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 .
Drawings
Figure 1 should be designated by a legend such as --Prior Art-- because only that which is old is illustrated. See MPEP § 608.02(g). Corrected drawings in compliance with 37 CFR 1.121(d) are required in reply to the Office action to avoid abandonment of the application. The replacement sheet(s) should be labeled “Replacement Sheet” in the page header (as per 37 CFR 1.84(c)) so as not to obstruct any portion of the drawing figures. 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 Rejections - 35 USC § 102
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.
Claims 1-12 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Mitsubishi Electric Corp (JP2010054146A), Translation Referenced.
Regarding claim 1, Mitsubishi (M) discloses a humidification module comprising: a housing (101, Figure 1) including a lower part (below 111) to store water and a guide part (L- shaped element in Figure 1, top of 103) to guide droplets (113) generated from the stored water in the lower part of the housing (103) to an upper part (104) of the housing; and a fan (107) configured to guide heated air (Via heater 106) to the housing, wherein the housing comprises: a first flow path (right side vertical arrows from fan) through which a first part of the heated air guided by the fan passes through the lower part of the housing (101) and is guided with the droplets to the upper part (104) of the housing by the guide part; and a second flow path (114, Left side vertical arrows above fan) through which a second part of the heated air guided by the fan that vaporizes the droplets guided with the first part of the heated air passes and is guided to the upper part of the housing (104) by the guide part.
Regarding claim 2, Mitsubishi (M) discloses the humidification module according to claim 1, wherein the housing (101) further comprises a branch pipe between the guide part and the fan (107), and a lower part of the branch pipe comprises a first leakage part through which the first part of the heated air flows to the first flow path, and an upper part of the branch pipe comprises a second leakage part through which the second part of the heated air flows to the second flow path (The first and second flow paths are contained in respective branch pipes). See Annotated Figure below:
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Regarding claim 3, Mitsubishi (M) discloses the humidification module according to claim 2, wherein the first part of the heated air flows from the branch pipe to the first leakage part (see Figure above), passes the lower part of housing (103), and is guided to the upper part of the housing (104) with droplets by the guide part, and wherein the second part of the heated air flows from the branch pipe to the second leakage part (see Figure above) and is guided to the upper part (104) of the housing by the guide part.
Regarding claim 4, Mitsubishi (M) discloses the humidification module according to claim 2, wherein the first leakage part and the second leakage part of the branch pipe are at a location higher than a water level of the water stored in the lower part (103) of the housing (see annotated figure above).
Regarding claim 5, Mitsubishi (M) discloses the humidification module according to claim 1, wherein the first flow path and the second flow path has a common section in which the first part of the heated air and the second part of the heated air are mixed with each other (area between numeral 112 and 111 in Figure 1).
Regarding claim 6, Mitsubishi (M) discloses the humidification module according to claim 5, wherein the housing further comprises a mixing part (104,104a, Pg. 3, Par. 10- Pg. 4, Par.1), at a starting point of the common section and in which the first part of the heated air and the second part of the heated air are mixed with each other and flow.
Regarding claim 7, Mitsubishi (M) discloses the humidification module according to claim 6, wherein the mixing part (104, Figure 1) comprises a guide (104a), and wherein the guide of the mixing part causes the first part of the heated air and the second part of the heated air to flow in a spiral direction and the droplets to vaporize (Pg. 4, Par.3).
Regarding claim 8, Mitsubishi (M) discloses the humidification module according to claim 1, wherein the housing (101) further comprises a discharge part (104a) configured to discharge the droplets vaporized by the heated air to outside of the humidification module.
Regarding claim 9, Mitsubishi (M) discloses the humidification module according to claim 1, further comprising: a branch pipe (Left and right side vertical arrows above fan follow the branch pipe, not labeled in Figure 1); a heater (106) between the branch pipe and the fan (107), the heater being configured to heat external air sucked through by the fan and supply the heated air to the branch pipe.
