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
Claims 2 and 17 are withdrawn from further consideration pursuant to 37 CFR 1.142(b) as being drawn to a nonelected species, there being no allowable generic or linking claim. Election was made without traverse in the reply filed on November 19, 2025.
Applicant’s election without traverse of the species of Figures 11-17 (claims 1, 3-16 and 18-20) in the reply filed on November 19, 2025 is acknowledged.
The requirement is still deemed proper and is therefore made FINAL.
Drawings
The drawings are objected to under 37 CFR 1.83(a). The drawings must show every feature of the invention specified in the claims. Therefore, the driver member located inside the hold member (claim 12) must be shown or the feature(s) canceled from the claim(s). No new matter should be entered.
Corrected drawing sheets in compliance with 37 CFR 1.121(d) are required in reply to the Office action to avoid abandonment of the application. Any amended replacement drawing sheet should include all of the figures appearing on the immediate prior version of the sheet, even if only one figure is being amended. The figure or figure number of an amended drawing should not be labeled as “amended.” If a drawing figure is to be canceled, the appropriate figure must be removed from the replacement sheet, and where necessary, the remaining figures must be renumbered and appropriate changes made to the brief description of the several views of the drawings for consistency. Additional replacement sheets may be necessary to show the renumbering of the remaining figures. Each drawing sheet submitted after the filing date of an application must be labeled in the top margin as either “Replacement Sheet” or “New Sheet” pursuant to 37 CFR 1.121(d). If the changes are not accepted by the examiner, the applicant will be notified and informed of any required corrective action in the next Office action. The objection to the drawings will not be held in abeyance.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 112
The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 112(b):
(b) CONCLUSION.—The specification shall conclude with one or more claims particularly pointing out and distinctly claiming the subject matter which the inventor or a joint inventor regards as the invention.
The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), second paragraph:
The specification shall conclude with one or more claims particularly pointing out and distinctly claiming the subject matter which the applicant regards as his invention.
Claims 6, 7, 9 and 11-14 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 112(b) or 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), second paragraph, as being indefinite for failing to particularly point out and distinctly claim the subject matter which the inventor or a joint inventor (or for applications subject to pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, the applicant), regards as the invention.
Claims 6 and 7 disclose “a pin-hole structure”. It is not known what Applicant means by this phrase as it is not disclosed in the Specification or shown in the Figures, rendering the claims indefinite.
Claim 9 discloses “the driver member is rotatably mounted at the handle”. The Specification fails to disclose and the Figures do not make clear what it means to be mounted at the handle. It is not known if this means the two elements are within a specific distance of each other, contacting one another, mounted simultaneously with one another, or has some other meaning, thus rendering the claim indefinite.
Claim 11 discloses “the driver member is rotatably mounted at the connection member”. The Specification fails to disclose and the Figures do not make clear what it means to be mounted at the connection member. It is not known if this means the two elements are within a specific distance of each other, contacting one another, mounted simultaneously with one another, or has some other meaning, thus rendering the claim indefinite.
With regard to claims 12 and 13, in that claims 12 and 13 depend from claim 11, either directly or indirectly, claims 12 and 13 are similarly rejected.
Claim 12 discloses “the driver member is located inside the hold member”. The Specification fails to disclose and the Figures do not make clear how it would be possible for the driver member to be located inside the hold member and still function as intended, thus rendering the claim indefinite.
With regard to claim 13, in that claim 13 depends from claim 12, claim 13 is similarly rejected.
Claim 14 discloses “buckle teeth”. The Specification fails to disclose and the Figures do not make clear what buckle teeth are or how they function, thus rendering the claim indefinite.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 102
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 the appropriate paragraphs of 35 U.S.C. 102 that form the basis for the rejections under this section made in this Office action:
A person shall be entitled to a patent unless –
(a)(1) the claimed invention was patented, described in a printed publication, or in public use, on sale, or otherwise available to the public before the effective filing date of the claimed invention.
Claim(s) 1 and 14-16 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by USPAP 2021/0000292 (Siu et al. hereinafter).
With regard to claim 1, Siu et al. discloses a pot cover assembly comprising:
a cover body (1);
a retractable member (80) movably provided inside the cover body (1), the retractable member (80) having, in a movement stroke of the retractable member (80), a locking position (Fig.’s 7 and 8) for locking a pot body (5) and an unlocking position (Fig. 3) for unlocking the pot body (5); and
a driver assembly including:
a driver member (45) rotatably provided outside the cover body (1) along an axis extending in a thickness direction of the cover body (1); and
a transmission mechanism (55, 65) transmissively connecting the driver member (45) and the retractable member (80), the transmission mechanism (55, 65) being configured to convert a rotation of the driver member (45) into a movement of the retractable member (80).
