DETAILED ACTION
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.
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.
Claim(s) 16-34 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over EP’500 (EP 1655500) in view of DRENTH (US 2014/0102808), both cited by applicant.
With respect to claim 16, EP’500 discloses an air treatment cartridge 1 for an air treatment device for a vehicle, comprising: a cartridge body having a connecting portion 3 for connecting the air treatment cartridge to the air treatment device, the connecting portion being formed on the cartridge body and having a leading end, a trailing end opposite to the leading end (see Figs. 1-5).
EP’500 fails to explicitly teach a multi-start screw thread formed between the leading end and the trailing end, wherein each start of thread of the multi-start screw thread is offset to one another on the leading end and/or the trailing end as claimed. In EP’500, the cartridge is connected to the device using a female and a male single-start thread.
DRENTH teaches connecting components with a multi-start screw thread with a male and female threads 110, 112 wherein each start of thread of the multi-start screw thread is offset to one another on the leading end 120 and/or the trailing end 144 (see Figs. 3 and 4). The offset position of the starts is a common design in the field of the multi-start screw thread. Therefore, it would have been considered obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the present application to have provided the invention of EP’500 with a multi-start screw thread in order to improve the assembly.
With respect to claim 17, EP’500 modified by DRENTH teaches wherein the multi-start screw thread is a female multi-start screw thread. See DRENTH, Figs. 3-4, [0065-0073].
With respect to claim 18, EP’500 modified by DRENTH teaches wherein the multi-start screw thread comprises a standardized screw thread profile or a screw thread profile having a reduced cross-sectional thread area in relation to a standardized screw thread profile. See DRENTH, Figs. 3-4, [0065-0073].
With respect to claim 19, EP’500 modified by DRENTH teaches wherein the standardized screw thread is of an ISO metric or a buttress type. See DRENTH, Figs. 3-4, [0065-0073].
With respect to claim 20, EP’500 modified by DRENTH teaches wherein the screw thread profile has a first flank, a flat crest region, and a second flank, at least one non-rounded edge is formed between the first or second flank and the crest region. See DRENTH, Figs. 3-4, [0065-0073].
With respect to claim 21, EP’500 modified by DRENTH teaches wherein the screw thread profile has a rounded root region formed between a first and second flank. See DRENTH, Figs. 3-4, [0065-0073].
With respect to claim 22, EP’500 modified by DRENTH teaches wherein the screw thread profile has a first and a second flank which are asymmetric. See DRENTH, Figs. 3-4, [0065-0073].
With respect to claim 23, EP’500 modified by DRENTH teaches wherein the screw thread profile is configured to engage with a screw thread profile of a multi- start screw thread of the air treatment device such that a non-rounded edge of the screw thread profile of the multi-start screw thread of the air treatment cartridge has a contact point with a flank of the screw thread profile of the multi-start screw thread of the air treatment device. See DRENTH, Figs. 3-4, [0065-0073].
With respect to claim 24, EP’500 modified by DRENTH teaches wherein the screw thread profile is configured as a modified V-shaped profile so as to have an inverted crest region; and/or the screw thread profile is configured as a modified V-shaped profile so as to have a broadened and/or deepened groove region. See DRENTH, Figs. 3-4, [0065-0073].
With respect to claim 25, EP’500 modified by DRENTH teaches wherein the screw thread profile is configured as a modified V-shaped profile such that one flank has a lower slope than the other flank. See DRENTH, Figs. 3-4, [0065-0073].
With respect to claim 26, EP’500 modified by DRENTH teaches wherein the screw thread profile is compatible with a standardized male thread profile. See DRENTH, Figs. 3-4, [0065-0073].
With respect to claim 27, EP’500 modified by DRENTH teaches wherein the screw thread profile is configured such that an internal thread height is larger than an external thread height. See DRENTH, Figs. 3-4, [0065-0073].
With respect to claim 28, EP’500 modified by DRENTH teaches wherein the screw thread profile is configured as a modified V-shaped profile has a W- or M- shaped thread profile. See DRENTH, Figs. 3-4, [0065-0073].
