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 .
Response to Arguments
Applicant’s arguments, see page 8, filed 03/09/2026, with respect to the rejection(s) of claim(s) 1-6, 8-10, 12-15, and 17 under 103 have been fully considered and are persuasive. Therefore, the rejection has been withdrawn. However, upon further consideration, a new ground(s) of rejection is made in view of a new interpretation of Yang (US 20190328193 A1) in view of Cipolla (US 20060000051 A1), Zahuranec (US 6145159 A) and Wild (US 20150351597 A1).
Examiner has updated the rejection with a different interpretation of Cipolla, as Cipolla discloses a supply tank 50, including outlet port 210, which is a part of the cannister 43 including the recovery tank 42. The outlet port 210, is connected to and opened by 222 (Seen in Fig. 5, see Para [0060]) when the cannister 43 is inserted into the cleaner, where the portion of the recovery path that is in the cannister connects to the portion of the recovery path that is in the cleaner, and when the cannister 43 is removed, the supply tank is removed. The outlet port forms the bottom wall of the supply tank and also a portion of the recovery path.
Wild Discloses a cleaner with a base (10), with a supply tank (20) seated atop the base (See Fig. 1 and 2), where in the recovery path (24, 28, 30) is attached to the supply and recovery tank (20 and 22), wherein removing the supply tank removes a portion of the supply tank (removing 20 would remove the associated portion of the recovery path 28, see Para [0032] and Fig. 1 and 2).
Zahuranec discloses a cleaner wherein a portion of a recovery path is a removed with a tank (See Col 14 Line 38-58), and additionally discloses removing a nozzle cover to directly expose the interior of the recovery path in order to remove trapped debris (See Col 14 Line 54-58).
It would be obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filling date of the invention to modify Yang in view of Cipolla, wild and Zahuranec such that wherein a portion of the recovery path is formed by a bottom wall of the supply tank (as disclosed by Cipolla and as the bottom wall of the supply tank yang is in direct contact with the upper wall of the recovery path) wherein removing the supply tank removes a portion of the recovery path (as disclosed by wild and Cipolla), as doing so would allow for an user to have access to the recovery path to remove clogged dirt and debris as necessary to ensure efficient operation of the cleaner (As disclosed by Zahuranec).
Applicant’s arguments, see 12, filed 03/09/2026, with respect to the rejection(s) of claim(s) 18 and 20 under 103 have been fully considered and are persuasive. Therefore, the rejection has been withdrawn. However, upon further consideration, a new ground(s) of rejection is made in view of Yang (US 20190328193 A1) in view of Cipolla (US 20060000051 A1), Blasé (US 4847943 A) and Courtney (US 20070226937 A1).
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 103
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 (i.e., changing from AIA to pre-AIA ) 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 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.
Claim(s) 1-6, 8-10, 12-15, 17 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Yang (US 20190328193 A1) in view of Cipolla (US 20060000051 A1), Zahuranec (US 6145159 A) and Wild (US 20150351597 A1).
Regarding Claim 1, Yang discloses A surface cleaning apparatus, comprising:
a base (1) comprising a base housing (10);
a supply tank (200) removably mounted on the base housing (See Para [0154] “The entire upper side wall of the water tank 200 substantially forms an outer appearance of an upper surface of the nozzle 1. Therefore, the user can easily recognize that the water tank 200 is mounted or the water tank 200 is separated from the nozzle housing 100.”);
a recovery system comprising a recovery path (114 to 50 to the main cleaner), a suction nozzle (112), and a suction source (See Para [0098] “Since the cleaner to which the nozzle 1 is connected includes a suction motor,”);
And suggests but does not explicitly disclose
a recovery tank (See Para [0098] cited above, place where foreign matter and air is guided to serves as a recovery tank),
and does not explicitly disclose
an upright body assembly pivotally attached to the base
wherein a portion of the recovery path is formed by a bottom wall of the supply tank; and
wherein removal of the supply tank from the base housing removes the portion of the recovery path.
Cipolla discloses a wet/dry cleaner (10) with an base (12) and an upright body (14) pivotably attached to the base (see Para [0035] “FIG. 1 shows a cleaning device 10 which includes a base 12 for contacting a hard floor surface and a handle assembly 14, which is pivotally attached to the base”) wherein the upright base includes a recovery tank (See Para [0038] “With reference now to FIG. 4, the handle assembly 14 includes an upper housing 40 in which is defined a socket 41. A removable fluid collection assembly 42 is received at least partially within the socket 41 and serves as a recovery tank for dirty cleaning liquid and/or dry dirt and as a reservoir of fresh cleaning liquid.”)
