DETAILED ACTION
The communication dated 12/30/2025 has been entered and fully considered.
Claims 1-20 are currently pending. Claims 1-2 and 10-11 are amended.
Claims 4-5, 7, 13-14, 16, and 19-20 are withdrawn.
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 Arguments
Applicant’s arguments, see pages 10-11, filed 12/30/2025, with respect to drawing/disclosure objections have been fully considered and are persuasive. The drawing/disclosure objection regarding the wire and the winch has been withdrawn.
Applicant’s arguments, see pages 11-14, filed 12/30/2025, with respect to claims 1, 6, 10 and 15 have been fully considered and are persuasive. The 35 U.S.C. § 112(f) rejection of claims 1, 6, 10 and 15 has been withdrawn.
Applicant’s arguments, see pages 14, filed 12/30/2025, with respect to claims 2, 10-12, 15, and 17-18 have been fully considered and are persuasive. The 35 U.S.C. §112(b) rejection of claims 2, 10-12, 15, and 17-18 has been withdrawn.
Applicant’s arguments, see pages 14-19, filed 12/30/2025, with respect to claims 1-3, 6, 8-12, 15, and 17-18 have been fully considered and are persuasive. The 35 U.S.C. § 103 rejection of claims 1-3, 6, 8-12, 15, and 17-18 has been withdrawn.
Examiner’s Comment
Regarding the objections to the drawings and specification below (exhaust hole and rinse supply hole), Examiner is not requiring both to be amended, but rather, one of the two must be amended to coincide with the other.
Drawings
The drawings are objected to because Figures 2-5 appear to depict a rinse supply hole as “50” and an exhaust hole as “60”, which is inconsistent with the specification (See FIG. 3, Specification page 6 lines 11-12; page 7 lines 12-15 and 27) . 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.
Specification
The disclosure is objected to because of the following informalities: the specification designates the rinse supply hole as “60” and the exhaust hole as “50”, which is inconsistent with Applicant’s Figure 3.
Appropriate correction is required.
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 1-3, 6, 8-12, 15, and 17-18 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.
Claim 1 recites “an exhaust hole provided at a first wall extended from an upper portion of the inclined surface”. This is contradictory to Applicant’s Figure 3, which shows the rinse supply hole is at a first wall extended from an upper portion of the inclined surface (Figure 3 shows that a rinse liquid 4 is supplied via the hole 50. Examiner is determining that 50 would be the rinse supply hole). Furthermore, claim 1 recites “a rinse supply hole provided at a second side wall” and “a hinge provided at a lower portion at the second side wall”. If Applicant’s Figure 3 is correct (in which the rinse supply hole extends from the inclined surface), then these limitations contradict Figure 4 which show the rinse supply hole and the hinge on opposite walls.
Examiner is interpreting that the exhaust hole and the hinge are provided on the second wall and the rinse supply hole is provided on the first wall opposite the second wall (see following figure).
[AltContent: arrow][AltContent: arrow][AltContent: arrow][AltContent: textbox (The exhaust hole and the hinge are on the same wall.)][AltContent: textbox (Rinse Supply Hole according to Figure 3)]
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Claims 2-3, 6, and 8-9 are rejected under 112(b) due to dependency on claim 1.
Claim 10 recites “an exhaust hole provided at a first wall extended from an upper portion of the inclined surface”. This is contradictory to Applicant’s Figure 3, which shows the rinse supply is at a first wall extended from an upper portion of the inclined surface. Furthermore, claim 1 recites “a rinse supply hole provided at a second side wall” and “a hinge provided at a lower portion at the second side wall”. If Applicant’s Figure 3 is correct (in which the rinse supply hole extends from the inclined surface), then these limitations contradict Figure 4 which show the rinse supply hole and the hinge on opposite walls.
Claims 11-12, 15, and 17-18 are rejected under 112(b) due to dependency on claim 1.
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 1-3, 6, 8-12, 15, and 17-18 would be allowable if rewritten or amended to overcome the rejection(s) under 35 U.S.C. 112(b) or 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), 2nd paragraph, set forth in this Office action.
The claims would be allowable based on the Examiner’s interpretation of the Applicant’s claims, Figures, and specifications (See annotated Figure above).
The following is a statement of reasons for the indication of allowable subject matter: there is no motivation to combine Kinoshita with a reference regarding an exhaust hole (on a second wall opposite the first wall), a rinse supply hole (on a first wall), and a hinge provided at a lower portion at the second side wall of the housing and hingedly coupling the housing and the holder to enable rotation of the housing.
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 LAUREN G ORTA whose telephone number is (703)756-5455. The examiner can normally be reached Monday - Friday 7:30-5:00.
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If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Michael Barr can be reached at 571-272-1414. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/L.G.O./Examiner, Art Unit 1711
/MICHAEL E BARR/Supervisory Patent Examiner, Art Unit 1711
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