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 .
Continued Examination Under 37 CFR 1.114
A request for continued examination under 37 CFR 1.114, including the fee set forth in 37 CFR 1.17(e), was filed in this application after final rejection. Since this application is eligible for continued examination under 37 CFR 1.114, and the fee set forth in 37 CFR 1.17(e) has been timely paid, the finality of the previous Office action has been withdrawn pursuant to 37 CFR 1.114. Applicant's submission filed on 02/17/2026 has been entered.
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.
Claims 1, 2, 9, 11-14, 21, 23 and 24 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over MacGregor (US 4,875,246) In view of Rufenach (2019/0000292) and Thorne (US 20190274500).
Regarding claim 1, MacGregor discloses a surface cleaner comprising a surface cleaning head (generally 10) and an upright section (generally 14)
(a) a casing (case of 10) having a rotatably mounted cleaning brush (44, motor 30) associated with a brush opening (where brush collection paths waste to collection area 22, see figure 5)
(b) a water remover (20) which, in operation, engages the rotatably mounted cleaning brush (“The wringer assembly 20 remains in its active position with the wringer rollers 92,92 exerting squeezing pressure upon the soft resilient applicator sleeve 44 until manually moved to its inactive position by reverse operation of one or the other of the wringer levers 100,100.” (column 5, lines 25-29));
(c) a water collection container (22) positioned to receive water from the rotatably mounted cleaning brush (“Dirty fluid expelled from the applicator sleeve 44 by the wringer assembly collects within the liquid waste container 22.” (column 7-8, lines 57-2), whereby, in operation, water enters a water inlet of the water collection container and falls into a water collection region by gravity (as shown in figure 5, path of water disclosed above in view of figure (column 7-8, lines 57-2)),
(d)
MacGregor is silent regarding the upright section rotatable with respect to the surface cleaning head,
an air flow path extending from the brush opening to an air outlet,
the water collection container is removable whereby, when removed, the water collection container is emptiable;
However Rufenach teaches the upright section rotatable (axis 240) with respect to the surface cleaning head (204, as shown in figure 11, “an appliance body is pivotal relative to the cleaning head 204 about a pivotal axis 240 by means of a swivel joint 242.” [0225]),
an air flow path (where suction enhances fluid movement to storage tank “Provision may also be made for the drive motor 28 to be used for driving one or more suction turbines which are connected to an interior space of the dirty fluid tank device 66 in fluid conveying manner in order to produce a negative pressure which improves the coupling of dirty fluid into the dirty fluid tank device.” [0199]) extending from the brush opening (brush opening being inlet of fluid/waste/debris path) to an air outlet (where suctioned air escapes cleaning device),
the water collection container (66) is removable (“The dirty fluid tank device 66 is extractable from the receiving space 88 or is insertible thereinto through the corresponding side 90” [0103]) whereby, when removed, the water collection container is emptiable (“By opening the cover flap 124 of the dirty fluid tank device 66, the latter can be emptied and can be cleaned if necessary by rinsing it out for example.” [0192]).
The advantage of the upright section rotatable with respect to the surface cleaning head, an air flow path extending from the brush opening to an air outlet, the water collection container is removable whereby, when removed, the water collection container is emptiable, is to enhance cleaning forces “a negative pressure which improves the coupling of dirty fluid into the dirty fluid tank device.” [0199], aide applied cleaning fluid and waste collection emptying “By opening the cover flap 124 of the dirty fluid tank device 66, the latter can be emptied and can be cleaned if necessary by rinsing it out for example.” [0192], and enhance cleaning ergonomics “an appliance body is pivotal relative to the cleaning head 204 about a pivotal axis 240 by means of a swivel joint 242.” [0225].
Before the effective filing date of the claimed invention, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art, having the teachings of MacGregor and Rufenach before him or her, to modify the cleaning roller system of MacGregor to include the suction, removable waste container and pivotal ergonomic features of Rufenach because suction enhances cleaning, removable collection containers enhance ease of waste disposal and pivoting cleaning heads enhance ergonomics of use.
MacGregor as modified is silent regarding an air treatment chamber positioned in the air flow path downstream of the water collection container and upstream of the air outlet.
However Thorne teaches (Fig-5-10a,b,c) an air treatment chamber (172, see figures 10) positioned in the air flow path downstream of the water collection container (collection 125 at base of head 122) and upstream of the air outlet (air outlet beyond filters 170 and vacuum source).
