DETAILED ACTION
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 1-4 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Furukawa 5,246,336.
Furukawa discloses, regarding claim 1, a submersible pump assembly (see pump assembly in Fig. 6) which includes a first centrifugal pump 50a having a first vane design to operate in a clockwise direction (relative to point of view) a second centrifugal pump 50b having a second vane design to operate in a counterclockwise direction (relative to point of view – see how the first and second pumps 50a and 50b have opposite vane designs in Fig. 6, as they face different directions and are connected to the same shaft) a submersible induction or permanent magnet motor 1 (see col. 7, line 14) for driving the first and second centrifugal pumps 50a, 50b the first and second centrifugal pumps being connected to a common shaft 14 (clearly shown in Fig. 6);
Re claim 2, wherein the first centrifugal pump 50a has a larger flow rate than the second centrifugal pump 50b (this is clear from structure shown in Fig. 6).
Furukawa discloses (under an alternate interpretation), regarding claim 1, a submersible pump assembly (see pump assembly in Fig. 6) which includes a first centrifugal pump 50b having a first vane design to operate in a clockwise direction (relative to point of view) a second centrifugal pump 50a having a second vane design to operate in a counterclockwise direction (relative to point of view – see how the first and second pumps 50b and 50a have opposite vane designs in Fig. 6, as they face different directions and are connected to the same shaft) a submersible induction or permanent magnet motor 1 (see col. 7, line 14) for driving the first and second centrifugal pumps 50b, 50a the first and second centrifugal pumps being connected to a common shaft 14 (clearly shown in Fig. 6);
Re claim 3, wherein the first centrifugal pump 50b has a smaller flow rate than the second centrifugal pump 50a (this is clear from structure shown in Fig. 6);
Re claim 4, wherein the first centrifugal pump 50b has a smaller flow rate than the second centrifugal pump 50a, or a similar flow rate (this is clear from structure shown in Fig. 6, also the term “similar” is substantially broad).
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to Peter J Bertheaud whose telephone number is (571)272-3476. The examiner can normally be reached 9am - 5pm M-F.
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, Mark Laurenzi can be reached at 5712707878. 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.
PJB
/PETER J BERTHEAUD/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3746