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 .
Response to Amendment
The amendment filed December 19th, 2025 has been entered. Claims 1-2 and 4-12
remain pending in the application.
Information Disclosure Statement
The information disclosure statement (IDS) submitted on 1/14/2026 was filed after the
mailing date of the Non-Final Office Action on 10/15/2025. The submission is in compliance
with the provisions of 37 CFR 1.97. Accordingly, the information disclosure statement is being
considered by the examiner.
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, 2, and 4-12 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable
over 김학호 et al. (KR 200473990 Y1 – hereinafter 김학호) in view of Hyung-Jae Lee et al.
(US 6434839 B1 – hereinafter Lee), Ian Good et al. (US 20140245612 A1 – hereinafter
Good), Panagiotis Kopelas et al. (EP 3348363 A1 – hereinafter Kopelas), and Liberatore (WO 2016123599 A1).
Regarding claim 1, 김학호 teaches a razor assembly comprising: at least one shaving blade (Fig. 9, Blade 11) having a cutting edge; a blade housing (Fig. 6, Cartridge Section 10)
accommodating the at least one shaving blade to be placed in a longitudinal direction , the blade
housing comprising a front side (Fig. 6, front side of Cartridge Section 10 shown) exposing at
least a portion of the cutting edge and a rear side (Fig. 8, rear side of Cartridge Section 10
shown) opposing the front side, the rear side comprising a first region (Fig. 8, portion of rear side
of Cartridge Section 10 where Blades 11 are visible) overlapping the at least one shaving blade
in a vertical direction extending from the front side to the rear side, and a second region (Fig. 8,
portion of rear side of Cartridge Section 10 where Blades 11 are not visible) not overlapping the
at least one shaving blade in the vertical direction; a connector (Fig. 9, Blade Fixing 12) fixed to
the second region of the blade housing, the connector including a first connecting portion (Fig. 9,
Pivoting Region 12a) including a first surface (Fig. 9, Pivoting Region 12a; examiner interprets
the inside arc of the outermost shell of 12a to be the first surface of 12a); and a holder (Fig. 9,
Engagement Release Section 33) rotatably connected to the connector (Fig. 9, Blade Fixing 12) about a rotational axis parallel to the longitudinal direction (Fig. 4, examiner interprets rotational
axis to be parallel to the longitudinal direction of the Blade 11), the holder (Fig. 9, Engagement
Release Section 33) including a second connecting portion (Fig. 9, Engagement Release Section
33; examiner interprets an arm protruding from Engagement Release Section 33 to be the second
connecting portion) including a second surface (Fig. 3, arms of Engagement Release Section 33;
examiner interprets outer convex surface of the arcing protrusions at the end of the arms of
Engagement Release Section 33 to be the second surface of 33) facing the first surface, wherein
the connector includes an accommodation space containing a portion of the holder (Fig. 8,
Engagement Release Section 33 is contained in the space inside of Blade Fixing 12) and the
connector and the holder are connected to each other by coupling of the first connecting portion and the second connecting portion (Fig. 8, arms of Engagement Release Section 33 and Pivoting
Region 12a), wherein when the connector rotates with respect to the holder about the rotational
axis, the first surface is configured to move with respect to the second surface along the second
surface (Page 5, Para 1), wherein the rotational axis is closer to the blade housing than the
second surface (Fig. 3, the rotational axis passes through the blade housing, Blade Fixing 12, and
does not pass through the second surface, so it is closer to the blade housing), and wherein the
rotational axis does not overlap the at least one shaving blade in the vertical direction (Fig. 8, the
rotational axis lies behind the Blades 11 and does not overlap them in a vertical direction), wherein the connector is fixed to the blade housing so as to be formed not to move relative to the blade housing (Fig. 8).
