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
Claims 8-13 are withdrawn from further consideration pursuant to 37 CFR 1.142(b), as being drawn to a nonelected group II, there being no allowable generic or linking claim. Applicant timely traversed the restriction (election) requirement in the reply filed on 10/14/2025.
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 1-7 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.
In claim 1, the recitation of “to which cleaner for wet cleaning of a surface to be cleaned is be fixed respectively” is grammatically incorrect and unclear as to the meaning of the limitation.
Claim 6 recites the limitation "the fixed cleaner". There is insufficient antecedent basis for this limitation in the claim.
Claims 2-5, 7 are rejected by dependency.
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.
Claim(s) 1-2, 4, 7 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Jung US 2014/0366292 A1.
Re claim 1, Jung discloses a robot cleaner water shortage detection system [figs. 1-2, 5, 15-16], comprising:
a body 112;
a drive unit [150, 190] which is provided in the body to supply power for traveling of a robot cleaner [fig. 5];
a plurality of rotary members [163-1, 163-2, 163-3] which rotate about a plurality of respective rotation axes by the power from the drive unit [a1, a2, a3] and to which cleaners [163b] for wet cleaning of a surface to be cleaned is be fixed respectively [fig. 4];
a water tank 170 [fig. 5] which is provided in the body to store water;
a pump motor 574 [fig. 15] which supplies water stored in the water tank to the rotary members; and
a control unit 574 which measures a load current of the pump motor [fig. 16, ¶128-130, “water supply pump 574 may be connected to a power supply unit 520 to supply power to the water supply pump 574. If water is received within the water supply unit 572, the water supply pump 574 may be operated to supply water to the pad member 560. Thereby, current of more than a designated amount may be supplied to the water supply pump 574. However, if water is not received within the water supply unit 572, supply of water to the pad member 560 may not be required and thus, the water supply pump 574 may not be operated. Thereby, current may not be supplied to the water supply pump 574. That is, in accordance with one or more embodiments, whether or not water is received within the water supply unit 572 may be judged by measuring the amount of current supplied to the water supply pump 574…As shown in FIG. 16, it may be understood that current may maintain a designated value and may then be suddenly lowered in a region A after a designated time has elapsed. For example, a current value if there is water within the water supply unit 572 may be about 230 mA, and a current value if there is no water within the water supply unit 572 may be about 50 mA. In such a manner, whether or not water remains within the water supply unit 572 may be checked by measuring the current value of the water supply pump 574 and, in accordance with one or more embodiments, whether or not water remains within the water supply unit 572 may be checked without a separate sensing unit, wherein a water shortage state in the water tank is detected based on a measured value of the load current of the pump motor”]
Re claim 2, Jung further discloses wherein the water shortage state in the water tank is detected by comparing a preset reference value [either 230mA or 50mA as discussed above] of the load current of the pump motor and the measured value of the load current of the pump motor [fig. 16].
Re claim 4, Jung further discloses wherein the water shortage state in the water tank is detected based on a variation change [A] of the measured value of the load current of the pump motor [fig. 16].
Re claim 7, Jung further discloses wherein the plurality of rotary members 163 include a first rotary member 163a, a second rotary member 163b, and a third rotary member 163c.
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.
Claim(s) 3, 5 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Jung US 2014/0366292 A1.
Re claims 3, 5, Jung further discloses wherein, when the measured value of the load current of the pump motor is less than or equal to the reference value [230 mA] of the load current of the pump motor, and wherein, when a section where the variation change of the measured value [A] of the load current of the pump motor is constant is repeated [e.g. 50mA].
Jung does not specifically disclose in this embodiment that the water shortage state is notified to the user. However, Jung in the previous embodiment teaches the water shortage state is notified to the user [¶125, “a notification indicating "There is no water in water supply unit" may be displayed on the display unit”]. Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to do the notification in the embodiment discussed in this Office action, in order to yield the predictable result of notifying the user when a water shortage occurs.
Claim(s) 6 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Jung US 2014/0366292 A1 in view of Bae KR 20200127915 A.
Re claim 6, Jung discloses the invention as claimed above but fail to teach wherein the robot cleaner travels by using a frictional force between the surface to be cleaned and the fixed cleaner, which is generated as the cleaner rotates, as a moving power source. However, Bae teaches wherein the robot cleaner travels by using a frictional force between the surface to be cleaned and the fixed cleaner, which is generated as the cleaner rotates, as a moving power source [“robot mop cleaner as described above includes two mobs that cause cleaning and movement propulsion by frictional contact with the cleaning body and the cleaning surface”]. Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to combine the moving power source taught by Bae with the cleaner of Jung in order to yield the predictable result of adding a propulsive force to the robot cleaner.
Correspondence
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to Carlos A. Rivera whose telephone number is (571)270-5697. The examiner can normally be reached 9AM -4PM.
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If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Brian Keller can be reached at (571) 272-8548. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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C. A. R.
Primary Patent Examiner
Art Unit 3723
/C. A. RIVERA/Primary Patent Examiner, Art Unit 3723