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 .
DETAILED ACTION
Status of Claims
This office action is in response to the amendment and remarks filed on 03/20/2026. In making the below rejections, the examiner has considered and addressed each of the applicants arguments. Claims 1-20 are currently pending and being examined.
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 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.
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 set forth in Graham v. John Deere Co., 383 U.S. 1, 148 USPQ 459 (1966), that are applied 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 1-5 and 7-14 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Zhang (CN112983867) in view of Lyu (CN213687101).
In reference to independent claim 1, Zhang teaches a portable fan (fig 1-6 discloses a fan designed to be held in the hand), comprising: a shell (1 and 2, fig 3);
having an air inlet portion (24, right side of fig 6) and an air outlet portion (13, left side of fig 6);
a fan (4), arranged inside the shell (seen in fig 6) and configured to rotate around a rotation shaft to generate wind (page 4, para 4 discloses “the natural air enters into the air channel ring 5 through the air inlet, after the fan impeller 4 in the air channel ring 5 accelerates to rotate, enters into the annular air outlet 13 from the annular air outlet channel 15”); a booster (5), arranged inside the shell (1 and 2) and is configured to pressurize the wind generated by the fan (the preceding limitation is functional language that is met by the booster 5 of Zhang, by constricting airflow in the radial direction the pressure of the airflow is boosted), wherein, the booster (5) surrounds a circumference of the fan (seen in fig 6); wherein, a first air channel is defined between the fan and the booster (channel between 4 and 5),
the fan (4) has a front end disposed near the air outlet portion (front side of fan 4 is near the air outlet portion 13); however
Zhang does not teach the booster has a pressurizing surface facing blades of the mix-flow fan and in an axial direction of the mix-flow fan, the pressurizing surface is curved, the booster has a booster front end surrounding a circumference of the front end of the mix-flow fan; the booster front end abuts against the shell.
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Lyu, a similar fan, teaches the booster (see annotated fig 4) has a pressurizing surface facing blades of the mix-flow fan (pg 6, para 3 discloses “In one embodiment, the impeller 23 is an inclined flow impeller; the inclined flow impeller makes the air flow not only do centrifugal movement and do axial movement, the shell 11 in the air flow mixing the axial flow and centrifugal two movement form”) and in an axial direction of the mix-flow fan (fig 4 shows the booster pressurizing surface facing the mix-flow impeller ), the pressurizing surface is curved (see annotated fig 4, shows a curved surface to the booster), the booster has a booster front end surrounding a circumference of the front end of the mix-flow fan (the booster surrounds the fan, see fig 4); the booster front end abuts against the shell (booster completely surrounds the fan and abuts against the shell).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to use the booster design and mix-flow impeller of Lyu in the fan of Zhang because it is “convenient for the air flow fast from the air inlet [[112]] into and discharged from the annular air outlet” pg 6, para 3; Lyu. To be clear the modification is done to create fast flow between the inlet and the outlet.
In reference to independent claim 8, Zhang teaches a portable fan (fig 1-6 designed to be held in the hand), comprising: a shell (1 and 2, fig 3);
having an air inlet portion and an air outlet portion;
a fan, arranged inside the shell and configured to rotate around a rotation shaft to generate wind,
a booster (5), arranged inside the shell (seen in fig 6) and configured to pressurize wind (the preceding limitation is functional language that is met by the booster 5 of Zhang, by constricting airflow in the radial direction the pressure of the airflow is increased or boosted), wherein, the booster (5) has a first pressurizing surface (inside surface of 5); in a radial direction of the booster, at least a portion of the first pressurizing surface is protruding towards the shell (fig 3 shows 5 protruding radially out towards the shell 1 & 2), the fan (4) has a front end disposed near the air outlet portion (front side of fan 4 is near the air outlet portion 13); however
Zhang does not teach a mix-flow fan, the booster has a pressurizing surface facing blades of the mix-flow fan and in an axial direction of the mix-flow fan, the pressurizing surface is curved (see annotated fig 4, shows a curved surface to the booster), the booster has a booster front end surrounding a circumference of the front end of the mix-flow fan (the booster surrounds the fan, see fig 4); the booster front end abuts against the shell (booster completely surrounds the fan).
