DETAILED ACTION
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) 1-4, 8, 9, 13, 18 and 22 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Tsuge (US 4,402,493 A).
Regarding claim 1, Tsuge discloses an air-fluid separator (3; Fig. 5) comprising: a housing comprising separator components cooperatively arranged to define a pathway through which untreated and potentially contaminated air flows and undergoes treatment in which contaminants are removed therefrom (column 3, line 50-62) , the housing comprising: an inlet port (5) for receiving untreated and potentially contaminated air and directing the air to flow into a separation chamber (space inside inlet 5); a filter assembly (15, 18) positioned adjacent to the separation chamber (Fig. 5); a drain funnel (20) positioned adjacent to the filter assembly; a clean air collector tube (4) configured to allow air to pass therethrough; and an outlet port (6) coupled to the clean air collector tube and configured to exhaust treated air; and a collection reservoir (9) coupled to the housing and configured to receive and retain contaminants removed from the air (via valve 4).
Regarding claim 2, Tsuge discloses the air-fluid separator of claim 1, wherein: the filter assembly is positioned below the separation chamber and above the drain funnel (Fig. 5); the drain funnel is positioned below the filter assembly and suspended above and spaced apart from the collection reservoir; and the clean air collector tube is suspended above and spaced apart from the drain funnel and comprises a portion that extends through the filter assembly (Fig. 5).
Regarding claim 3, Tsuge discloses the air-fluid separator of claim 2, wherein the filter assembly is configured to receive deposited contaminants from the separation chamber while allowing air to pass therethrough towards the drain funnel (Fig. 5).
Regarding claim 4, Tsuge discloses the air-fluid separator of claim 3, wherein the filter assembly is configured to coalesce said deposited contaminants received from the separation chamber into larger deposits (collected water; column 3, line 58-62).
Regarding claim 8, Tsuge discloses the air-fluid separator of claim 2, wherein the filter assembly (15, 19’) has a cylindrical shape and surrounds a portion of the clean air collector tube.
Regarding claim 9, Tsuge discloses the air-fluid separator of claim 8, wherein the filter assembly comprises a central bore (16) through which a body of the clean air collector tube passes therethrough and is centrally positioned relative to the filter assembly (Fig. 5).
Regarding claim 13, Tsuge discloses the air-fluid separator of claim 1, wherein the drain funnel is shaped and/or sized to substantially prevent fluid backsplash from the collection reservoir and into the pathway through which air flows (Fig. 5).
Regarding claim 18, Tsuge discloses the air-fluid separator of claim 1, wherein the inlet port has a tangential orientation relative to an inner surface of the housing to thereby cause incoming untreated and potentially contaminated air to rotationally flow within the separation chamber of the housing and induce separation of contaminants from air and subsequent deposition of said separated contaminants along an outer perimeter of the separation chamber (Fig. 5).
Regarding claim 22, Tsuge discloses the air-fluid separator of claim 1, wherein the contaminants include any amount of water, oil, carbon particles, and/or fuel, or a combination thereof (Abstract).
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) 19-21 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Tsuge (US 4,402,493 A) in view of Guynn (US 7,396,473 B1).
Regarding claims 19-21 Tsuge does not disclose and air-fluid separator wherein the collection reservoir and housing are releasably couplable to one another via a bayonet mount-style connection, wherein the collection reservoir comprises at least one slot defined along perimeter thereof that is shaped and/or sized to receive a corresponding pin provided on the housing upon mounting and subsequent rotation of the collection reservoir relative to the housing, and further comprising a locking clip configured to lock the collection reservoir into engagement with the housing.
Guynn discloses an engine oil filter assembly comprising of cylindrical housing wherein the housing is assembled with multiple cylindrical elements having a bayonet mount-style connection, wherein the collection reservoir comprises at least one slot defined along perimeter thereof that is shaped and/or sized to receive a corresponding pin provided on the housing upon mounting and subsequent rotation of the collection reservoir relative to the housing, and further comprising a locking clip configured to lock the collection reservoir into engagement with the housing (column 3, line 58-64). It would have been obvious to a person having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to provide the bayonet mounting style connection of Guynn in the air-fluid separator of Tsuge in order to ensure that the individual elements are assembled together.
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 5-7, 10-12 and 14-17 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.
Claims 23-37 are allowed.
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure.
Hong (CN 112901311 A) discloses oil-gas separating device.
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/TEUTA HOLBROOK/
Examiner
Art Unit 3747
/GEORGE C JIN/ Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3747