The advantage of an air treatment chamber positioned in the air flow path downstream of the water collection container and upstream of the air outlet, is to provide air filtration to suctioning systems and or protection to suction motors “In this embodiment, the filters 170 may be located in a filter chamber 172 (FIG. 10C) proximate a top portion of the bare floor unit 124 and within the bare floor air path such that air passes through the filter(s) 170 before passing to the suction motor.” [0046].
Before the effective filing date of the claimed invention, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art, having the teachings of MacGregor as modified and Thorne before him or her, to modify the cleaning system of MacGregor to include the suction filtration system of Thorne, because air filtration enhances air cleanliness and prevents suction motors from debris contamination.
Regarding claim 2, MacGregor as modified teaches the surface cleaning head of claim 1, Macgregor as already modified teaches wherein, in a drying mode, the roller is in a drying position in which the roller contacts the rotatably mounted cleaning brush and removes water from the rotatably mounted cleaning brush (as already provided by drying roller 20 of MacGregor, see figure 5) and the roller is moveable to an inoperable position in which the drying roller is spaced from the drying position (as already provided by MacGregor, see figure 5, “The wringer assembly 20 remains in its active position with the wringer rollers 92,92 exerting squeezing pressure upon the soft resilient applicator sleeve 44 until manually moved to its inactive position by reverse operation of one or the other of the wringer levers 100,100.” (column 5, lines 25-29)).
Regarding claim 9, MacGregor as modified teaches the surface cleaner of claim 1, MacGregor as already modified teaches further comprising a cleaning fluid applicator (cleaning fluid delivery line 40 of Rufenach) which provides a cleaning fluid to at least one of the water remover and the rotatably mounted cleaning brush (as already modifying Rufenach provides cleaning fluid to roller “In one exemplary embodiment, the fluid line 40 or the fluid lines 40 open out into a region 156 between the covering 154 and the scraper guide device 142. The cleaning roller unit 18 can then be acted upon by cleaning liquid from the tank device 34 within this region.” Rufenach [0162]).
Regarding claim 11, MacGregor as modified teaches the surface cleaner of claim 1, MacGregor as already modified teaches further comprising a cleaning fluid applicator (40 of Rufenach as already modified) and the surface cleaning head is operable in a cleaning mode (where applicator is applying cleaning fluid) in which the cleaning fluid applicator delivers a cleaning fluid (as already modified by Rufenach, a valve of cleaning delivery 40 is user selectable “Associated with the valve device 38, there is a switch by means of which the user can select whether the non-return valve of the valve device 38 is closed (i.e. the supply of cleaning liquid to the cleaning head 14 is blocked), or whether the non-return valve is open (i.e. the path for the supply of cleaning liquid from the tank device 34 to the cleaning head 14 is clear).” Rufenach [0070]) and the water remover is inoperable whereby cleaning fluid remains on the floor (MacGregor providing the selectable disengagement of cleaning roller 20 during initial moping process “The wringer assembly 20 remains in its active position with the wringer rollers 92,92 exerting squeezing pressure upon the soft resilient applicator sleeve 44 until manually moved to its inactive position by reverse operation of one or the other of the wringer levers 100,100.” (column 5, lines 25-29)).
Regarding claim 12, MacGregor as modified teaches the surface cleaner of claim 11, MacGregor as already modified teaches wherein, in a drying mode, the water remover is in a drying position in which the water remover contacts the rotatably mounted cleaning brush (the drying roller is selectable “The wringer assembly 20 remains in its active position with the wringer rollers 92,92 exerting squeezing pressure upon the soft resilient applicator sleeve 44 until manually moved to its inactive position by reverse operation of one or the other of the wringer levers 100,100.” (column 5, lines 25-29) and the cleaning fluid application is selectable as already modified by Rufenach “Associated with the valve device 38, there is a switch by means of which the user can select whether the non-return valve of the valve device 38 is closed (i.e. the supply of cleaning liquid to the cleaning head 14 is blocked), or whether the non-return valve is open (i.e. the path for the supply of cleaning liquid from the tank device 34 to the cleaning head 14 is clear).” (Rufenach [0070]) and, in the cleaning mode, the water remover is moveable to an inoperable position (as disclosed (Column 6, lines 25-29)) in which the water remover is spaced from the drying position and the rotatably mounted cleaning brush is rotated (roller operation selected “the illustrated power operated roller assembly 12 is controlled by a novel rotary magnetic switch which includes the switch contacts contained within the roller 24 or more specifically sealed within the end cap 28. The switch 16 further includes a manually operable magnetic switch actuator adapted for either hand or foot operation and supported on the handle frame for movement between on and off positions corresponding to energized and de-energized conditions of the motor 30.” (column 6, lines 3-15)).