With regard to claim 14, insofar as claim 14 is definite, Siu et al. discloses the pot cover assembly of claim 1, wherein:
the retractable member (80) includes an inner cover rotatably mounted inside the cover body (1), and a periphery of the inner cover is provided with buckle teeth configured to engage with the pot body (5); and
the transmission mechanism (55, 65) is configured to convert the rotation of the driver member (45) into a rotation of the inner cover.
With regard to claim 15, Siu et al. discloses a cooking utensil comprising:
a pot cover assembly including:
a cover body (1);
a retractable member (80) movably provided inside the cover body (1), the retractable member (80) having, in a movement stroke of the retractable member (80), a locking position (Fig.’s 7 and 8) for locking a pot body (5) and an unlocking position (Fig. 3) for unlocking the pot body (5); and
a driver assembly including:
a driver member (45) rotatably provided outside the cover body (1) along an axis extending in a thickness direction of the cover body (1); and
a transmission mechanism (55, 65) transmissively connecting the driver member (45) and the retractable member (80), the transmission mechanism (55, 65) being configured to convert a rotation of the driver member (45) into a movement of the retractable member (80).
With regard to claim 16, Siu et al. discloses the cooking utensil of claim 15, wherein the cooking utensil includes an electric pressure cooker (paragraph [0024]).
The following is a quotation of the appropriate paragraphs of 35 U.S.C. 102 that form the basis for the rejections under this section made in this Office action:
A person shall be entitled to a patent unless –
(a)(2) the claimed invention was described in a patent issued under section 151, or in an application for patent published or deemed published under section 122(b), in which the patent or application, as the case may be, names another inventor and was effectively filed before the effective filing date of the claimed invention.
Claim(s) 1, 9 and 14-16 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(2) as being anticipated by USPAP 2024/0277176 (Yeom hereinafter).
With regard to claim 1, Yeom discloses a pot cover assembly comprising:
a cover body (100);
a retractable member (300) movably provided inside the cover body (100), the retractable member (300) having, in a movement stroke of the retractable member (300), a locking position (Fig. 4A) for locking a pot body (Abstract) and an unlocking position (Fig. 4B) for unlocking the pot body (Abstract); and
a driver assembly including:
a driver member (102) rotatably provided outside the cover body (100) along an axis extending in a thickness direction of the cover body (100); and
a transmission mechanism (103) transmissively connecting the driver member (102) and the retractable member (300), the transmission mechanism (103) being configured to convert a rotation of the driver member (102) into a movement of the retractable member (300).
With regard to claim 9, insofar as claim 9 is definite, Yeom discloses the pot cover assembly of claim 1, further comprising:
a handle (Fig. 1, right side, attached to the edge of the lid) provided outside the cover body (100);
wherein the driver member (102) is rotatably mounted at the handle (Fig. 1, right side, attached to the edge of the lid).
With regard to claim 14, insofar as claim 14 is definite, Yeom discloses the pot cover assembly of claim 1, wherein:
the retractable member (300) includes an inner cover (200) rotatably mounted inside the cover body (100), and a periphery of the inner cover (200) is provided with buckle teeth configured to engage with the pot body (Abstract); and
the transmission mechanism (103) is configured to convert the rotation of the driver member (102) into a rotation of the inner cover (200).
With regard to claim 15, Yeom discloses a cooking utensil comprising:
a pot cover assembly including:
a cover body (100);
a retractable member (300) movably provided inside the cover body (100), the retractable member (300) having, in a movement stroke of the retractable member (300), a locking position (Fig. 4A) for locking a pot body (Abstract) and an unlocking position (Fig. 4B) for unlocking the pot body (Abstract); and
a driver assembly including:
a driver member (102) rotatably provided outside the cover body (100) along an axis extending in a thickness direction of the cover body (100); and
a transmission mechanism (103) transmissively connecting the driver member (102) and the retractable member (300), the transmission mechanism (103) being configured to convert a rotation of the driver member (102) into a movement of the retractable member (300).
With regard to claim 16, Yeom discloses the cooking utensil of claim 15, wherein the cooking utensil includes an electric pressure cooker (paragraph [0002]).
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.
Claim(s) 3, 4, 6, 7, 18 and 19 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Yeom in view of Siu et al.
With regard to claim 3, Yeom discloses all of the limitations except for wherein the transmission mechanism includes a driving gear member drivingly connected to the driver member to be driven to rotate by the driver member and a driven gear member drivingly connected to the retractable member and meshed with the driving gear member to drive the retractable member to rotate. Yeom does not disclose a gearing mechanism for driving the retractable member, but a lever member instead.
