DETAILED ACTION
Claim Objections
Claim 3 is objected to because of the following informalities: “a magnetic attractable piece” in the third line should be “a second magnetic attractable piece”. 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.
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 1-10 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 1 states that the drawable blowing mechanism is installed at the air outlet on the upper surface of the bathtub body. However, the claim recites that an air outlet is located on the upper surface of the bathtub body or above the bathtub body. It is unclear whether the claim requires a drawable blowing mechanism in an embodiment in which the air outlet is above the body instead of on the upper surface of the body, since the drawable blowable mechanism is only claimed to be installed at an air outlet on the upper surface of the body. It is assumed that the blowing mechanism would be installed at an air outlet on the upper surface of the body or above the body.
Claims 2 and 3recite the air outlet on the upper surface of the bathtub body. As discussed above, it is unclear if an air outlet above the bathtub body is also contemplated.
Claim 9 recites the limitation "the air outlet" (two instances). There is insufficient antecedent basis for this limitation in the claim because it is unclear which air outlet is being referred to.
Remaining claims are rejected due to their dependency on a rejected claim.
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 1-10 would be allowable if rewritten or amended 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.
The following is a statement of reasons for the indication of allowable subject matter: The closest prior art of record is CN105299892A by Situ. Situ teaches a bathtub assembly having a body 1 with a concave part and a ventilation space inside the body, an air inlet at an upper surface of the body, an outlet 5, and a hot air device 2 arranged independently of the body, an air outlet of the device communicated with the air inlet (fig. 1).
Situ does not teach a ventilation pipeline arranged spirally around the concave part of the bathtub body. It was known to have a pipeline spirally arranged around a concave body of a bathtub for purposes of heating water within the tub (see DE20108037U1 by Kluge). However, the prior art of record does not teach a ventilation pipeline spirally arranged around a concave part. The pipeline taught by Kluge is intended to convey liquid and not air. Furthermore, one of ordinary skill in the art would not have had obvious motivation based on the present record to modify the bathtub assembly taught by Situ to have the claimed pipeline. Situ contemplates a space along the concave part of convey air and perform the function of heating water within the tub, and no rationale has been identified to render obvious a modification to make the ventilation space a spirally arranged pipeline.
Situ teaches that its outlet 5 blows air into a room and not specifically to a ground surface. However, Lin et al. (CN109612094A) teaches a bathtub assembly with a blower to blow air along a floor; one of ordinary skill in the art would have recognized as obvious to have an air outlet to blow air to a ground surface based on teachings of Lin.
Situ also does not teach a drawable blowing mechanism. The claimed mechanism is interpreted such that it communicates air from the ventilation pipeline and conveys it out of a blowing means, the mechanism being drawable relative to the ventilation pipeline. Yun et al. (KR20110004721A) teaches a bathing assembly with a drawable blowing mechanism 70 (fig. 2). However, Yun teaches that its mechanism delivers hot air and water, and it also is not drawn relative to a ventilation pipeline (see fig. 2, note the blowing mechanism 70 is drawn along with the ventilation pipeline from fan 60, the pipeline having a weight 71). Nothing in the present record provides sufficient obvious rationale to have the claimed drawable blowing mechanism in the assembly taught by Situ, in particular a mechanism for blowing air and the relative movement of the mechanism to a ventilation pipeline.
Conclusion
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/SPENCER E. BELL/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 1711