Lyu, a similar fan, teaches a mix-flow fan (pg 6, para 3 discloses “In one embodiment, the impeller 23 is an inclined flow impeller; the inclined flow impeller makes the air flow not only do centrifugal movement and do axial movement, the shell 11 in the air flow mixing the axial flow and centrifugal two movement form”), the booster (see annotated fig 4) has a pressurizing surface facing blades of the mix-flow fan and in an axial direction of the mix-flow fan (the pressurizing surface of the booster faces the blades on the impeller 23), the pressurizing surface is curved (fig 4 shows a booster with a pressurizing surface that is curved), the booster has a booster front end surrounding a circumference of the front end of the mix-flow fan (the booster surrounds the fan, see fig 4); the booster front end abuts against the shell (booster completely surrounds the fan).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to use the booster features and mix-flow impeller of Lyu in the fan of Zhang because it is “convenient for the air flow fast from the air inlet [[112]] into and discharged from the annular air outlet” pg 6, para 3; Lyu. To be clear the modification is done to create fast flow between the inlet and the outlet.
In reference to dependent claim 2, Zhang in view of Lyu teaches the portable fan according to claim 1, Zhang further discloses the fan wherein, the booster (5) is connected to the shell (1&2) the air outlet portion (13) is opposite to the air inlet portion (24 is opposite 13, see fig 3); for at least a portion of the pressurizing surface, a diameter of the pressurizing surface is increased along a direction extending from the air inlet portion to the air (fig 3 shows the diameter of 5 protruding radially out towards the shell 1 & 2).
In reference to dependent claim 3, Zhang in view of Lyu teaches the portable fan according to claim 2, Zhang further discloses the fan wherein, at least a portion of the pressurizing surface (inside surface of 5) is protruding away from the mix-flow fan to increase a size of the first air channel to concentrate the wind (fig 3 shows the diameter of 5 protruding radially out towards the shell 1 & 2).
In reference to dependent claim 4, Zhang in view of Lyu teaches the portable fan according to claim 1, Zhang further discloses the fan wherein the booster front end flushes with the front end of the mix-flow fan (the outlet end side of 5 flushes with the second shell portion 1).
In reference to dependent claim 5, Zhang in view of Lyu teaches the portable fan according to claim 4, Zhang further discloses the fan further comprising a pressurizing member (12) arranged inside the shell and disposed between the air outlet portion (13) and the mix-flow fan (4), wherein, a step is formed by the booster (5) and the shell (1&2) to enable the pressurized wind generated by the mix-flow fan to flow to reach the pressurizing member (5 forms a step for air to hit the element 12).
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In reference to dependent claim 7, Zhang in view of Lyu teaches the portable fan according to claim 1, Zhang further discloses the fan further comprising a support (9) connected to the shell (1&2), wherein, the support is configured to be hand-held by a user (the abstract, and many other places, disclose fig 1-6 as “a hand-held beautifying mirror fan”); or the support is configured to clamp a wall to hold the portable fan; or the support is bendable and fixed at a bending position; or the support is configured to be supported on a desktop; or the support is extendable and retractable and is configured to stand on a floor.
In reference to dependent claim 9, Zhang in view of Lyu teaches the portable fan according to claim 8, Zhang further discloses the fan wherein, a first air channel (path between 4 and 5) is defined between the mix-flow fan (4) and the booster (5) to concentrate the wind generated by the mix-flow fan (the tight tolerances between 4 and 5 perform the function of concentrate the wind).
In reference to dependent claim 10, Zhang in view of Lyu teaches the portable fan according to claim 9, Zhang further discloses the fan wherein the air outlet portion (13) opposite to the air inlet portion (24 is opposite 13, see fig 3); along a direction extending from the air inlet portion to the air outlet portion, a diameter of the booster is increased (diameter of 5 increases from the inlet to the outlet).
In reference to dependent claim 11, Zhang in view of Lyu teaches the portable fan according to claim 9, Zhang further discloses the fan further comprising a pressurizing member (12) arranged inside the shell and disposed between the air outlet portion (13) and the mix-flow fan (4), wherein, the pressurizing member (12) has a second pressurizing surface (surface of 12 close to 1), a second air channel (path between the radial outside of 12 and the inside surface of 1) is formed between the second pressurizing surface (surface of 12 close to 1) and the shell (1) and is communicated with the first air channel (path between 4 and 5).
In reference to dependent claim 12, Zhang in view of Lyu teaches the portable fan according to claim 11, Zhang further discloses the fan wherein, a diameter of a side of the pressurizing member (12) near the mix-flow fan (4) is less than a diameter of the other side of the pressurizing member near the air outlet portion (the diameter of 12 increases in the direction of the flow).
In reference to dependent claim 13, Zhang in view of Lyu teaches the portable fan according to claim 12, Zhang further discloses the portable fan wherein, a size of an end of the second air channel (path between the radial outside of 12 and the inside surface of 1) near the first air channel (path between 4 and 5) is greater than a size of the other end of the second air channel near the air outlet portion (the size of the second air channel is greater nearer to the inlet, meeting the claim language).
