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 .
Information Disclosure Statement
The information disclosure statement (IDS) submitted on 8/2/2023 has been considered by the examiner.
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 2, 5-10, and 19 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 2 recites, “hollow portions of the front door panel and the rear door panel are respectively equipped with a window front cover made of a light-transmitting material and the window member.” It is unclear what “and the window member” means in this limitation. Applicant’s disclosure indicates that the window front cover is element 5, and the window member is element 3. Therefore it is unclear how the window front cover can be made of the window member. Claims 7-10 and 19 are also rejected by virtue of their dependence on claim 2.
Claim 5 recites, “several buffer pads.” It is unclear what range of numbers corresponds to several. Examiner is interpreting “several” as two or more. Claim 6 is also rejected by virtue of its dependence on claim 5.
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 (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 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.
(a)(2) the claimed invention was described in a patent issued under section 151, or in an application for patent published or deemed published under section 122(b), in which the patent or application, as the case may be, names another inventor and was effectively filed before the effective filing date of the claimed invention.
Claims 1-4 and 7-10 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Wang et al. (CN 209996067).
Regarding claim 1, Wang discloses an air fryer (“air fryer” [Abstract]) with a transparent window (described below), comprising a body (Fig. 1, “housing 1” [page 4 of attached translation]), wherein a side of the body is provided with an opening communicating with a cooking chamber inside the air fryer (“housing 1 is provided with a front opening” [page 4]), and the opening is inserted by a drawer-type frying basket (described below), the drawer-type frying basket comprises a frying basket (Figs. 1 and 3, “basket 4” [page 4]) and a door panel portion (Fig. 1, elements 31-35) connected to one side of the frying basket (Fig. 3), and the door panel portion is configured to block the opening (Fig. 3), wherein the door panel portion and a side wall of the frying basket are correspondingly provided with a hollow portion (Fig. 3, “viewing hole 41” [page 4]), and the hollow portion of the door panel portion is provided with a window member (Fig. 3, “high temperature glass 31” [page 4]), and a window rear cover (Fig. 3, “sealing ring 32” [page 4]) is installed between an inner side of the door panel portion and the frying basket, wherein the window rear cover has a hollow structure corresponding to the hollow portion of the door panel portion and the frying basket (described below), and one side of the window rear cover abuts against the frying basket (described below), and the other side abuts against the window member to press and fix the window member on the door panel portion (“high temperature glass 31 circumference is sleeved with a sealing ring 32, so that the high temperature glass 31 circumference periphery is sealed and combined with the viewing hole 41” [page 4]).
Regarding claim 2, Wang discloses wherein the door panel portion comprises a front door panel (Fig. 3, “shell 34” [page 5]) and a rear door panel (Fig. 3, “inner shell 33” [page 5]), hollow portions of the front door panel and the rear door panel are respectively equipped with a window front cover (Fig. 3, “perspective 35” [page 5]) made of a light-transmitting material (the term “perspective” indicates that the window front cover is made of a light-transmitting material) and the window member (please see the 112(b) rejection above regarding “and the window member”).
Regarding claim 3, Wang discloses wherein an edge of the hollow portion (Fig. 3, viewing hole 41) of the frying basket is provided with a flanging portion (Fig. 4, portion of viewing hole 41 that is adjacent to element 322, described below), and a side of the window rear cover (Fig. 3, sealing ring 32) facing the frying basket is provided with a concave step (Fig. 4, concave step / “sealing edge 322” [page 6]).
Regarding claim 4, Wang discloses wherein a side of the window rear cover (Fig. 3, sealing ring 32) facing the window member (Fig. 3, high temperature glass 31) is provided with a ring of retaining rib attached to the window member (Fig. 4, retaining rib is curved portion of 32 that contacts window member 31).
Regarding claim 7, Wang discloses wherein the rear door panel (Fig. 3, inner shell 33) is provided with a positioning groove (Fig. 4, right portion of element 333; “the inner shell is sunken to form a countersunk on the side wall 33 333” [page 6]) corresponding to the window member (Fig. 3, high temperature glass 31), wherein an edge of the window member (Fig. 3, high temperature glass 31) is at least partially located in the positioning groove (Fig. 4).
