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
The drawings are objected to because a lot of figures are not clear. Many of those figures are shown in dash lines. It’s not clear to see where callout lines are directed to on the figures. 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 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.
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 and 14 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 recites the limitation "the locking device" in line 1-2. There is insufficient antecedent basis for this limitation in the claim. Examiner recommend applicant to amend this limitation to (and for examining purpose, examiner interprets this limitation is) “the door locking device”.
Claim 14 recites “which corresponds to an opposite side of the link end”. It’s not clear what “which” refers to (what structure corresponds to an opposite side of the link end?).
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 1-8, 10-12 and 20 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Dino (US 20170328576).
Regarding claim 1, Dino teaches a cooking appliance ([0001] “The present invention relates to components for household ovens and concerns a door-locking device for self-cleaning household ovens”), comprising:
a casing having a cavity therein (oven inherently has a casing that has cavity);
a door (92, fig 3) disposed at a front of the casing and configured to open and close the cavity (door inherently is placed at a front of oven housing and capable of opening or closing the cavity); and
a door locking device (10, fig 3) disposed at the casing, and configured to lock the door in a closed state, wherein the door locking device comprises:
a locking housing (formed by 58 and 12, shown in fig 1-3) disposed at the casing (oven 88 including a front frame 90);
a latch (30, fig 2) disposed at the locking housing (see fig 2-3), partially protruding forward from the casing (see fig 3), and configured to be caught by a fixing hole (98, fig 3) of the door ([0030] “The hole 98 is designed to receive the L-shaped end 34 of the locking arm 30.”) when rotated in a first direction (shown in fig 5), and separated from the fixing hole when rotated in a second direction (shown in fig 4); and
a closing button (26, fig 1 or fig 3a) spaced apart from the latch in the locking housing (as shown in fig 1, they are separate structures), and configured to be pressed by a rear surface (a back surface of door 92) of the door ([0024] “When the door 92 is closed, the surface 96 of the locking member 94 of the door 92 presses against the button 26 and pushes the button 26”) to be inserted into the locking housing.
Regarding claim 2, Dino teaches the locking housing is disposed in an upper space (space of upper portion of front frame 90, fig 3) of the casing divided from the cavity (frame 90 is separate from the cavity).
Regarding claim 3, Dino teaches the closing button is disposed in the locking housing and configured to protrude from and be inserted into the locking housing, and wherein the closing button is pressed by the rear surface of the door while protruding from the locking housing to be inserted into the locking housing (see movement of button 26 in fig 4-5).
Regarding claim 4, Dino teaches the latch is disposed higher than the closing button (see fig 4-5).
Regarding claim 5, Dino teaches the rear surface of the door has a locking body (94, fig 3) that protrudes toward the closing button, and wherein the fixing hole to which the latch is caught is provided in the locking body (see fig 3).
Regarding claim 6, Dino teaches a door frame (rear surface portion of door 92 that supports locking member 94, shown in fig 3) is provided at an upper portion (upper portion of door) of the door, wherein the locking body is disposed at the door frame (see fig 3), wherein the fixing hole is open upward at a center portion of the locking body (see fig 3), and wherein a pushing surface (96, fig 3) having a flat surface shape (surface 96 is flat) is formed on a first lateral side or a second lateral side of the fixing hole in the locking body (see fig 3, surface 96 is on a lateral side of hole 98).
Regarding claim 7, Dino teaches when the door is closed, the pushing surface forms a flat surface that extends parallel to a front surface of the casing (this is inherent because the pushing surface pushes the button 26 and the door that includes pushing surface inherently extends parallel of oven housing).
Regarding claim 8, Dino teaches an entrance (cross-sectional entrance opening of 98) of the fixing hole is located higher (see fig 3-4) than an upper end (upper edge of 96, fig 3-4) of the pushing surface, and wherein the entrance of the fixing hole has a same height (See fig 3) as an upper surface (an upper surface of door that supports locking member 94, shown in fig 3) of the door frame.
Regarding claim 10, Dino teaches the closing button is laterally spaced from the latch (see fig 1).
Regarding claim 11, Dino teaches a front frame (90, fig 3 and 3a) is disposed in front of the casing, and wherein an upper portion of the front frame has a latch hole through which the latch protrudes and a button hole through which the closing button protrudes (See fig 3a, latch hole and button hole are inherently provided for latch and button to protrude out of frame 90).
Regarding claim 12, Dino teaches the door locking housing of the locking device comprises: a first operation path (the space that accommodates latch 30, fig 4-5) on which the latch is disposed; and a second operation path (the space that accommodates button 26, fig 4-5) formed at one side of the first operation path in parallel to the first operation path (the paths extends parallelly as shown in fig 4-5), and in which the closing button is disposed.
Regarding claim 20, Dino teaches a cooking appliance ([0001] “The present invention relates to components for household ovens and concerns a door-locking device for self-cleaning household ovens”), comprising:
a casing having a cavity (oven inherently has a casing that has cavity) and an upper space (space of upper portion of front frame 90, fig 3) divided from the cavity (frame 90 is separate from the cavity);
a door (92, fig 3) disposed at a front of the casing and configured to open and close the cavity (door inherently is placed at a front of oven housing and capable of opening or closing the cavity); and
a door locking device (10, fig 3) disposed at the casing, and configured to lock the door in a closed state, wherein the door locking device comprises:
a latch (30, fig 2) that protrudes forward from the upper space (see fig 3), and configured to be caught by a fixing hole (98, fig 3) of the door ([0030] “The hole 98 is designed to receive the L-shaped end 34 of the locking arm 30.”) while being rotated; and
a closing button (26, fig 1 or fig 3a) disposed at one side (lower side) of the latch spaced apart from the latch in the locking housing (as shown in fig 1, they are separate structures), and configured to be pressed by a rear surface (a back surface of door 92) of the door ([0024] “When the door 92 is closed, the surface 96 of the locking member 94 of the door 92 presses against the button 26 and pushes the button 26”) to be inserted into the upper space.
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 9, 13, 15-19 are objected to as being dependent upon a rejected base claim, but would be allowable if rewritten in independent form including all of the limitations of the base claim and any intervening claims.
Claim 14 would be allowable if rewritten to overcome the rejection(s) under 35 U.S.C. 112(b) or 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), 2nd paragraph, set forth in this Office action and to include all of the limitations of the base claim and any intervening claims.
Claim 21 is allowed.
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to KO-WEI LIN whose telephone number is (571)270-7675. The examiner can normally be reached M-F 6:30-2:30 Eastern Time.
Examiner interviews are available via telephone, in-person, 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, Steve McAllister can be reached at (571)272-6785. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/KO-WEI LIN/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3762