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 .
Status of the Claims
This is a non-final rejection in response to the communication filed 12/29/2025. Claims 1-16 are currently pending.
Claim Objections
Claim 1 is objected to because of the following informalities: the claim recites the limitation “a plurality of motor top covers (11a) and motor base cover (11b) for encapsulating said motor (4)” in line 10-11. It appears the limitation of “the motor base cover (11b)” should read --motor base covers-- so as to be consistent in the use of claim terminology.
Appropriate correction is required.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 112
The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 112(b):
(b) CONCLUSION.—The specification shall conclude with one or more claims particularly pointing out and distinctly claiming the subject matter which the inventor or a joint inventor regards as the invention.
The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), second paragraph:
The specification shall conclude with one or more claims particularly pointing out and distinctly claiming the subject matter which the applicant regards as his invention.
Claims 1-16 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 112(b) or 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), second paragraph, as being indefinite for failing to particularly point out and distinctly claim the subject matter which the inventor or a joint inventor (or for applications subject to pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, the applicant), regards as the invention.
Claim 1 recites the limitation "said blower" in line 10. It is unclear if reference is being made to the “plurality of blowers” earlier in the claim or if a new blower is being introduced. It appears the limitation should read --said plurality of blowers--.
Claim 1 recites the limitation "said motor" in line 11. It is unclear if reference is being made to the “plurality of motors” earlier in the claim or if a new motor is being introduced. It appears the limitation should read --said plurality of motors--.
Claim 1 recites the limitation "the bottom portion" in line 16. There is insufficient antecedent basis for this limitation in the claim.
Regarding claim 2, the phrase "preferably" renders the claim indefinite because it is unclear whether the limitation(s) following the phrase are part of the claimed invention. See MPEP § 2173.05(d).
Regarding claim 3, the phrase "but not limited to" renders the claim indefinite because it is unclear whether the limitation(s) following the phrase are part of the claimed invention. See MPEP § 2173.05(d).
Regarding claim 4, the phrase "but not limited to" renders the claim indefinite because it is unclear whether the limitation(s) following the phrase are part of the claimed invention. See MPEP § 2173.05(d).
Regarding claim 5, the phrase "preferably" renders the claim indefinite because it is unclear whether the limitation(s) following the phrase are part of the claimed invention. See MPEP § 2173.05(d).
Regarding claim 6, the phrase "but not limited to" renders the claim indefinite because it is unclear whether the limitation(s) following the phrase are part of the claimed invention. See MPEP § 2173.05(d).
Regarding claim 8, the phrase "but not limited to" renders the claim indefinite because it is unclear whether the limitation(s) following the phrase are part of the claimed invention. See MPEP § 2173.05(d).
Claim 9 recites the limitation “wherein said housing is made up of material including but not limited to sustainable materials such as bamboo or recycled plastic.” It is unclear if one or both materials are to be included.
Regarding claim 9, the phrase "but not limited to" renders the claim indefinite because it is unclear whether the limitation(s) following the phrase are part of the claimed invention. See MPEP § 2173.05(d).
Regarding claim 9, the phrase "like" renders the claim indefinite because it is unclear whether the limitation(s) following the phrase are part of the claimed invention. See MPEP § 2173.05(d).
Regarding claim 9, the phrase "such as" renders the claim indefinite because it is unclear whether the limitations following the phrase are part of the claimed invention. See MPEP § 2173.05(d).
Regarding claim 10, the phrase "not limited to any particular shape or size" renders the claim indefinite because it is unclear whether the limitation(s) following the phrase are part of the claimed invention. See MPEP § 2173.05(d).
Regarding claim 12, the phrase "but not limited to" renders the claim indefinite because it is unclear whether the limitation(s) following the phrase are part of the claimed invention. See MPEP § 2173.05(d).
Regarding claim 14, the phrase "preferably" renders the claim indefinite because it is unclear whether the limitation(s) following the phrase are part of the claimed invention. See MPEP § 2173.05(d).