Wherein a portion of the recovery path is formed by a bottom wall of the supply tank (See Annotated Fig. B and C);
wherein removal of the supply tank (50) from the base housing removes a portion of the recovery path (container 43 comprises the supply tank 50 and recovery tank 48, and part of the recovery path (100, see Para [0046] “Recovered dry dirt or dirty liquid travels up the conduit 100, following the path indicated by arrows A. When the container 43 is inserted in the socket, the inlet 102 is fluidly connected with the suction duct 53 (FIG. 4).”)).
It would be obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filling date of the invention to attach the base assembly of Yang to an upright body via a pivotable connection as Yang suggests that the nozzle can be attached to an upright-type cleaner (See Para [0002]-[0005], specifically [0005] “the manual cleaner can be classified into a canister-type cleaner, an upright-type cleaner…”) and doing so would allow for an easier time cleaning for the operator by allowing the operator to more easily control the cleaner via the pivoting connection.
Additionally, Yang does disclose wherein a portion of the recovery path is formed by a surface that is adjacent to a surface that forms the bottom of the supply tank (See Fig. 5 of Yang).
Similarly Wild, discloses a surface cleaner with a recovery tank (22), and a supply tank (20), and wherein removal of the supply tank (20) from the base housing (18) removes the portion of the recovery path (recovery path 28, 30 and 46, See Para [0032] “Visible at the front of the cleaning head assembly 18 is a part 24 of a housing 26 of the assembly, in which part is disposed a suction nozzle described in more detail hereafter. Above the part 24, the body 10 of the device defines a duct portion 46, and further duct parts 28, 30 are provided respectively on the exterior of the clean liquid and dirty liquid tanks 20, 22. Together the duct parts 46, 28, 30 provide for flow of air from the suction nozzle to the uppermost part of the tank 22 as described hereafter.”).
Finally, Zahuranec discloses a wet vacuum cleaner wherein the top surface of the recovery path can be removed in order to clean and de-clog the recover path (Col 14 Line 56-58 “In cases where trapped dirt cannot be removed by rinsing, the nozzle cover 134 may be detached from the recovery tank for a more thorough cleaning.”).
It would be obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filling date of the invention to further modify the bottom wall of the supply tank of Yang to be the upper portion of the flow path (as taught by Cipolla) such that doing so would allow for the operator remove part of the recovery path by removing the supply tank (as taught shown in Cipolla and Wild), allowing the operator to remove any trapped dirt or debris in the recovery path, ensuring the cleaner remains operational in an optimal state, See Zahuranec Col 14 Line 54-56 “The nozzle flowpath 138, being attached to the recovery tank, is also readily rinsed to remove trapped dirt, as desired.”).
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Regarding Claim 2, Yang as modified discloses all the limitations of claim 1 and in addition discloses wherein the bottom wall of the supply tank (200) forms a portion of the recovery path (114) that extends from the suction nozzle to the recovery tank (Yang as modified discloses the bottom wall of the supply tank forms a portion of the recovery path 114, see rejection of claim 1 and Fig. 5 of Yang).
Regarding Claim 3, Yang as modified discloses all the limitations of claim 1 and in addition discloses wherein the bottom wall of the supply tank forms a portion of the recovery path that is fluidly downstream of the suction nozzle (112) and fluidly upstream of the recovery tank (Yang as modified discloses the bottom wall of the supply tank forms a portion of the recovery path 114, and the recovery tank as modified would be downstream of flow path 114, see rejection of claim 1 and Annotated Figure A).
Regarding Claim 4, Yang as modified discloses all the limitations of claim 1 and in addition discloses wherein the recovery path comprises a suction conduit between the suction nozzle and the recovery tank (See para [0105] “The nozzle main body 10 may include a nozzle housing 100 forming an outer shape. The nozzle housing 100 may include suction flow paths 112 and 114 for suctioning air.” Additionally See Para [0098] cited in the rejection of claim 1), and the bottom wall of the supply tank forms a portion of the suction conduit (Yang as modified discloses the bottom wall of the supply tank forms a portion of the recovery path 114, see rejection of claim 1 and Annotated Figure A).
