The present application, filed on or after March 16, 2013, is being examined under the first inventor to file provisions of the AIA .
DETAILED ACTION
Response to Amendment
Acknowledgement is made to the RCE amendments received February 24, 2026, amending Claims 1, 8, and 15. Claim 21 was cancelled.
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.
A person shall be entitled to a patent unless –
(a)(2) the claimed invention was described in a patent issued under section 151, or in an application for patent published or deemed published under section 122(b), in which the patent or application, as the case may be, names another inventor and was effectively filed before the effective filing date of the claimed invention.
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 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.
Claims 8, 9, and 14 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(2) as being anticipated by Lee et al. US 2019/0167052 (hereafter Lee et al.).
Regarding Claim 8, Lee et al. anticipates:
8. (Currently Amended) A robotic cleaner (robot cleaner 300) comprising:
a body (main body 310) having a top wall (labeled and shown in attached zoomed in Figure 14 below), a bottom wall (bottom surface, Paragraph [0107]), a sidewall (left surface 315 and right surface 316) extending between the top wall and the bottom wall (Figures 14 and 15) to form at least a portion of an outer surface of the body (shown in Figures 14 and 15), and a receptacle (side discharge passage 368 which receives (thus receptacle of) exhaust air from the fan 20) extending within the sidewall (shown in Figure 15);
a suction motor (motor 21 of fan 20 shown in Figure 15); and
at least one air jet assembly (side discharge ports 356, 357, and auxiliary discharge port 359) having a nozzle (nozzle of discharge port 359) and a coupling wall (labeled in attached zoomed in Figure 14 below) configured to be received within an open end of the receptacle (opening at auxiliary discharge passage 371), the open end of the receptacle extending along the top wall (labeled and shown in attached zoomed in Figure 14 below), the coupling wall being configured to and to form at least a portion of the outer surface of the body (shown in attached zoomed in Figure 14), the at least one air jet assembly (auxiliary discharge port 359) being configured to generate an air jet that extends outwardly from the sidewall of the body (shown in Figures 14 and 15).
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Regarding Claim 9, Lee et al. anticipates:
9. (Original) The robotic cleaner of claim 8, wherein the at least one air jet assembly (side discharge ports 356, 357, and auxiliary discharge port 359) is fluidly coupled to a fan (fan 20).
Regarding Claim 14, Lee et al. anticipates:
14. (Currently Amended) The robotic cleaner of claim 8, wherein the nozzle (nozzle of discharge port 359) includes a flow splitter (side discharge passage 368 shown in Figure 15 splits to provide air to side discharge port 356 and auxiliary discharge port 359).
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 11-13 are objected to as being dependent upon a rejected base claim but it would be allowable if rewritten to overcome the rejection(s) set forth in this Office action and to include all of the limitations of the base claim and any intervening claims.
Regarding Claims 1-7 and 15-20, a search of the prior art does not teach or reasonably suggest the device as claimed in the context of the entire scope of the claims. Thus, for at least the foregoing reasons, the instant invention is neither anticipated nor rendered obvious by the prior art because the device is not taught nor suggested as set forth in the entire context of the claims.
Response to Arguments
Rejections Under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) and 103
Applicant’s arguments with amendments, filed February 24, 2026, with respect to the 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) and 35 U.S.C. 103 rejection(s) of Claims 15- 21 under Muramatsu WO 2016/038918 have been fully considered and are persuasive. Therefore, the rejections under Muramatsu have been withdrawn.
Rejections Under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(2) and 103
Applicant’s arguments with amendments, filed February 24, 2026, with respect to the 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) and 35 U.S.C. 103 rejection(s) of Claims 1-3 under Lee et al. US 2019/0167052 have been fully considered and are persuasive. Therefore, the rejections of Claims 1-3 under Lee et al. have been withdrawn.
Applicant’s arguments with amendments, filed February 24, 2026, with respect to the 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(2) of Claims 8, 9, and 14 under Lee et al. US 2019/0167052 have been fully considered and are not persuasive. Therefore, the rejections of Claims 8, 9, and 14 under Lee et al. stand with modification s necessitated by amendment.
The Examiner has included a labeled figure that identifies the claim elements argued as missing in his arguments.
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to MARC CARLSON whose telephone number is (571)272-9963. The examiner can normally be reached Monday-Thursday 6:30am-3:30pm.
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If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, BRIAN KELLER can be reached on (571) 272-8548. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/MARC CARLSON/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3723
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