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 .
Election/Restrictions
As provided in 37 CFR 1.475(a), a national stage application shall relate to one invention only or to a group of inventions so linked as to form a single general inventive concept (“requirement of unity of invention”). Where a group of inventions is claimed in a national stage application, the requirement of unity of invention shall be fulfilled only when there is a technical relationship among those inventions involving one or more of the same or corresponding special technical features. The expression “special technical features” shall mean those technical features that define a contribution which each of the claimed inventions, considered as a whole, makes over the prior art.
The determination whether a group of inventions is so linked as to form a single general inventive concept shall be made without regard to whether the inventions are claimed in separate claims or as alternatives within a single claim. See 37 CFR 1.475(e).
When Claims Are Directed to Multiple Categories of Inventions:
As provided in 37 CFR 1.475 (b), a national stage application containing claims to different categories of invention will be considered to have unity of invention if the claims are drawn only to one of the following combinations of categories:
(1) A product and a process specially adapted for the manufacture of said product; or
(2) A product and a process of use of said product; or
(3) A product, a process specially adapted for the manufacture of the said product, and a use of the said product; or
(4) A process and an apparatus or means specifically designed for carrying out the said process; or
(5) A product, a process specially adapted for the manufacture of the said product, and an apparatus or means specifically designed for carrying out the said process.
Otherwise, unity of invention might not be present. See 37 CFR 1.475 (c).
Restriction is required under 35 U.S.C. 121 and 372.
This application contains the following inventions or groups of inventions which are not so linked as to form a single general inventive concept under PCT Rule 13.1.
In accordance with 37 CFR 1.499, applicant is required, in reply to this action, to elect a single invention to which the claims must be restricted.
Group I, claim(s) 1-8, drawn to a hot-humid wind tunnel.
Group II, claim(s) 9 and 10, drawn to a multi-field coupling control system for hot-humid climatic wind tunnel.
The groups of inventions listed above do not relate to a single general inventive concept under PCT Rule 13.1 because, under PCT Rule 13.2, they lack the same or corresponding special technical features for the following reasons:
Group I and II lack unity of invention because the groups do not share the same or corresponding technical feature. Group I is drawn to a hot-humid climatic wind tunnel including a fan, a variable temperature device, a variable humidity device, a salt fog generator, a sky background radiation board, a solar radiation lamp array and a rain generator are mounted in a wind tunnel body, and a wind speed sensor, a temperature sensor, a humidity sensor, a salt fog concentration sensor, a background radiation temperature sensor, a hemispherical radiometer and a rain gauge are mounted in a test section etc. where the sky background radiation board is mounted on the top of the test section of the wind tunnel, and the solar radiation lamp array and the rain generator are mounted on the sky background radiation board; the sky background radiation board comprises heat conduction boards, stainless steel boards and copper tubes; the plurality of heat conduction boards are divided into multiple rows and mounted on the stainless steel boards, and the copper tubes are laid on each row of heat conduction boards; and the copper tubes are connected to an external cold and hot water device which is not the same as or equivalent to a multi-field coupling control system for a hot-humid climatic wind tunnel in Group II, comprising a data acquisition unit, an execution device unit, a central control unit and a computer operation unit, wherein the data acquisition unit and the execution device unit are electrically connected to the central control unit, and the computer operation unit is in communication with the central control unit via a network; the data acquisition unit is mounted in a wind tunnel body, and is configured to acquire environmental parameters in the wind tunnel body, comprising wind speed, temperature, humidity, solar radiation illuminance, sky effective temperature, rainfall, and salt fog concentration; the execution device unit is configured to receive an instruction from the central control unit to adjust the environmental parameters in the wind tunnel body; and the computer operation unit is configured to input target environmental parameters.
During a telephone conversation with Mr. Chen on 5/19/26 a provisional election was made without traverse to prosecute the invention of Group I, claims 1-8. Affirmation of this election must be made by applicant in replying to this Office action. Claims 9 and 10 are withdrawn from further consideration by the examiner, 37 CFR 1.142(b), as being drawn to a non-elected invention.
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.