Regarding Claim 5, Yang as modified discloses all the limitations of claim 4 and in addition discloses wherein the suction conduit comprises a first mating half (top portion of suction conduit 114 as modified in claim 1 is the bottom wall of supply tank 200) and a second mating half (bottom portion of conduit 114), and the supply tank comprises the first mating half (200 is the top portion of suction conduit 114, as modified, See Annotated Figure A), wherein removal of the supply tank from the base housing removes the first mating half of the suction conduit and the second mating half remains with the base housing (As modified in claim 1, removing the supply tank removes a portion of the recovery pathway, removing the top portion of the suction conduit 114, leaving the bottom portion, See Annotated Figure A).
Regarding Claim 6, Yang as modified discloses all the limitations of claim 5 and in addition discloses wherein the first mating half comprises an upper conduit section defining at least a top of the suction conduit and the second mating half comprises a lower conduit section defining at least a bottom of the suction conduit (As modified in claim 1, removing the supply tank removes a portion of the recovery pathway, removing the top portion of the suction conduit 114, leaving the bottom portion, See Annotated Figure A).
Regarding Claim 8, Yang as modified discloses all the limitations of claim 5 and in addition discloses wherein the supply tank (200) defines a liquid storage volume, and a portion of the liquid storage volume can surround a portion of the first mating half (See Figure 5, and Para [0188] “The water tank 200 may include a first body 210, and a second body 250 coupled to the first body 210 and defining a chamber in which water is stored together with the first body 210. The second body 250 may be coupled to the upper side of the first body 210.”).
Regarding Claim 9, Yang as modified discloses all the limitations of claim 1 and in addition discloses wherein the base housing comprising an upper side (top side of base 1), the supply tank comprises at least one an externally-facing surface that forms an external surface of the base (See Para [0187] “Referring to FIG. 8 to FIG. 13, the water tank 200 may be mounted on the upper side of the nozzle housing 100. For example, the water tank 200 may be seated on the nozzle cover 130. The upper side wall of the water tank 200 can form a portion of an outer appearance of the upper surface of the nozzle main body 10 in a state where the water tank 200 is seated on the upper side of the nozzle cover 130.”), and the bottom wall comprises an internally-facing surface that forms an internal surface of the base and confronts the upper side of the base housing (See Contact of 200 and 150 in Fig. 5).
Regarding Claim 10, Yang as modified discloses all the limitations of claim 1 and in addition discloses comprising: a hook-and-catch coupling between the supply tank and the base housing, the hook-and-catch coupling comprising hooks (235 and 236) on the supply tank and catches (141 and 142) on the base housing (See Para [0290] “The nozzle cover 130 may further include rib insertion holes 141 and 142 into which the coupling ribs 235 and 236 provided in the water tank 200 are inserted.”); and
a tank latch (254) to retain the supply tank on the base housing (See Para [0291] “Accordingly, the center or rear portion of the water tank 200 is moved downward in a state where the coupling ribs 235 and 236 are inserted into the rib insertion holes 141 and 142, and thus the second coupling unit 254 may be coupled to the first coupling unit 310.”);
wherein the hook-and-catch coupling is disposed forwardly of the tank latch (See Figure 8 showing the hooks of the hook and catch coupling disposed on the front of the tank, and see figure 7 showing the tank latch 254 in the middle-rear of the tank).
Regarding claim 12, Yang as modified discloses all the limitations of claim 1 and in addition discloses comprising at least one mopping pad (402 and 404 of Yang) disposed on an underside of the base (See Fig. 2 of Yang).
Regarding Claim 13, Yang as modified discloses all the limitations of claim 12 and in addition discloses comprising a fluid dispenser (pump 270 of yang, See Fig. 40) provided on the base above the at least one mopping pad (404 and 402, see Fig. 40), the fluid dispenser in fluid communication with the supply tank (200) via a fluid delivery pathway (282), wherein the fluid dispenser comprises at least one distributor outlet (149) configured to spray fluid toward a surface to be cleaned through a cleaning fluid passage (149a of Yang) in the at least one mopping pad (See Fig. 38 of Yang and See Para [0305] “In addition, the nozzle cover 130 may be provided with a spray nozzle 149 for spraying water to the rotation cleaning units 40 and 41 to be described later. For example, a pair of spray nozzles 149 may be installed on the nozzle cover 130 in a state where the spray nozzles 149 are spaced apart from each other in the lateral direction.”).
