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 .
Information Disclosure Statement
No Information Disclosure Statement has been filed.
Drawings
The drawings are objected to as failing to comply with 37 CFR 1.84(p)(5) because they include the following reference character(s) not mentioned in the description:
Fig. 13 #624 please do not remove the reference sign, but instead add it to the specification without adding new matter.
Corrected drawing sheets in compliance with 37 CFR 1.121(d), or amendment to the specification to add the reference character(s) in the description in compliance with 37 CFR 1.121(b) 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. 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.
The drawings are objected to under 37 CFR 1.83(a) because they fail to show the water inlet chamber and the water outlet chamber as described in the specification. Any structural detail that is essential for a proper understanding of the disclosed invention should be shown in the drawing. MPEP § 608.02(d). 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 Interpretation
Claim 4 line(s) 6-11 sets forth the limitation “the wheel frame is provided with a large through-hole and a small through-hole […] the wheel shaft comprises a small diameter portion and a large diameter portion […]”. The claim terms “large through-hole”, “small through-hole”, “small diameter portion”, and “large diameter portion” are interpreted as descriptions of the relative size to each other and would be understood to one having ordinary skill in the art.
Double Patenting Analysis
US Patent or application
Double Patenting
US 12326012
no
Claim Objections
Claims 1-14 are objected to because of the following informalities: Where a claim sets forth a plurality of elements or steps, each element or step of the claim should be separated by a line indentation, 37 CFR 1.75(i). See MPEP 6083.01(m).
Claim 2 line(s) 3 sets forth the limitation “an swingout-baffle”, which should be corrected to - - [[an]] a swingout-baffle - -
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.
Claims 1-14 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 112(b) as being indefinite for failing to particularly point out and distinctly claim the subject matter which the inventor or a joint inventor regards as the invention.
Claim 1 line(s) 6 sets forth the limitation “the outer side”. There is insufficient antecedent basis for this limitation in the claim.
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 1-14 have allowable subject matter over the prior art of record.
The prior art neither teaches, suggests, nor makes obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art a swimming pool cleaning machine and a power unit therefor.
CAO (US 20210156163) discloses an autonomous cleaner for a swimming pool (title, Figs.; par. [0004]) comprising:
a housing (Fig. 1 #10),
a travelling device (Fig. 1 #16) arranged at a bottom of the housing and
a filter screen (Figs. 1,3 #20) arranged inside the housing,
wherein the filter screen divides a space inside the housing into a water inlet chamber (Fig. 7 #203) and a water outlet chamber (Fig. 7 #15),
the water inlet chamber is in communication with water inlets (Fig. 3 #21) at the bottom of the housing,
the water outlet chamber is in communication with a power unit (Fig. 3 #30),
the inlet of the impeller (see e.g. impeller #31 with arrows as shown in Fig. 7) is communicated with the water inside the water outlet chamber, and,
the water outlet is in communication with an outside of the housing (arrows near Fig. 7 #22).
SHLOMI-SHLOMI (US 20140076789) discloses a pool cleaning apparatus (title, Figs.) including inter alia a first and second impeller, a first and second pump motor, and first and second outlets (abstract, par. [0004,0018-0019]).
YU (US 20210238876) discloses a mechanism for detecting obstacles and mechanically reversing (a direction of) a pool cleaner (title, Figs.) comprising:
an impeller (Fig. 2 #3) and a water outlet channel (Fig. 2 #4) horizontally arranged and communicated with the impeller,
wherein the water outlet channel comprises a spiral portion (“volute”, Fig. 2 #5; par. [0058]),
a linear flowing portion (at the outlet; Fig. 2) and a water outlet (Fig. 2 #2) which are communicated to one another in sequence,
an inlet of the impeller is communicated with water (par. [0085]/L32-36),
an outlet of the impeller is communicated with the spiral portion (Fig. 2; par. [0085]/L32-36), and,
the linear flowing portion deflects to the outer side of a spiral direction of the spiral portion (Fig. 2; note that the centerline of the outlet aligns with the centerline of the volute).
Telephonic Inquiries
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to LIAM A ROYCE whose telephone number is (571)270-0352. The examiner can normally be reached M-F 8:30-4:30.
Examiner interviews are available via telephone 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, VICKIE KIM can be reached at (571)272-0579. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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LIAM A. ROYCE
Primary Examiner
Art Unit 1777
/Liam Royce/ Examiner, Art Unit 1777
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