Regarding claim 13, MacGregor as modified teaches the surface cleaner of claim 1, MacGregor as already modified teaches further comprising a cleaning fluid applicator (40 of Rufenach) and the surface cleaning head is operable in a cleaning mode (mopping application) in which the cleaning fluid applicator delivers a cleaning fluid (the cleaning fluid application is selectable as already modified by Rufenach “Associated with the valve device 38, there is a switch by means of which the user can select whether the non-return valve of the valve device 38 is closed (i.e. the supply of cleaning liquid to the cleaning head 14 is blocked), or whether the non-return valve is open (i.e. the path for the supply of cleaning liquid from the tank device 34 to the cleaning head 14 is clear).” (Rufenach [0070])) and the rotatably mounted cleaning brush is in a brush off mode (roller operation selected “the illustrated power operated roller assembly 12 is controlled by a novel rotary magnetic switch which includes the switch contacts contained within the roller 24 or more specifically sealed within the end cap 28. The switch 16 further includes a manually operable magnetic switch actuator adapted for either hand or foot operation and supported on the handle frame for movement between on and off positions corresponding to energized and de-energized conditions of the motor 30.” (column 6, lines 3-15))..
Regarding claim 14, MacGregor as modified teaches the surface cleaner of claim 13, MacGregor as already modified teaches further comprising a drive motor (30) wherein when the drive motor is energized (batteries 34), the rotatable mounted cleaning brush rotates (roller operation selected “the illustrated power operated roller assembly 12 is controlled by a novel rotary magnetic switch which includes the switch contacts contained within the roller 24 or more specifically sealed within the end cap 28. The switch 16 further includes a manually operable magnetic switch actuator adapted for either hand or foot operation and supported on the handle frame for movement between on and off positions corresponding to energized and de-energized conditions of the motor 30.” (column 6, lines 3-15)) and wherein, in the cleaning mode, the drive motor is deenergized (as disclosed above the operation of motor is selectable (column 6, lines 3-15)).
Regarding claim 21, MacGregor discloses a surface cleaner comprising a surface cleaning head (generally 10) and an upright section (generally 14)
(a) a casing (case of 10) having a rotatably mounted cleaning brush (44) associated with a brush opening (where brush collection paths waste to collection area 22, see figure 5)
(b) a water remover (20) operable in a drying mode (pressed to 44, see figure 5) wherein, in the drying mode, the water remover removes water from the rotatably mounted cleaning brush (“The wringer assembly 20 remains in its active position with the wringer rollers 92,92 exerting squeezing pressure upon the soft resilient applicator sleeve 44 until manually moved to its inactive position by reverse operation of one or the other of the wringer levers 100,100.” (column 5, lines 25-29));
(c) a water collection container (22) positioned to receive water removed from the rotatably mounted cleaning brush by the water remover (“Dirty fluid expelled from the applicator sleeve 44 by the wringer assembly collects within the liquid waste container 22.” (column 7-8, lines 57-2)), the water collection container having an inlet opening (path of fluid into 22) wherein the inlet opening is downstream from the brush opening (path of water from brush to 22, see above (column 7-8, lines 57-2)),
MacGregor is silent regarding the upright section is rotatable with respect to the surface leaning head, an air flow path extends from the brush opening to an air outlet, a suction motor downstream of the water collection container.
However Rufenach teaches the upright section is rotatable (axis 240) with respect to the surface leaning head (204, as shown in figure 11, “an appliance body is pivotal relative to the cleaning head 204 about a pivotal axis 240 by means of a swivel joint 242.” [0225]), an air flow path (where suction enhances fluid movement to storage tank “Provision may also be made for the drive motor 28 to be used for driving one or more suction turbines which are connected to an interior space of the dirty fluid tank device 66 in fluid conveying manner in order to produce a negative pressure which improves the coupling of dirty fluid into the dirty fluid tank device.” [0199]) extends from the brush opening (brush opening being inlet of fluid/waste/debris path) to an air outlet (where suctioned air escapes cleaning device), a suction motor (motor 28 driving suction, see above [0199]) downstream of the water collection container (suction source driving suction past collection, see above [0199]).
