DETAILED ACTION
This office action is in response to the application and claims filed on January 28, 2026. Claims 1-18 and 20 are pending, with claims 1,6,9,12,16,20 in independent claim form and claim 19 canceled.
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 .
An amendment was filed by Applicant on January 28, 2026 and is acknowledged.
Response to Arguments
Applicant's arguments filed 01/28/2026, with respect to claim(s) 1, 12 and 17 about the 112(a) of written description rejection have been fully considered. The previous written description rejections are withdrawn however based on the newly amendment of the claims, claims 1 and 12 discloses limitation that are not in the specification. Same for the 112 (b) rejections.
Applicant’s arguments with respect to claim(s) 1, 12 and 17 have been considered but are moot since the scope of the claims have based of the newly amendment of the claims has change and a new secondary reference is used to rejection as set forth in current Office Action.
Claim Objections
The claims are objected to because of the following informalities:
Claim 17 line 17, recited the limitation of “…drive coupling that is selectively engageable with the the hub of the scraper assembly…“ is suggested to be replaced with “…drive coupling that is selectively engageable with the hub of the scraper assembly…“.
Appropriate correction is required.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 112
The following is a quotation of the first paragraph of 35 U.S.C. 112(a):
(a) IN GENERAL.—The specification shall contain a written description of the invention, and of the manner and process of making and using it, in such full, clear, concise, and exact terms as to enable any person skilled in the art to which it pertains, or with which it is most nearly connected, to make and use the same, and shall set forth the best mode contemplated by the inventor or joint inventor of carrying out the invention.
The following is a quotation of the first paragraph of pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112:
The specification shall contain a written description of the invention, and of the manner and process of making and using it, in such full, clear, concise, and exact terms as to enable any person skilled in the art to which it pertains, or with which it is most nearly connected, to make and use the same, and shall set forth the best mode contemplated by the inventor of carrying out his invention.
Claims 1-5, 7-15 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 112(a) or 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), first paragraph, as failing to comply with the written description requirement. The claim(s) contains subject matter which was not described in the specification in such a way as to reasonably convey to one skilled in the relevant art that the inventor or a joint inventor, or for applications subject to pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, the inventor(s), at the time the application was filed, had possession of the claimed invention.
Claim 1 recited in lines 16-17, the limitation “a rotatable drive coupling … without rotation about a horizontal axis” and claim 12 recited in lines 19-20, the limitation “wherein lowering the scraper motor effects movement of the scraper motor linearly, without rotation of the scraper motor about a horizontal axis”. The specification fail to disclose the limitation “the lowering of the scraper motor effects movement of the scraper motor” and the negative limitation of “without rotation of the scraper motor about a horizontal axis”. Therefore, new matter has been added
Claims not specifically recited are rejected as being dependent upon a rejected base claim. Appropriate clarification is required.
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 12-15 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 12 recited in lines 19-20, the limitation “wherein lowering the scraper motor effects movement of the scraper motor linearly, without rotation of the scraper motor about a horizontal axis” is indefinite, the limitation is unclear what movement the Applicant is referring to since the scraper motor is recited to have a rotational movement within the processing container, does the Applicant mean “the scraper motor effects the position of the of the scraper motor linearly, without rotation of the scraper motor about a horizontal axis” furthermore by recited the “lowering of the scraper motor” already anticipate the linear movement of the scraper motor. For examination purposes, “wherein lowering the scraper motor effects movement of the scraper motor linearly” will be interpreted as “wherein lowering the scraper motor effects the position of the scraper motor linearly”.
Claims not specifically recited are rejected as being dependent upon a rejected base claim. Appropriate clarification is required.
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- 4, 8 and 12-15 are rejected (as best understood) under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Kim KR publication (102,407,113) hereinafter Kim in view of Lee KR publication (100,614,150) hereinafter Lee.
Regarding claim 1,
Kim discloses a food processing system (fig.2), comprising:
a processing container (10) having a motor-driven processing blade (50) positioned at a bottom of the processing container (see fig.4);
a lid (130) receivable atop the processing container (10);
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a motor-driven scraper assembly (139,150) connected to the lid (130) and configured to scrape interior sidewalls of the processing container (10), the motor-driven scraper assembly (139,150) having a hub (139a-b); and
a motor (111) having a rotatable drive coupling (113 see fig.16) moveable between a raised position (see fig.3) in which the drive coupling is vertically spaced from the hub of the motor-driven scraper assembly (139,150) and the lid (130 see fig.3), and a lowered position (see fig.2) in which the drive coupling is engage with the hub(139a-b, see fig.10) .