Regarding claim 15, the phrase "preferably" renders the claim indefinite because it is unclear whether the limitation(s) following the phrase are part of the claimed invention. See MPEP § 2173.05(d).
Regarding claim 16, the phrase "but not limited to" renders the claim indefinite because it is unclear whether the limitation(s) following the phrase are part of the claimed invention. See MPEP § 2173.05(d).
Claims 2-16 are indefinite based on their dependency on claim 1.
Claim Interpretation
The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 112(f):
(f) Element in Claim for a Combination. – An element in a claim for a combination may be expressed as a means or step for performing a specified function without the recital of structure, material, or acts in support thereof, and such claim shall be construed to cover the corresponding structure, material, or acts described in the specification and equivalents thereof.
The following is a quotation of pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, sixth paragraph:
An element in a claim for a combination may be expressed as a means or step for performing a specified function without the recital of structure, material, or acts in support thereof, and such claim shall be construed to cover the corresponding structure, material, or acts described in the specification and equivalents thereof.
The claims in this application are given their broadest reasonable interpretation using the plain meaning of the claim language in light of the specification as it would be understood by one of ordinary skill in the art. The broadest reasonable interpretation of a claim element (also commonly referred to as a claim limitation) is limited by the description in the specification when 35 U.S.C. 112(f) or pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, sixth paragraph, is invoked.
As explained in MPEP § 2181, subsection I, claim limitations that meet the following three-prong test will be interpreted under 35 U.S.C. 112(f) or pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, sixth paragraph:
(A) the claim limitation uses the term “means” or “step” or a term used as a substitute for “means” that is a generic placeholder (also called a nonce term or a non-structural term having no specific structural meaning) for performing the claimed function;
(B) the term “means” or “step” or the generic placeholder is modified by functional language, typically, but not always linked by the transition word “for” (e.g., “means for”) or another linking word or phrase, such as “configured to” or “so that”; and
(C) the term “means” or “step” or the generic placeholder is not modified by sufficient structure, material, or acts for performing the claimed function.
Use of the word “means” (or “step”) in a claim with functional language creates a rebuttable presumption that the claim limitation is to be treated in accordance with 35 U.S.C. 112(f) or pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, sixth paragraph. The presumption that the claim limitation is interpreted under 35 U.S.C. 112(f) or pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, sixth paragraph, is rebutted when the claim limitation recites sufficient structure, material, or acts to entirely perform the recited function.
Absence of the word “means” (or “step”) in a claim creates a rebuttable presumption that the claim limitation is not to be treated in accordance with 35 U.S.C. 112(f) or pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, sixth paragraph. The presumption that the claim limitation is not interpreted under 35 U.S.C. 112(f) or pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, sixth paragraph, is rebutted when the claim limitation recites function without reciting sufficient structure, material or acts to entirely perform the recited function.
Claim limitations in this application that use the word “means” (or “step”) are being interpreted under 35 U.S.C. 112(f) or pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, sixth paragraph, except as otherwise indicated in an Office action. Conversely, claim limitations in this application that do not use the word “means” (or “step”) are not being interpreted under 35 U.S.C. 112(f) or pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, sixth paragraph, except as otherwise indicated in an Office action.
This application includes one or more claim limitations that use the word “means” or “step” but are nonetheless not being interpreted under 35 U.S.C. 112(f) or pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, sixth paragraph because the claim limitation(s) recite(s) sufficient structure, materials, or acts to entirely perform the recited function. Such claim limitation(s) is/are: Bluetooth means in claim 14.
Because this/these claim limitation(s) is/are not being interpreted under 35 U.S.C. 112(f) or pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, sixth paragraph, it/they is/are not being interpreted to cover only the corresponding structure, material, or acts described in the specification as performing the claimed function, and equivalents thereof.
If applicant intends to have this/these limitation(s) interpreted under 35 U.S.C. 112(f) or pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, sixth paragraph, applicant may: (1) amend the claim limitation(s) to remove the structure, materials, or acts that performs the claimed function; or (2) present a sufficient showing that the claim limitation(s) does/do not recite sufficient structure, materials, or acts to perform the claimed function.