The advantage of the upright section is rotatable with respect to the surface leaning head, an air flow path extends from the brush opening to an air outlet, a suction motor downstream of the water collection container, is to enhance cleaning forces “a negative pressure which improves the coupling of dirty fluid into the dirty fluid tank device.” [0199], aide applied cleaning fluid and waste collection emptying “By opening the cover flap 124 of the dirty fluid tank device 66, the latter can be emptied and can be cleaned if necessary by rinsing it out for example.” [0192], and enhance cleaning ergonomics “an appliance body is pivotal relative to the cleaning head 204 about a pivotal axis 240 by means of a swivel joint 242.” [0225].
Before the effective filing date of the claimed invention, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art, having the teachings of MacGregor and Rufenach before him or her, to modify the cleaning roller system of MacGregor to include the suction, removable waste container and pivotal ergonomic features of Rufenach because suction enhances cleaning, removable collection containers enhance ease of waste disposal and pivoting cleaning heads enhance ergonomics of use.
MacGregor is silent regarding an air treatment chamber downstream of the water collection container, the air treatment chamber is emptiable separately from the water collection container.
However Thorne teaches (Fig-3C-10a,b,c) an air treatment chamber (172/174) downstream of the water collection container (125), the air treatment chamber is emptiable separately from the water collection container (filter system removable as own system “A top door or cover 174 (FIG. 10B) may be configured to be removably coupled to the bare floor unit 124 and cover the filter chamber 172 to allow the filters 170 to be removed from the filter chamber 172 and cleaned or replaced.” [0046] because accessing any component within a system is obvious to servicing, it would be obvious to make separable the entirety of the air treatment chamber, see MPEP 2144.04 V. C Making separable).
The advantage of an air treatment chamber downstream of the water collection container, the air treatment chamber is emptiable separately from the water collection container, is to provide air filtration to suctioning systems and or protection to suction motors “In this embodiment, the filters 170 may be located in a filter chamber 172 (FIG. 10C) proximate a top portion of the bare floor unit 124 and within the bare floor air path such that air passes through the filter(s) 170 before passing to the suction motor.” [0046] with ease of servicing said filtration components (Making Separable).
Before the effective filing date of the claimed invention, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art, having the teachings of MacGregor as modified and Thorne before him or her, to modify the cleaning system of MacGregor to include the suction filtration system of Thorne, because air filtration enhances air cleanliness and prevents suction motors from debris contamination, and removability enhances ease of servicing.
Regarding claim 23, MacGregor as modified teaches the surface cleaner of claim 21, MacGregor as already modified teaches wherein the water collection region (22) has a lower surface (lower surface of 22) which is below an upper end (upper end of 44) of the rotatably mounted cleaning brush (as shown in figure 5).
Regarding claim 24, MacGregor as modified teaches the surface cleaner of claim 21, MacGregor as already modified teaches wherein the water collection container is removable from the surface cleaner (as already modified by Rufenach, the water collection 66 is removable by itself “The dirty fluid tank device 66 is extractable from the receiving space 88 or is insertible thereinto through the corresponding side 90” Rufenach [0103]) while the air treatment chamber remains in position in the surface cleaner (removability of air treatment chamber by itself as already modified by Thorne “A top door or cover 174 (FIG. 10B) may be configured to be removably coupled to the bare floor unit 124 and cover the filter chamber 172 to allow the filters 170 to be removed from the filter chamber 172 and cleaned or replaced.” Thorne [0046] because accessing any component within a system is obvious to servicing, it would be obvious to make separable the entirety of the air treatment chamber, see MPEP 2144.04 V. C Making separable).
Claims 3-5 and 16 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over MacGregor in view of Rufenach and Thorne and in further view of Wang (CN 109953689 A) and Choi (US 7,694,385).
Regarding claim 3, MacGregor as modified teaches the surface cleaner of claim 1, Macgregor as already teaches wherein the water remover comprises a roller (drying roller 20) MacGregor is silent regarding the roller is drivingly connected to the rotatably mounted cleaning brush.
However Wang teaches (Fig-8) the roller (600 as a function performing roller) is drivingly connected (via belt 1030) to the rotatably mounted cleaning brush (500 as a secondary function performing roller).