Kim does not disclose the motor with the rotatable drive coupling to be moveable linearly, without rotation about a horizontal axis,
Kim and Lee disclose both art in the same field of endeavor of the claimed invention (i.e. Food processor apparatus, see Lee’s Background).
Lee, in a similar art, teaches a housing (20) with a motor (30) and a rotatable drive coupling (64,65) and the housing with the motor and the rotatable drive coupling (as a whole) to be moveable linearly, without rotation about a horizontal axis (see pag.7 lines 3-24 and additionally see fig.1,4-5).
Lee teaches the housing with the motor and the rotatable drive coupling to be moveable linearly (as a whole), without rotation about a horizontal axis to allow the engagement and disengagement of a blade to a receiving member (see Fig. 1, 4-5), therefore it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skilled artisan, before the effective filing date of the claimed invention, to manufacture the food processing system of Kim with motor and rotatable drive coupling incorporated in an housing capable of moving linearly, without rotation about a horizontal axis as taught by Lee, as it would be beneficiary to Kim to be able to allow the engagement and disengagement of a scraper to the container and further improve the system.
Regarding claim 2,
The prior art Kim as modified by Lee, discloses all limitations in claim 1,
Kim in view of Lee discloses wherein the drive coupling (64,65, Lee) is moveable in a vertical direction along a rotational axis (Vertical axis see fig.1, Lee) of the motor- driven scraper assembly (30, the scraping operation is recited in 13, lines 30-31, Lee).
Regarding claim 3,
The prior art Kim as modified by Lee, discloses all limitations in claim 1,
Kim discloses a base (marked as element 30 in fig.2 hereinafter 30) configured to support the processing container (10); and a support member (see fig.2) extending from the base (30); wherein the motor (111) is operatively connected to the support member (see fig.2).
Kim does not disclose the motor with linear movement along the support member.
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Lee, in the similar art, teaches a system (fig.1) with the motor (30) with linear movement along a support member (52, see fig.1).
Lee teaches the motor with linear movement along the support member to allow the engagement and disengagement of a blade to a receiving member (see Fig. 1, 4-5), therefore it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skilled artisan, before the effective filing date of the claimed invention, to manufacture the food processing system of Kim with the motor with linear movement along the support member as taught by Lee, as it would be beneficiary to Kim to be able to allow the engagement and disengagement of a scraper to the container and further improve the system.
Regarding claim 4,
The prior art Kim as modified by Lee, discloses all limitations in claim 3,
Kim further discloses a lifter handle (91, see fig.4) operatively connected to the motor (111) and being operable to move the motor between the raised position and the lowered position (see fig.2-3).
Regarding claim 8,
The prior art Kim as modified by Lee, discloses all limitations in claim 3,
Kim in view of Lee, discloses a housing (20, lee) containing the motor (30, Lee); wherein the housing is slidably connected to the support member (52, Lee).
Regarding claim 12,
Kim discloses a method for food processing (fig.2), comprising the steps of:
placing a lid (130) atop a processing container (10) such that a scraper assembly (139,150) connected to the lid (130) is disposed within the processing container (10 see fig.5);
positioning the processing container (10) on a base (marked as element 30 in fig.2 hereinafter 30) of a food processor (fig.2) so as to engage a blade hub (50) of the processing container (10) with a rotatable output shaft of a motor (see fig.4) housed in the base (30);
lowering a scraper motor (111) positioned above the lid (130) to drivingly connect a rotatable drive coupling (113) of the scraper motor (111) with a drive hub (139a-b) of the scrape assembly (139,150); and actuating the scraper motor (111) to rotate the scraper blade (151) within the processing container (10),
wherein lowering the scraper motor (111) effects movement (effects the position) of the scraper motor (111) and actuating the scraper motor (111) to rotate the scraper blade (151) within the processing container (10).
Kim does not disclose the scraper motor linearly, without rotation of the scraper motor about a horizontal axis.
Lee, in the similar art, teaches a housing (20) with a scraper motor (30, the scraping operation is recited in 13, lines 30-31) and the housing with the scraper motor (as a whole) to be moveable linearly, without rotation of the scraper motor about a horizontal axis (see pag.7 lines 3-24 and additionally see fig.1,4-5).