Regarding Claim 14, Yang as modified discloses all the limitations of claim 13 and in addition discloses at least one rotatable pad holder (rotation plate 420 and 440 of Yang) provided on the base housing (See Para [0353] “Referring to FIG. 6, FIG. 21, and FIG. 22, the nozzle base 110 may include a pair of shaft through-holes 116 and 118 through which a transmission shaft (to be described later) that is connected to each of the rotation plates 420 and 440 in each of the driving devices 170 and 171 passes.”), wherein the at least one mopping pad is provided on the at least one rotatable pad holder for rotation therewith and the cleaning fluid passage extends through the at least one rotatable pad holder (See Para [0125] “In this case, the rotation plates 420 and 440 can support a portion of the mops 402 and 404 positioned outside the sewing lines 405, thereby reducing the distance between the mops 402 and 404, and it is possible to prevent mutual friction between the mops 402 and 404 or vertical overlapping between the mops 402 and 404 due to the deformation of the mops 402 and 404 by pressing the edge portions.” and Figure 38 showing fluid passage 149b extending through rotatable pad holder and bad); and
a drive motor (182 and 184 are drive motors for each pad) operably coupled with the at least one rotatable pad holder for rotation of the at least one rotatable pad holder and the at least one mopping pad (See Para [0414] “The first housing 172 may have a shaft hole 175 through which the transmission shaft 190 for coupling with the rotation plates 420 and 440 of the power transmission unit passes. For example, a portion of the transmission shaft 190 may protrude downward through the lower side of the motor housing.”).
Regarding Claim 15, Yang as modified discloses all the limitations of claim 12 and in addition discloses wherein the suction nozzle (112 of Yang) is disposed at a forward edge of the base (1 of Yang), in front of the at least one mopping pad (402 and 404, See Fig. 3).
Regarding Claim 17, Yang as modified discloses all the limitations of claim 16 but does not explicitly disclose wherein the upright body assembly (Cipolla 14) comprises a tank receiver (Socket 41 of Cipolla), the recovery tank (43) comprises an upper end (42) and a lower end (43), and the recovery tank is mountable to the upright body assembly via the tank receiver (See Para [0038] “With reference now to FIG. 4, the handle assembly 14 includes an upper housing 40 in which is defined a socket 41. A removable fluid collection assembly 42 is received at least partially within the socket 41 and serves as a recovery tank for dirty cleaning liquid and/or dry dirt and as a reservoir of fresh cleaning liquid.”), the upper end of the recovery tank being insertable into the tank receiver followed by insertion of the lower end (Tank is capable of being inserted into the receiver by inserting the upper end.
Claim(s) 7 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Yang (US 20190328193 A1) in view of Cipolla (US 20060000051 A1), Zahuranec (US 6145159 A) and Wild (US 20150351597 A1) as modified in Claim 1, and in further view of Davila (US 11291345 B2).
Regarding Claim 7, Yang as modified discloses all the limitations of claim 5 but does not explicitly disclose comprising a compressible seal between the first mating half and the second mating half.
However, Davila discloses a cleaner with a tank (74) including a cover (76) including a lid seal (79, See Col 8 Line 1-5 “The lid seal 79 is configured to providing sealing engagement for the distance 81 of the travel of the cover 76 along the sidewall, selected to accommodate the amount of flexibility in the narrow portion 148.”).
It would be obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filling date of the invention to modify the supply tank or suction conduit of Yang as modified to include a compressible seal between the first mating half and the second mating half as doing so would prevent undesirable leaks or cleaning fluid or recovered fluid, and ensure that suction efficiency is maintained.
Claim(s) 11 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Yang (US 20190328193 A1) in view of Cipolla (US 20060000051 A1), Zahuranec (US 6145159 A) and Wild (US 20150351597 A1) as modified in Claim 1, and in further view of Courtney (US 20070226937 A1).
Regarding Claim 11, Yang as modified discloses all the limitations of claim 1 and suggests but does not explicitly disclose a joint assembly connecting the base to the upright body assembly for movement of the upright body assembly about at least one axis (Cipolla Para [0035] “FIG. 1 shows a cleaning device 10 which includes a base 12 for contacting a hard floor surface and a handle assembly 14, which is pivotally attached to the base.” And see Figures 1 and 4 of Cipolla), wherein the surface cleaning apparatus comprises a lay-flat position in which an angle between the base and the upright body assembly is substantially 180 degrees (See Fig. 1 of Yang, showing cleaning head and path 50 in a flat position, while the upper portion of the cleaner is not explicitly shown, one would understand that a hand cleaner wand with an upright body extending from path 50 in Figure 1 would lay flat or be substantially 180 degrees).
