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 .
Election/Restrictions
Applicant’s election without traverse of Claims 1 and 8-12 in the reply filed on December 15, 2025 is acknowledged.
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 and 8-12 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Shi (US 2016/0278570 A1) in view of Fanzutti (US 2003/0066431 A1):
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636
758
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788
484
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708
544
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730
516
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764
710
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Regarding Claim 1: Shi teaches a coffee maker cover (See Figure 4 All Elements) comprising:
an upper cover structure (see annotated figure 5 labeled “Upper cover structure”) formed with
a water inlet channel (“water inlet” [0041] Figure 8 Element 7a);
a lower cover structure (Figure 6 Element 54), wherein the
lower cover structure is installed on the upper cover structure (See Figure 4) in a manner of being capable of moving relative to the upper cover structure (slides “up and down related to the [upper cover structure] [0038]), and
the lower cover structure has at least a first position away from the upper cover structure (“down” position [0038]) and
a second position close to the upper cover structure (“up” position [0038] Figure 4); and
a needle assembly (“top piercing tube” [0038] Figure 5 Element 55), wherein the needle assembly is installed on the upper cover structure (Shown in Figure 1),
a water outlet channel (“water outlet” [0040] Figure 8 Element 7b) is provided in the needle assembly, and the needle assembly has
a needle outlet (“piercing rubber ring” [0035] Figure 6 Element 56) communicated with the water outlet channel and
in the second position, the water outlet channel of the needle assembly is in hermetic (“seal[ed]” [0041]) communication with the water inlet channel (enable water to flow through system, [0040]).
Shi does not teach that when the lower cover structure is at the first position, the needle assembly is hidden in the lower cover structure; and when the lower cover structure is at the second position the needle assembly extends from the lower cover structure to expose the needle outlet
However, Fanzutti does teach a coffee maker cover with an upper cover structure (“pivotably movable lid” Figure 9 Element 302) and a lower cover structure (Figure 9 Elements 308 and 322) and a needle assembly (“Needle” [0088] Figure 9 Element 316) wherein when the lower cover structure is at the first position (Shown in Figure 9), the needle assembly is hidden in the lower cover structure (Figure 9 shows the needle completed hidden in the lower cover structure); and when the lower cover structure is at the second position the needle assembly extends from the lower cover structure to expose the needle outlet (shown in Figure 10)
Therefore, it would be obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art at the time of invention to modify the invention of Shi with the needle hidden in the first position and exposed in the second position as taught by Fanzutti in order to “provide a system for preventing a user from contacting the needle” [0011] when the invention is in the first position.
Regarding Claim 8: Shi as modified by Fanzutti further teaches that the needle assembly (Shi-“top piercing tube” [0038] Figure 5 Element 55) is movably installed on the upper cover structure (Shi- the piercing tube is installed to the upper cover by a “bar” Figure 10 Element 141 by which the piercing tube is “driven” downward [0038]) , and the lower cover structure moves from the first position (Shi- “down” position [0038]); to the second position (Shi- “up” position [0038] Figure 4), the lower cover structure is capable of acting on the upper cover structure to move the needle assembly to a position at which the water outlet channel of the needle assembly is in hermetic communication with the water inlet channel (Shi-the second position creates a “sealed” [0041] configuration wherein “water inlet” 7a is in sealed “communication” [0040] with the piercing rod ).
Regarding Claim 9: Shi as modified by Fanzutti further teaches that the upper cover structure (Shi- see annotated figure 5 labeled “Upper cover structure”) comprises a second upper cover (Shi Figure 6 Element 53) and a needle base (Shi Figure 6 Element 51), the needle base is movably installed on the second upper cover (Shi movable via elastic elements shown in Figure 6 Elements 511 and 52) and the needle assembly is installed on the needle base (Shi Shown in Figure 1).
Regarding Claim 10: Shi as modified by Fanzutti further teaches that a second water inlet portion (“water return opening” [0040] Figure 8 Element 7c) is formed on one side of the second upper cover (Figure 6 Element 53) facing the lower cover structure (Figure 6 Element 54), the water inlet channel (“water inlet” Figure 8 Element 7a) is formed in the second water inlet portion (See Figure 6), and a periphery of the second water inlet portion is sleeved with a second sealing member (“piercing rubber ring” [0042] Figure 8 Element 76).
Regarding Claim 11: Shi as modified by Fanzutti further teaches that the needle base (Shi Figure 6 Element 51), is provided with a plurality of second guide posts (Shi- Figure 6 Elements 511) in a circumferential direction thereof, the plurality of second guide posts are capable of penetrating through the second upper cover (Shi- Figure 6 Element 53), the second guide posts are each sleeved with a second elastic member (Shi-Figure 6 Element 52), and the second elastic member and the second guide post form a second elastic telescopic structure (Shi Figure 6 when assembled).
Regarding Claim 12: Shi as modified by Fanzutti further teaches the coffee maker cover further comprises a third elastic telescopic structure (Shi- Figure 6 Element 541 “Guiding Sliding Columns” [0034]) arranged between the second upper cover (Shi- Figure 6 Element 53) and the lower cover structure (Shi- Figure 6 Element 54), so that the lower cover structure is capable of being switched between the first position (Shi “down” position [0038])) and the second position (Shi “up” position [0038] Figure 4) relative to the second upper cover.
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to SOLAN OLIVA whose telephone number is (571-)272-2518. The examiner can normally be reached Monday-Thursday 7:00-3:00.
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If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Topaz Elliot can be reached at (571) 270-5851. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-270-5569.
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/SOLAN OLIVA/Examiner, Art Unit 3761
/TOPAZ L. ELLIOTT/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3761