In reference to dependent claim 14, Zhang in view of Lyu teaches the portable fan according to claim 9, Zhang further discloses the portable fan wherein, the booster (5) is connected to the shell (1&2) and surrounds a circumference of the mix-flow fan (5 surrounds the circumference of the fan 4).
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Claims 6 and 15-20 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Zhang (CN112983867) in view of Lyu (CN213687101) further in view of Yamamoto (USPN 10,859,287).
In reference to independent claim 15, Zhang teaches a portable fan (fig 1-6 discloses a fan designed to be held in the hand), comprising: a shell (1 and 2, fig 3); having an air inlet portion (24, right side of fig 6) and an air outlet portion (13, left side of fig 6);
a fan (4), arranged inside the shell (1 and 2) and configured to rotate round a rotation shaft (7) to generate wind; and
a booster (5), arranged inside the shell (seen in fig 6); wherein, the booster (5) comprises a booster seat (outside surface of 5) and a plurality of third blades (shell 2 has a plurality of blades on an internal surface that face the booster outer surface); at least a portion of each of the plurality of third blades is connected to at least the shell (see annotated fig 5 which shows the blades attached to the shell); a gap is defined between the booster seat and the shell (see annotated fig 5); the fan (4) has a front end disposed near the air outlet portion (front side of fan 4 is near the air outlet portion 13); and/or a pressurizing member, wherein an end of the pressurizing member (12) near the air outlet portion (13) is arranged with a front cover (area of 8 fig 1);
Zhang does not teach the third blades arranged on an outer peripheral surface of the booster seat,
the booster has a pressurizing surface facing blades of the mix-flow fan and in an axial direction of the mix-flow fan, the pressurizing surface is curved, the booster has a booster front end surrounding a circumference of the front end of the mix-flow fan; the booster front end abuts against the shell;
a central region of an outer surface of the front cover facing an outside of the shell is recessed towards an interior of the shell to form a recessed surface.
Lyu, a similar fan, teaches the booster (see annotated fig 4) has a pressurizing surface facing blades of the mix-flow fan (pg 6, para 3 discloses “In one embodiment, the impeller 23 is an inclined flow impeller; the inclined flow impeller makes the air flow not only do centrifugal movement and do axial movement, the shell 11 in the air flow mixing the axial flow and centrifugal two movement form”) and in an axial direction of the mix-flow fan (fig 4 shows the booster pressurizing surface facing the mix-flow impeller ), the pressurizing surface is curved (see annotated fig 4, shows a curved surface to the booster), the booster has a booster front end surrounding a circumference of the front end of the mix-flow fan(the booster surrounds the fan, see fig 4); the booster front end abuts against the shell (booster completely surrounds the fan and abuts against the shell).
a central region of an outer surface of the front cover facing an outside of the shell is recessed towards an interior of the shell to form a recessed surface (116 is recessed in relation to both the housing 111 and the outlet 114, fig 2).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to use the booster design and mix-flow impeller of Lyu in the fan of Zhang because it is “convenient for the air flow fast from the air inlet [[112]] into and discharged from the annular air outlet” pg 6, para 3; Lyu. To be clear the modification is done to create fast flow between the inlet and the outlet.
Lyu does not teach the third blades arranged on an outer peripheral surface of the booster seat.
Yamamoto, a similar fan for air moving, teaches the third blades (19c, fig 13 and 14) arranged on an outer peripheral surface of the booster seat (see fig 15 showing blades on the back of the booster making contact with the housing, 15).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to use the booster/air tunnel taught by Yamamoto in the fan of Zhang in view of Lyu so “the directionality and the straightness of the blown-out airflow can be improved and performance as an air circulator can be made stable” col 10, lines 10-13; Yamamoto.
In reference to dependent claim 6, Zhang in view of Lyu teaches the portable fan according to claim 1, Zhang further discloses the fan wherein, the booster (5) comprises a booster seat (outside surface of 5) and
a plurality of third blades (shell 2 has a plurality of blades on an internal surface that face the booster outer surface) arranged on an outer peripheral surface of the booster seat (Zhang is silent to blades however, Lu combined above teaches blades on the exterior of the booster); at least a portion of each of the plurality of third blades is connected to at least the shell (see annotated fig 5 which shows the blades attached to the shell); a gap is formed between the shell and the booster seat (see annotated fig 5), however
Zhang and Lyu are silent to the plurality of third blades arranged on an outer peripheral surface of the booster seat.
Yamamoto, a similar fan for air moving, teaches a plurality of third blades (19c, fig 13 and 14) arranged on an outer peripheral surface of the booster seat (see fig 15 showing blades on the back of the booster making contact with the housing, 15).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to use the booster/air tunnel taught by Yamamoto in the fan of Guo in view of Chang so “the directionality and the straightness of the blown-out airflow can be improved and performance as an air circulator can be made stable” col 10, lines 10-13; Yamamoto.
