DETAILED ACTION
Response to Amendment
The Amendment filed 5/14/2026 has been entered. Claims 1, 3-9 and 11-16 remain pending in the application. Claims 2, 10 and 17-18 were cancelled.
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, 3-9 and 11-16 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Tatsuta (JP 4899855 B2) in view of Bezalel (US 20210187287 A1), Stewart (US 20190030328 A1) and Flyash (US 20110167640 A1).
Regarding claim 1, Tatsuta teaches an electric razor (see Figure 8), comprising:
a head (2, see Figure 8);
a grip (9, see Figure 8);
a blade unit (3) that is disposed in the head for cutting hair;
a first skin electrode (4) that is disposed at a position of the head touching a skin surface of a human body during cutting of hair (see Figure 8 and paragraph 0013);
a grip electrode (10) that is disposed at a position of the grip touching a finger of the human body during the cutting of hair (See Figure 8 and paragraph 0013);
a voltage application (power source, paragraph 0024) circuit for applying a voltage between the first skin electrode and the grip electrode to cause a current to flow between the first skin electrode and the grip electrode through the human body (paragraphs 0013 and 0024); and
a controller (control device, paragraph 0024) that controls the voltage application circuit paragraph 0024 and see Figure 8).
Tatsuta fails to teach a second skin electrode that is disposed in the head separately from the first skin electrode, wherein the controller is configured to switch the electric razor between different modes of operation including an electroporation mode in which energization of electroporation is performed to perform an electric punch method where only the second skin electrode and the grip electrode are energized and the first skin electrode is not energized, or the first skin electrode and the second skin electrode are energized and the grip electrode is not energized, the blade unit is provided between the first skin electrode and the second skin electrode.
Bezalel teaches a skin therapy system including a plurality of electrode (116) for an electroporation mode (paragraph 0020).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art to modify the device of Tatsuta to add additional electrodes and allow the system to have other modes (using the same type of electrode as Tatsuta), as taught by Bezalel, in order to clear skin winkles (paragraph 0002 and 0006 of Bezalel).
Stewart teaches an electroporation device which selectively active different electrode node in order to achieve the desired effect (abstract, see Figure 17 and 18), wherein the controller (42) is configured to switch the electric razor between different modes of operation including an electroporation mode in which energization of electroporation is performed to perform (paragraph 0065, see Figures 17 and 18).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art to modify the device of Tatsuta to change the control system to allow selectively activation of different electrode nodes, as taught by Stewart, in order to active different delivery pattern (abstract, see Figure 17 and 18 of Stewart).
The resulting device of modified Tatsuta teaches a second skin electrode that is disposed in the head separately from the first skin electrode (as modified by Bezalel, added more electrode), wherein the controller (as modified by Stewart, 42 added) is configured to switch the electric razor between different modes of operation including an electroporation mode in which energization of electroporation is performed to perform an electric punch method where only the second skin electrode and the grip electrode are energized and the first skin electrode is not energized (like in Figure 17 for example S1 and S3 are active and S2 and S4 are not active), or the first skin electrode and the second skin electrode are energized and the grip electrode is not energized (like in Figure 18 for example S1 and S2 are active and S3 and S4 are not active, wherein this example S1 is the second skin electrode, S2 is the first skin electrode and S3 is the grip electrode).
Flyash teaches the blade unit is disposed between the first skin electrode and the second skin electrode (226 between the 236, see Figure 2F).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art to modify the device of modified Tatsuta to place the electrode anywhere on the device to contact the skin, this include the placement of the blade unit is disposed between the first skin electrode and the second skin electrode, as taught by Flyash. Since, the courts have been held that rearranging parts of an invention involves only routine skill in the art. In re Japikse, 86 USPQ 70. MPEP 2144.04 VI. C.
Regarding claim 3, modified Tatsuta further teaches an electrical insulation treatment has been performed on a touch portion of the second skin electrode with the skin surface of the human body (as modified, paragraph 0048 and 0052 of Bezalel).
Regarding claim 4, modified Tatsuta further teaches the controller has a micro-current mode in which a micro-current that is a weak current is energized between the first skin electrode and the grip electrode (paragraph 0007 of Tatsuta translation).
Regarding claim 5, modified Tatsuta further teaches the controller is configured to enable a user to switch between a plurality of modes relevant to an aspect of the voltage which is applied by the voltage application circuit (as modified by Bezalel, the different mode in Bezalel, see paragraph 0020 of Bezalel).
Regarding claim 6, modified Tatsuta teaches all elements of the current invention as set forth in claim 1 stated above.
Modified Tatsuta fails to teach the first skin electrode is formed in a roller shape.
Flyash further teaches a roller electrode (236, paragraph 0036).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art to modify the device of modified Tatsuta to make the electrode into a roller, as taught by Flyash, in order to better roll on top of skin during shaving (paragraph 0036 of Flyash).