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.
Claim(s) 1, 3, 5, 7, 10 and 12-16 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over CN 207393531 to Li (Li, and based on English Machine Translation) in view of US Patent Application Publication 2015/0132160 to Ha (Ha) in view of GB 2 327 817 to Kato et al. (Kato) in view of CN 106368966 to Zhang (Zhang, and based on English Machine Translation) in view of CN 112253507 to Zeng (Zeng, and based on English Machine Translation) and in view of CN 204534902 to Liu et al. (Liu, and based on English Machine Translation).
In Reference to Claim 1
Li discloses a smart sustainable dual zone bladeless airflow device (device as seen in figures 1 and 2 for instance), comprising of:
a housing (Fig. 2, 3 and 5 for instance) that includes a back cover (3); and
an assembly (4 for instance) positioned inside said housing (within 5 for instance);
wherein: said housing (3 and 5) is a polygonal frame structure having at least two parallel walls (see figures 5 and 6 for instance) that are separated by a pre-defined space and include a covered and an uncovered portion (space between 3 and 5 and space in the middle of the structure of 3 and 5 for instance);
said assembly includes a plurality of blowers (fan blades of system of 4 for instance, not shown separately) connected with a plurality of motors (motor to drive fan of system 4 for instance, not shown separately) fixed in said pre-defined space of said housing (4 fixed within 3 for instance, see figure 6) for generating air flow in a dual zone manner (air blown in different zones, see figure 1 for instance);
said housing (3 and 5) includes a LED housing compartment at the bottom portion (Fig. 6, portion of housing hosting 6 for instance, not labeled, see also ¶ [0035]) for accommodating a plurality of LED panels (6 for instance) for illumination in an enclosure (¶ [0039], for lighting in a room for instance).
Li does not teach “... a plurality of rear walls for covering said blower, a plurality of motor top covers and motor base cover for encapsulating said motor, a plurality of accessories for providing additional features to an operator and a printed circuit board for controlling a set of operations of said assembly and said assembly is configured to be placed in a plurality of orientations within said housing ...;” “... along with a LED panel cover ...;” or “... said smart sustainable dual zone bladeless airflow device is connected with a remote controller which permits an operator to provide a plurality of instructions to control said operations ....”
Regarding the limitations “... a plurality of rear walls for covering said blower ...”: Ha is related to a bladeless airflow device (see figures 1 and 2 for instance) with an assembly (system 130 for instance) positioned inside a housing (within 111 of housing 120 for instance) and said assembly includes a plurality of blowers (132 for instance) connected with a plurality of motors (133 for instance) fixed in a pre-defined space (111) of said housing (120), as the claimed invention, and teaches wherein a plurality of rear walls (141 for instance) are provided for covering said blower (132).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to provide in the system of Li wherein a plurality of rear walls is provided for covering said blower (as taught by Ha as modifying of Li for instance), so as to use an art known technique (of a cover for a blower and drive systems in a bladeless airflow device as taught by Ha) into the system of Li (as a replacement of the fan system, blower and motor, in Li for instance) and predictably provide a means for airflow in the system.
Regarding the limitations “... a plurality of motor top covers and motor base cover for encapsulating said motor ...”: Kato is related to a blower system (see figure 1 for instance), as the claimed invention, and teaches wherein a motor top cover (25 for instance) and motor base cover (housing of 6 for instance) is provided for encapsulating a motor (see page 27, ll 21-23).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to provide in the system of Li wherein a plurality of motor top covers and motor base cover is provided for encapsulating (as taught by Kato) said motor (of each of the motor of Li as modified for instance), so as to use an art known technique (of forming a cover for a motor for driving blowers within a system as taught by Kato) into the system of Li and predictably provide a cover for the motor in the system.