And Courtney discloses a similar cleaning apparatus including a joint (neck 22) assembly connecting the base to the upright body assembly for movement of the upright body assembly about at least one joint axis (through wheel 30); wherein the surface cleaning apparatus comprises a lay-flat position in which an angle between the base and the collar to attach to an upright body assembly (See Para [0021] “The rearward portion 26 has a collar 34, projecting away from the forward portion 24, for receiving a wand or hose attached to the main body of the vacuum cleaner with which the floor tool 10 is to be used.”) is substantially 180 degrees (See Fig. 3a), wherein the cleaning head (12) is in contact with the surface to be cleaned in the lay-flat position (See Fig. 3a and See Para [0028] “This is important because, when the neck 22 is turned so as to lift one of the wheels 30 away from the floor 40, it is highly desirable for the head 12 to remain parallel to the floor so that the suction opening 16 also remains parallel to the floor. If the suction opening were to be tilted, the pick-up performance of the floor tool 10 would be affected, partly because air would be bled into the tool between the housing and the floor, and partly because the brush bar would not operate at its optimum distance from the floor covering. The swivel capability of the rotatable coupling 28 allows the suction opening 16 to remain flat on the floor 40 when the neck 22 of the floor tool 10 is twisted.”).
It would be obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filling date of the invention to further modify the cleaner of Courtney to include a joint assembly such that the surface cleaning apparatus comprises a lay-flat position in which an angle between the base and the upright body assembly is substantially 180 degrees, wherein the at least one first wheel, the at least one second wheel, and the at least one mopping pad are in contact with the surface to be cleaned in the lay-flat position as doing so would allow for the cleaner to be easily pushed via an operator during use, and because doing so would allow for an operator to more easily reach different hard reach places to reach while maintaining full contact with the floor to keep retain pick-up performance (See Para [0028]-[0029]).
Claim(s) 16 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Yang (US 20190328193 A1) in view of Cipolla (US 20060000051 A1), Zahuranec (US 6145159 A) and Wild (US 20150351597 A1) as modified in Claim 1, and in further view of Ruffo (US 20150313433 A1).
Regarding Claim 16, Yang as modified discloses all the limitations of claim 12 and in addition discloses wherein the base (1 of Yang) comprises a plurality of wheels (124 and 126 of Yang) facilitating movement of the surface cleaning apparatus over a surface to be cleaned (See Para [0136] “A plurality of rollers for smooth movement of the nozzle 1 may be provided on the lower side of the nozzle base 110”), wherein the plurality of wheels comprises at least one first wheel forward of the at least one mopping pad (See Fig. 3 showing the wheels ahead of the mopping pad) but does not explicitly disclose and at least one second wheel rearward of the at least one mopping pad.
However, Ruffo discloses a similar wet dry-cleaning device, that utilizes a plurality of wheels wherein at least one wheel (2c) is reward of the cleaning pad (6).
It would be obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filling date of the invention to include a wheel assembly rearward of the cleaning pad, as doing so would not affect the operation of the device, as Ruffo discloses its wheels are for a similar purpose of those described in Para [0136] of Yang, See Para [0020] of Ruffo “An enclosure 2b is, for example, connected to the rear side of the footing 2 and contains electrical components of the machine; at said enclosure there are, conveniently, wheels 2c for resting on the floor and a handle 2d for moving the machine.” And doing so would be a matter of duplication of Parts, See MPEP 2144.04 VI B.
Claim(s) 18 and 20 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Yang (US 20190328193 A1) in view of Cipolla (US 20060000051 A1), Blasé (US 4847943 A) and Courtney (US 20070226937 A1).
