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 .
Information Disclosure Statement
The information disclosure statement (IDS) submitted on 4/23/2025, 9/4/2025, 12/24/2025, 5/6/2025 was filed after the mailing date of the application on 10/30/2024. The submission is in compliance with the provisions of 37 CFR 1.97. Accordingly, the information disclosure statement is being considered by the examiner.
Specification
The lengthy specification has not been checked to the extent necessary to determine the presence of all possible minor errors. Applicant’s cooperation is requested in correcting any errors of which applicant may become aware in the specification.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 102
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 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.
Claim(s) 13-14, 23-24 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Gray et al (US 20230280048).
Regarding claim 13, Gray teaches a window air conditioner (100) comprising: an outdoor unit component (300) including an outdoor unit body (320); an indoor unit component (200) rotatably connected (through 370) to the outdoor unit component and including an indoor unit body (220); a transitional shielding member (400) arranged at a rotational connection (at 370, fig. 3-4) between the indoor unit component and the outdoor unit component, the transitional shielding member cooperating with the indoor unit component and the outdoor unit component to form a passage (430); and a pipeline assembly (420, paragraph 0029) passing through the passage and connected to the indoor unit body and the outdoor unit body (fig. 6).
Regarding claim 14, Gray teaches the transitional shielding member is movable relative to the indoor unit component and the outdoor unit component (figs. 3-5); the transitional shielding member participates in forming a first communication opening (411) and a second communication opening (414), the passage being in communication with the indoor unit body via the first communication opening (430 in 411) and in communication with the outdoor unit body via the second communication opening (430 in 414); the first communication opening and the second communication opening are configured to remain in an open state during a relative rotation of the indoor unit component and the outdoor unit component (fig. 6); and the pipeline assembly passes through the passage through the first communication opening and the second communication opening (fig. 6).
Regarding claim 23, Gray teaches the indoor unit component includes a connection support (225) configured to pass through a window opening (fig. 1), the connection support including an outer end (225 connected to 400) extending to be pivotally connected to an upper inner end of the outdoor unit body (at 370), to enable the outdoor unit body to rotate about a pivot axis (figs. 3-5) extending in a transverse direction (figs. 3-5) and located at the upper inner end of the outdoor unit body; and an extending direction of the pipeline assembly in the connection support changes at least once (figs. 3-5)
Regarding claim 24, Gray teaches the connection support and the indoor unit body are slidable relatively to each other in an inward-outward direction (figs. 3-5); and the pipeline assembly extends for a loop in a circumferential direction in the connection support (figs. 3-6).
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.
The factual inquiries 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.
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) 22 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Gray as applied to claim 13 above, and further in view of Xing et al (US 20210199312).
Regarding claim 22, Gray teaches the invention as described above but fails to explicitly teach the indoor unit component includes a first pipeline clamp; the outdoor unit component includes a second pipeline clamp; and the pipeline assembly is fit with the first pipeline clamp and the second pipeline clamp.
However, Xing teaches the indoor unit component includes a first pipeline clamp (100); the outdoor unit component includes a second pipeline clamp (100, the general concept of using two claims (i.e. duplicate the clamp) in order in order to mount the pipes is within the realm of common knowledge as obvious mechanical expedient); and the pipeline assembly is fit with the first pipeline clamp and the second pipeline clamp (fig. 2) to reduce noise generated by the air conditioner.
Therefore, it would have been obvious to a person skilled in the art before the effective filing date to modify the window air conditioner of Gray to include the indoor unit component includes a first pipeline clamp; the outdoor unit component includes a second pipeline clamp; and the pipeline assembly is fit with the first pipeline clamp and the second pipeline clamp in view of the teachings of Xing to reduce noise generated by the air conditioner.
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 15-21 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.
Reasons for Allowance
The following is an examiner’s statement of reasons for allowance:
Regarding claims 15, 17, the subject matter which is considered to distinguish from the closest prior art of record, Gray et al (US 20230280048). The prior art of record teaches the transitional shielding member in contrast to the claimed features of the transitional shielding member includes a retractable shielding member connected to the indoor unit component and the outdoor unit component, and the retractable shielding member is configured to be deployed or retracted with the relative rotation of the indoor unit component and the outdoor unit component as recited in claim 15 or the transitional shielding member includes a shielding shell rotatable relative to the indoor unit component and the outdoor unit component as recited in claim 17.
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to ELIZABETH J MARTIN whose telephone number is (571)270-3840. The examiner can normally be reached 8:30-3:00 CT pm M-F.
Examiner interviews are available via telephone, in-person, and video conferencing using a USPTO supplied web-based collaboration tool. To schedule an interview, applicant is encouraged to use the USPTO Automated Interview Request (AIR) at http://www.uspto.gov/interviewpractice.
If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Jerry-Daryl Fletcher can be reached at (571) 270-5054. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/ELIZABETH J MARTIN/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3763
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