DETAILED ACTION
Election of 14 September 2026
Applicant’s election without traverse is acknowledged:
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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.
(a)(2) the claimed invention was described in a patent issued under section 151, or in an application for patent published or deemed published under section 122(b), in which the patent or application, as the case may be, names another inventor and was effectively filed before the effective filing date of the claimed invention.
Claim 1 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1)/(2) as being anticipated by BOWLSBEY (US 5,639,369). See tube 24 (fig. 8), filter media 32, and spacers 54.
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 2-3 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over BOWLSBEY (US 5,639,369) as applied to claim 1 above, and further in view of ACOSTA (US 3,750,889).
Dependent claim 2 specifies a “reinforcement core”, while dependent claim 3 specifies the reinforcement core “includes recesses configured to receive filtered fluid” which is not taught by BOWLSBEY.
ACOSTA discloses:
(6) Referring to FIGS. 4 and 5, it is seen that core 12 is cylindrical and includes a plurality of spaced holes 44 formed therein. Core 12 is hollow, and thus is circular in cross-section. Stabilizer 14 is positioned within core 12, and has an external diameter which is equal to the internal diameter of the core. The stabilizer is held within the core by a friction fit.
(7) Referring to FIG. 4, it is seen that stabilizer 14 comprises, in cross-section, a central rod 46 and four equally spaced blades 48 projecting therefrom. As seen in FIGS. 3 and 6, the blades 48 travel upwardly and around core 46 in a helical pattern. An upwardly directed channel is formed between each adjacent pair of blades 48. The purpose of stabilizer 14 is to reinforce the core 12, in order to permit the core to retain its tubular configuration, and in addition, direct the flow of fluids within the core.
In view of the teachings of ACOSTA, it would have been obvious at the time the invention was made, to modify BOWLSBEY by incorporating a stabilizer or reinforcement core including recesses or chanels, in order to permit the core to retain its tubular configuration, and in addition, direct the flow of fluids within the core.
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to ROBERT JAMES POPOVICS whose telephone number is (571) 272-1164. The examiner can normally be reached from 10:00 AM - 6:00 PM.
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, Joseph Del Sole can be reached at (571) 272-1130. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
Information regarding the status of published or unpublished applications may be obtained from Patent Center. Unpublished application information in Patent Center is available to registered users. To file and manage patent submissions in Patent Center, visit: https://patentcenter.uspto.gov. Visit https://www.uspto.gov/patents/apply/patent-center for more information about Patent Center and https://www.uspto.gov/patents/docx for information about filing in DOCX format. For additional questions, contact the Electronic Business Center (EBC) at 866-217-9197 (toll-free). If you would like assistance from a USPTO Customer Service Representative, call 800-786-9199 (IN USA OR CANADA) or 571-272-1000.
/ROBERT J POPOVICS/ Primary Examiner
Art Unit 1763
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