The advantage of providing power transfer between multiple rollers of a cleaning apparatus, is to provide a single motor (1010) to power a plurality of functional rollers (600/500).
Before the effective filing date of the claimed invention, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art, having the teachings of MacGregor as modified and Wang before him or her, to modify the roller drive of MacGregor having drying contact of drying roller to cleaning roller, to include the sequential power drive between rollers of Wang because providing transferring power between functional rollers enables the use of a single power source.
Additionally Choi teaches a power transfer system of engagement rollers (roller 53 engaging roller 30 selectively via lever 57a in initiating a cleaning mode change (see figure 3) “To clean the slick surface, the blocking part 55 selectively blocks the driving force transmission between the power transmitting part 51 and the brush member 30. The blocking part 55 may include an operating lever 56 and an elastic member 59. The operating lever 56 selectively blocks a driving force transmission between the second connecting member 53 and the third connecting member 54. As illustrated in FIG. 3” (column 3-4, lines 64-9)).
The advantage of a roller selectively providing rotation to a substrate contacting roller, is to provide an operator the ability to choose a mode of operation in response to substrate condition “A brush apparatus capable of controlling a drive of a brush member with a simplified structure and a vacuum cleaner having the same.” (abstract).
Before the effective filing date of the claimed invention, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art, having the teachings of MacGregor as modified and Choi before him or her, to modify the roller drive of MacGregor to include the selectable power transfer between rollers of Choi because providing selection of power between rollers enables different modes of operation in response to substrate condition.
Regarding claim 4, MacGregor as modified teaches the surface cleaner of claim 3, MacGregor as already modified teaches further comprising a drive motor that is drivingly connected to the roller (via movement of drying roller as already modified by MacGregor and Choi) and, the roller contacts the rotatably mounted cleaning brush whereby the roller drives the rotatably mounted cleaning brush due to the contact between the roller and the rotatably mounted cleaning brush (as already provided by Choi).
Regarding claim 5, MacGregor as modified teaches the surface cleaner of claim 3, MacGregor as already modified teaches wherein the roller has first engagement members (where power is transferred from roller to roller as already modified) and the rotatably mounted cleaning brush has second engagement members that are engageable with the first engagement members (friction drive, see below) whereby upon rotation of the roller, the engagement of the first and second engagement members induces the rotatably mounted cleaning brush to rotate (as already modified by friction drive 53/54 of Choi in view of the drying element 20 of MacGregor).
Regarding claim 16, MacGregor as modified teaches the surface cleaner of claim 1, MacGregor as already modified is silent regarding further comprising a drive roller that is drivingly connected to the rotatably mounted cleaning brush.
However Choi teaches further comprising a drive roller (52 of Choi) that is drivingly connected to the rotatably mounted cleaning brush (driver roller 52 contacts intermediate roller 53 that contacts main roller at 54, see figure 3 “To clean the slick surface, the blocking part 55 selectively blocks the driving force transmission between the power transmitting part 51 and the brush member 30. The blocking part 55 may include an operating lever 56 and an elastic member 59. The operating lever 56 selectively blocks a driving force transmission between the second connecting member 53 and the third connecting member 54. As illustrated in FIG. 3” (column 3-4, lines 64-9)).
The advantage of a roller connecting power to a cleaning brush is to provide an operator the ability to select powering a roller in response to substrate condition “A brush apparatus capable of controlling a drive of a brush member with a simplified structure and a vacuum cleaner having the same.” (abstract).
Before the effective filing date of the claimed invention, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art, having the teachings of MacGregor as modified and Choi before him or her, to modify the roller drive of MacGregor to include the selectable power transfer between rollers of Choi because providing selection of power between rollers enables different modes of operation in response to substrate condition.
MacGregor as already modified by Choi is silent regarding cleaning functional rollers transferring power.
However Wang teaches (Fig-8) power transfer between functional rollers from a single power source (see figure 8 wherein roller 600 receives power from motor 1010 via belt 1020 and transfers power to second roller 500 via second belt 1030).
The advantage of providing power transfer between multiple rollers of a cleaning apparatus, is to provide a single motor (1010) to power a plurality of rollers (600/500).
Before the effective filing date of the claimed invention, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art, having the teachings of MacGregor as modified and Wang before him or her, to modify the roller drive of MacGregor to include the sequential power drive between rollers of Wang because providing transferring power between functional rollers enables the use of a single power source.
