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.
(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.
Claims 1-3, 5-6, 12-15 & 17-18 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1)&(a)(2) as being anticipated by Oechslen et al (US 20230387753 A1).
Oechslen et al disclose an expansion tank (e.g. 60, 62) for a cooling system (e.g. 50) capable of use with a battery, comprising: a tank housing (e.g. 62), an exchangeable dryer insert (e.g. 644, Para. [0058]) with a housing and a drying agent arranged therein, a lid (e.g. Fig. 4, represented by the dashed box labeled 64) that is connectable to the tank housing and in which the dryer insert is at least partially accommodated, a valve device (e.g. 642, 652) and/or a diaphragm, via which air passes from the expansion tank into an environment (e.g. 61) when there is an overpressure in the expansion tank and fresh air passes from the environment into the expansion tank when there is a vacuum in the expansion tank. Wherein the dryer insert has an activated carbon section (e.g. 654); the valve device and/or the diaphragm is structured and arranged such that, in the event of excess pressure prevailing in the expansion tank, air passes via the activated carbon section into the environment and, in the event of negative pressure prevailing in the expansion tank, fresh air passes from the environment through the drying agent into the expansion tank (e.g. Fig. 4, Paras. [0060] & [0062]), or the valve device and/or the diaphragm is structured and arranged such that, when there is excess pressure in the expansion tank, air passes via the activated carbon section and the drying agent into the environment and, when there is negative pressure in the expansion tank, fresh air passes from the environment through the drying agent and the activated carbon section into the expansion tank (e.g. Para. [0068]); the valve device and/or the diaphragm is arranged on the dryer insert or on the tank housing (e.g. on the dryer insert as indicated by Fig. 4, Para. [0068]); and the valve device has a double valve that is permeable in both directions or a pressure relief valve and a vacuum valve (e.g. Para. [0068]).
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 4, 7, 9-11, 16 & 19-20 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Oechslen et al (US 20230387753 A1).
Oechslen et al disclose an expansion tank for a cooling system capable of use with a battery, as described above, but do not explicitly teach that the drying agent and/or the activated carbon section are bounded by a fleece layer and/or the housing has a fleece layer; the lid is screwed to the tank housing; a spring that pretensions the dryer insert against the tank housing; the tank housing and the lid are composed of plastic; or the housing is structured as a plastic housing, a fleece housing, or a natural fiber housing.
It is common practice in the art of air drying cartridges, for example, demonstrated by Paling et al (EP 1839728 A1), to have each of the drying agent and/or the activated carbon section are bounded by a fleece layer and/or the housing has a fleece layer (see Figs. 2-3, 80, 82); the lid is screwed to the tank housing (see Para. [0015]); a spring (see Fig. 2, 72) that pretensions the dryer insert against the tank housing; the tank housing and the lid are composed of plastic (see Fig. 4, 94); and the housing is structured as a plastic housing (see Fig. 4, 94), a fleece housing, or a natural fiber housing. It would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art at the time the invention was filed to modify Oechslen et al to have the drying agent and/or the activated carbon section are bounded by a fleece layer and/or the housing has a fleece layer; the lid is screwed to the tank housing; a spring that pretensions the dryer insert against the tank housing; the tank housing and the lid are composed of plastic; and the housing is structured as a plastic housing, a fleece housing, or a natural fiber housing, as an engineering expedient for the purposes of separating the filter material from the dryer material, attaching the lid to the tank housing; holding the components in place, and provide a metal alternative.
Claim 8 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Oechslen et al (US 20230387753 A1) in view of Yang (WO 2019240339 A1).
Oechslen et al disclose an expansion tank for a cooling system capable of use with a battery, as described above, but do not explicitly teach the dryer insert is cylindrical in shape and has the activated carbon section which is cylindrical in shape and adjoins the dryer insert in the axial direction, or the dryer insert is structured in the shape of a ring cylinder with the activated carbon section located on the inside and structured in the shape of a cylinder.
Yang teaches a dryer insert (e.g. Figs. 3-6) with a drying agent (e.g. 400) and an activated carbon section (e.g. 500) wherein the dryer insert is structured in the shape of a ring cylinder with the activated carbon section located on the inside and structured in the shape of a cylinder.
Oechslen et al and Yang all seek to condition air passing in to or out of an expansion tank, thus it would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art at the time the invention was made to modify the dryer insert such that it is formed such that the dryer insert is structured in the shape of a ring cylinder with the activated carbon section located on the inside and structured in the shape of a cylinder, as taught by Yang, for the purpose of conditioning air flow to and from an expansion tank.
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure. Additional references listed on form PTO-892 are cited for their relevance to the disclosed invention and demonstration of the state of the art.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to MICHAEL LESLIE whose telephone number is (571)272-4819. The examiner can normally be reached M - F 8 am - 4-30pm.
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/MICHAEL LESLIE/
Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3745
August 22, 2026
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