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Claims 8-16 are withdrawn from further consideration pursuant to 37 CFR 1.142(b) as being drawn to a nonelected species, there being no allowable generic or linking claim.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 11/24/25.
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) 1-6, 18 and 20 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102a1 as being anticipated by Weyhmiller (PGPub 2019150695).
Weyhmiller teaches a floor sheet, wherein said floor sheet comprises at least two regions (24A, B, 26A, B) of absorbent materials including a first region (24A, B) comprising a relatively medium absorbency material (paragraph 0016; lower) and a second region (26A, B), wherein said second region comprises one or both of a relatively low absorbency material and a relatively high absorbency material (26A, 26B), wherein said relatively low absorbency material is 1.1 to 1.35 times less absorbent than said relatively medium absorbency material and said relatively high absorbency material is 1.1 to 1.35 times more absorbent than said relatively medium absorbency material (paragraph 0015 states that the absorption rate is about 1.36 times higher than that of the relatively lower (medium) absorbency material; about 1.36 reads on 1.35), wherein said first region and said second region together have a combined planar area (figure 1), wherein said first region comprises from more than 30% to 65% of said combined planar area (paragraph 0020; 50%), wherein said second region comprises from 30% to less than 60% of said combined planar area (paragraph 0020; 40%), wherein said first region and said second region form a substantially coplanar floor engaging surface (figure 2).
With regards to claim 2, the relatively low absorbency material is 1.15 to 1.3 times less absorbent than said relatively medium absorbency material (for this claim; 24A, B are considered to be the 2nd region with a low absorbency and 26A, B are considered to be the first region with a medium absorbency; thus, about 1.36 is considered to be 1.3).
With regards to claim 3, the relatively high absorbency material is 1.15 to 1.3 times more absorbent than said relatively medium absorbency material (about 1.36 can be considered to be 1.3).
With regards to claim 4, the first region comprises from more than 40% to 60% of said combined planar area (paragraph 0020; 50%).
With regards to claim 5, the second region comprises from 35% to less than 50% of said combined planar area (paragraph 0020; 40%).
With regards to claim 6, the cleaning pad has a longitudinal axis and comprises: a front edge (19) and back edge (16) opposite said front edge, wherein said front edge and said back edge cross said longitudinal axis; and a pair of side edges (20, 22) on opposite sides of said longitudinal axis connecting said front edge to said back edge; wherein said first region comprises at least two spaced apart first region strips extending across said longitudinal axis and said first region strips are separated by at least part of said second region (figure 1).
With regards to claim 18, the second region (26A, B) comprises both said relatively low absorbency material (28) and said relatively high absorbency material (26A, 26B).
With regards to claim 20, the method of cleaning a floor comprising the steps of: providing the cleaning pad; engaging the cleaning pad with a mop head of a cleaning device (150); and wiping said floor with said cleaning pad; wherein said floor is dry (paragraph 0022).
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.
The factual inquiries for establishing a background for determining obviousness under 35 U.S.C. 103 are summarized as follows:
1. Determining the scope and contents of the prior art.
2. Ascertaining the differences between the prior art and the claims at issue.
3. Resolving the level of ordinary skill in the pertinent art.
4. Considering objective evidence present in the application indicating obviousness or nonobviousness.
Claim(s) 7 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Weyhmiller (‘695) in view of Wildeman (USPN 8060973).
Weyhmiller teaches all the essential elements of the claimed invention including that the strips could be something other than linear, such as snake-like or undulating configurations or other configurations (paragraph 0025) however the reference fails that the regions form a chevron shape. Wildeman teaches a cleaning pad with strips of cleaning elements that form a chevron shape (figure 12). It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify the shape of the cleaning strips of Weyhmiller so that they are chevron shaped as taught by Wildeman since changing the shape is a modification that has been considered to be within the level of ordinary skill in the art. MPEP 2144.04. Further, the applicant fails to disclose that the chevron shape provides an advantage, is used for a particular purpose, or solves a stated problem. Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art to modify Weyhmiller with Wildeman to obtain the invention as specified in claim 7.
Claim(s) 17 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Weyhmiller (‘695)
Weyhmiller teaches all the essential elements of the claimed invention, including that the first region comprises from more than 30% to 60% of said combined planar area (50%), wherein said second region comprises a high absorbency region (26A, B) from 30% to less than 60% of said combined planar area (40%) and a lower absorbency region (28) from 10% (paragraph 0020), however, the reference fails to teach that the second region comprises from 25% to 35% of said combined planar area of said relatively low absorbency material, wherein said second region further comprises from 25% to 35% of said combined planar area of said relatively high absorbency material. It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify the second region so that the low absorbency material and the high absorbency material fall within the claimed ranges to create a cleaning pad that has a higher scrubbing surface for those difficult to clean areas.
Claim(s) 19 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Weyhmiller (‘695) in view of Wildeman (USPN 8060973).
Weyhmiller teaches all the essential elements of the claimed invention however fails to teach that a solution is applied to the floor and the floor is used to wipe the solution away. Wildeman teaches a mop pad that is attached to a cleaning device that is used on a surface after a liquid cleaning solution is applied to the surface to remove dissolved dirt away from the surface (col. 7, lines 49-59). It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify Weyhmiller so that it is used with a cleaning solution as taught by Wildeman to allow for any dirt on the surface to more easily removed due to the liquid cleaning solution.
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to SHAY LYNN KARLS whose telephone number is (571)272-1268. The examiner can normally be reached M-Th (6am-5pm).
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/SHAY KARLS/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3723