In reference to dependent claim 16, Zhang in view of Lyu and Yamamoto teaches the portable fan according to claim 15, Zhang discloses a portable fan further wherein, the air outlet portion (13) is opposite to the air inlet portion (24 is opposite 13, see fig 3); however
Zhang and Yamamoto do not teach the fan is connected to the other end of the pressurizing member near the air inlet portion.
Lyu, a similar handheld portable fan teaches the fan (23, fig 4) is connected to the other end of the pressurizing member (see annotated fig 4) near the air inlet portion (fan connects to the pressurizing member near the inlet).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to use the fan and pressurizing member of Lyu in the fan of Zhang in view of Lyu and Yamamoto because it is “convenient for the air flow fast from the air inlet [[112]] into and discharged from the annular air outlet” pg 6, para 3; Lyu. To be clear the modification is done to create fast flow between the inlet and the outlet. Furthermore, by placing the motor on the other side in the pressurizing member the general layout is more efficient.
In reference to dependent claim 17, Zhang in view of Lyu and Yamamoto teaches the portable fan according to claim 16, however
Zhang and Yamamoto do not teach the front cover comprises an edge portion and a central portion the concaved central region of the outer surface of the front cover is a surface of the central portion, a most recessed part of the front cover is the central region of the front cover and a negative pressure zone is formed in the recessed central region.
Lyu, a similar fan, teaches a fan wherein, the front cover (right side of 11, fig 4) comprises an edge portion (114) and a central portion (12) the concaved central region of the outer surface of the front cover is a surface of the central portion (the central portion 116 is generally concave), a most recessed part of the front cover is the central region of the front cover and a negative pressure zone is formed in the recessed central region (page 5, para 4 discloses “Specifically, the shell 11 is provided with concave cavity 12 concave to the shell 11, annular air outlet 114 around the concave cavity 12 set, the fog outlet 116 set on the concave cavity 12 bottom, in the annular air outlet 114 air outlet process in the concave cavity 12 to form negative pressure”).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to use the front surface of Lyu in the fan of Zhang in view of Lyu and Yamamoto “to form negative pressure” pg 5, para 4; Lyu.
In reference to dependent claim 18, Zhang in view of Lyu and Yamamoto teaches the portable fan according to claim 17, Zhang further discloses a fan wherein, the air outlet portion (13) is formed between the edge portion of the front cover (edge of 8, fig 6) and the edge of the shell (1 and 2) and is configured to output the wind (13 is an output of the fan 4).
In reference to dependent claim 19, Zhang in view of Lyu and Yamamoto teaches the portable fan according to claim 18, Lyu further discloses a fan wherein, the wind is capable of flowing towards the negative pressure zone (functional language met by the Zhang in view of Lyu and Yamamoto, once the concave portion is added the outflow can flow back into the negative pressure area).
In reference to dependent claim 20, Zhang in view of Lyu and Yamamoto teaches the portable fan according to claim 15, wherein, Zhang further discloses a diameter of a side of the pressurizing member (12) near the mix-flow fan is less than a diameter of the other side of the pressurizing member near the air outlet portion (the diameter of 12 increases in the direction of the flow).
Response to Arguments
Applicant's arguments filed on 03/20/2026 have been considered but, unless otherwise addressed below, are moot in view of the new ground(s) of rejection.
Conclusion
Applicant's amendment necessitated the new ground(s) of rejection presented in this Office action. Accordingly, THIS ACTION IS MADE FINAL. See MPEP § 706.07(a). Applicant is reminded of the extension of time policy as set forth in 37 CFR 1.136(a).
A shortened statutory period for reply to this final action is set to expire THREE MONTHS from the mailing date of this action. In the event a first reply is filed within TWO MONTHS of the mailing date of this final action and the advisory action is not mailed until after the end of the THREE-MONTH shortened statutory period, then the shortened statutory period will expire on the date the advisory action is mailed, and any nonprovisional extension fee (37 CFR 1.17(a)) pursuant to 37 CFR 1.136(a) will be calculated from the mailing date of the advisory action. In no event, however, will the statutory period for reply expire later than SIX MONTHS from the mailing date of this final action.
Contact Information
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to CHARLES W NICHOLS whose telephone number is (571)272-6492. The examiner can normally be reached Monday-Friday 8am-5pm EST.
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If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Michael Tsai can be reached at (571) 270-5246. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/C.W.N/Examiner, Art Unit 3783
/WESLEY G HARRIS/Examiner, Art Unit 3783
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