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.
Claim(s) 18 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by US 2021/0033115 to Hoffman et al. (Hoffman).
In Reference to Claim 18
Hoffman discloses:
A blower, comprising:
a blower housing 76 defining an air inlet, an air outlet, and an airflow conduit between the air inlet and the air outlet;
a fan 52 within the blower housing;
a stator within the blower housing adjacent the fan; and 70 at least one liner within the blower housing between the stator and the air outlet, wherein the at least one liner is formed from a damper material 80, wherein the at least one liner is coupled to an interior surface of the blower housing and defines at least a portion of the airflow conduit, see paragraph [0086].
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.
Claim(s) 20 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over US 2021/0033115 to Hoffman et al. (Hoffman).
In Reference to Claim 20
Hoffman discloses:
the at least one liner comprises a first liner;
Hoffman does not disclose:
and the blower further comprises a second liner within the blower housing between the air inlet and the fan, the second liner formed from the damper material.
At the time claimed invention was filed it would have been obvious to an artisan of ordinary skill to include as much liner material and add a second liner since this would enable the practitioner of the primary reference to practice the advantage of further reducing unwanted noise.
Reasons for Allowance
The following is a statement of reasons for the indication of allowable subject matter:
Claims are allowed primarily because the prior art of record cannot anticipate Applicant’s claimed invention by a single reference nor render Applicant’s claimed invention obvious by the combination of more than one reference.
Furthermore, the prior art of record does not teach “each of the plurality of guide members comprising a receptacle configured to receive a portion of the stator and at least one elongated rib extending from the receptacle; and a blower tube removably coupled to the air outlet of the blower housing, at least a portion of the blower housing and the blower tube defining an airflow conduit.” as within the context of the claimed invention as disclosed and within the context of the other limitations present in claim 1;
The prior art of record does not teach “wherein the outer wall and the first end of the inner wall are removably coupled to the air outlet of the blower housing, wherein the outer wall comprises a first portion extending from an exterior surface of the inner wall and a second portion extending from the first portion, andwherein a cavity for receiving at least a portion of the blower housing is defined between the first portion and the inner wall.” as within the context of the claimed invention as disclosed and within the context of the other limitations present in claim 12; and
Therefore, the prior art of record cannot anticipate Applicant’s claimed invention by a single reference nor render Applicant’s claimed invention obvious by the combination of more than one reference.
Any comments considered necessary by applicant must be submitted no later than the payment of the issue fee and, to avoid processing delays, should preferably accompany the issue fee. Such submissions should be clearly labeled “Comments on Statement of Reasons for Allowance.”
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to ANTHONY AYALA DELGADO whose telephone number is (571)270-3452. The examiner can normally be reached on Mon-Fri 8:00-5:00.
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If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Mark III Laurenzi can be reached on (571) 270-7878. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/ANTHONY AYALA DELGADO/
Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3746