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 § 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.
Claim 7 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 112(b) as being indefinite for failing to particularly point out and distinctly claim the subject matter which the inventor or a joint inventor regards as the invention.
Claim 7 recites that “the support portion in each of the first light source unit and the second light source unit has a truncated cone-shaped portion whose diameter decreases toward the front end of the support portion in a protruding direction”.
Specification describes that “Accordingly, the fluid flowing into the flow path space in
the flow path tube 100 from the first inlet 101 and the second inlet 102 hits the side surface of the support portion 120 having an inclination in the truncated cone-shaped portion and is reflected in the protruding direction of the support portion 120, forming a flow path toward the
accommodation portion 130. Therefore, the fluid may be efficiently brought into contact with the accommodation portion 130, and the cooling efficiency may be improved. Further, heat of the accommodation portion 130 may be efficiently diffused to the support portion 120, and the support portion 120 may be efficiently cooled by the fluid" (see paragraph [0058]). However, claim 7 does not specify the positional relation between the inflow port and the truncated cone-shaped portion of the support portion, and includes a fluid that does not hit the inclined side surface of the truncated cone-shaped portion. Therefore, claim 7 is indefinite.
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.
Claims 1, 4-6 and 8-10 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Japanese Patent Publication No. 2017-051289 A to Hiroki et al. (hereinafter “Hiroki”) in view of Japanese Patent Publication No. 2021-041382 A to Koji et al. (hereinafter “Koji”).
Regarding Claim 1, Hiroki teaches a fluid sterilization device (10) comprising:
a cylindrical flow path tube (processing chamber 50) having a flow path space therein through which a fluid is capable of flowing;
a first inlet (22) provided at a first end of the flow path tube and allowing the fluid to flow into the flow path space;
a second inlet (24) provided at a second end of the flow path tube opposite to the first end and allowing the fluid to flow into the flow path space;
an outlet (56) provided between the first end and the second end of the flow path tube and allowing the fluid flowing through the flow path space to flow out;
a first light source unit (12) disposed at the first end and configured to emit ultraviolet light into the flow path space; and
a second light source unit (14) disposed at the second end and configured to emit ultraviolet light into the flow path space (see Figures 1-2; paragraphs [0017]-[0018]).
Claim 1 differs from Hiroki in reciting that that the light source is arranged "in the flow path space".
Koji teaches a fluid sterilization device (1) comprising a light source (10) within the flow path space (21) to improve the cooling efficiency by arranging the light source in the flow path space (see Figures 2a-2b; paragraphs [0033]-[0034]).
It would have been obvious to a person of ordinary skill in the art to modify Hiroki to include light sources within the flow path space to dissipate heat generated as suggested by Koji (see paragraphs [0034]).
Regarding Claim 4-6 and 8, Koji teaches that the light source unit has a light emitting element 16, a columnar support portion 118, and an accommodation portion provided at the tip of the portion 118 and accommodating the light emitting element 16, the accommodation portion is formed so as to extend radially outward from the tip of the portion 118 over the entire circumference of the tip of the columnar support portion, and the accommodation portion has a cylindrical portion 122 surrounding a part of the tip of the portion 118 (see Figures 2a-2b; paragraphs [0016]-[0027], [0035]-[0036]).
Regarding Claims 9-10, Koji teaches a protrusion 125 or a groove for controlling the flow direction of the liquid flowing in from the inflow port 22 is provided on the side surface of the cap 12 and the side surface of the portion 118 (see Figure 4; paragraphs [0039]-[0042]).
Claims 2-3 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Hiroki in view of Koji as applied to claim 1 above and further in view of Japanese Patent Publication No. 2022-63592 A (Katsuro).
Hiroki in view of Koji teaches the fluid sterilization device of claim 1.
Claim 2 differ from Hiroki in view of Koji in reciting that the inlet does not intersect with a central axis of the flow path tube when viewed from an extending direction of the central axis of the flow path tube, such that a fluid flowing from the inlet forms a helical flow along an inner circumferential surface of the flow path tube.
Katsuro teaches that the inflow port 10 provided on the side wall of the housing 30 at the end does not intersect the central axis of the housing, and the fluid is swirled to increase the ultraviolet irradiation time (see Figs. 1-3; paragraphs [0026] - [0032]).
It would have been obvious to a person of ordinary skill in the art to modify the fluid sterilization device of Hiroki in view of Koji to include inlet that does not intersect with a central axis of the flow path tube when viewed from an extending direction of the central axis of the flow path tube, such that a fluid flowing from the inlet forms a helical flow along an inner circumferential surface of the flow path tube to increase the ultraviolet irradiation time as suggested by Katsuro.
Regarding claim 3, Hiroki teaches that the flow path tube 50 has a straight tube shape,
the first light source unit 12 and the second light source unit 14 are disposed to face each other,
the first light source unit 12 is positioned at a position intersecting with the first central axis when viewed from the extending direction of the central axis of the flow path tube and a direction orthogonal to the first central axis of the first inlet 22, and the second light source unit 14 is positioned at a position intersecting with the second central axis when viewed from the extending direction of the central axis of the flow path tube and a direction orthogonal to the second central axis of the second inlet 24 (see Figure 1).
Allowable Subject Matter
Claim 7 would be allowable if rewritten to overcome the rejection(s) under 35 U.S.C. 112(b) set forth in this Office action and to include all of the limitations of the base claim and any intervening claims.
Conclusion
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/John Kim/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 1772
JK
9/19/26
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