Claims 6 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over MacGregor in view of Rufenach and Thorne and in further view of Eriksson (US 9,375,122).
Regarding claim 6, MacGregor as modified teaches the surface cleaner of claim 1, MacGregor as already modified teaches wherein the water remover includes at least one debriding member (where roller 20 removes material from cleaning brush 44) whereby the water remover also debrides the rotatably mounted cleaning brush.
Additionally Eriksson teaches specifically to a contact point (306) engaging a roller (100) for increased point pressure in removing stuck objects (“FIGS. 3A and 3B also include inserts that show the exemplary blade 202 in magnified detail. The blade 202 in the exemplary embodiment comprises a 2-millimeter thick steel plate, and the bottom edge 204 of the blade 202 is milled to create a contact surface 306 that is about 0.5 millimeters thick. The narrower contact surface 306 may increase the surface pressure exerted by the blade 202 against the friction surface 112 or against particles or objects lying against the friction surface 112. Also, the contact surface 306 may be rounded on its leading edge to decrease wear on the bristles 106.” (column 5, lines 54-64)).
The advantage of providing pressure at a reduced point of a roller, is to enhance removal of stuck objects from the roller “The narrower contact surface 306 may increase the surface pressure exerted by the blade 202 against the friction surface 112 or against particles or objects lying against the friction surface 112.” (column 5, lines 54-64).
Before the effective filing date of the claimed invention, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art, having the teachings of MacGregor as modified and Eriksson before him or her, to modify the drying roller MacGregor to include the point protrusions of Eriksson because providing a reduced point component in contact to a cleaning roller enhances the ability to remove stuck objects therefrom.
Claims 7 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over MacGregor in view of Rufenach and Thorne and in further view of Delaere (US 2013/0276827).
Regarding claim 7, MacGregor as modified teaches the surface cleaner of claim 1, MacGregor as modified is silent regarding wherein, in a drying mode, at least one of the water remover and the rotatably mounted cleaning brush is heated.
However Delaere teaches wherein, in the drying mode, at least one of the drying roller and the rotatably mounted cleaning brush is heated ( “The machine according to the present invention preferably also comprises metal strips or wires in combination with means for heating said strips or wires. As a result thereof, chewing gum remains come into contact with the heated brush hairs during cleaning, thus causing an additional heating of the chewing gum which in turn results in an even quicker removal.” [0052]).
The advantage of wherein, in the drying mode, at least one of the drying roller and the rotatably mounted cleaning brush is heated, is to enhance removal of stuck debris “The heated chewing gum remains are soft and are then removed very efficiently by the toothed or serrated strips or wires immediately after having been heated. In the meantime, the entire surface is also thoroughly cleaned by the brush. This ensures that no stains remain in the spots where the chewing gum remains were. The latter is also a significant advantage of the machine according to the invention compared to known machines and methods of removing chewing gum remains.” [0062].
Before the effective filing date of the claimed invention, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art, having the teachings of MacGregor as modified and Delaere before him or her, to modify any cleaning roller of MacGregor to include the heated cleaning components of Delaere because providing heat to a cleaning apparatus enhances the ability to remove stuck debris.
Claim 10 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over MacGregor in view of Rufenach and Thorne and in further view of Hefter (US 2003/0101536).
Regarding claim 10, MacGregor as modified teaches the surface cleaner of claim 9, MacGregor as already modified is silent regarding wherein the cleaning fluid applicator delivers a heated cleaning fluid.
However Hefter teaches wherein the cleaning fluid applicator delivers a heated cleaning fluid (high temperature steam provides cleaning, it would be obvious to increase the temperature of fluid within the finite range the substrate is tolerant to because the higher the temperature results in improved cleaning and reduced residual liquid left over, see MPEP 2144.05 II Routine Optimization B -“In addition to the advantages resulting from the steam cleaning (better detachment of the dirt as a result of high temperatures; there is also no risk of too much liquid penetrating into the moving stairway and thus causing damage.” [0022]).
The advantage of the cleaning fluid applicator delivering a heated cleaning fluid is to maximize cleaning ability within the limits of the substrates temperature resistance and reduce residual liquid “In addition to the advantages resulting from the steam cleaning (better detachment of the dirt as a result of high temperatures; there is also no risk of too much liquid penetrating into the moving stairway and thus causing damage.” [0022].