Claims 1-8 are 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. In claims 1 and 2, there are different “sections” referred to but not identified in the drawings so it is not clear what is being claimed; please clearly identify each section. Further, are any of these “sections” of claim 2 related to “a test section” of claim 1? Please clarify. In claim 3, on line 3, is “ a salt fog generator” different from that of claim 1, line 2? Further, the recitation on lines 4-7 reciting the “cross-sections of …are adapted to the cross-section of the wind tunnel” is not clear as to what is being designated as the specification has no depiction or further clarification. In claim 4, “a sky background radiation board, a solar radiation lamp array and a rain generator” are all found in claim 1 already, are these in addition to those as implied by the “a”? Therefore, on line 5, “the sky background radiation board”, “the solar radiation lamp array” and “the rain generator” lacks clear antecedent basis. In claim 6, on lines 2-3, is “a humidifier” in addition to the “humidity device” of claim 1? Also, the recitation on lines 5 et seq is not clear as what “adapted to” means in terms of cross-section. In claim 8, on line 2-3, is the cold and hot radiation board related to the sky radiation board of claim 1. Further, is the temperature stratification apparatus related to the “variable temperature device” of claim 1? Again, the terminology of “adapted to” is not clear.
Drawings
The drawings are objected to under 37 CFR 1.83(a). The drawings must show every feature of the invention specified in the claims. Therefore, the various “sections” of claims 1 and 2 must be shown or the feature(s) canceled from the claim(s). No new matter should be entered.
Corrected drawing sheets in compliance with 37 CFR 1.121(d) are required in reply to the Office action to avoid abandonment of the application. Any amended replacement drawing sheet should include all of the figures appearing on the immediate prior version of the sheet, even if only one figure is being amended. The figure or figure number of an amended drawing should not be labeled as “amended.” If a drawing figure is to be canceled, the appropriate figure must be removed from the replacement sheet, and where necessary, the remaining figures must be renumbered and appropriate changes made to the brief description of the several views of the drawings for consistency. Additional replacement sheets may be necessary to show the renumbering of the remaining figures. Each drawing sheet submitted after the filing date of an application must be labeled in the top margin as either “Replacement Sheet” or “New Sheet” pursuant to 37 CFR 1.121(d). If the changes are not accepted by the examiner, the applicant will be notified and informed of any required corrective action in the next Office action. The objection to the drawings will not be held in abeyance.
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 1-8 would be allowable if rewritten or amended to overcome the rejection(s) under 35 U.S.C. 112(b) or 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), 2nd paragraph, set forth in this Office action.
The following is a statement of reasons for the indication of allowable subject matter: the primary reason for allowance of the claims is that the prior art fails to teach or suggest a hot-humid climatic wind tunnel as found in claim 1 along with the sky background radiation board is mounted on the top of the test section of the wind tunnel, and the solar radiation lamp array and the rain generator are mounted on the sky background radiation board; the sky background radiation board comprises heat conduction boards, stainless steel boards and copper tubes; the plurality of heat conduction boards are divided into multiple rows and mounted on the stainless steel boards, and the copper tubes are laid on each row of heat conduction boards; and the copper tubes are connected to an external cold and hot water device.
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure. The additional prior art listed on PTO-892 are cited to include state of the art wind tunnels which fail to teach or suggest the sky background radiation board is mounted on the top of the test section of the wind tunnel, and the solar radiation lamp array and the rain generator are mounted on the sky background radiation board; the sky background radiation board comprises heat conduction boards, stainless steel boards and copper tubes; the plurality of heat conduction boards are divided into multiple rows and mounted on the stainless steel boards, and the copper tubes are laid on each row of heat conduction boards; and the copper tubes are connected to an external cold and hot water device.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to NASHMIYA FAYYAZ whose telephone number is (571)272-2192. The examiner can normally be reached Monday-Thursday.
Examiner interviews are available via telephone, in-person, and video conferencing using a USPTO supplied web-based collaboration tool. To schedule an interview, applicant is encouraged to use the USPTO Automated Interview Request (AIR) at http://www.uspto.gov/interviewpractice.
If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Laura Martin can be reached at (571)272-2160. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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NF
Examiner
Art Unit 2855
/N.S.F/Examiner, Art Unit 2855
/LAURA MARTIN SWEENEY/Supervisory Patent Examiner, Art Unit 2855
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