Lee teaches the housing with the scraper motor to be moveable linearly (as a whole), without rotation of the scraper motor about a horizontal axis to allow the engagement and disengagement of a blade to a receiving member (see Fig. 1, 4-5), therefore it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skilled artisan, before the effective filing date of the claimed invention, to manufacture the food processing system of Kim with scraper motor incorporated in a housing capable of moving linearly, without rotation about a horizontal axis as taught by Lee, as it would be beneficiary to Kim to be able to allow the engagement and disengagement of a scraper to the container and further improve the system.
Regarding claim 13,
The prior art Kim as modified by Lee, discloses all limitations in claim 12,
Kim further discloses wherein the step of lowering the scraper motor (111) is carried out by lowering a lifter handle (91) operatively connected to the scraper motor (111, see fig.2-3).
Regarding claim 14,
The prior art Kim as modified by Lee, discloses all limitations in claim 13,
Kim further discloses depressing a button (93) on the lifter handle (91) to free the lifter handle for movement.
Regarding claim 15,
The prior art Kim as modified by Lee, discloses all limitations in claim 13,
Kim further discloses wherein the scraper motor (111) is contained within a housing (90) slidably connected to a support member (see fig.2) extending upwardly from a base (30) of the food processing system (see fig.2 and 3 for slide).
Examiner notes, by definition Slide meaning : to move smoothly along a surface.
Claims 5 and 7 are rejected (as best understood) under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Kim in view of Lee as applied to claim 4 above, and in further view of Farid (U.S. Patent No. 8,495,941) hereinafter Farid.
Regarding claim 5,
The prior art Kim as modified by Lee, discloses all limitations in claim 4,
Kim in view of Lee is silent about the lifter handle includes a pair of arm members each having a distal end pivotally connected to the support member.
Kim and Farid disclose both art in the same field of endeavor of the claimed invention (i.e. Food processor apparatus).
Farid, in a similar art, teaches a lifter handle (18) to include a pair of arm members (see fig.1) each having a distal end pivotally connected (20) to the support member (34).
Farid, in a similar art, teaches a lifter handle (18) to include a pair of arm members (see fig.1) each having a distal end pivotally connected (20) to the support member (34).
Farid teaches the lifter handle with the pair of arm members to manually move the processing blade rectilinearly (Figs. 6, 7; col. 2, lines 40-55), therefore it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify system of Kim and modify the lifter handle to include the pair of arms, as taught by Farid, to be able to manually move the processing blade rectilinearly and save on energy.
Regarding claim 7,
The prior art Kim as modified by Lee and Farid, discloses all limitations in claim 5,
Kim further discloses wherein the lifter handle (90) includes an actuator (93) configured to selectively allow or restrain pivoting movement of the lifter handle about the support member (para. [0042] of translation).
Claims 9 and 10 are rejected (as best understood) under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Kim in view of Lee as applied to claim 1 above, and in further view Wagner et al. U.S. Patent (3,393,900) hereinafter Wagner.
Regarding claim 9,
The prior art Kim as modified by Lee, discloses all limitations in claim 1,
Kim further discloses wherein the drive coupling (113) includes a plurality of fins (see fig.3 and 16) arranged in an annular configuration; and are configured to correspondingly engage with the plurality of drive receiving features of the hub of the motor-driven scraper assembly (see fig.3,4,5 and 16).
Kim is silent about the plurality of drive receiving features of the hub of the motor-driven scraper assembly includes a plurality of fins arranged in an annular configuration wherein the plurality of fins of the drive coupling are configured to correspondingly engage with the plurality of fins of the hub of the motor-driven scraper assembly.
Kim and Wagner disclose both art in the same field of endeavor of the claimed invention (i.e. Food processor apparatus).
Wagner, in a similar art, teaches a food mixer (fig.1) with a plurality of drive receiving features (88) of the hub of the motor-driven scraper assembly (100) includes a plurality of fins (see fig.1) arranged in an annular configuration (see fig.1), wherein the plurality of fins (82) of the drive coupling are configured to correspondingly engage with the plurality of fins of the hub of the motor-driven scraper assembly (see fig.1).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to substitute the plurality of drive receiving features and the drive coupling of Kim with the coupling elements of Wagner to allow the plurality of fins of the drive coupling to be configured to correspondingly engage with the plurality of fins of the hub of the motor-driven scraper assembly and provide quick and easy disassembled for cleaning/maintenance (col.2 lines 12-14).