Regarding claim 10, Mitsubishi (M) discloses a home appliance comprising a humidification module (100, Figure 1), the home appliance comprising: a memory (108, i.e. controller, CPU, Microcomputer) to store at least one instruction; and a processor configured to be communicatively coupled to the memory to control the home appliance (108, i.e. controller), wherein the humidification module comprises: a fan (107, Figure) configured to suck external air; a heater (106) configured to be connected to the fan, heat the external air sucked through the fan and supply heated air; and a housing (101) including a lower part (below 111) to store water and a guide part (L- shaped element in Figure 1, top of 103) to guide droplets (113) generated from the stored water in the lower part of the housing to an upper part (104) of the housing, and wherein the housing comprises: a first flow path (right side vertical arrows from fan) through which a first part of the heated air guided by the fan passes through the lower part of the housing (101) and is guided with the droplets to the upper part (104) of the housing by the guide part; and a second flow path (114, Left side vertical arrows above fan) through which a second part of the heated air guided by the fan that vaporizes the droplets guided with the first part of the heated air passes and is guided to the upper part of the housing (104) by the guide part, with a mixing part in which the first part of the heated air and the second part of the heated air are mixed with each other and flow (104, 104a, Pg. 3, Par. 10- Pg. 4, Par.1).
Regarding claim 11, Mitsubishi (M) discloses the home appliance according to claim 10, wherein the home appliance further comprises a first water tank (M-102, Figure 1) to store water, the humidification module further comprises a second water tank (103) to store water introduced from the first water tank, the housing further comprises an opening (Termini of 110) to connect the first water tank and the second water tank, and the first water tank and the second water tank are connected through a water supply pipe (110).
Regarding claim 12, Mitsubishi (M) discloses the home appliance according to claim 11, further comprising: a water level detection sensor configured to detect a water level of the second water tank, wherein the processor is configured to adjust an amount of the first part of the heated air moving through the first flow path (110) by adjusting an amount of water (Pg. 3, Par. 7, because the system utilizes a microcomputer, the water adjustment would be factored into its operation based on the complexity of its additional functions) introduced from the first water tank to the second water tank based on the water level of the second water tank detected through the water level detection sensor (.
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 13-15 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Mitsubishi Electric Corp (JP2010054146A) and an Engineering Expedient.
Regarding claim 13, Mitsubishi (M), as modified, discloses the home appliance according to claim 11, further comprising: a user interface (microcomputer typically have user interfaces), but not that the processor is configured to, based on a user input to adjust a humidification amount of the home appliance being obtained through the user interface, adjust an amount of the first part of the heated air moving through the first flow path by adjusting an amount of water introduced from the first water tank to the second water tank based on the user input.
However, Mitsubishi does disclose extensive operational modes to control temperature and temperature of the device (Pg. 4, Par.9-Pg. 5, Par. 6), so it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art, prior to the effective filing date with the typical skills of an engineer to program the device to factor in these parameters in order to control the humidity produced during performing his tasks of engineering this device to function property.
Regarding claim 14, Mitsubishi (M), as modified, discloses the home appliance according to claim 10, further comprising: a user interface, but not that the processor is configured to: obtain a user input to adjust a humidification amount of the home appliance through the user interface; and adjust an amount of the external air sucked through the fan based on the user input.
However, Mitsubishi does disclose extensive operational modes to control temperature and temperature of the device (Pg. 4, Par.9-Pg. 5, Par. 6), so it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art, prior to the effective filing date with the typical skills of an engineer to program the device to factor in these parameters in order to control the humidity produced during performing his tasks of engineering this device to function property.
Regarding claim 15, Mitsubishi (M), as modified, discloses the home appliance according to claim 11, further comprising: a user interface; and a humidity sensor to detect an external humidity of the home appliance (Pg.5, Par. 5), but not that the processor is configured to adjust an amount of the first part of the heated air moving through the first flow path by adjusting an amount of water introduced from the first water tank to the second water tank by comparing a humidity setting value input through the user interface and the external humidity detected through the humidity sensor.
However, Mitsubishi does disclose extensive operational modes to control temperature and temperature of the device (Pg. 4, Par.9- Pg. 5, Par. 6), so it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art, prior to the effective filing date with the typical skills of an engineer to program the device to factor in these parameters in order to control the humidity produced during performing his tasks of engineering this device to function property.
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure. Choi et al. (US 2024/0200792) disclose a humidifier, as claimed with the exception that it does not heat the incoming air before mixing with the humid air, which could be an obvious modification to improve mixing of the two streams. Please see PTO-892
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/JOHN E BARGERO/Examiner, Art Unit 3762
/STEVEN B MCALLISTER/Supervisory Patent Examiner, Art Unit 3762