Regarding claim 7, modified Tatsuta further teaches the first skin electrode has a suspension mechanism (16) interposed between the first skin electrode and the head (since element 16 suspense element 4, at least partially in between, see Figure 8 of Tatsuta).
Regarding claim 8, modified Tatsuta further teaches the first skin electrode has a pop-up mechanism interposed between the first skin electrode and the head (since element 16 can pop up, at least partially in between, see Figure 8 of Tatsuta).
Regarding claim 9, modified Tatsuta teaches all elements of the current invention as set forth in claim 1 stated above.
Tatsuta fails to teach wherein a heater is incorporated in the first skin electrode.
Flyash teaches a dispense of a RF heating energy via electrodes (paragraph 0002 and 0035-0037), which make the electrode into a heater.
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art to modify the device of modified Tatsuta to make the skin electrode into heat transferring element (which make them heaters under broadest reasonable interpretation), as taught by Flyash, in order to improve the shaving experience (paragraph 0002 and 0035-0037 of Flyash).
Regarding claim 11, modified Tatsuta further teaches an electrical insulation treatment has been performed on a touch portion of the second skin electrode with the skin surface of the human body (as modified, paragraph 0048 and 0052 of Bezalel).
Regarding claim 12, modified Tatsuta further teaches the controller has a micro-current mode in which a micro-current that is a weak current is energized between the first skin electrode and the grip electrode (paragraph 0007 of Tatsuta translation).
Regarding claim 13, modified Tatsuta further teaches the controller is configured to enable a user to switch between a plurality of modes (as modified by Bezalel, the different mode in Bezalel, see paragraph 0020 of Bezalel).
Regarding claim 14, modified Tatsuta teaches all elements of the current invention as set forth in claim 9 stated above.
Modified Tatsuta fails to teach the first skin electrode is formed in a roller shape.
Flyash further teaches a roller electrode (236, paragraph 0036).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art to modify the device of modified Tatsuta to make the electrode into a roller, as taught by Flyash, in order to better roll on top of skin during shaving (paragraph 0036 of Flyash).
Regarding claim 15, modified Tatsuta further teaches the first skin electrode has a suspension mechanism (16) interposed between the first skin electrode and the head (since element 16 suspense element 4, at least partially in between, see Figure 8 of Tatsuta).
Regarding claim 16, modified Tatsuta further teaches the first skin electrode has a pop-up mechanism interposed between the first skin electrode and the head (since element 16 can pop up, at least partially in between, see Figure 8 of Tatsuta).
Response to Arguments
Applicant's arguments filed 5/14/2026 have been fully considered but they are not persuasive.
In response to applicant's argument that Stewart (US 20190030328) is nonanalogous art, it has been held that a prior art reference must either be in the field of the inventor’s endeavor or, if not, then be reasonably pertinent to the particular problem with which the inventor was concerned, in order to be relied upon as a basis for rejection of the claimed invention. See In re Oetiker, 977 F.2d 1443, 24 USPQ2d 1443 (Fed. Cir. 1992). In this case, Stewart teach the controller of electrodes in a device, which is the same pertinent to the particular problem with which the inventor was concerned.
In response to applicant’s argument that there is no teaching, suggestion, or motivation to combine the references, the examiner recognizes that obviousness may be established by combining or modifying the teachings of the prior art to produce the claimed invention where there is some teaching, suggestion, or motivation to do so found either in the references themselves or in the knowledge generally available to one of ordinary skill in the art. See In re Fine, 837 F.2d 1071, 5 USPQ2d 1596 (Fed. Cir. 1988), In re Jones, 958 F.2d 347, 21 USPQ2d 1941 (Fed. Cir. 1992), and KSR International Co. v. Teleflex, Inc., 550 U.S. 398, 82 USPQ2d 1385 (2007). In this case, as taught by Bezalel, the reason is to clear skin winkles (paragraph 0002 and 0006 of Bezalel) and the reason of Stewart is to add different effects.
In response to applicant's argument none of the reference teaches “the controller is configured to switch the electric razor between different modes of operation including an electroporation mode in which energization of electroporation is performed to perform an electric punch method where only the second skin electrode and the grip electrode are energized and the first skin electrode is not energized, or where only the first skin electrode and the second skin electrode are energized and the grip electrode is not energized”. The examiner disagrees and notes that Bezalel is rely upon for different modes, which Stewart is rely upon for activating different electrode nodes to create different effects. MPEP 2041.03 states that “A person of ordinary skill in the art is also a person of ordinary creativity, not an automaton”, thus if one of ordinary skill in the art would want to combination the teaching of Bezalel and Stewart to associate different pattern of activation of electrode nodes into different mode, and once combined with a razor with different electrode nodes, the modified device can create all kinds of different activation pattern with the electrode nodes in the device, thus meeting the limitation.
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 LIANG DONG whose telephone number is (571)270-0479. The examiner can normally be reached Monday - Thursday 8 AM-6 PM.
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/LIANG DONG/Examiner, Art Unit 3724 7/22/2026
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