김학호 fails to teach wherein the rotational axis passes through an upper portion of the
second connecting portion, the first connecting portion, and a portion of the accommodation
space, and wherein a distance between the rotational axis and the at least one shaving blade
defined in a shaving direction is less than a distance between the rotational axis and a lower end
of the blade housing. 김학호 also fails to teach wherein the connector further comprises a pair of
third connecting portions disposed on opposing ends of the connector, the pair of third
connecting portions respectively comprising first and second outer surfaces, wherein the blade
housing further comprises a pair of fourth connecting portions spaced apart and disposed on the
second region of the rear side, the pair of fourth connecting portions respectively comprising first
and second inner surfaces facing each other, and wherein a distance between the first and second
inner surfaces of the pair of fourth connecting portions of the blade housing corresponds to a
distance between the first and second outer surfaces of the pair of third connecting portions of
the connector such that the first and second inner surfaces of the pair of fourth connecting portions are respectively engaged with the first and second outer surfaces of the pair of third
connecting portions, wherein the first connecting portion comprises a cantilever deflected toward a center of the connector, wherein the connector further comprises a connector body connecting the pair of third connecting portions, the connector body being formed to extend between the pair of third connection portions so as to connect the pair of third connecting portions, and wherein each of the pair of third connecting portions is positioned on the longitudinal outer side of the second connecting portion, and each of the pair of fourth connecting portions is positioned on the longitudinal outer side of the first connecting portion.
However, Lee teaches a razor assembly where the rotational axis (Fig. 2, rotational axis
can be seen to pass through the front portion of Head 2 where Hinge Shafts 10a couple) passes
through an upper portion of a second connecting portion (Fig. 1b, right front portion of Head 2
where the left Hinge Shaft 10a couples), a first connecting portion (Fig. 1b, right front portion of
Head 2 where the left Hinge Shaft 10a couples), and a portion of the accommodation space (Fig.
1b, the space in which Hinge Shafts 10a lie when the Handle 1 and Cartridge Holder 10 are
connected).
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the time
of filing to modify the second connecting portion, first connecting portion, and accommodating
space of 김학호 to be constructed such that the rotational axis passes through an upper portion of
them. Doing so provides the benefit of allowing the cartridge to swing around the hinged points
through a large angle (Lee, para 21).
Lee additionally fails to teach wherein a distance between the rotational axis and the at
least one shaving blade in a shaving direction is less than a distance between the rotational axis
and a lower end of the blade housing.
However, Good teaches a razor assembly where a distance between the rotational axis
and at least one shaving blade is less than a distance between the rotational axis and a lower end
of the blade housing (Fig. 3a, rotational axis is at the midway of the housing directly behind the
shaving blades, and is closer than the bottom of the housing).
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the time of filing to modify the razor assembly of the combination of 김학호 and Lee to be constructed
such that the rotational axis is closer to the at least one shaving blade in a shaving direction than
the bottom of the blade housing as it has been held that the position of a feature may be in a
different location as an obvious matter of design choice as long as it does not modify the
operation of the device In re Japikse, 181 F.2d 1019, 86 USPQ 70 (CCPA 1950) and In re Kuhle,
526 F.2d 553, 188 USPQ 7 (CCPA 1975). The operation of the razor assembly would not in this
case be modified if the rotational axis was located closer the least one shaving blade.
Lee and Good additionally fail to teach wherein the connector further comprises a pair of
third connecting portions disposed on opposing ends of the connector, the pair of third
connecting portions respectively comprising first and second outer surfaces, wherein the blade
housing further comprises a pair of fourth connecting portions spaced apart and disposed on the
second region of the rear side, the pair of fourth connecting portions respectively comprising first
and second inner surfaces facing each other, and wherein a distance between the first and second
inner surfaces of the pair of fourth connecting portions of the blade housing corresponds to a
distance between the first and second outer surfaces of the pair of third connecting portions of
the connector such that the first and second inner surfaces of the pair of fourth connecting
portions are respectively engaged with the first and second outer surfaces of the pair of third
connecting portions.
However, Kopelas teaches a razor wherein the connector (Fig. 2, Connector 40) further
comprises a pair of third connecting portions (Fig. 2, Arms 46) disposed on opposing ends of the
connector, the pair of third connecting portions respectively comprising first and second outer
surfaces (Fig. 2, outside surfaces of Shell Bearings 46a which face away from each other) ,
wherein the blade housing further comprises a pair of fourth connecting portions (Fig. 2, Looper Hooks 32) spaced apart, the pair of fourth connecting portions respectively comprising first and
second inner surfaces facing each other (Fig. 2, inside surfaces of Hooks 32 below the lip of the
hook which face each other), and wherein a distance between the first and second inner surfaces
of the pair of fourth connecting portions of the blade housing corresponds to a distance between
the first and second outer surfaces of the pair of third connecting portions of the connector such
that the first and second inner surfaces of the pair of fourth connecting portions are respectively
engaged with the first and second outer surfaces of the pair of third connecting portions (Fig. 5B,
when connected the first and second outer surfaces are in contact with the first and second inner
surfaces, so the distances between the outer surfaces and the inner surfaces correspond to each
other), wherein the connector further comprises a connector body (Fig. 5B, body of Connector 40) connecting the pair of third connecting portions, the connector body being formed to extend between the pair of third connection portions so as to connect the pair of third connecting portions (Fig. 2, Arms 46). Kopelas does not teach that the fourth connecting portions are disposed on the second region of the rear side, and wherein each of the pair of third connecting portions is positioned on the longitudinal outer side of the second connecting portion, and each of the pair of fourth connecting portions is positioned on the longitudinal outer side of the first connecting portion, however it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the time of filing to modify the razor assembly of Kopelas to include the aforementioned limitations as it has been held that the position of a feature may be in a different location as an obvious matter of design choice as long as it does not modify the operation of the device In re Japikse, 181 F.2d 1019, 86 USPQ 70 (CCPA 1950) and In re Kuhle, 526 F.2d 553, 188 USPQ 7 (CCPA 1975). This modification would not in this case change the operation of the razor assembly of Kopelas.