Regarding Claim 18 Yang discloses
A surface cleaning apparatus (Cleaner mentioned in Para [0098] cited below) comprising a base (10);
at least one mopping pad (402 and 404) on a lower side of the base (10);
a plurality of wheels (124, 126, 129a) on the lower side of the base facilitating movement of the surface cleaning apparatus over a surface to be cleaned (See Para [0136] “A plurality of rollers for smooth movement of the nozzle 1 may be provided on the lower side of the nozzle base 110.”), wherein the plurality of wheels comprises:
at least one first wheel (124 and 126) forward of the at least one mopping pad (402 and 404);
and at least one second wheel (129a, See Fig. 3) rearward of the at least one mopping pad, (See Fig. 3)
But does not explicitly disclose:
wherein the at least one second wheel comprises a caster that rotates about a first axis and swivels about a second axis that is non-parallel to the first axis; and
a joint assembly connecting the base to the upright body assembly for movement of the upright body assembly about at least one joint axis;
wherein the surface cleaning apparatus comprises a lay-flat position in which an angle between the base and the upright body assembly is substantially 180 degrees, wherein the at least one first wheel, the at least one second wheel, and the at least one mopping pad are in contact with the surface to be cleaned in the lay-flat position.
Cipolla discloses a wet/dry cleaner (10) with a base (12) and an upright body (14) pivotably attached to the base (see Para [0035] “FIG. 1 shows a cleaning device 10 which includes a base 12 for contacting a hard floor surface and a handle assembly 14, which is pivotally attached to the base”)
It would be obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filling date of the invention to attach the base assembly of Yang to an upright body via a pivotable connection as Yang suggests that the nozzle can be attached to an upright-type cleaner (See Para [0002]-[0005], specifically [0005] “the manual cleaner can be classified into a canister-type cleaner, an upright-type cleaner…”) and doing so would allow for an easier time cleaning for the operator by allowing the operator to more easily control the cleaner via the pivoting connection.
And Blase discloses a floor cleaner including at least one wheel comprises a caster rotates about a first axis and swivels about a second axis that is non-parallel to the first axis (See Col 4 Line 32- 34 “A pair of wheels 110 are located towards the rear of the recovery tank and a pair of swivel casters 112 are located at the front.”).
It would be obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filling date of the invention to modify include the second at least one wheel to be a caster wheel mounted on a swivel as doing so would allow for easier navigation for the operator of the cleaner by providing additional degrees of freedom for the movement of the cleaner head.
and suggests but does not explicitly disclose,
Yang as modified above suggests but does not explicitly disclose comprising a joint assembly connecting the base to the upright body assembly for movement of the upright body assembly about at least one joint axis (Cipolla Para [0035] “FIG. 1 shows a cleaning device 10 which includes a base 12 for contacting a hard floor surface and a handle assembly 14, which is pivotally attached to the base.” And see Figures 1 and 4 of Cipolla), wherein the surface cleaning apparatus comprises a lay-flat position in which an angle between the base and the upright body assembly is substantially 180 degrees (See Fig. 1 of Yang, showing cleaning head and path 50 in a flat position, while the upper portion of the cleaner is not explicitly shown, one would understand that a hand cleaner wand with an upright body extending from path 50 in Figure 1 would lay flat or be substantially 180 degrees).
wherein the at least one first wheel, the at least one second wheel, and the at least one mopping pad are in contact with the surface to be cleaned in the lay-flat position (as modified, See Hwang Fig. 2 showing the first wheels 4 and second wheels 5 and at least 1 mopping pad are in contact with the surface).
And Courtney discloses a similar cleaning apparatus including a joint (neck 22) assembly connecting the base to the upright body assembly for movement of the upright body assembly about at least one joint axis (through wheel 30); wherein the surface cleaning apparatus comprises a lay-flat position in which an angle between the base and the collar to attach to an upright body assembly (See Para [0021] “The rearward portion 26 has a collar 34, projecting away from the forward portion 24, for receiving a wand or hose attached to the main body of the vacuum cleaner with which the floor tool 10 is to be used.”) is substantially 180 degrees (See Fig. 3a), wherein the cleaning head (12) is in contact with the surface to be cleaned in the lay-flat position (See Fig. 3a and See Para [0028] “This is important because, when the neck 22 is turned so as to lift one of the wheels 30 away from the floor 40, it is highly desirable for the head 12 to remain parallel to the floor so that the suction opening 16 also remains parallel to the floor. If the suction opening were to be tilted, the pick-up performance of the floor tool 10 would be affected, partly because air would be bled into the tool between the housing and the floor, and partly because the brush bar would not operate at its optimum distance from the floor covering. The swivel capability of the rotatable coupling 28 allows the suction opening 16 to remain flat on the floor 40 when the neck 22 of the floor tool 10 is twisted.”).
