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 Objections
Claims 4-14 are objected to under 37 CFR 1.75(c) as being in improper form because a multiple dependent claim cannot depend on another multiple dependant claim(noting claims 4-14 depend at least in part on multiple dependant claim 3). See MPEP § 608.01(n). Accordingly, claims 4-14 have not been further treated on the merits.
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.
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.
This application currently names joint inventors. In considering patentability of the claims the examiner presumes that the subject matter of the various claims was commonly owned as of the effective filing date of the claimed invention(s) absent any evidence to the contrary. Applicant is advised of the obligation under 37 CFR 1.56 to point out the inventor and effective filing dates of each claim that was not commonly owned as of the effective filing date of the later invention in order for the examiner to consider the applicability of 35 U.S.C. 102(b)(2)(C) for any potential 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(2) prior art against the later invention.
Claims 1-3 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Grey et al(6055701) taken together with McCaffrey et al(5634238).
Grey et al in figure 1 teaches a wet cleaning apparatus(column 3 lines 43-45 stating “a container 10 for the collection of water or other liquid picked up by means of a suction head(not shown) in a floor cleaning or drying operation”), comprising: a dirt inlet(suction hose 26 to pick up head not shown); a motor(motor included but not shown) and fan(impeller 23) for delivering suction to the dirt inlet; a separator unit(air/water separator 30) for separating water and/or dirt particles from a flow of air generated by the suction; a collection volume(collection container 10) for collecting the separated water and/or dirt particles, wherein the separator unit comprises: a flow path member(inlet tube 31) having an interior surface portion; and an outlet member(outwardly widening bell 33) extending from the flow path member to an opening, wherein the outlet member is arranged to guide and accumulate the separated water and/or dirt particles towards a region at the opening from which the separated water and/or dirt particles flow towards the collection volume along a first flow path when the apparatus is orientated for use (noting rim 35 which is angled with respect to a horizontal axis of the collection container, wherein a separated liquid flows via the rim to a lowermost point); and an air passage(air outlet chamber 20) for passing the air separated from the water and/or dirt particles towards the motor and fan, the air passage being spaced apart from the outlet member and the collection volume(noting air outlet chamber 20 spaced apart from outwardly widening bell 33 in figure 1), a second flow path being defined between the opening and the air passage, which second flow path is directed away from the first flow path(noting due to oblique angle arrangement of rim 35 in figure 1, gravity directing heavier liquid droplets toward collection container 10 and airflow passing via a second flow path upward to air outlet chamber 20). Grey et al is silent as to the flow path member being arranged to change a flow direction of the flow of air such that the water and/or dirt particles are flung against the interior surface portion and thereby separated from the air.
McCaffrey et al in figure 1 teaches a suction head(10) provided as an attachment for a wet vacuum cleaner, the suction head including a separator unit(suction duct 35 leading to deflector 46) for separating water and/or dirt particles from a flow of air generated by suction, a flow path member(deflector 46) having an interior surface portion being arranged to change a flow direction of the flow of air such that the water and/or dirt particles are flung against the interior surface portion and thereby separated from the air(noting 180 degree change of direction from suction duct 35 into collection container 12), and an air passage for passing air separated from the water and/or dirt particles. It would have been obvious to someone of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to provide a deflector for the suction tube 25 of Grey et al, the deflector located upstream of the outwardly widening bell 35 of Grey et al, in order to provide a sharp reversal of air flow which ensures that most of the liquid entrained in the air flow is separated out(column 3 lines 61-62 of McCaffrey et al).
With regards to claim 2, Grey et al taken together with McCaffrey et al further teaches wherein the opening is delimited by a slanted rim (slanted rim 35 in Grey et al), the slanted rim being slanted such that the separated water and/or dirt particles flow along the slanted rim towards the region.
With regards to claim 3, Grey et al taken together with McCaffrey et al further teaches wherein the outlet member comprises a water guiding element(slanted rim 35), the water guiding element being arranged on or in an inner surface of the outlet member and configured to guide the separated water and/or dirt particles towards the region.
Claim 15 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Grey et al(6055701) taken together with McCaffrey et al(5634238).
Grey et al in figure 1 teaches a method of separating water and/or dirt particles from a flow of air using a flow path member(inlet tube 31) having an interior surface portion, an outlet member(outwardly widening bell 33) extending from the flow path member to an opening, a collection volume(collection container 10), and an air passage (air outlet chamber 20) spaced apart from the outlet member and the collection volume, the method comprising: generating a flow of air comprising entrained water and/or dirt particles; using the outlet member to accumulate and guide the separated water and/or dirt particles towards a region at the opening from which the separated water and/or dirt particles flow towards the collection volume along a first flow path(noting rim 35 which is angled with respect to a horizontal axis of the collection container, wherein separated liquid flows via the rim to a lowermost point), wherein the air separated from the water and/or dirt particles is passed towards the air passage along a second flow path which is directed away from the first flow path(noting due to oblique angle arrangement of rim 35 in figure 1, gravity directing heavier liquid droplets toward collection container 10 and airflow passing via a second flow path upward to air outlet chamber 20). Grey et al is silent as to using the flow path member to change a flow direction of the flow of the air such that the water and/or dirt particles are flung against the interior surface portion and thereby separated from the air.
McCaffrey et al in figure 1 teaches a suction head(10) provided as an attachment for a wet vacuum cleaner, the suction head including a separator unit(suction duct 35 leading to deflector 46) for separating water and/or dirt particles from a flow of air generated by suction, a flow path member(deflector 46) being arranged to change a flow direction of the flow of air such that the water and/or dirt particles are flung against the interior surface portion and thereby separated from the air(noting 180 degree change of direction from suction duct 35 into collection container 12), and an air passage for passing air separated from the water and/or dirt particles. It would have been obvious to someone of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to provide a deflector for the suction tube 25 of Grey et al, the deflector located upstream of the outwardly widening bell 35 of Grey et al, in order to provide a sharp reversal of air flow which ensures that most of the liquid entrained in the air flow is separated out(column 3 lines 61-62 of McCaffrey et al).
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to ROBERT A HOPKINS whose telephone number is (571)272-1159. The examiner can normally be reached Mon-Thurs 6am-4pm.
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/ROBERT A HOPKINS/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 1776
July 27, 2026
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