Regarding the limitations “... a plurality of accessories for providing additional features to an operator and a printed circuit board for controlling a set of operations of said assembly and said assembly is configured to be placed in a plurality of orientations within said housing ...”: Zhang is related to a ceiling mounted airflow device (abstract), as the claimed invention, and teaches wherein a plurality of accessories for providing additional features to an operator (¶ [0025], such as heating element and ion generator provided within the unit of the airflow device for instance) and a printed circuit board (see ¶ [0029]) for controlling a set of operations of an assembly (¶ [0025], [0032], the control of devices in the main unit for instance) and said assembly is configured to be placed in a plurality of orientations within a housing ([0025], [0029], various devices in the main unit for instance).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to provide in the system of Li wherein a plurality of accessories for providing additional features to an operator (as taught by Zhang) and a printed circuit board for controlling a set of operations (as taught by Zhang) of said assembly (of Li for instance) and said assembly (of Li) is configured to be placed in a plurality of orientations (as taught by Zhang) within said housing (of Li), so as to use an art known technique (of providing various devices, including a circuit board, within an airflow device, as taught by Zhang) into the system of Li and predictably provide various comforts and operations for users of the airflow device.
Regarding the limitations “... along with a LED panel cover ...”: Zeng is related to bladeless airflow device (abstract), as the claimed invention, and teaches a housing (Fig. 6, 3 for instance) that includes a LED housing compartment at the bottom portion (portion of housing hosting 9 for instance) for accommodating a plurality of LED panels (9 for instance) along with a LED panel cover (33 for instance).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to provide in the system of Li wherein the system includes a LED panel cover (as taught by Zeng), so as to use an art known technique (of providing a cover for LED units as taught by Zeng) into the system of Li and predictably provide a cover for the LED units.
Regarding the limitations “... said smart sustainable dual zone bladeless airflow device (100) is connected with a remote controller which permits an operator to provide a plurality of instructions to control said operations ...”: Liu is related to a ceiling mounted airflow device (figure 1), as the claimed invention, and teaches the airflow device is connected with a remote controller which permits an operator to provide a plurality of instructions to control operations (¶ [0029]).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to provide in the system of Li wherein said smart sustainable dual zone bladeless airflow device (of Li) is connected with a remote controller which permits an operator to provide a plurality of instructions to control (as taught by Liu) said operations (of Li), so as to use an art known technique (of using a remote control system in an airflow device as taught by Liu) into the system of Li and predictably provide control for the bladeless airflow device.
In Reference to Claim 3
Li, as modified by Ha, Kato, Zhang, Zeng and Liu, discloses the smart sustainable dual zone bladeless airflow device as claimed in claim 1, wherein said plurality of blower (132 as taught by Ha for instance) include but not limited to cross-flow/tangential fan (see 132 in Ha for instance).
In Reference to Claim 5
Li, as modified by Ha, Kato, Zhang, Zeng and Liu, discloses the smart sustainable dual zone bladeless airflow device as in claim 1, wherein said plurality of motor (133 as taught by Ha for instance) operates said plurality of blower (132 as taught by Ha for instance) which are preferably arranged along the edges in said housing (arranged in the housing 3 and 5 of Li for instance).
In Reference to Claim 7
Li, as modified by Ha, Kato, Zhang, Zeng and Liu, discloses the smart sustainable dual zone bladeless airflow device as claimed in claim 1, wherein said plurality of orientations include vertical, horizontal and diagonal (Li, see orientation of 4 in figures 6-8 for instance).
In Reference to Claim 8
Li, as modified by Ha, Kato, Zhang, Zeng and Liu, discloses the smart sustainable dual zone bladeless airflow device as claimed in claim 1, wherein said plurality of instructions include but not limited to control over speed and direction of air flow, temperature and humidity settings, LED lighting modes, and activation of said accessories for allowing for an independent temperature and air flow control in two separate zones within the enclosure (as taught by Li, see ¶ [0032] and as also taught by Liu, see ¶ [0027]-[0029]).