Siu et al. teaches a transmission mechanism including a driving gear member (45) drivingly connected to a driver member (30) to be driven to rotate by the driver (30) member and a driven gear member (55) drivingly connected to a retractable member (65) and meshed with the driving gear member to drive the retractable member (65) to rotate.
It would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art at the time the application was filed to modify the apparatus of Yeom by providing a driving gear member drivingly connected to the driver member to be driven to rotate by the driver member and a driven gear member drivingly connected to the retractable member and meshed with the driving gear member to drive the retractable member to rotate as taught in Siu et al. for the purposes of being able to provide an alternative method for rotation of the inner cover.
With regard to claim 4, the Yeom modification with regard to claim 3 discloses the pot cover assembly of claim 3, wherein:
the driving gear member includes:
a driving body drivingly connected to the driver member (30); and
a plurality of driving teeth provided at a side of the driving body;
the driven gear member (55) includes:
a driven body drivingly connected to the retractable member (65); and
a plurality of driven teeth provided at a side of the driven body; and
some of the plurality of driven teeth are selectively meshed with some of the plurality of driving teeth. Fig.’s 3 and 7 of Siu et al. clearly show the members with the driven and driving gears and teeth
With regard to claim 6, insofar as claim 6 is definite, the Yeom modification with regard to claim 3 discloses the pot cover assembly of claim 3, wherein:
the driver member matches the driving gear member through a pin-hole structure to prevent relative rotation between the driver member and the driving gear member.
With regard to claim 7, insofar as claim 7 is definite, the Yeom modification with regard to claim 3 discloses the pot cover assembly of claim 3, wherein:
the driven gear member matches the retractable member through a pin-hole structure to prevent relative rotation between the driven gear member and the retractable member.
With regard to claims 18 and 19, in that claims 18 and 19 are substantially the same as claims 3 and 4, respectively, claims 18 and 19 are similarly rejected.
Claim(s) 8 and 10 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Yeom in view of USPAP 2020/0405086 (Dos Santos et al. hereinafter).
With regard to claim 8, Yeom discloses the pot cover assembly of claim 1, wherein the driver member (102) has two operation sides in a rotation direction of the driver member (102).
Yeom does not disclose wherein each of the two operation sides of the driver member is provided with an anti-slip structure.
Dos Santos et al. teaches a pressure cooker with a locking lid wherein the locking mechanism is driven by a driver member (30) with an anti-slip structure (the ridges shown in Fig. 1) on the exterior of the driver member (30).
It would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art at the time the application was filed to modify the apparatus of Yeom by providing that each of the two operation sides of the driver member is provided with an anti-slip structure as taught in Dos Santos et al. for the purposes of providing better grip for the user.
With regard to claim 10, in that claim 10 is substantially the same as claim 8, claim 10 is similarly rejected.
Claim(s) 11 and 12 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Yeom in view of USPAP 2020/0128997 (Qin et al. hereinafter).
With regard to claim 11, insofar as claim 11 is definite, Yeom discloses all of the limitations except for wherein the handle includes a connection member protruding from an outer side of the cover body and a hold member extending laterally from the connection member; and one end of the driver member is rotatably mounted at the connection member.
Qin et al. discloses a pressure cooker with a handle (13) wherein the handle (13) includes a connection member (either end of the handle as shown in Fig. 3) protruding from an outer side of a cover body (1) and a hold member (middle of handle) extending laterally from the connection member.
It would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art at the time the application was filed to modify the apparatus of Yeom by providing that the handle includes a connection member protruding from an outer side of the cover body and a hold member extending laterally from the connection member as taught in Qin et al. for the purposes of allowing a user to grasp the handle and lift the lid (paragraph [0059] of Qin et al.), resulting in one end of the driver member rotatably mounted at the connection member.
With regard to claim 12, insofar as claim 12 is definite, the Yeom modification with regard to claim 11 discloses the pot cover assembly of claim 11, wherein the driver member is located inside the hold member.
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 5 and 20 are objected to as being dependent upon a rejected base claim, but would be allowable if rewritten in independent form including all of the limitations of the base claim and any intervening claims.
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure. USP 6,257,124 and USPAP’s 2007/0169637, 2005/0284305, 2025/0185836, 2024/0057804, 2022/0354293, 2021/0259453, 2018/0116438, 2016/0198883 and 2024/0206668 each disclose cookers similar to that claimed.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to AARON R EASTMAN whose telephone number is (571)270-3132. The examiner can normally be reached M-F 9-5.
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, Justin C. Mikowski can be reached at (571) 272-8525. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/AARON R EASTMAN/ Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3673