DETAILED ACTION
Response to Amendment
The Amendment filed 12/15/2025 has been entered. Claims 1, 3-9 and 11-16 remain pending in the application. Claims 2, 10 and 17-18 were cancelled.
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and the fee set forth in 37 CFR 1.17(e) has been timely paid, the finality of the previous Office action has been withdrawn pursuant to 37 CFR 1.114.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 12/15/2025 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, 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 12/15/2025 have been fully considered but they are not persuasive.
Applicant’s arguments with respect to claim(s) 1, 3-9 and 11-16 have been considered but are moot because the new ground of rejection does not rely on any reference applied in the prior rejection of record for any teaching or matter specifically challenged in the argument.
Conclusion
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/LIANG DONG/Examiner, Art Unit 3724 2/27/2026