In Reference to Claim 10
Li, as modified by Ha, Kato, Zhang, Zeng and Liu, discloses the smart sustainable dual zone bladeless airflow device as claimed in claim 1, wherein said smart sustainable dual zone bladeless airflow device includes a plurality of air inlets and plurality of air outlets (see figure 1 of Li for instance) that are not limited to any particular shape or size and are aerodynamically optimized (see direction of airflow in figure 1 of Li for instance).
In Reference to Claim 12
Li, as modified by Ha, Kato, Zhang, Zeng and Liu, discloses the smart sustainable dual zone bladeless airflow device as claimed in claim 1, wherein said set of operations include but not limited to activation, deactivation, modification in said plurality of accessories (as further taught by Zhang, see ¶ [0032]).
In Reference to Claim 13
Li, as modified by Ha, Kato, Zhang, Zeng and Liu, discloses the smart sustainable dual zone bladeless airflow device as claimed in claim 1, wherein said smart sustainable dual zone bladeless airflow device include a plurality of flap/flow deflector to adjust the direction of the airflow which assists in generating air flow in said dual zone manner (see louvers at 130 of Ha for instance, as further taught).
In Reference to Claim 14
Li, as modified by Ha, Kato, Zhang, Zeng and Liu, discloses the smart sustainable dual zone bladeless airflow device as claimed in claim 1, wherein said remote controller is preferably connected with said printed circuit board through Wi-Fi, Bluetooth means (as further taught by Liu, see ¶ [0029]).
In Reference to Claim 15
Li, as modified by Ha, Kato, Zhang, Zeng and Liu, discloses the smart sustainable dual zone bladeless airflow device as claimed in claim 1, wherein said plurality of LED panel is preferably a shaped LED panel (see figures of Li for instance), but does not explicitly teach “C-shaped”.
Since applicant has not disclosed that having the LED panel at this specific shape solves any stated problem or is for any particular purpose above the fact that the LED panel provides illumination and it appears that the LED panel of Li would perform equally well with a shape as claimed by applicant, it would have been an obvious matter of design choice to modify the LED panel of Li by utilizing the specific shape as claimed for the purpose of providing illumination.
In Reference to Claim 16
Li, as modified by Ha, Kato, Zhang, Zeng and Liu, discloses the smart sustainable dual zone bladeless airflow device as claimed in claim 1, wherein said plurality of LED panel includes but not limited to square, circular, flat top, rectangle and other polygonal shaped LED panels (see figures of Li for instance).
Claim(s) 2 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over CN 207393531 to Li (Li, and based on English Machine Translation) in view of US Patent Application Publication 2015/0132160 to Ha (Ha) in view of GB 2 327 817 to Kato et al. (Kato) in view of CN 106368966 to Zhang (Zhang, and based on English Machine Translation) in view of CN 112253507 to Zeng (Zeng, and based on English Machine Translation) and in view of CN 204534902 to Liu et al. (Liu, and based on English Machine Translation) as applied to claim 1 above, and further in view of US Patent 4,711,161 to Swin, Sr. et al. (Swin, Sr.).
In Reference to Claim 2
Li, as modified by Ha, Kato, Zhang, Zeng and Liu, discloses the smart sustainable dual zone bladeless airflow device as claimed in claim 1, wherein said smart sustainable dual zone bladeless airflow device (system of Li for instance) is preferably fixed over a wall of said enclosure (Li ¶ [0004], on the ceiling of a room for instance) but does not explicitly teach “... through screw and nut arrangement, thereby providing a secure and stable installation ....”
Swin, Sr. is related to ceiling mounted airflow device (abstract), as the claimed invention, and teaches the airflow device fixed over a wall (ceiling for instance) through screw and nut arrangement, thereby providing a secure and stable installation (col 4, ll 68 thru col 5, ll 3, the fixing of the fan unit using screws with the nut being part of the junction box for instance, and secure and stable predictably by the mounting).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to provide in the system of Li wherein the smart sustainable dual zone bladeless airflow device is fixed over a wall of the enclosure (of Li) through screw and nut arrangement, thereby providing a secure and stable installation (as taught by Swin, Sr.), so as to use an art known technique (of the mounting of an airflow device within an enclosure using screws as taught by Swin, Sr. for instance) into the system of Li and predictably secure the airflow device within the enclosure.
