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 Rejections - 35 USC § 102
The following is a quotation of the appropriate paragraphs of 35 U.S.C. 102 that form the basis for the rejections under this section made in this Office action:
A person shall be entitled to a patent unless –
(a)(1) the claimed invention was patented, described in a printed publication, or in public use, on sale, or otherwise available to the public before the effective filing date of the claimed invention.
(a)(2) the claimed invention was described in a patent issued under section 151, or in an application for patent published or deemed published under section 122(b), in which the patent or application, as the case may be, names another inventor and was effectively filed before the effective filing date of the claimed invention.
Claim(s) 1-2 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102 (a) (1) as being anticipated by Kimpara (US 2021/0316833, cited in IDS).
For claim 1 Kimpara discloses an outboard motor (1) for propelling a ship, the outboard motor comprising:
a propeller unit (9,5,6,3) including a propeller shaft (6), a propeller (3) fixed to the propeller shaft, and a case (9) for rotatably supporting the propeller shaft (6); a support portion (4) (no proper reference in the drawings, see ref. 4 on fig. 1; see also fig. 3 and 7) formed in a columnar shape extending in an upper-lower direction and having a lower end portion to which the propeller unit is supported; a bracket (see e.g. fig. 1, 7) provided at an upper portion of the support portion (4) and configured to attach the support portion to the ship; and
a fine dust capturing device (21, 25) having a passage (33, 34) through which water around the outboard motor flows and configured to capture fine dust contained in the water flowing through the passage (see filter cartridge 26),
wherein the fine dust capturing device (21, 25) is provided between the lower end portion of the support portion (4) and the case (9) such that an extension direction of the passage (33, 34) is a front-rear direction of the outboard motor (see fig. 3; the "direction" of the flow in passage 33, 34 is indeed front-rear).
For claim 2, Kimpara further discloses the fine dust capturing device is disposed a t center in a left right direction of the lower end portion of the support device (see figs.).
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 3-8 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.
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure. The cited prior art of record is noted as it pertains to motor filtration devices.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to MAGDALENA TOPOLSKI whose telephone number is (571)270-3568. The examiner can normally be reached M-F 9-5.
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If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Joshua Huson can be reached at 5712705301. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/MAGDALENA TOPOLSKI/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3642
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