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 text of those sections of Title 35, U.S. Code not included in this action can be found in a prior Office action.
Claim(s) 10 – 13 and 15 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(2) as being anticipated by JP 2022171704.
JP ‘704 discloses in figures 1 and 2 an airbag inflator assembly comprising: a cylindrical housing; an initiator assembly (10) secured in an upstream end of the cylindrical housing; a generant (31-34) disposed in the cylindrical housing adjacent the initiator assembly; internal components that define a tortuous path for products of combustion and define a plurality of debris collection areas (60, 50, 93), the internal components including an internal nozzle (60, 50) through which products of combustion flow, a debris canister (50, 93) disposed in the cylindrical housing downstream of the internal nozzle, and an exit aperture (36, 93, 73), wherein the internal nozzle is configured to direct the products of combustion into the debris canister, wherein a downstream end (80) of the debris canister is closed, and wherein the internal nozzle and the debris canister define one of the debris collection areas adjacent an upstream end of the debris canister; a rupture disk assembly (175) secured over the exit aperture; and a diffuser region (70) downstream of the rupture disk assembly including an output opening (73) through which the products of combustion are vented into an airbag (claim 10). the tortuous path comprises at least four turns between the generant and the exit aperture (claim 11). the tortuous path comprises six turns between the generant and the exit aperture (claim 12). at least two debris collection areas among the internal components (claim 13). the cylindrical housing comprises an outside diameter of 35 mm or less (claim 15).
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 1 – 9 and 14 are allowed.
As allowable subject matter has been indicated, applicant's reply must either comply with all formal requirements or specifically traverse each requirement not complied with. See 37 CFR 1.111(b) and MPEP § 707.07(a).
Claims 16 is 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.
The following is a statement of reasons for the indication of allowable subject matter:
None of the prior art made of record teach or suggest an airbag inflator assembly comprising: a cylindrical housing; an initiator assembly secured in an upstream end of the cylindrical housing; a generant disposed in the cylindrical housing adjacent the initiator assembly; an internal nozzle through which products of combustion flow, the internal nozzle engaging an inside wall of the cylindrical housing; a debris canister disposed in the cylindrical housing downstream of the internal nozzle, wherein the internal nozzle is configured to direct the products of combustion into the debris canister, the debris canister including radial orifices adjacent an upstream end, wherein an outside diameter of the debris canister is spaced from the inside wall of the cylindrical housing thereby defining an annular passageway; a screen canister positioned over the debris canister including a plurality of apertures; a formed end plate secured over the screen canister and including an exit aperture; a rupture disk assembly secured to the formed end plate over the exit aperture; and a diffuser region downstream of the rupture disk assembly including an output opening through which the products of combustion are vented into the airbag.
Response to Arguments
Applicant’s arguments with respect to claim(s) 10 have been considered but are moot because the new ground of rejection does not rely on any reference applied in the prior rejection of record for any teaching or matter specifically challenged in the argument.
Conclusion
Applicant's amendment necessitated the new ground(s) of rejection presented in this Office action. Accordingly, THIS ACTION IS MADE FINAL. See MPEP § 706.07(a). Applicant is reminded of the extension of time policy as set forth in 37 CFR 1.136(a).
A shortened statutory period for reply to this final action is set to expire THREE MONTHS from the mailing date of this action. In the event a first reply is filed within TWO MONTHS of the mailing date of this final action and the advisory action is not mailed until after the end of the THREE-MONTH shortened statutory period, then the shortened statutory period will expire on the date the advisory action is mailed, and any nonprovisional extension fee (37 CFR 1.17(a)) pursuant to 37 CFR 1.136(a) will be calculated from the mailing date of the advisory action. In no event, however, will the statutory period for reply expire later than SIX MONTHS from the mailing date of this final action.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to Nicole Verley whose telephone number is (571)270-3542. The examiner can normally be reached 10AM-6PM.
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/NICOLE T VERLEY/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3614