Claim(s) 4 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over CN 207393531 to Li (Li, and based on English Machine Translation) in view of US Patent Application Publication 2015/0132160 to Ha (Ha) in view of GB 2 327 817 to Kato et al. (Kato) in view of CN 106368966 to Zhang (Zhang, and based on English Machine Translation) in view of CN 112253507 to Zeng (Zeng, and based on English Machine Translation) and in view of CN 204534902 to Liu et al. (Liu, and based on English Machine Translation) as applied to claim 1 above, and further in view of CN 113309726 to Ren (Ren, and based on English Machine Translation).
In Reference to Claim 4
Li, as modified by Ha, Kato, Zhang, Zeng and Liu, discloses the smart sustainable dual zone bladeless airflow device as claimed in claim 1, except, “... wherein said plurality of motor (4) include but not limited to DC motor and AC motor ....”
Ren is related to an airflow device (abstract) with a plurality of blowers (Fig. 10, 9 and 10 for instance) and a plurality of motors (11 and 12 for instance), as the claimed invention, and teaches wherein said plurality of motor (11 and 12 for instance) include but not limited to DC motor and AC motor (¶ [0033]).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to provide in the system of Li wherein said plurality of motor (of Li) include but not limited to DC motor and AC motor (as taught by Ren), so as to use an art known technique (of using motors for rotating blowers of an airflow device as taught by Ren) into the system of Li and predictably rotate the blowers in the system.
Claim(s) 6 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over CN 207393531 to Li (Li, and based on English Machine Translation) in view of US Patent Application Publication 2015/0132160 to Ha (Ha) in view of GB 2 327 817 to Kato et al. (Kato) in view of CN 106368966 to Zhang (Zhang, and based on English Machine Translation) in view of CN 112253507 to Zeng (Zeng, and based on English Machine Translation) and in view of CN 204534902 to Liu et al. (Liu, and based on English Machine Translation) as applied to claim 1 above, and further in view of US Patent Application Publication 2007/0248460 to Su (Su) in view of US Patent 4,711,161 to Swin, Sr. et al. (Swin, Sr.) and in view of US Patent Application Publication 2011/0122603 to Shamshoian (Shamshoian).
In Reference to Claim 6
Li, as modified by Ha, Kato, Zhang, Zeng and Liu, discloses the smart sustainable dual zone bladeless airflow device as claimed in claim 1, wherein said plurality of accessories for providing additional features include but not limited to air filter like HEPA filter for air purification (as further taught by Liu, see ¶ [0024] for instance), air ionizers (as further taught by Zhang, see ¶ ion generator for instance), an aromatherapy dispenser (as further taught by Zeng, see ¶ [0078], aromatherapy tablet for instance), a Wi-Fi extender (as further taught by Liu, see ¶ [0029], built in Wi-Fi for instance), a plurality of sensors for measuring environmental conditions in said enclosure (as further taught by Liu, see ¶ [0028], temperature and humidity for instance), a transmitter and a receiver (as further taught by Liu, see ¶ [0027], devices to transmit and feedback data for instance).
It is not explicitly taught “... a plurality of magnetic hole cover ...,” “... a speaker ...,” or “... a projector ....”
Su is related to a airflow device (figure 2), as the claimed invention, and teaches a plurality of magnetic hole cover (20 for instance and to cover holes 15).
Swin, Sr. is related to ceiling mounted airflow device (abstract), as the claimed invention, and teaches wherein ceiling mounted devices may be versatile and include various features within the device (col 2, ll 4-27 for instance).
