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 30, 32, and 34 are objected to because of the following informalities: Claim 30 states “the sleeves”. It is assumed to be a typo and that claim 30 should depend off claim 22 as claim 22 states the second sleeve.
Claim 32 states “each sleeve”. It is assumed to be a typo and that claim 32 should depend off claim 22 as claim 22 states the second sleeve.
Claim 34 states “the gap distance D”. It is assumed to be a typo and that claim 34 should depend off claim 33 as claim 33 is the first claim to state an annular gap distance D.
Appropriate correction is required.
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 22 and 30-34 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.
Claim 22 recites the limitation "a compartment," “a port opening,” in lines 2 and 5. It is unclear if this is a second compartment and a second port opening or if this is referencing the ones of claim 21.
Claim 30 recites the limitation "the sleeves" in line 1. There is insufficient antecedent basis for this limitation in the claim. Claim 21 only recites a first sleeve. Claim 22 references a second sleeve. It is suggested to change the dependency to claim 22 and make “the sleeves” clear by referencing the first and second sleeve.
Claim 32 recites the limitation "the flexible casing" in line 1. There is insufficient antecedent basis for this limitation in the claim.
Claim 32 recites the limitation "each sleeve" in line 2. There is insufficient antecedent basis for this limitation in the claim. Claim 21 only teaches a first sleeve. It is suggested to change the dependency to claim 22 and to make sure the claim refers to the first and second sleeves.
Claim 33 recites the limitation "the annular gap distance" in line 1. There is insufficient antecedent basis for this limitation in the claim.
Claim 33 recites the limitation "the interior surface" in line 2. There is insufficient antecedent basis for this limitation in the claim.
Claim 31 is dependent upon rejected claim 30.
Claim 34 is dependent upon rejected claim 32.
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 21, 23-29, and 35 are allowed.
Claims 22, 30-34 are objected to as being dependent upon a rejected base claim, but would be allowable if rewritten in independent form including all of the limitations of the base claim and any intervening claims.
The following is a statement of reasons for the indication of allowable subject matter: The prior arts of record do not teach the invention of claim 21. They do not teach a filter assembly with a casing, having a first sleeve comprised of a polymeric film and bounding a compartment, the first sleeve having an inlet opening and an outlet opening communicating with the compartment, a first exhaust port bounding a port opening and coupled with the first sleeve, a first filter comprising a porous filter body for gas to pass through, the first filter coupled with the first exhaust port so that the filter is at least partially disposed within the compartment of the first sleeve, and a first heating jacket encircling the first sleeve so as to sit directly against the first sleeve.
US20120260671A1 teaches a condenser bag (40) with a filter (26) inside and a heating element outside by the frame holder ([0039]). It teaches an inlet and outlet for gas (22 and 24). It teaches the bag is made from polyethylene ([0036]). It does not teach an exhaust port that bounds a port opening which is coupled to the filter. The prior art appears to just have the inlet and outlet (22 and 24) along with a filter inside (26).
US20110207218A1 teaches a condenser bag (210, figure 10) along with filters (298). It teaches a gas inlet and gas outlet port (248 and 250, figure 11). It does not teach an exhaust port that bounds a port opening which is coupled to the filter, and the filter being at least partially disposed inside the compartment. Figure 10 shows that the filter is clearly outside of the condenser bag. There is no heating jacket encircling and directly against the sleeve.
US20130186274A1 teaches a device with a sleeve (conduits 32, 34, 36, 38, figure 1) in which there is an inlet and outlet (bottom and top of conduits, figure 1). There is a filter inside the compartment of the sleeve (42, 44). It teaches heaters (33, 35, 39) attached to the outside of the sleeve. They are taught to surround the conduits ([0069]). It does not teach an exhaust port that bounds a port opening which is coupled to the filter. It also does not teach that the sleeve comprises a polymeric film.
US20050262817A1 teaches an apparatus for removing particles from a gas (abstract). It has a sleeve (12, figure 2) with an inlet and outlet (22, 26). There is a filter (36) that is attached to an exhaust port (40). There is a heating jacket encircling the sleeve and directing against the sleeve (18). It does not teach that the sleeve comprises polymeric film. It teaches that the outer conduit 12 is made of a ceramic material ([0023]).
Conclusion
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/P.Y.S/Examiner, Art Unit 1776 10/05/2026
/Jennifer Dieterle/Supervisory Patent Examiner, Art Unit 1776
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