocking member is configured to be detachable from the air passage (reflection suppression portions formed on front and side cover, page 39 paragraph 3, cover is detachable from casing, page 3 paragraph 2, Nyui), and when the light blocking member is removed from the air passage the irradiator stops emitting ultraviolet rays (when cover is removed, the ultraviolet irradiation stops, page 3 paragraph 2, Nyui).
Regarding claim 8, the combination of Nyui and Sakashita teaches wherein the light blocking member includes a first region through which the air in the air passage is allowed to pass (Figure 6 air passing through intake “12c” by reflection suppression unit “71”, Nyui), and a second region through which the air in the air passage is not allowed to pass (suppression unit is formed by processing the front cover and the side cover to create and uneven surface, page 21 paragraph 2, and Figure 6 air passing through intake “12c” is guided by solid surfaces of reflection suppression unit “71”, Nyui), and the second region is closer to opening than the first region (Figure 6 first curve of reflection suppression unit “71” is closer to intake “12c” than air suction portion “13”, Nyui).
Regarding claim 9, the combination of Nyui and Sakashita teaches wherein the light blocking member includes a first region through which the air in the air passage is allowed to pass (Figure 6 air passing through intake “12c” by reflection suppression unit “71”, Nyui), and a second region through which the air in the air passage is not allowed to pass (suppression unit is formed by processing the front cover and the side cover to create and uneven surface, page 21 paragraph 2, and Figure 6 air passing through intake “12c” is guided by solid surfaces of reflection suppression unit “71”, Nyui), and the second region is closer to opening than the first region (Figure 6 first curve of reflection suppression unit “71” is closer to intake “12c” than air suction portion “13”, Nyui).
Regarding claim 10, the combination of Nyui and Sakashita teaches wherein the light blocking member includes a first region through which the air in the air passage is allowed to pass (Figure 6 air passing through intake “12c” by reflection suppression unit “71”, Nyui), and a second region through which the air in the air passage is not allowed to pass (suppression unit is formed by processing the front cover and the side cover to create and uneven surface, page 21 paragraph 2, and Figure 6 air passing through intake “12c” is guided by solid surfaces of reflection suppression unit “71”, Nyui), and the second region is closer to opening than the first region (Figure 6 first curve of reflection suppression unit “71” is closer to intake “12c” than air suction portion “13”, Nyui).
Regarding claim 11, the combination of Nyui and Sakashita teaches wherein the light blocking member includes a first region through which the air in the air passage is allowed to pass (Figure 6 air passing through intake “12c” by reflection suppression unit “71”, Nyui), and a second region through which the air in the air passage is not allowed to pass (suppression unit is formed by processing the front cover and the side cover to create and uneven surface, page 21 paragraph 2, and Figure 6 air passing through intake “12c” is guided by solid surfaces of reflection suppression unit “71”, Nyui), and the second region is closer to opening than the first region (Figure 6 first curve of reflection suppression unit “71” is closer to intake “12c” than air suction portion “13”, Nyui).
Regarding claim 12, the combination of Nyui and Sakashita teaches wherein the first unit and the second region at least partially overlap each other when viewed along a direction of the air flow in the air passage (Figure 6 reflection suppression unit “71” partially vertically in line with fan unit “30”, Nyui).
Regarding claim 13, the combination of Nyui and Sakashita teaches wherein the first unit and the second region at least partially overlap each other when viewed along a direction of the air flow in the air passage (Figure 6 reflection suppression unit “71” partially vertically in line with fan unit “30”, Nyui).
Regarding claim 14, the combination of Nyui and Sakashita teaches wherein the first unit and the second region at least partially overlap each other when viewed along a direction of the air flow in the air passage (Figure 6 reflection suppression unit “71” partially vertically in line with fan unit “30”, Nyui).
Regarding claim 15, the combination of Nyui and Sakashita teaches wherein the first unit and the second region at least partially overlap each other when viewed along a direction of the air flow in the air passage (Figure 6 reflection suppression unit “71” partially vertically in line with fan unit “30”, Nyui).
Regarding claim 16, the combination of Nyui and Sakashita teaches wherein the functional component is a filter configured to catch a contaminant in the air (filter may include pre-filter, HEPA filter and deodorizing filter, page 9 paragraph 1, Nyui).
Conclusion
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/K.R.S./Examiner, Art Unit 1799
/DONALD R SPAMER/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 1799
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