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 .
Priority
Receipt is acknowledged of certified copies of papers required by 37 CFR 1.55.
Information Disclosure Statement
The information disclosure statements (IDS) submitted on 8/29/2023 is being considered.
Claim Objections
Claims 4 and 34 are objected to because of the following informalities:
Claims 4 and 34 should read “is configured to thoroughly scrape”
Appropriate correction is required.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 112
The following is a quotation of the first paragraph of 35 U.S.C. 112(a):
(a) IN GENERAL.—The specification shall contain a written description of the invention, and of the manner and process of making and using it, in such full, clear, concise, and exact terms as to enable any person skilled in the art to which it pertains, or with which it is most nearly connected, to make and use the same, and shall set forth the best mode contemplated by the inventor or joint inventor of carrying out the invention.
The following is a quotation of the first paragraph of pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112:
The specification shall contain a written description of the invention, and of the manner and process of making and using it, in such full, clear, concise, and exact terms as to enable any person skilled in the art to which it pertains, or with which it is most nearly connected, to make and use the same, and shall set forth the best mode contemplated by the inventor of carrying out his invention.
Claims 2-7, 10, and 32-39 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 112(a) or 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), first paragraph, as failing to comply with the written description requirement. The claim(s) contains subject matter which was not described in the specification in such a way as to reasonably convey to one skilled in the relevant art that the inventor or a joint inventor, or for applications subject to pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, the inventor(s), at the time the application was filed, had possession of the claimed invention.
Claims 2 and 32 recites the limitation “makes a height of each of the high ends gradually increase in a direction of getting close to the corresponding water outlet channel”. When looking to figures 2, 4, and 6, it appears that the instant application has a high end at 3, a low end at 4, with a water outlet channel in between. From the Examiner’s understanding, there is a channel on the left and right trays. The limitation “makes a height of each of the high ends gradually increase in a direction of getting close to the corresponding water outlet channel” is confusing because the limitation makes it seem like there are multiple high ends for each tray, and each high end gradually increase as it comes closer to the water outlet channel. Since there is one outlet channel, and a gradually changing high end, it is unclear how the claimed limitation is accomplished. As such, the claim fails to have a proper written description supporting the claimed subject matter. For examination purposes, the claim to be interpreted as “makes a height
Claim 10 recites the limitation “wherein a connecting piece is provided between each of the high ends and the corresponding low end, and each of the water outlet channels is a water outlet hole provided in a corresponding connecting piece.” Claims 1 and 2 are directed toward a tray with a high end and low end with a channel between. The connecting piece shown in Figure 8, Item 14, appears to be located on something other than the tray. The written description fails to fully disclose to the public how “a connecting piece is provided between each of the high ends and the corresponding low end”. For examination purposes, the connecting piece is to be interpreted against the specification, as an additional wall feature as shown in Figure 4.
Any claim not specifically rejected above is rejected due to its dependency on a claim rejected above.
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 1-7, 9-10, 12-13, 32-37, and 39 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Junbin (CN109528111A) .
Regarding claim 1, Junbin discloses a support on a cleaning device, comprising trays (Item 2 is one molded piece with two trays, similar to what is shown in Fig 3 of the instant application) wherein water outlet channels are provided in the trays (Items 27 and 24),
a height difference is formed between two sides of each of the water outlet channels (best shown in Figure 5),
when a fluid in each of the trays flows in a direction from high to low (due to gravity), the fluid in each of the trays is allowed to cross a corresponding water outlet channel and is kept from flowing out via the corresponding water outlet channel, and
when the fluid in each of the trays flows in a direction from low to high, the fluid is allowed to flow out via the corresponding water outlet channel (Paragraph 116 discusses how Items 28 and 6 are overflow protection, meaning water will pass back through Items 24 and 27).
Regarding claim 2 and 32 (as best understood), Junbin discloses the support on the cleaning device according to claim 1, wherein positions of each of the trays on two sides of the corresponding water outlet channel respectively serve as a high end and a low end, and an inclined guiding surface is formed at each of the high ends and makes a height high ends gradually increase in a direction of getting close to the corresponding water outlet channel.
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Regarding claim 3 and 33, Junbin discloses the support on the cleaning device according to claim 2,wherein each of the guiding surfaces is a cambered surface or an inclined surface (Figure 5).
Regarding claim 4 and 34, Junbin discloses the support on the cleaning device according to claim 2, wherein a scraping part (Item 21) is configured to rub against a corresponding wiper when the corresponding wiper is washed (Paragraph 130), and the scraping part is formed at an upper end of each of the guiding surfaces (Figure 14 shows locations of the surfaces intended for wiping ), and a thorough scraping part (Item 233) is configured to thoroughly scrape the corresponding wiper when the corresponding wiper is thoroughly scraped and the thorough scraping part is formed on a side portion of each of the guiding surfaces.
Regarding claim 5 and 35, Junbin discloses the support on the cleaning device according to claim 2,wherein a height of a side of each of the low ends close to the corresponding water outlet channel is greater than a height of a side of each of the low ends away from the corresponding water outlet channel (Figure 5 shows the trays as curved, thus many points meets this limitation).
Regarding claim 6 and 36, Junbin discloses the support on the cleaning device according to claim 5, wherein each of the low ends is provided with an arc-shaped water storage surface (best shown in Figure 10, Item 1)
Regarding claim 7 and 37, Junbin discloses the support on the cleaning device according to claim 2,wherein a side of each of the low ends close to the corresponding water outlet channel is provided with a step, and each of the steps makes a water storage space formed in a corresponding low end (near the base of Item 21).
Regarding claim 9 and 39, Junbin discloses the support on the cleaning device according to claim 1,wherein scraping-off pieces are further provided in each of the trays (Item 21).
Regarding claim 10, Junbin discloses the support on the cleaning device according to claim 2, wherein a connecting piece is provided between each of the high ends and the corresponding low end, and each of the water outlet channels is a water outlet hole provided in a corresponding connecting piece (Figure 4, between Item 24).
Regarding claim 12, Junbin discloses the cleaning device, comprising the support on the cleaning device according to claim 1 , and further comprising a base (Item 1), the support being provided in the base, a sewage cavity (Item 5) being provided in the base, and the water outlet channels communicating with the sewage cavity
Regarding claim 13, Junbin discloses the cleaning device according to claim 12, wherein a water inlet higher than the trays is provided in the base (Items 4 show coming from above).
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 103
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.
Claims 8 and 38 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Junbin (CN109528111A) in view of Zhang (US 2020/0077858).
Regarding claim 8 and 38, Junbin discloses the support on the cleaning device according to claim 1, wherein the corresponding water outlet channel is outwards diverged from a circle center of the trays (Figure 2).
Junbin fails to explicitly disclose each of the trays is circular (Item 211, Figure 5).
Zhang teaches a support for a cleaning device, wherein each of the trays is circular ( Figure 4). It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify the shape of the tray of Junbin to be circular as taught by Zhang. Such a modification is viewed as a change in shape, which has been held to be of routine by one skilled in the art. Different shapes would be used to clean different wiping cloths. Not all wiping cloths are circular. Further in the instant application, there is no criticality or unexpected result for the claimed limitation.
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to TOM R RODGERS whose telephone number is (313)446-4849. The examiner can normally be reached Monday thru Friday 8AM-5PM EST.
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/TOM RODGERS/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3723