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 .
Election/Restrictions
Applicant’s election of species 1 (Figs. 1, 2A-C, 3A-C, 4A-C, 5A-C) which is drawn to claims 1-2, 4-13, and 18-20 is acknowledged. Claims 3, 14-17 are withdrawn from further consideration pursuant to 37 CFR 1.142(b) as being drawn to a nonelected species, there being no allowable generic or linking claim. Election was made without traverse in the reply filed on 06/04//2026.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 102
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.
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 1-2, 4, 9-13 and 18-20 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated over Caswell (US 20170354292 A1).
Regarding independent claim 1, Caswell discloses, a splatter-reducing device (see microwave cover member 200 in Figs. 2-4) comprising:
a magnetic member (see magnet assembly 220 in Fig. 2A) magnetically coupled to an interior ceiling surface (see microwave oven ceiling 12 as same as the configuration shown in Fig. 1C) of a cooking appliance (see microwave oven 10 as same as the configuration shown in Fig. 1C), the magnetic member (220) comprising a magnet (see at least one magnets 224A and 224B in Fig. 3A) and a first coupling component (see bottom 222B in Fig. 3A) affixed to a bottom surface of the magnet (see Fig. 3A);
a support frame (see top 222A in Fig. 3A) comprising a second coupling component (see annotated Fig. 3A and Fig. 4A and disclosed in para 0030 “top 222A and bottom 222B, which in this case both halves snap-fit together as illustrated in FIGS. 4A and 4B to form magnet assembly 220”) removably coupled to the first coupling component (see Fig. 3A) such that the support frame (220) is suspended within the cooking appliance (see the same configuration as shown in Fig. 1C); and
a shroud (see dome housing 202 in Fig. 2A) supported by the support frame (see the same configuration as shown in Fig. 1C and disclosed in para 0030 “cover member 200 stores inside housing 202 one or more semi-permanently affixed microwave-safe magnetic assemblies 220 at the top so as to magnetically adhere cover member 202 to the inside surface 12 (or any surface) of the microwave oven keeping the cover member lifted up and out of the way until the next use”) and shaped to enclose a central region for placing food or liquid to be heated within the cooking appliance (see Fig. 2A and disclosed in para 0024 “a reusable microwave splatter cover that does not generally become hot during cooking, remaining generally cool to the touch and does not overly steam up inside thereby getting wet and dripping condensation all over the food when the microwave cover is removed from a heating plate or microwave carousel assembly”).
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Regarding claim 2, Caswell discloses, the splatter-reducing device of claim 1, wherein: the first coupling component (222B) comprises a flanged terminus (see annotated Fig. 4A); and the second coupling component (see annotated Fig. 4A) comprises a slotted groove (see annotated Fig. 4A) that receives the flanged terminus at a first end of the slotted groove and guides the flanged terminus to a removably fixed position at a second end of the slotted groove (see Fig. 4A and disclosed in para 0030 “top 222A and bottom 222B, which in this case both halves snap-fit together as illustrated in FIGS. 4A and 4B to form magnet assembly 220”).
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Regarding claim 4, Caswell discloses, the splatter-reducing device of claim 1, wherein the support frame (222A) comprises a planar support frame (see annotated Fig. 4A) suspended within the cooking appliance approximately parallel to a floor surface of the cooking appliance (see the same configuration as shown in Fig. 1C).
Regarding claim 9, Caswell discloses, the splatter-reducing device of claim 1, wherein the second coupling component is located at a central region of a top surface of the support frame (see annotated Fig. 3A and Fig. 4A and disclosed in para 0030 “top 222A and bottom 222B, which in this case both halves snap-fit together as illustrated in FIGS. 4A and 4B to form magnet assembly 220”).
Regarding claim 10, Caswell discloses, the splatter-reducing device of claim 1, wherein: the splatter-reducing device further comprises a second magnetic member (see another magnetic assembly 220 as annotated in Fig. 3A) magnetically coupled to the interior ceiling surface of the cooking appliance (see microwave oven ceiling 12 as same as the configuration shown in Fig. 1C), the second magnetic member comprising a second magnet (see another 224A in Fig. 3A) and a third coupling component (see another 222B in Fig. 3A) affixed to a bottom surface of the second magnet (see Fig. 3A); and the support frame (see another 222B in Fig. 3A) comprises a fourth coupling component (see Fig. 3A) removably coupled to the third coupling component (see Fig. 3A).