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the time
of filing to modify the razor assembly of the combination of 김학호, Lee, and Good to include
the features of claim 1 above as taught by Kopelas. Doing so is beneficial as the structure is
adapted to reliably hold the connector in position while being easily rinsed free of hair debris
(Kopelas, [0005]).
Additionally, Liberatore teaches wherein the first connecting portion (Fig. 24, Swivel Arms 510) comprises a cantilever (Fig. 24, Spring Arms 550) deflected toward a center of the connector (Fig. 24, Swivel Arm Connection 500).
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art at the time of
filing to modify the first connecting portion of the combination of 김학호, Lee, Good, and
Kopelas to include the limitations of claim 1 above as taught by Liberatore. Doing so is beneficial as it allows the connector to be selectively connected and disconnected from the handle (Liberatore, [00120]).
Regarding claim 2, 김학호 teaches the razor assembly of claim 1, wherein the second surface (Fig. 3, arms of Engagement Release Section 33; examiner interprets outer convex
surface of the arcing protrusion at the end of the arm of Engagement Release Section 33 to be the
second surface of 33) is closer to the rotational axis than the first surface (Fig. 9, Pivoting Region
12a; examiner interprets the inside arc of the outermost shell of 12a to be the first surface of
12a).
Regarding claim 4, 김학호 teaches the razor assembly of claim 1, wherein the first
surface is concave (Fig. 9, Pivoting Region 12a; examiner interprets the inside arc of
the outermost shell of 12a to be the first surface of 12a, examiner also interprets this first surface
to be concave), and the second surface is convex (Fig. 3, arms of Engagement Release Section
33; examiner interprets outer convex surface of the arcing protrusion at the end of the arm of
Engagement Release Section 33 to be the second surface of 33), the convex second surface
corresponding to the concave first surface (Page 5. Para 1).
Regarding claim 5, 김학호 teaches the razor assembly of claim 4, wherein each of
the concave first surface (Fig. 9, Pivoting Region 12a; examiner interprets the inside arc of the
outermost shell of 12a to be the first surface of 12a, examiner also interprets that the entirety of
the first surface defines an arc) and the convex second surface (Fig. 3, arm of Engagement
Release Section 33; examiner interprets outer convex surface of the arcing protrusion at the end
of the arm of Engagement Release Section 33 to be the second surface of 33, examiner also
interprets that the entirety of the second surface defines and arc) has an arcuate profile centered
on the rotational axis (Page 5, Para 1).
Regarding claim 6, Liberatore already teaches wherein the first connecting portion includes a cantilever configured to be biased toward a center of the connector (See the rejection of claim 1 above).
The existing combination of 김학호, Lee, Good, Kopelas, and Liberatore does not teach the cantilever extending from one side of the connector toward in a mounting direction, wherein the second connecting portion includes a protrusion configured to hook-couple with one end of the cantilever, wherein the cantilever includes a first surface formed on one end of the cantilever, and wherein the protrusion includes a second surface formed on one side of the protrusion.
