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 .
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 103
In the event the determination of the status of the application as subject to AIA 35 U.S.C. 102 and 103 (or as subject to pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 102 and 103) is incorrect, any correction of the statutory basis (i.e., changing from AIA to pre-AIA ) for the rejection will not be considered a new ground of rejection if the prior art relied upon, and the rationale supporting the rejection, would be the same under either status.
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, 5-6, 9-10 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Yu (2019/0366356) in views of Yu et al. (2023/000613) and Leber (8,028,935).
Yu discloses a tube support assembly comprising a valve seat assembly 1 wherein the valve seat assembly 1 has a water inlet 11 and at least two water outlets including a first water outlet 13 and a second water outlet 12 (Figs. 4-5), the water outlets 13 and 12 are respectively connected to a water outlet component, a central axis of the first water outlet 13 and the central axis of the second water outlet 12 form an obtuse angle (an angle greater than 90 degrees), and the valve seat assembly is switchable to selectively connect the water inlet with any of the water outlet component 6 and 10. Yu does not disclose the first water outlet 13 provided with a steering structure to be adjusted at any angle and/or in any direction.
Attention is directed to Yu et al. which teach a tube support assembly comprising a valve seat assembly comprising a water inlet 21 and at least two water outlets 22 and 24, the water outlet 24 is provided with a steering structure comprising a rotation cavity 4 provided in a water outlet, a steering head 73 provided in the rotation cavity 4 (the ball joint socket), and a nut 71 covered and connected to the steering head 29.
Furthermore, Leber teaches a tube support assembly comprising a water outlet 116 provided with a steering structure 120 comprising a rotation cavity provided in a water outlet 134, a steering head 128 provided in the rotation cavity, and a nut covered and connected to the steering head 128 (shown in Figs 3 and 4), the rotation cavity provided with a spherical arc surface, the spherical head 128 accommodated in a spherical arc surface, the steering head can be adjusted to any angle or any direction relative to the rotation cavity; a sealing component provided (an O-ring, shown in Figs. 3 and 4) between the spherical head and the spherical arc surface to prevent a water flow passing through the spherical arc surface and flowing to the spherical head from leaking out.
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of skill in the art have been obvious to one of skill in the art to employ steering structure at the first water outlet of Yu assembly in views of the teaching of Yu et al. and Leber to allow the shower head to be adjusted at any angle or any direction as desired.
Yu et al. teach an end of the steering head 73 away from the rotation cavity 4 is provided with a connection part (female thread) , the connection part (female thread) would be connected to a first end of a second water outlet tube 3’(Fig. 7 of Yu ‘356), the second water outlet tube being a rigid tube (non-bendable metal pipe, Yu ‘356 paragraph [0027]), a second end the second water outlet tube 3’ connected to a top shower 6, the second water outlet tube 4 causes the top shower to be rotated at any angle and/or in any direction relative to the valve seat assembly 1.
Regarding claim 5, a central axis of the rotation cavity (the ball joint socket) and a central axis of the tube support assembly extend in an upward inclined direction.
Regarding claim 6, two water outlets are provided including a first water outlet 13 and a second water outlet 12, a central axis of the second water outlet 12 extends in the same direction of a central axis of the tube support assembly, and a central axis of the first water outlet 13 and the central axis of the second water outlet 12 form an angle.
Regarding claim 9, the modified tube support assembly of Yu in views Yu et al. and Leber would include a steering structure, an end of the steering head away from the rotation cavity provided with a connection part, the connection part is connected to a first end of a second water outlet tube, a second end of the second water outlet tube is connected to a top shower, the second water outlet tube causes the top shower to be rotated at any angle and/or in any direction relative to the valve seat assembly 1.
Regarding claim 10, the water inlet of the valve seat assembly is connected to a water inlet tube, and the water inlet tube is connected to a water supply 2.
Conclusion
Applicant’s arguments filed on 12/17/2025 with respect to claim 1 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.
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/HUYEN D LE/ Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3754