Regarding claim 11, Caswell discloses, the splatter-reducing device of claim 1, wherein the support frame comprises a ventilation hole (see annotated Fig. 3A).
Regarding claim 12, Caswell discloses, the splatter-reducing device of claim 1, wherein the shroud comprises an absorbent paper material (disclosed in para 0037 “the material of the cover member is not just limited to plastic and includes other microwave and standard oven safe materials such as metal, glass, aluminum, cardboard, ceramic and silicone”).
Regarding claim 13, Caswell discloses, the splatter-reducing device of claim 1, wherein the support frame comprises a plastic material (disclosed in para 0037 “the material of the cover member is not just limited to plastic and includes other microwave and standard oven safe materials such as metal, glass, aluminum, cardboard, ceramic and silicone”).
Regarding independent claim 18, Caswell discloses, a device (see microwave cover member 200 in Figs. 2-4) comprising:
a fixable member (see magnet assembly 220 in Fig. 2A) comprising an adhesive patch (see at least one magnets 224A and 224B in Fig. 3A) and a first coupling component (see bottom 222B in Fig. 3A), the adhesive patch (see at least one magnets 224A and 224B in Fig. 3A) removably coupling the fixable member (see Fig. 3A) to an interior ceiling surface (see microwave oven ceiling 12 as same as the configuration shown in Fig. 1C) of a cooking appliance (see microwave oven 10 as same as the configuration shown in Fig. 1C);
a support frame (see top 222A in Fig. 3A) comprising a second coupling component (see annotated Fig. 3A and Fig. 4A and disclosed in para 0030 “top 222A and bottom 222B, which in this case both halves snap-fit together as illustrated in FIGS. 4A and 4B to form magnet assembly 220”) removably coupled to the first coupling component (see Fig. 3A) such that the support frame (220) is suspended within the cooking appliance (see the same configuration as shown in Fig. 1C); and
a shroud (see dome housing 202 in Fig. 2A) supported by the support frame (see the same configuration as shown in Fig. 1C and disclosed in para 0030 “cover member 200 stores inside housing 202 one or more semi-permanently affixed microwave-safe magnetic assemblies 220 at the top so as to magnetically adhere cover member 202 to the inside surface 12 (or any surface) of the microwave oven keeping the cover member lifted up and out of the way until the next use”) and shaped to enclose a central region for placing food or liquid to be heated within the cooking appliance (see Fig. 2A and disclosed in para 0024 “a reusable microwave splatter cover that does not generally become hot during cooking, remaining generally cool to the touch and does not overly steam up inside thereby getting wet and dripping condensation all over the food when the microwave cover is removed from a heating plate or microwave carousel assembly”).
Regarding claim 19, Caswell discloses, the device of claim 18, wherein the shroud comprises an absorbent paper material (disclosed in para 0037 “the material of the cover member is not just limited to plastic and includes other microwave and standard oven safe materials such as metal, glass, aluminum, cardboard, ceramic and silicone”).
Regarding claim 20, Caswell discloses, the device of claim 18, wherein the support frame comprises a plastic material (disclosed in para 0037 “the material of the cover member is not just limited to plastic and includes other microwave and standard oven safe materials such as metal, glass, aluminum, cardboard, ceramic and silicone”).
Allowable Subject Matter
Claim 5 is 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.
The following is a statement of reasons for the indication of allowable subject matter:
Regarding claim 5, Caswell discloses, the splatter-reducing device of claim 1, however, Caswell does not explicitly disclose, wherein the shroud is slidably coupled to the support frame and the shroud comprises: a top member comprising a top sub-member and a bottom sub-member adjoined at two opposing edges to form a support frame pocket that sandwiches the support frame when the shroud is slidably coupled to the support frame; and four flaps affixed to four respective edges of the top member such that the four flaps suspend from the bottom sub-member to enclose the central region for placing food or liquid to be heated within the cooking appliance. No additional evidence was found to reasonably render a case of obviousness against the claimed invention. As such, claim 5 is allowed.
Claims 6-8 are also objected to as being dependent upon claim 5.
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to VY T NGUYEN whose telephone number is (571) 272-6015. The examiner can normally be reached Monday-Friday approx. 9:00 am-5:00 pm ET.
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If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Ibrahime Abraham can be reached on (571) 270-5569. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/VY T NGUYEN/Examiner, Art Unit 3761
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