Office Action 2: Notice of Allowance (2025-10-06)

CLAIMS:
Amendments to the Claims

This listing of claims will replace all prior versions, and listings, of claims in the application.

1\. (Currently Amended) A centrifugal air blower comprising a case body that accommodates therein a centrifugal fan and a motor adapted to rotary drive the centrifugal fan, and configured to draw in air in an axial direction from of the case body and discharge air from a radial-direction side surface of the case body, wherein the case body comprises:a first case configured to be assembled to cover the centrifugal fan and provided with an intake opening part at aradial-direction center part and an annular first air blowing path formed at a radial-direction outer side;
and a second case comprising, at an outer circumferential side of a bottom plate configured to axially support the motor to be rotatable, an annular second air blowing path formed on a radial-direction outer side of an outer-circumferential end part of the centrifugal fan, the second air blowing path being configured to be assembled with the first air blowing path,a dome-shaped space part formed on an opposite surface side to the intake opening part by a hub and a main plate continuing thereto of the centrifugal fan accommodates the motor in such a manner as to overlap in the axial direction, and
an exhaust port is provided to a radial-direction side surface of the second case while being partitioned by a diffuser, the diffuser being coupled to the bottom plate an annular opening end part, the diffuser includes a plurality of diffuser panels formed upright at the bottom plate at a given interval, an in plan view of an inner surface of the second case, the diffuser panels are each coupled to the opening end part in such a manner as to be formed upright in an arc-like shape from aradial-direction inner side to a radial-direction outer side of the bottom plate while having gradually increasing height,

the bottom plate forming the second air blowing path .

2\. (Cancelled)

3\. (Original) The centrifugal air blower according to claim 1, wherein, at an inner wall surface between a radial-direction inner wall and a radial-direction outer wall forming the first air blowing path and formed upright in a concentric manner, in plan view of the first case, ridges are formed at a given interval in such a manner as to continue in an arc-like shape from the radial-direction inner wall toward the radial- direction outer wall while having gradually increasing height.

4\. (Original) The centrifugal air blower according to claim 3, wherein, a ridge included in a first diffuser provided to the first air blowing path of the first case and a diffuser panel included in a second diffuser provided to the second air blowing path of the second case are each formed in an arc-like shape to follow a rotation direction of the centrifugal fan.

OFFICE ACTION:
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 .
EXAMINER’S AMENDMENT
An examiner’s amendment to the record appears below. Should the changes and/or additions be unacceptable to applicant, an amendment may be filed as provided by 37 CFR 1.312. To ensure consideration of such an amendment, it MUST be submitted no later than the payment of the issue fee.
Authorization for this examiner’s amendment was given in an interview with Stephen Weyer (Reg. 43,259) on September 11, 2025.
The application has been amended as follows:
IN THE CLAIMS:
In claim 1, line 22, the phrase “an in plan view” has been changed to --and in plan view--.
The above change has been made to overcome a possible objection.
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 1, 3, and 4 are allowed.
Conclusion

