DETAILED CORRESPONDENCE
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.
Claims 1-3 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Won et al. KR20200012332 published 5 Feb. 2020 as translated by EPO (hereafter Won).
Regarding claim 1, Won teaches an air purifier (Fig 2) comprising:
a first air purification module (lower 100) including a coupling body (250);
a second air purification module (upper 100 in Fig 2) arranged on top of the first air purification module and including a coupling plate (lower portion of module 100 housing surrounding 120 in Fig 2);
a holder (comprising 120) configured to be coupled with the coupling body and arranged between the first air purification module and the second air purification module; and
a rotation member (member comprising 154) configured to be coupled with the coupling plate and arranged between the holder and the first air purification module,
wherein the second air purification module coupled with the rotation member is able to rotate against the first air purification module coupled with the holder (¶7-8).
Regarding claim 2, Won teaches all the limitations of claim 1. Won further teaches wherein the rotation member comprises a rotation body (labeled below) including an opening (labeled below) at a center, and wherein the holder comprises a connection hole (labeled below) connected to the opening, and a holder body (labeled below) enclosing the connection hole and covering a top of the rotation body (as shown in Fig 4).
[AltContent: oval][AltContent: textbox (Holder body)][AltContent: arrow][AltContent: textbox (Opening)][AltContent: textbox (Rotation body)][AltContent: arrow][AltContent: arrow][AltContent: textbox (Connection hole)][AltContent: arrow][AltContent: arrow]
PNG
media_image1.png
200
400
media_image1.png
Greyscale
Regarding claim 3, Won teaches all the limitations of claim 2. Won further teaches wherein the rotation member comprises a first circumferential projection (154) protruded upward from the rotation body and extended along circular edges and a second circumferential projection (labeled below) spaced from the first circumferential projection, and wherein the holder comprises a circumferential guider (labeled below) protruded downward from the holder to be inserted between the first circumferential projection and the second circumferential projection.
[AltContent: textbox (Circumferential guider)][AltContent: textbox (Second circumferential projection)][AltContent: arrow][AltContent: textbox (First circumferential projection)][AltContent: arrow][AltContent: arrow]
PNG
media_image1.png
200
400
media_image1.png
Greyscale
Claim 1 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Chu et al. US 2019/0160411 (hereafter Chu).
Regarding claim 1, Chu teaches an air purifier (Fig 2) comprising:
a first air purification module (1) including a coupling body (132);
a second air purification module (2) arranged on top of the first air purification module and including a coupling plate (plate comprising 220 in Fig 10);
a holder (110) configured to be coupled with the coupling body and arranged between the first air purification module and the second air purification module; and
a rotation member (120) configured to be coupled with the coupling plate and arranged between the holder and the first air purification module,
wherein the second air purification module coupled with the rotation member is able to rotate against the first air purification module coupled with the holder (¶95).
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 4-15 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.
Regarding claim 4, the closest prior art is Won KR20200012332 and Chu US 2019/0160411.
Won teaches an air purifier (Fig 2) comprising:
a first air purification module (lower 100) including a coupling body (250);
a second air purification module (upper 100 in Fig 2) arranged on top of the first air purification module and including a coupling plate (lower portion of module 100 housing surrounding 120 in Fig 2);
a holder (comprising 120) configured to be coupled with the coupling body and arranged between the first air purification module and the second air purification module; and
a rotation member (member comprising 154210) configured to be coupled with the coupling plate and arranged between the holder and the first air purification module,
wherein the second air purification module coupled with the rotation member is able to rotate against the first air purification module coupled with the holder (¶7-8).
Chu teaches an air purifier (Fig 2) comprising:
a first air purification module (1) including a coupling body (132);
a second air purification module (2) arranged on top of the first air purification module and including a coupling plate (plate comprising 220 in Fig 10);
a holder (110) configured to be coupled with the coupling body and arranged between the first air purification module and the second air purification module; and
a rotation member (120) configured to be coupled with the coupling plate and arranged between the holder and the first air purification module,
wherein the second air purification module coupled with the rotation member is able to rotate against the first air purification module coupled with the holder (¶95).
The prior art does not teach the rotation member and coupling body as claimed.
Regarding claim 5, the closest prior art is Won KR20200012332 and Chu US 2019/0160411.
Won teaches an air purifier (Fig 2) comprising:
a first air purification module (lower 100) including a coupling body (250);
a second air purification module (upper 100 in Fig 2) arranged on top of the first air purification module and including a coupling plate (lower portion of module 100 housing surrounding 120 in Fig 2);
a holder (comprising 120) configured to be coupled with the coupling body and arranged between the first air purification module and the second air purification module; and
a rotation member (member comprising 154210) configured to be coupled with the coupling plate and arranged between the holder and the first air purification module,
wherein the second air purification module coupled with the rotation member is able to rotate against the first air purification module coupled with the holder (¶7-8).
Chu teaches an air purifier (Fig 2) comprising:
a first air purification module (1) including a coupling body (132);
a second air purification module (2) arranged on top of the first air purification module and including a coupling plate (plate comprising 220 in Fig 10);
a holder (110) configured to be coupled with the coupling body and arranged between the first air purification module and the second air purification module; and
a rotation member (120) configured to be coupled with the coupling plate and arranged between the holder and the first air purification module,
wherein the second air purification module coupled with the rotation member is able to rotate against the first air purification module coupled with the holder (¶95).
The prior art does not teach the rotation member and coupling plate as claimed.
Claims 6-15 depend upon claim 5.
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to STEPHEN HOBSON whose telephone number is (571)272-9914. The examiner can normally be reached 9am-5pm.
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, Jennifer Dieterle can be reached at 571-270-7872. 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.
/STEPHEN HOBSON/Examiner, Art Unit 1776
Prosecution Insights