Regarding claim 8, Wang discloses wherein the frying basket (Fig. 3, basket 4) is connected with the rear door panel (Fig. 3, inner shell 33) through several fasteners (Fig. 3, elements 332 are holes for fasteners; “when installing, the fastener screwed locking, finish the installation with the screw sequentially penetrates the perforation and the through hole 332 to the outside from the basket 4 after the tail end of the fastener is hidden in the screw groove 42” [page 6]), wherein the fasteners are distributed outside of the hollow portion (Fig. 3).
Regarding claim 9, Wang discloses wherein an inner wall of the frying basket (Figs. 3 and 4, basket 4) is provided with a frying panel supporting step (Fig. 4, “first bending part 411” [page 6]), and the hollow portion (Figs. 3 and 4, viewing hole 41) of the frying basket is located on an upper side of the frying panel supporting step (Fig. 4).
Regarding claim 10, Wang discloses wherein a side wall of the rear door panel (Figs. 3 and 4, inner shell 33) facing the frying basket (Figs. 3 and 4, basket 4) is provided with a frying basket positioning groove (Fig. 4, left portion of element 333; “the inner shell is sunken to form a countersunk on the side wall 33 333” [page 6]), and an outwardly extending edge (Fig. 4, “first bending part 411” [page 6]) of an upper end of the frying basket (Figs. 3 and 4, basket 4) extends into the frying basket positioning groove (Fig. 4).
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 5 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Wang et al. (CN 209996067) in view of Li (CN 111411849)
Regarding claim 5, Wang does not expressly disclose wherein several buffer pads are arranged between the window member (Fig. 3, high temperature glass 31) and the window rear (Fig. 3, sealing ring 32) cover on a periphery of the retaining rib (Fig. 4, retaining rib is curved portion of 32 that contacts window member 31).
Li is directed to an over door assembly [Title]. Li discloses providing a buffer pad adjacent to a window (“the door window 20 and the limiting groove 1021 is provided with a pad 50 (as shown in FIG. 4). and the limiting groove 1021 set between the liner 50 in the door window 20, pad 50as buffer protection function” [page 10 of attached translation]).
It would have been prima facie obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to include wherein several buffer pads are arranged between the window member and the window rear cover on a periphery of the retaining rib. In addition to providing “buffer protection,” “pad 50 also can have the fixing function of the window in the door, the door inner window 20 will not move in the process of using” [page 10]. Regarding “several” buffer pads, “the courts have held that mere duplication of parts has no patentable significance unless a new and unexpected result is produced.” MPEP § 2144.04-VI-B.
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 6, 11, 19, and 20 are 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 prior art of record does not teach, disclose, or suggest wherein each of the buffer pads comprises a buffer sheet attached to the window member and a mounting column arranged at one side of the buffer sheet, wherein several slots are arranged on a circumferential side wall of the mounting column, and a positioning hole is arranged at an end portion of the mounting column, wherein a socket for inserting the mounting column is provided on a side wall of the window rear cover at a position corresponding to the buffer pads, an inner wall of the socket is provided with convex ribs embedded in corresponding slots, and a bottom of the socket is provided with a positioning column inserted into the positioning hole, as required in claim 6.
The prior art of record does not teach, disclose, or suggest wherein a heat dissipation channel is formed between an outside of the cooking chamber and the body of the air fryer, and the heat dissipation channel is provided therein with an illumination light, wherein a position corresponding to the illumination light on the cooking chamber is provided with a light-transmitting member, and light emitted by the illumination light is irradiated into the cooking chamber through the light- transmitting member, as required in claims 11, 19, and 20. Claims 12-18 would also be allowable by virtue of their dependence on claim 11.
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to ELIZABETH KERR whose telephone number is (571)272-3073. The examiner can normally be reached M - F, 8:30 AM - 4:30 PM.
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/ELIZABETH M KERR/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3761
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