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 .
Response to Amendment
The Amendment filed on 6/19/2026 has been entered. Claims 1-14 and 16-20 remain pending in the application. Claims 10-12 and 17-20 are withdrawn from consideration as non-elected.
Response to Arguments
Applicant’s arguments, see Applicant’s Remarks filed on 6/19/2026, with respect to the rejection(s) of claim(s) 1-9, 13, 14 and 16 under 35 U.S.C. 102 have been fully considered and are persuasive. The Examiner acknowledges Spaggiari (U.S. Pre-Grant Publication No. 2012/0201705) teaches ribs on the hub of the fan and not on the cover for the hub. Therefore, the rejection has been withdrawn. However, upon further consideration, a new ground(s) of rejection is made in view of 35 U.S.C. 103. Spaggiari teaches it is intended to use in heavy-duty applications such as agricultural machines or earthmoving machines (paragraph [0008]). Spaggiari also teaches the cover is under centrifugal load and needs to be capable of expelling dirt (paragraph [0056]). Spaggiari also teaches the outer surface of the cover needs to be smooth in order to facilitate expulsion of dirt (paragraphs [0052], [0056]). A person of ordinary skill in the art would recognize that mud and soil often include stones or other hard debris capable of denting the surface. Therefore, the person of ordinary skill in the art would be motivated to make the cover sufficiently stiff to maintain the smoothness of the surface and endure the centrifugal load and the external loads expected while expelling mud, soil and the like. Spaggiari also teaches stiffening a structure by employing radially extending ribs (paragraphs [0104], [0105]). Applying ribs on the cover in a similar manner to the ribs in the hub would be merely a duplication or rearrangement of parts (MPEP 2144.04). Therefore, in order to strengthen the cover to withstand the expected load during operation of heavy machinery expelling mud and soil, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art, before the effective filing date, to modify Spaggiari’s cover to incorporate radial ribs in the manner to the ribs in the hub because, as Spaggiari teaches, the ribs stiffen a structure.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 103
In the event the determination of the status of the application as subject to AIA 35 U.S.C. 102 and 103 (or as subject to pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 102 and 103) is incorrect, any correction of the statutory basis (i.e., changing from AIA to pre-AIA ) for the rejection will not be considered a new ground of rejection if the prior art relied upon, and the rationale supporting the rejection, would be the same under either status.
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) 1-9 and 13, 14 and 16 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Spaggiari (U.S. Pre-Grant Publication No. 2012/0201705).
As per claim 1, Spaggiari discloses a cooling fan (1), comprising: a sand prevention cover (13; figure 3) covering a hub (8) of the cooling fan; a connection structure comprising at least one positioning section, for positioning the sand prevention cover with respect to the hub , and at least one fixing section for fixing the sand prevention cover to the hub (see annotated figure 3 below), wherein the connection structure is formed as part of the sand prevention cover and as part of the hub (see annotated figure 3 below).
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Spaggiari does not explicitly teach wherein the sand prevention cover includes a number of radial ribs extending between the at least one positioning section and the at least one fixing section. However, Spaggiari does teach a number of radial ribs extending between the at least one positioning section and the at least one fixing section (ribs 30 on hub 8).
Spaggiari teaches it is intended to use in heavy-duty applications such as agricultural machines or earthmoving machines (paragraph [0008]). Spaggiari also teaches the cover is under centrifugal load and needs to be capable of expelling dirt (paragraph [0056]). Spaggiari also teaches the outer surface of the cover needs to be smooth in order to facilitate expulsion of dirt (paragraphs [0052], [0056]). A person of ordinary skill in the art would recognize that mud and soil often include stones or other hard debris capable of denting the surface. Therefore, the person of ordinary skill in the art would be motivated to make the cover sufficiently stiff to maintain the smoothness of the surface and endure the centrifugal load and the external loads expected while expelling mud, soil and the like. Spaggiari also teaches stiffening a structure by employing radially extending ribs (paragraphs [0104], [0105]). Applying ribs on the cover in a similar manner to the ribs in the hub would be merely a duplication or rearrangement of parts (MPEP 2144.04). Therefore, in order to strengthen the cover to withstand the expected load during operation of heavy machinery expelling mud and soil and maintain its smoothness, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art, before the effective filing date, to modify Spaggiari’s cover to incorporate radial ribs in the manner to the ribs in the hub because, as Spaggiari teaches, the radial ribs stiffen a structure.