It would be obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filling date of the invention to further modify the cleaner of Courtney to include a joint assembly such that the surface cleaning apparatus comprises a lay-flat position in which an angle between the base and the upright body assembly is substantially 180 degrees, wherein the at least one first wheel, the at least one second wheel, and the at least one mopping pad are in contact with the surface to be cleaned in the lay-flat position as doing so would allow for the cleaner to be easily pushed via an operator during use, and because doing so would allow for an operator to more easily reach different hard reach places to reach while maintaining full contact with the floor to keep retain pick-up performance (See Para [0028]-[0029]).
Regarding Claim 20, Yang as modified discloses all the limitations of claim 18 and in addition discloses wherein:
the at least one mopping pad comprises a pair of rotatable mopping pads spaced in a lateral direction on the lower side of the base (See Fig. 1 and 2 and Para [0104] “Each of the rotation cleaning units 40 and 41 may include mops 402 and 404. The mops 402 and 404 may be formed in a disc shape, for example. The mops 402 and 404 may include a first mop 402 and a second mop 404.”) ;
the at least one first wheel comprises a pair of wheels spaced in a lateral direction on the lower side of the base and forward of the pair of rotatable mopping pads (See 124 and 126 in Fig. 3 of Yang, showing the first pair of wheels ahead of the rotatable mopping pads); and
the at least one second wheel comprises a plurality of casters (5 of Hwang) spaced in a lateral direction of the lower side of the base (See Figure 2 of Hwang) and rearward of the pair of rotatable mopping pads (402 and 404 of Yang).
Claim(s) 21 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Yang (US 20190328193 A1) in view of Cipolla (US 20060000051 A1), Blasé (US 4847943 A) and Courtney (US 20070226937 A1) as modified in claim 18 and in further view of Kim (KR 102027386 B1).
Regarding Claim 21, Yang as modified discloses all the limitations of claim 18 but does not explicitly disclose wherein the upright body comprises a handle with a hand grip at an upper end thereof, wherein a rearward-facing end of the hand grip is in contact with the surface to be cleaned in the lay-flat position.
Kim discloses a similar cleaner with a hose upper/lower rotation part (116) with an upright body (300, see Fig. 2 and 9) with a handle (323 Fig. 12) with a hand grip (user grips the handle) at an upper end thereof, wherein a rearward-facing end of the hand grip (bottom portion of 324 seen in Fig. 12) is in contact with the surface to be cleaned in the lay-flat position (See Figs 13 and 14, showing the rotation part fully extended so that the rearward facing portion of the handle is at the same level of as the cleaner head). It would be obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filling date of the invention to modify the cleaner of Yang as modified such that the upright body comprises a handle with a hand grip at an upper end thereof, wherein a rearward-facing end of the hand grip is in contact with the surface to be cleaned in the lay-flat position. As doing so would allow more compact storage of the cleaner when not in use and to easily allow for the cleaner to reach hard to reach surfaces.
Conclusion
THIS ACTION IS MADE FINAL. Applicant is reminded of the extension of time policy as set forth in 37 CFR 1.136(a).
A shortened statutory period for reply to this final action is set to expire THREE MONTHS from the mailing date of this action. In the event a first reply is filed within TWO MONTHS of the mailing date of this final action and the advisory action is not mailed until after the end of the THREE-MONTH shortened statutory period, then the shortened statutory period will expire on the date the advisory action is mailed, and any nonprovisional extension fee (37 CFR 1.17(a)) pursuant to 37 CFR 1.136(a) will be calculated from the mailing date of the advisory action. In no event, however, will the statutory period for reply expire later than SIX MONTHS from the mailing date of this final action.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to Tyler James McFarland whose telephone number is (571)272-7270. The examiner can normally be reached M-F 7:30AM-5PM (E.S.T), Flex First Friday.
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If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, David Posigian can be reached at (313) 446-6546. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
Information regarding the status of published or unpublished applications may be obtained from Patent Center. Unpublished application information in Patent Center is available to registered users. To file and manage patent submissions in Patent Center, visit: https://patentcenter.uspto.gov. Visit https://www.uspto.gov/patents/apply/patent-center for more information about Patent Center and https://www.uspto.gov/patents/docx for information about filing in DOCX format. For additional questions, contact the Electronic Business Center (EBC) at 866-217-9197 (toll-free). If you would like assistance from a USPTO Customer Service Representative, call 800-786-9199 (IN USA OR CANADA) or 571-272-1000.
/T.J.M./ Examiner, Art Unit 3723
/DAVID S POSIGIAN/ Supervisory Patent Examiner, Art Unit 3723
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