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 .
Status of Claims
Currently claims 20-41 are pending, claims 1-19 are cancelled, and claims 39-41 are new.
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 20-28 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 20 line 5 recites the limitation “a spray material supply” this is double inclusion as the spray material supply was already claimed in line 4.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 103
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 (i.e., changing from AIA to pre-AIA ) 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.
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.
Claim(s) 20-41 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Perkins (U.S. 5,566,042) in view of Baltz (U.S. 2017/0151577)
With respect to claims 20, 29, and 36, Perkins discloses an electrostatic material spray device (abstract, noting the following rejection further discloses the method steps of claim 29 and controller limitations of claim 36), comprising:
an air supply (88) configured to supply air with an airflow characteristic (being the characteristics of the air which comes from 88 through hoses 90);
a spray body (spray gun, see figures 1 and 5, spray gun 70) defining a spray channel (internal channel of the gun brining the material from the supply to the nozzle) in fluid communication with the air supply (88) and a spray material supply (84) to receive the air from the air supply and a spray material from a spray material supply and to transmit an air and spray material combination along a flow path (going to 72);
a voltage multiplier circuit (12) configured to receive a voltage input (10) and to produce a power supply output (towards the spray gun nozzles electrode) that is supplied to an electrode positioned along the flow path (22/76), the power supply output having an output voltage and an output load current (being the output load and current for the gun, where the power supply is being used in the spray coating gun of figure 5, see column 15 rows 35-40); Perkins fails to disclose,
a sensor configured to detect at least one of the output voltages and the output load current; and
a controller operatively connected to the sensor and the air supply and configured to control the air supply to adjust the airflow characteristic of the air based on the at least one of the output voltages and the output load current detected by the sensor.
Baltz discloses, paragraphs 0020-0024 and 0036, utilizing sensors for the current and voltage output and to adjust the gas supply based on the sensed feedback to allow the gas supply to increase or decreased to obtain the desired power and thus spray from the system.
It would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to utilize the sensor and control over the air supply of Baltz into the system of Perkins, allowing the system of Perkins to further provide their own power via the gas supply (having its own electrical generator) but to allow for the both the desired gas supply to the system but also the desired power supply to the system as well.
With respect to claims 21 and 30, Perkins discloses a voltage input source configured to supply the voltage input to the voltage multiplier circuit (being 10, which is now combined with 88 as disclosed by Baltz).
With respect to claim 22 and 31, Perkins as modified discloses the voltage multiplier circuit includes a resistor (31, figure 1 discloses resistors 63 and 64 as well) and wherein the sensor is configured to detect the at least one of the output voltage and the output load current through the resistor (being the output voltage/load current from 12, it would be after the resistors i.e. as the voltage/current is going to 60 or the nozzle itself and being output from the voltage multiplier).
With respect to claim 23, Perkins as modified discloses the sensor is configured to detect the output load current through the resistor (as it would be the output load from 12 which has the resistor being sensed), and wherein the controller is configured to control the air supply to adjust the airflow characteristic of the air based on the output load current detected by the sensor (as the airflow characteristics pressure/flow would change as the source changes to provide the desired power, as disclosed by Baltz).
With respect to claims 24, 32, and 37, Perkins as modified discloses the controller is further configured to compare the output load current to a target output load current (Baltz, paragraph 0020, as the feedback is understood being compared to something of the memory to then make the determination to adjust the associated equipment), such that if the output load current is greater than the target output load current, the controller controls the air supply to reduce the airflow characteristic of the air (if the output current is to high, reducing the airflow would then reduce the generation of the turbine and reduce the amount of power and thus adjust the load current lower as desired).
With respect to claim 25, Perkins discloses the voltage multiplier circuit includes a transformer configured to increase the voltage input (US 2005/0041361, paragraph 0025, discloses that the ‘042 patent (being the Perkins patent) has a transformer that increases the voltage output).
With respect to claims 26 and 33, Perkins as modified discloses a powder supply (the material being powder or liquid) configured to supply a substantially constant flow volume of a powder to the spray channel (as the system is configured to flow a volume through the channel it is configured to supply a substantially constant flow, Baltz paragraph 0031 discloses such powder flow control is known, and would allow the system to have a desired flow volume to be obtained, such as a constant flow).
With respect to claim 27, Perkins discloses the electrode is positioned in the flow path of the air and spray material combination (as shown in figure 5).
With respect to claim 28, Perkins discloses the electrode is positioned within the spray channel of the spray body (as shown in figure 5, being in the outlet channel).
With respect to claim 34, Perkins as modified discloses the adjusting the airflow characteristic of the air comprises incrementally adjusting the airflow characteristic of the air (as the adjustment would change the flow, paragraphs 0020-0021 and 0031 of Baltz.
With respect to claim 35, Perkins as modified discloses the adjusting the airflow characteristic of the air is performed by a controller (as disclosed by Baltz), wherein the controller is configured to dynamically adjust the airflow characteristic of the air during the flowing the air through the spray channel (Baltz, paragraph 0031), the flowing the spray material through the spray channel, and the producing the power supply output (Baltz, paragraphs 0020-0024 and 0031).
With respect to claim 38, Perkins as modified discloses the controller is further configured such that if the output load current is less than the target output load current, the controller controls the air supply to increase the airflow characteristic of the air (as the need for increased load current would require more power generation which would increase the air flow and thus increase the airflow characteristics of the air, Baltz, paragraphs 0020-0024 and 0031).
With respect to claims 39, 40, and 41 Perkins as a modified discloses the airflow characteristic is one or more of a velocity of the air, a volume of the air, and a pressure of the air (Baltz, paragraphs 0020-0024 and 0031, discloses air flow, understood as being the velocity of the air and its pressure within the closed system leading to the nozzle).
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to JOSEPH A GREENLUND whose telephone number is (571)272-0397. The examiner can normally be reached M-F 9am-5pm EST.
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/JOSEPH A GREENLUND/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3752
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