APPLICANT REBUTTAL: Remarks Claims 1, 3 and 4 are pending in the present application. With this Response, Applicant has amended claim 1 and cancelled claim 2. Applicant respectfully submits that the present application is in condition for allowance based on the discussion which follows.Claim Rejections - 35 U.S.C. 112 Claims 1-4 were rejected under 35 U.S.C. § 112(b) as allegedly being indefinite based on various recited terms. With this response, Applicant has amended claim 1 addressing the issues identified in the outstanding Office Action. For example, claim 1 has been amended to clarify the previously recited parts.In view of the amendments to claim 1, Applicant respectfully submits that all claims are in compliance with the requirements of 35 U.S.C. § 112 and therefore respectfully request that the rejection to the claims under 35 U.S.C. §112 be withdrawn.Claim Rejections - 35 U.S.C. X103 Claim 1 was rejected under 35 U.S.C. §103 as allegedly being obvious from U.S.Patent Application Publication No. 2021/0239127 (hereinafter "Uni") as modified by U.S. Patent Application Publication No.: 2017/0240078 (hereinafter "Ishii"). Applicant respectfully submits that upon full consideration of currently pending claim 1, the cited prior art references and in view of the following discussion, claim 1 will be found to be novel and in no way obvious in view of the cited prior art.The present invention, for example as recited in claim 1, is directed to a unique centrifugal air blower which comprises specific parts that allow for air to be drawn in a specific direction and a specific exhaust port which, in combination provides for unique aspects which are novel and in no way obvious in view of the prior art.In the outstanding Office Action, it was alleged that Uni has a diffuser at the bottom portion of the annular blowing path of the centrifugal blower) and an assertion that Ishii has a device that draws air from the center part by the blower of the seat air conditioning system and discharges air to four sides from the radial-direction outer side of the rotation axis).However, Applicant respectfully submits that the diffuser disclosed in Uni is not formed upright at the bottom plate, but is formed between the bottom outer peripheral wall 4h1 and the bottom inner peripheral wall 4h2 forming the second blowing path 4e, and is provided, at the bottom portion, with the exhaust holes 4f partitioned by the beams 4g.Further Uni is has side surface of its case body that is closed to maintain rigidity of the case body, and the air is discharged from the exhaust holes at the bottom portion of the second blowing path. A person skilled in the art would not consider modifying its configuration to discharge air to four sides from the radial-direction outer side of the rotation axis like the blower disclosed in Ishii. This lack of incentive to modify the device of Uni will be readily apparent when one fully understands the Uni device and the problem the inventors of Uni solved with its device.Uni has been developed to solve a problem of decrease in durability and reliability of a case used for seat air conditioning in the configuration of the blower disclosed in Ishii where the blower draws air from the center part of the upper case and discharges air to four sides of the case from the radial-direction outer side of the rotation axis. Thereby, the plurality of exhaust holes for exhausting compressed air to the outside of the case body are drilled at the bottom portion of the second blowing path in the circumferential direction at prescribed intervals in the annular blowing path. Therefore, it is described that the side surface of the case body can be closed and rigidity of the case body is improved. (Uni specification, paragraph [00111]).Therefore, modifying the configuration of the blower disclosed in Uni where the plurality of exhaust holes for exhausting compressed air to the outside of the case body are drilled at the bottom portion of the second blowing path to the configuration of the blower disclosed in Ishii where air is discharged to four sides from the radial-direction outer side of the rotation axis is not conceivable even with application of common general technical knowledge of a person of ordinary skill in the art, there is no motivation or incentive to combine these configurations, and combining these configurations causes a logical contradiction.Neither Uni nor Ishii discloses or implies the configuration corresponding to "an exhaust port is provided to a radial-direction side surface of the second case while being partitioned by a diffuser, the diffuser being coupled to the bottom plate and an annular opening end part, the diffuser includes a plurality of diffuser panels formed upright at the bottom plate at a given interval, and in plan view of an inner surface of the second case, the diffuser panels are each coupled to the opening end part in such a manner as to be formed upright in an arc-like shape from a radial-direction inner side to a radial-direction outer side of the bottom plate while having gradually increasing height, the bottom plate forming the second air blowing path" in the amended claim 1. Applicant also respectfully notes that the Examiner, on page 7 of the Office Action agrees that the "prior art fails to teach a plurality of diffuser panels which are formed in an arc-like shape from a radial-direction inner side to an outer side of the bottom plate while having a gradual increasing height." (See Office Action, page 7, lines 5-7).In view of the foregoing, Applicant respectfully submits that Uni in view of Ishii fails to teach or in any way make obvious the subject matter of claim 1. Therefore respectfully request that the rejection under 35 U.S.C. § 103 be withdrawn.Allowable Subject Matter Applicant gratefully appreciates the indication that claims 3 and 4 would be allowable if the issues under 35 U.S.C. §112 were addressed. In view of statements regarding allowable subject matter, Applicant believes claim 2 should also be indicated as allowable. Applicant further notes that the subject matter of claim2 has now been incorporated into claim 1. Applicant respectfully submits and in view of the discussion above, all pending claims, i.e. claims 1, 3 and 4 are in condition for allowance.Conclusion In view of the foregoing, Applicant respectfully submits that the present application is in condition for allowance. Should the Examiner come to a contrary conclusion, the Examiner is invited to contact the undersigned at the telephone number listed below.Respectfully submitted, Date: July 14, 2025 /Stephen Weyer/ By: Stephen J. Weyer Registration No. 43259 STITES & HARBISON PLLC+1800 Diagonal Road *Suite 325*Alexandria, VA 22314 TEL: 703-739-4900 * FAX: 703-739-9577 * CUSTOMERNo. 881