Shamshoian is also related to an integrated ceiling fixture (abstract), as the claimed invention, and teaches that ceiling mounted devices may include speakers and projectors (¶ [0003], speakers and monitors for instance).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to provide in the system of Li wherein the system include additional features of a plurality of magnetic hole cover (as taught by Su), a speaker and a projector (in view of Swin, Sr. and Shamshoian), so as to use an art known technique (of including various features into a ceiling mounted device as taught by Zhang, Zeng, Liu and Swin, Sr., which features may include magnets, as taught by Su, speakers and projectors as taught by Shamshoian of ceiling mounted devices) into the system of Li and predictably provide a versatile device to provide various functions.
Claim(s) 9 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over CN 207393531 to Li (Li, and based on English Machine Translation) in view of US Patent Application Publication 2015/0132160 to Ha (Ha) in view of GB 2 327 817 to Kato et al. (Kato) in view of CN 106368966 to Zhang (Zhang, and based on English Machine Translation) in view of CN 112253507 to Zeng (Zeng, and based on English Machine Translation) and in view of CN 204534902 to Liu et al. (Liu, and based on English Machine Translation) as applied to claim 1 above, and further in view of US Patent Application Publication 2011/0122603 to Shamshoian (Shamshoian) and in view of US Patent Application Publication 2018/0154297 to Maletich et al. (Maletich).
In Reference to Claim 9
Li, as modified by Ha, Kato, Zhang, Zeng and Liu, discloses the smart sustainable dual zone bladeless airflow device as claimed in claim 1, except, “... wherein said housing is made up of material including but not limited to sustainable materials such as bamboo or recycled plastic to reduce environmental impact ....”
Shamshoian is also related to an integrated ceiling fixture (abstract), as the claimed invention, and teaches that integrated structures may be formed from sustainable material so ss to reduce environmental impact (¶ [0035]).
Maletich is related to an airflow device (abstract), as the claimed invention, and teaches of housing of such structures may be formed from plastics (see ¶ [0033]).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to provide in the system of Li wherein said housing (of Li) is made up of material including but not limited to sustainable materials such as bamboo or recycled plastic to reduce environmental impact (formed of sustainable materials including plastics as taught by Shamshoian and Maletich), so as to use an art known technique (of forming the housing of airflow devices of sustainable materials, including plastics as taught by Shamshoian and Maletich) into the system of Li and predictably form the housing.
Claim(s) 11 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over CN 207393531 to Li (Li, and based on English Machine Translation) in view of US Patent Application Publication 2015/0132160 to Ha (Ha) in view of GB 2 327 817 to Kato et al. (Kato) in view of CN 106368966 to Zhang (Zhang, and based on English Machine Translation) in view of CN 112253507 to Zeng (Zeng, and based on English Machine Translation) and in view of CN 204534902 to Liu et al. (Liu, and based on English Machine Translation) as applied to claim 1 above, and further in view of US Patent Application Publication 2012/0326610 to Lawyer et al. (Lawyer).
In Reference to Claim 11
Li, as modified by Ha, Kato, Zhang, Zeng and Liu, discloses the smart sustainable dual zone bladeless airflow device as claimed in claim 1, except, “... wherein said housing includes a display and a set of buttons to manually control for controlling said set of operations ....”
Lawyer is related to a mounted integrated light housing (abstract), as the claimed invention, and teaches wherein said housing includes a display and a set of buttons to manually control for controlling said set of operations (¶ [0039]).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to provide in the system of Li wherein said housing (of Li) includes a display and a set of buttons to manually control for controlling said set of operations (as taught by Lawyer), so as to use an art known technique (of providing a control to a system on a housing of that system as taught by Lawyer) into the system of Li and predictably control the system.
Prior Art
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure, as cited in the Notice of References Cited, are cited to show lighting and airflow devices.
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to WAYNE A LAMBERT whose telephone number is (571)270-3516. The examiner can normally be reached Monday - Thursday 9 am - 7 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, Nathaniel E Wiehe can be reached at (571)272-8648. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/WAYNE A LAMBERT/Examiner, Art Unit 3745
/NATHANIEL E WIEHE/Supervisory Patent Examiner, Art Unit 3745