Before the effective filing date of the claimed invention, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art, having the teachings of MacGregor as modified and Hefter before him or her, to modify the undisclosed cleaning fluid temperature of MacGregor with the highly heated cleaning fluid of Hefter because increasing cleaning fluid temperature maximizes cleaning ability within the limits of the substrates temperature resistance and reduces residual liquid.
Claim 15 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over MacGregor in view of Rufenach and Thorne and in further view of Lee (US 2020/0260930).
Regarding claim 15, MacGregor as modified teaches the surface cleaner of claim 1, MacGregor as already modified teaches further comprising a cleaning fluid applicator (40 of Rufenach) and the surface cleaning head is operable in a cleaning mode in which the cleaning fluid applicator delivers a cleaning fluid (cleaning fluid of Rufenach as already modifying is a selectable application “Associated with the valve device 38, there is a switch by means of which the user can select whether the non-return valve of the valve device 38 is closed (i.e. the supply of cleaning liquid to the cleaning head 14 is blocked), or whether the non-return valve is open (i.e. the path for the supply of cleaning liquid from the tank device 34 to the cleaning head 14 is clear).” [0070]),
MacGregor as already modified is silent regarding and the rotatable mounted cleaning brush is raised above a surface on which the surface cleaning head is positioned.
However Lee teaches the rotatable mounted cleaning brush (50) is raised above a surface (20) on which the surface cleaning head is positioned (moping portion 50 may be raised “The suction pad is mounted to the mop head arm member so that the mop head arm member is swivel mounted to rotate between a raised disengaged position and a lowered engaged position.” [0050], the cleaning fluid applicator 25 being independent therefrom).
The advantage of providing the cleaning brush moveable from the substrate to be cleaned, is to provide selective use of features such that initial wetting via nozzle 25 is possible before mopping head 50 is positioned for use “If the follower brush 51 and the microfiber mop 50 are mounted lower than the primary vacuum 31, then different implements can be selectively used according to the selection of the swivel handle 42. For example, the follower brush 51 can be at a lower level and can then raise the primary vacuum 31 above the floor. When the follower brush 51 is removed, then the primary vacuum suction opening 34 has height adjustment and selective use capability.” [0058], “The water spray inlet tubing 24 could also provide a steam spray or be selectable between water and steam or a combination of both water and steam. The valve 21 has a valve handle 22 that is pivotally mounted to the valve 21 for manually actuating the water supply for the mop.” [0056].
Before the effective filing date of the claimed invention, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art, having the teachings of MacGregor as modified and Lee before him or her, to modify the position stationary cleaning brush of MacGregor with the lifting cleaning brush of Lee because raising the cleaning brush portion enables enhanced cleaning through selective pre-wetting of substrate.
Claims 27 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over MacGregor in view of Rufenach and Thorne and in further view of Conrad (US 9,295,363).
Regarding claim 27, MacGregor as modified teaches the surface cleaner of claim 1, MacGregor as already modified is silent regarding wherein the air treatment chamber comprises a cyclone chamber.
However Conrad teaches wherein the air treatment chamber comprises a cyclone chamber (air treatment chamber may have cyclone filtration “Preferably, at least one suction motor and at least one air treatment member are provided in the air flow path. The air treatment member may be any suitable air treatment member, including, for example, one or more cyclones (arranged in series or in parallel with each other), filters, bags and other dirt separation devices. Preferably, the at least one air treatment member is provided upstream from the suction motor, but alternatively may be provided downstream from the suction motor or both upstream and downstream from the suction motor.” (column 6, lines 39-56)).
The advantage of wherein the air treatment chamber comprises a cyclone chamber, is to enhance air filtration through cyclonic filtering “At the same time, the surface cleaning head may employ cyclonic air treatment technology and achieve a degree of air treatment comparable to that of leading upright cyclonic vacuum cleaners” (column 2, lines 1-16).
Before the effective filing date of the claimed invention, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art, having the teachings of MacGregor as modified and Conrad before him or her, to modify the cleaning system of MacGregor to include the cyclonic air treatment of Conrad, because cyclonic air treatment enhances filtration means.
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to Spencer H Kirkwood whose telephone number is (469)295-9113. The examiner can normally be reached 12:00 am - 9:00 pm Eastern.
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, Steven Crabb can be reached on (571) 270-5095. 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.
/Spencer H. Kirkwood/ Examiner, Art Unit 3761
/STEVEN W CRABB/ Supervisory Patent Examiner, Art Unit 3761