Regarding claim 10,
The prior art Kim as modified by Lee and Wagner, discloses all limitations in claim 9,
Kim in view of Wagner, discloses wherein the plurality of fins of the drive coupling (Wagner, 82) and the plurality of fins of the hub of the motor-driven scraper assembly (Wagner, 88) are wedge-shaped and each includes a vertical face and an inclined face (Wagner, see fig.5).
Claims 17 and 18 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Kim KR publication (102,407,113) hereinafter Kim in view of Lee KR publication (100,614,150) hereinafter Lee and Farid (U.S. Patent No. 8,495,941) hereinafter Farid.
Regarding claim 17,
Kim discloses a food processing system (fig.2), comprising:
a base (marked as element 30 in fig.2 hereinafter 30) having a motor (see fig.4 of claim 12);
a processing container (10) having a motor-driven processing blade (50) positioned at a bottom of the processing container (10, see fig.4) and engageable with an output shaft of the motor (see fig.4 of claim 12, shaft is an inherent element of motors) in the base (30);
a lid (130) receivable atop the processing container (10),
a scraper assembly (139,150) connected to the lid (130) and configured to scrape interior sidewalls of the processing container (10),
the scraper assembly (139,150) having a hub (139a-b) and at least one scraper blade (151) configured to extend into the processing container (10) radially inward of the interior sidewalls of the processing container upon placement of the lid (130) atop the processing container (10 see fig.4-5),
a scraper motor (111) positioned above the lid (130), the scraper motor (111) having a rotatable drive coupling (113 see fig.16) that is selectively engageable with the hub (139a-b) of the scraper assembly (139,150) to rotate the at least one scraper blade (151) upon actuation of the scraper motor (111),
a lifter handle (91, see fig.4) operatively connected to the scraper motor (111), the lifter handle (91) move the scraper motor (111) and drive coupling (113) between a raised position (see fig.3) in which the drive coupling (113) is vertically spaced from the scraper assembly (139,150), and a lowered position (see fig.2) in which the drive coupling (113) engages with the hub (139a-b) of the scraper assembly (139,150).
Kim does not disclose the lifter handle being rotatable along an arcuate path and the linear movement of the scraper motor and drive coupling.
Lee, in a similar art, teaches a housing (20) with a scraper motor (30, the scraping operation is recited in 13, lines 30-31) and a drive coupling (64,65) and the housing with the scraper motor and the drive coupling (as a whole) to be moveable linearly (see pag.7 lines 3-24 and additionally see fig.1,4-5).
Lee teaches the housing with the scraper motor and the drive coupling to be moveable linearly (as a whole) to allow the engagement and disengagement of a blade to a receiving member (see Fig. 1, 4-5), therefore it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skilled artisan, before the effective filing date of the claimed invention, to manufacture the food processing system of Kim with scraper motor and drive coupling incorporated in an housing capable of moving linearly as taught by Lee, as it would be beneficiary to Kim to be able to allow the engagement and disengagement of a scraper to the container and further improve the system.
Farid, in a similar art, teaches a lifter handle (18) to be rotatable along an arcuate path (see fig.6-7).
Farid teaches the lifter handle to be rotatable along an arcuate path to manually move the processing blade rectilinearly (Figs. 6, 7; col. 2, lines 40-55), therefore it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify system of Kim and modify the lifter handle to include the pair of arms, as taught by Farid, to be able to manually move the processing blade rectilinearly and save on energy.
Regarding claim 18,
The prior art Kim as modified by Lee and Farid, discloses all limitations in claim 17,
Kim discloses a support member (see fig.2 of claim 3) extending from the base (30); wherein the scraper motor (111) is operatively connected to the support member for movement along the support member (see fig.2-3).
Kim does not disclose for linear movement along the support member.
Lee, in the similar art, teaches a system (fig.1) with the scraper motor (30) with linear movement along a support member (52, see fig.1).
Lee teaches the motor with linear movement along the support member to allow the engagement and disengagement of a blade to a receiving member (see Fig. 1, 4-5), therefore it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skilled artisan, before the effective filing date of the claimed invention, to manufacture the food processing system of Kim with the motor with linear movement along the support member as taught by Lee, as it would be beneficiary to Kim to be able to allow the engagement and disengagement of a scraper to the container and further improve the system.
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 6, 11,16 and 20 are allowed.
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.
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February 17, 2026
/BSO/Examiner, Art Unit 3725
/Christopher L Templeton/Supervisory Patent Examiner, Art Unit 3725