However, Liberatore teaches the razor assembly of claim 1, wherein the first connecting
portion (Fig. 24, Swivel Arms 510) includes a cantilever (Fig. 24, Spring Arms 550) configured
to be biased toward a center of the connector (Fig. 24, Swivel Arm Connection 500) and
extending from one side of the connector (Fig. 24, Swivel Arm Connection 500) toward in a
mounting direction, wherein the second connecting portion (Fig. 24, Spring Arm Ledges
270) includes a protrusion (Fig. 24, bumps at the end of Spring Arm Ledges 270 which interact
with Spring Arms 550) configured to hook-couple with one end of the cantilever (Fig. 24, Spring
Arm Ledges 270 and Spring Arms 550; [00120]), wherein the cantilever includes a first surface
(Fig. 24, the surface of Spring Arms 550 which come into contact with the protrusion of Spring
Arm Ledges 270) formed on one end of the cantilever, and wherein the protrusion includes a
second surface (Fig. 24, the surface of the bumps at the end of Spring Arm Ledges 270 which
contacts with Spring Arms 550) formed on one side of the protrusion.
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art at the time of
filing to modify the first connecting portion of the combination of 김학호, Lee, Good, Kopelas, and Liberatore to include the limitations of claim 6 above as taught by Liberatore. Doing so is beneficial as it allows the connector to be selectively connected and disconnected from the handle (Liberatore, [00120]).
Regarding claim 7, the existing combination of 김학호, Lee, Good, Kopelas, and
Liberatore fails to teach the razor assembly of claim 6, wherein the protrusion further includes a
third surface configured to press the cantilever while the holder is connected to the connector,
wherein the cantilever is configured to be elastically deformed in a direction away from the
center of the connector by being pressed by the third surface.
However, Liberatore additionally teaches the razor assembly of claim 6, wherein the
protrusion (Fig. 24, bumps at the end of Spring Arm Ledges 270 which interact with Spring
Arms 550) further includes a third surface (Fig. 24, Engagement Cam Surface 272; [00120])
configured to press the cantilever (Fig. 24, Spring Arms 550) while the holder (Fig. 24,
Connection Block 250) is connected to the connector (Fig. 24, Connection 500), wherein the
cantilever (Fig. 24, Spring Arms 550) is configured to be elastically deformed in a direction
away from the center of the connector (Fig. 24, Connection 500) by being pressed by the third
surface (Fig. 24, Engagement Cam Surface 272; [00120]).
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art at the time of
filing to modify the protrusion of the combination of 김학호, Lee, Good, Kopelas, and
Liberatore to have a third surface which presses the cantilever while the holder is connected to
the connector, elastically deforming the cantilever away from the center of the connector. Doing
so provides the benefit of creating a clicking sound or tactile sensation, which would alert the
user that the holder and connector have been properly connected (Liberatore, [00120]).
Regarding claim 8, 김학호 further teaches the razor assembly of claim 7, further
comprising an ejecting unit (Fig. 6, combination of Release Button Unit 34 and Lower Insertion
Part 32; Page 5, Para 2) configured to separate the connector (Fig. 9, Blade Fixing 12) from the holder (Fig. 9 Engagement Release Section 33), wherein the ejecting unit (Fig. 6, combination of
Release Button Unit 34 and Lower Insertion Part 32; Page 5, Para 2) includes an arm (Fig. 6,
Lower Insertion Part 32) disposed behind the protrusion (Fig. 9, Engagement Release Section 33;
examiner interprets the curved tab protruding from an arm protruding from Engagement Release
Section 33 to be the protrusion) in the mounting direction and movable with respect to the
protrusion along the mounting direction (Page 5, Para 3).
The existing combination of 김학호, Lee, Good, Kopelas, and Liberatore fails to teach
that in a state where the connector is connected to the holder, the arm moves forward in the
mounting direction toward the protrusion to elastically deform the cantilever in the direction
away from the center of the connector.
However, Liberatore additionally teaches that in a state where the connector (Fig. 24,
Connection 500) is connected to the holder (Fig. 24, Connection Block 250), the arm (Fig. 25a,
Outer Arms 225) moves forward in the mounting direction toward the protrusion (Fig. 24, bumps
at the end of Spring Arm Ledges 270 which interact with Spring Arms 550) to elastically deform
the cantilever (Fig. 24, Spring Arms 550) in the direction away from the center of the connector
(Fig. 24, Connection 500; [00120]).
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art at the time of
filing to modify the arm of the combination of 김학호, Lee, Good, Kopelas, and Liberatore such
that in a state where the connector is connected to the holder, the arm moves forward in the
mounting direction toward the protrusion to elastically deform the cantilever in the direction
away from the center of the connector. Doing so provides the benefit of allowing the user to
release the handle with just the push of a button (Liberatore, [00120]).