With respect to claim 29, EP’500 modified by DRENTH teaches wherein the screw thread profile is compatible with an ISO metric screw thread profile and/or a buttress-type thread profile. See DRENTH, Figs. 3-4, [0065-0073].
With respect to claim 30, EP’500 modified by DRENTH teaches wherein the screw thread profile is configured such that an internal thread height is larger than an external thread height of a corresponding standardized male thread profile. See DRENTH, Figs. 3-4, [0065-0073].
With respect to claim 31, EP’500 modified by DRENTH teaches wherein the multi-start screw thread comprises a first screw thread having a first start of thread and a second screw thread having a second start of thread. See DRENTH, Figs. 3-4, [0065-0073].
With respect to claim 32, EP’500 modified by DRENTH teaches wherein the first and the second starts of threads are evenly distributed on the leading end and/or the trailing end. See DRENTH, Figs. 3-4, [0065-0073].
With respect to claim 33, EP’500 discloses an air treatment device for a vehicle being connectable to an air treatment cartridge 1, comprising: a connecting part for establishing a connection between the air treatment device and the air treatment cartridge, the air treatment cartridge having: a cartridge body having a connecting portion 3 for connecting the air treatment cartridge to the air treatment device, the connecting portion being formed on the cartridge body and having a leading end, a trailing end opposite to the leading end (see Figs. 1-5).
EP’500 fails to explicitly teach a multi-start screw thread formed between the leading end and the trailing end, wherein each start of thread of the multi-start screw thread is offset to one another on the leading end and/or the trailing end; wherein the connecting part has a first end, a second end opposite the first end, and a multi-start screw thread formed between the first end and the second end and being correspondingly formed to the multi-start screw thread of the air treatment cartridge, thereby being engageable thereto as claimed. In EP’500, the cartridge is connected to the device using a female and a male single-start thread.
DRENTH teaches connecting components with a multi-start screw thread with a male and female threads 110, 112 wherein each start of thread of the multi-start screw thread is offset to one another on the leading end 120 and/or the trailing end 144 (see Figs. 3 and 4). The offset position of the starts is a common design in the field of the multi-start screw thread. Therefore, it would have been considered obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the present application to have provided the invention of EP’500 with a multi-start screw thread in order to improve the assembly.
With respect to claim 34, EP’500 discloses a system, comprising: (i) an air treatment cartridge 1, comprising: a cartridge body having a connecting portion 3 for connecting the air treatment cartridge to the air treatment device, the connecting portion being formed on the cartridge body and having a leading end, a trailing end opposite to the leading end and (ii) an air treatment device, comprising: a connecting part for establishing a connection between the air treatment device and the air treatment cartridge, wherein the connecting part has a first end, a second end opposite the first end (see Figs. 1-5).
EP’500 fails to explicitly teach a multi-start screw thread formed between the leading end and the trailing end, wherein each start of thread of the multi-start screw thread is offset to one another on the leading end and/or the trailing end; and a multi-start screw thread formed between the first end and the second end and being correspondingly formed to the multi-start screw thread of the air treatment cartridge; wherein the air treatment device and the air treatment cartridge are connected to each other by their respective multi-start screw threads being engaged to each other as claimed. In EP’500, the cartridge is connected to the device using a female and a male single-start thread.
DRENTH teaches connecting components with a multi-start screw thread with a male and female threads 110, 112 wherein each start of thread of the multi-start screw thread is offset to one another on the leading end 120 and/or the trailing end 144 (see Figs. 3 and 4). The offset position of the starts is a common design in the field of the multi-start screw thread. Therefore, it would have been considered obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the present application to have provided the invention of EP’500 with a multi-start screw thread in order to improve the assembly.
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure. CA 2662818 teaches a compressed air supply device (10) for a commercial vehicle, with a valve housing (12) and an air-drying cartridge (14) connected releasably to the valve housing. According to the invention, it is provided that the valve housing (12) and the air-drying cartridge (14) are connected to each other via a bayonet fastening (16).
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to ZAKIYA W BATES whose telephone number is (571)272-7039. The examiner can normally be reached M-F 8:30am - 5pm.
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If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Doug Hutton can be reached at 5712724137. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/ZAKIYA W BATES/ Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3674 8/20/2026
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