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 § 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) 6-7 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Zhang (US PGPub No. 2023/0249229) in view of Tagami et al (US PGPub No. 2022/0125267) Machida et al (US Patent No. 11,311,164).
Zhang teaches:
limitations from claim 6, an air blower (FIG. 1-5; paragraph 37) comprising: a housing (10) provided with an upper housing (upper portion of housing 10, 11) and a handle (lower portion of the housing ~11 including switch 24); a motor (41) disposed within the housing; an impeller (44) disposed within the housing; a circuit board (20) disposed within the housing; the circuit board is configured to be connected to the motor (paragraph 41; the interface 22 of the board 20 is connected to the fan/motor 40/41);
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Zhang does not explicitly each that the upper portion of the housing and the handle portion are connected such that air flow moves through the handle;
Tagami teaches a handheld device including a motor (40), impeller (65), housing (2), and handle (4; FIG. 2); and wherein an airflow (C1-C2) is created by operation of the device such that a portion of air from the housing (main path C1) is guided via an opening (~4b) to the handle (path C2; FIG. 2; paragraph 41);
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art of blowers/fans at the time the invention was filed to connect via an opening the upper housing portion and handle of Zhang, as taught by Tagami, in order to allow components in the handle such as the controls and circuit board to be cooled (see paragraph 41 of Tagami).
Zhang teaches a base housing and an upper cover (see FIG. 3 showing a base housing left half 11 and a cover right half 11), and a slot (mounting chamber 105; FIG. 4) at a junction of the housing and cover, a circuit board (20) oriented towards the slot (FIG. 3);
Zhang does not teach an electrostatic prevention component between the circuit board and the slot;
Machida teaches a blower (11) having a housing (~42-44) including a handle portion (27, 52), a circuit board (29) connected to a motor (23); and a electrostatic prevention component (30), one end of the electrostatic prevention component is configured to be connected to the circuit board (via support portions 73), and another end of the electrostatic prevention component is configured to be exposed outward from the grip area (76; C. 9 Lines 2-7);
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art of blowers at the time the invention was filed to provide an electrostatic prevention component in the blower of Zhang, as taught by Machida, in order to safely discharge static electricity from the blower (C. 2 Lines 19-23 of Machida for example).
Zhang further teaches:
limitations from claim 7, wherein the air blower comprises a blower cylinder (forming chamber ~101), the blower cylinder is embedded within the upper housing (see annotated FIG. 5 of Zhang below); and the air guiding opening comprises a first opening disposed on the blower cylinder and a second opening disposed on the upper housing; the first opening and the second opening are configured to be interconnected (see annotated FIG. 2 of Tagami below; in light of Tagami the handle and housing of Zhang are to have openings therebetween);
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Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 1, 3, 20-21, and 23-26 are allowed.
Response to Arguments
Applicant's arguments filed 02/26/2026 have been fully considered but they are not persuasive.
Regarding Claim 6, Applicant argues “…the Examiner has misinterpreted the scope of claim 8. Claim 8 does not recite a “conductive structure”; rather it specifically recites an electrostatic prevention component”.”. However, the examiner maintains that the conductive structure (30) of Machida is an electrostatic prevention component. See C. 2 Lines 21-23 of Machida: “At least a part of the conductive member is disposed at the human body contacting portion and conducts static electricity generated due to operation of the operating unit”. Further, C. 8 Lines 4-67 disclose the dissipation of static buildup using the components.
Conclusion
THIS ACTION IS MADE FINAL. 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 CHRISTOPHER S BOBISH whose telephone number is (571)270-5289. The examiner can normally be reached Mon-Fri 9-5.
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If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Essama Omgba can be reached at 469-295-9278. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/CHRISTOPHER S BOBISH/ Examiner, Art Unit 3746