Regarding claim 9, 김학호 teaches the razor assembly of claim 1, further comprising a
recovering force providing unit (Fig. 9, Pressing Pin 36) configured to provide a recovering force for restoring the connector (Fig. 9, Blade Fixing 12) rotated about the rotational axis to a rest
position (Page 6, Para 2), wherein the holder (Fig. 9, Engagement Release Section 33) includes a
pair of second connecting portions (Fig. 9, Engagement Release Section 33; examiner interprets
that each arm protruding from Engagement Release Section 33 is a second connecting portion,
and that there are two of them), and wherein at least a portion of the recovering force providing
unit is disposed between the pair of second connecting portions (Fig. 9, pairs of arms of
Engagement Release Section 33 and Pressing Pin 36).
Regarding claim 10, 김학호 teaches the razor assembly of claim 9, further comprising
an ejecting unit (Fig. 6, combination of Release Button Unit 34 and Lower Insertion Part 32;
Page 5, Para 2) configured to separate the connector (Fig. 9, Blade Fixing 12) from the holder
(Fig. 9, Engagement Release Section 33), wherein the recovering force providing unit includes a
plunger (Fig. 9, Pressing Pin 36; examiner interprets that the body of Pressing Pin 36 is a
plunger), at least a part of which is disposed between the pair of second connecting portions (Fig.
9, pairs of arms of Engagement Release Section 33 and Pressing Pin 36) and configured to
transmit the restoring force by performing a cam action with at least one of the blade housing
and the connector (Page 6, Para 2), and an elastic member (Fig. 9, Elastic Member 35)
configured to provide an elastic force to the plunger (Page 6, Para 1), and wherein one side of the
elastic member adjacent to the blade housing is connected to the plunger (Fig. 9, Elastic Member
35 and Pressing Pin 36), and the other side of the elastic member spaced apart from the blade
housing is connected to the ejecting unit (Fig. 9, Elastic Member 35 and combination of Release
Button Unit 34 and Lower Insertion Part 32; Page 5, Para 2).
Regarding claim 11, 김학호 teaches the razor assembly of claim 1, wherein the second connecting portion (Fig. 9, Engagement Release Section 33; examiner interprets an arm
protruding from Engagement Release Section 33 to be the second connecting portion) is hook -
coupled to the first connecting portion (Fig. 9, Pivoting Region 12a).
Regarding claim 12, 김학호 teaches the razor assembly of claim 1, wherein the blade
housing (Fig. 6, Cartridge Section 10; examiner interprets top surface to be the surface most
visible to the viewer in Fig. 6 and the bottom surface to be the surface directly opposite to the top
surface) includes a top surface toward which the cutting edge faces and a bottom surface
opposing the top surface, and wherein when viewed from the bottom surface, the connector (Fig.
8, Blade Fixing 12) does not overlap with the at least one shaving blade (Fig. 8, Blade 11;
examiner interprets that Blade Fixing 12 does not overlap Blade 11 as viewed from the bottom
surface in Fig. 8).
Response to Arguments
Applicant's arguments filed 12/29/2025 have been fully considered but they are not persuasive.
Regarding feature 2 of claim 1, applicant’s arguments 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. Liberatore is brought into the rejection of claim 1 to teach feature 2.
Regarding feature 3 of claim 1, applicant's arguments fail to comply with 37 CFR 1.111(b) because they amount to a general allegation that the claims define a patentable invention without specifically pointing out how the language of the claims patentably distinguishes them from the references. Kopelas is used in the rejection of claim 1 above to teach this feature.
Regarding feature 4 of claim 1, examiner interprets that this feature means that the third and fourth connecting portions must be located in an area which is outside in a longitudinal direction of the second and first connecting portions respectively, and finds no teaching in the recited prior art documents which would teach away from or make impossible relocating the third and fourth connecting portions such that this limitation is taught. The plain meaning of the claim language does not require that third and fourth connecting portions must be attached to longitudinal inner sides of the other connecting portions.
Conclusion
Applicant's amendment necessitated the new ground(s) of rejection presented in this Office action. Accordingly, THIS ACTION IS MADE FINAL. See MPEP § 706.07(a). 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 ELLA LORRAINE KEENA whose telephone number is (571)272-1806. The examiner can normally be reached 7:30am - 5:00 pm ET.
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, Boyer Ashley can be reached at (571) 272-4502. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/ELLA L KEENA/Examiner, Art Unit 3724 /BOYER D ASHLEY/Supervisory Patent Examiner, Art Unit 3724