As per claim 2, Spaggiari discloses the cooling fan of claim 1, and further discloses wherein the at least one positioning section and/or the at least one fixing section are formed at an outer ring segment and/or at an inner ring segment of the hub (positioning section at the outer ring of hub 8 and fixing section at the inner ring of hub 8 as shown; see annotated figure 3 above).
As per claim 3, Spaggiari discloses the cooling fan of claim 1, and further discloses wherein one positioning section of the at least one positioning section and/or one fixing section of the at least one fixing section are formed continuously along the inner or the outer ring segment (the positioning section has ring 13b, i.e., a continuous body engaging the outer ring of hub 8; paragraph [0062]; figures 3, 6).
As per claim 4, Spaggiari discloses the cooling fan of claim 2, and further discloses wherein the outer ring segment and the inner ring segment are each arranged on different radial positions of the hub (as shown; figure 3).
As per claim 5, Spaggiari discloses the cooling fan of claim 2, and further discloses wherein the sand prevention cover covers an area between the outer ring segment and the inner ring segment (as shown, cover 13 covers between the inner ring and the outer ring; see annotated figure 3 above).
As per claim 6, Spaggiari discloses the cooling fan of claim 1, and further discloses wherein the at least one fixing section and/or the at least one positioning section include at least one tongue and groove joint (as shown, ring 13b forms a tongue inserted to a groove formed by the outer ring of the cylindrical wall 12; see annotated figure 3 above).
As per claim 7, Spaggiari discloses the cooling fan of claim 6, and further discloses wherein the tongue and groove joint includes at least one tongue protruding in an axial direction of the cooling fan (as shown, the tongue extends in the axial direction; see annotated figure 3 above).
As per claim 8, Spaggiari discloses the cooling fan of claim 1, and further discloses wherein the at least one fixing section includes at least one weld seam (cover 13 is welded to hub 8, i.e., having a weld seam; paragraph [0077]).
As per claim 9, Spaggiari discloses the cooling fan of claim 1, and further discloses wherein the at least one fixing section includes at least one adhesive layer configured to fix the sand prevention cover to the hub by at least one adhesive bond (cover 13 is fastened and sealed to hub 8 by gluing cover 13 to hub 8; paragraph [0076]).
As per claim 13, Spaggiari discloses the cooling fan of claim 1, and further discloses wherein the at least one positioning section and the at least one fixing section are arranged on different axial positions with respect to an axial direction of the cooling fan (positioning section at the axial end of hub 8 and connection section located at base portion 18b having different axial positions; figure 3).
As per claim 14, Spaggiari discloses the cooling fan of claim 1, and further discloses wherein the sand prevention cover includes an inclined surface extending between the at least one positioning section and the at least one fixing section (cover 13, at discoidal portion 13a (located between the positioning section and the fixing section), forms a inclined surface with respect to the rotational axis R; figure 3).
As per claim 16, Spaggiari discloses the cooling fan of claim 8, and further discloses wherein the at least one weld seam is formed by ultrasonic welding or hot melt welding (laser or ultrasound welding; paragraph [0077]).
Conclusion
THIS ACTION IS MADE NON-FINAL because it contains new ground(s) of rejection not necessitated by Applicant’s amendment.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to SANG K KIM whose telephone number is (571)272-1324. The examiner can normally be reached Monday - Friday 8:30 am - 5:00 pm EST.
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/SANG K KIM/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3745
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