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Claims 1-7 are withdrawn from further consideration pursuant to 37 CFR 1.142(b) as being drawn to nonelected Species and a nonelected Invention, there being no allowable generic or linking claim. Election was made without traverse in the reply filed on 4/28/26.
Claim Interpretation
The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 112(f):
(f) Element in Claim for a Combination. – An element in a claim for a combination may be expressed as a means or step for performing a specified function without the recital of structure, material, or acts in support thereof, and such claim shall be construed to cover the corresponding structure, material, or acts described in the specification and equivalents thereof.
The following is a quotation of pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, sixth paragraph:
An element in a claim for a combination may be expressed as a means or step for performing a specified function without the recital of structure, material, or acts in support thereof, and such claim shall be construed to cover the corresponding structure, material, or acts described in the specification and equivalents thereof.
This application includes one or more claim limitations that do not use the word “means,” but are nonetheless being interpreted under 35 U.S.C. 112(f) or pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, sixth paragraph, because the claim limitation(s) uses a generic placeholder that is coupled with functional language without reciting sufficient structure to perform the recited function and the generic placeholder is not preceded by a structural modifier. Such claim limitation(s) is/are:
“dry cleaning module” in claim 8, line 4.
Because this/these claim limitation(s) is/are being interpreted under 35 U.S.C. 112(f) or pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, sixth paragraph, it/they is/are being interpreted to cover the corresponding structure described in the specification as performing the claimed function, and equivalents thereof.
If applicant does not intend to have this/these limitation(s) interpreted under 35 U.S.C. 112(f) or pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, sixth paragraph, applicant may: (1) amend the claim limitation(s) to avoid it/them being interpreted under 35 U.S.C. 112(f) or pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, sixth paragraph (e.g., by reciting sufficient structure to perform the claimed function); or (2) present a sufficient showing that the claim limitation(s) recite(s) sufficient structure to perform the claimed function so as to avoid it/them being interpreted under 35 U.S.C. 112(f) or pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, sixth paragraph.
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 8-20 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 8, last line recites “substantially reciprocating”. It is unclear what degree of reciprocation is needed for reciprocation “substantially”. It is suggested to delete “substantially”.
The following claim elements do not have antecedent basis:
“the cleaning substrate” in claim 20, line 2.
“the clamping slot” in claim 20, line 5.
The remaining claims are rejected for depending on claim 8.
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 8 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Ebrahimi Afrouzi (US 10,292,553) in view of Morin (US 2020/0000302).
As to claim 8, Ebrahimi Afrouzi includes an automatic cleaning apparatus (811; Embodiment of Fig. 8A-8B), comprising:
a mobile platform (The outer housing of 811), configured to move automatically on an operating surface; and
a cleaning module, disposed on the mobile platform, and comprising:
a wet cleaning module (800), configured to clean at least a part of the operating
surface by means of wet cleaning, wherein the wet cleaning module comprises:
a cleaning head, configured to clean the operating surface; and
a driving unit (820), configured to drive the cleaning head to substantially reciprocate along a target surface, wherein the target surface is a part of the operating surface; wherein the cleaning head comprises a movable region (800), wherein the movable region and the fixed region are connected to each other by a flexible connecting portion (817), and the movable region is capable of substantially reciprocating relative to the fixed region (column 4, lines 39-48).
Ebrahimi Afrouzi does not include the cleaning module comprising:
a dry cleaning module, configured to clean at least a part of the operating surface by means of dry cleaning,
the wet cleaning module comprises: a cleaning head, configured to clean the operating surface, wherein the cleaning head comprises a fixed region.
Morin includes an automatic cleaning apparatus having the cleaning module comprising:
a dry cleaning module (108), configured to clean at least a part of the operating surface by means of dry cleaning (para 39 and Fig. 9); and
a wet cleaning module (160), configured to clean at least a part of the operating surface by means of wet cleaning,
the wet cleaning module comprises: a cleaning head (cleaning pad 164), configured to clean the operating surface, wherein the cleaning head comprises a fixed region (161) [para 55 and Fig. 10].
It would have been obvious to modify the cleaning module of Ebrahimi Afrouzi to have a dry cleaning module configured to clean at least a part of the operating surface by means of dry cleaning, as taught by Morin, in order to enhance the cleaning ability of the automatic cleaning apparatus.
It would have been obvious to modify the cleaning head of the wet cleaning module to be mounted on a fixed region (as a separate component from the mobile platform), as taught by Morin, in order to permit the wet cleaning module to be removed when needed for replacement and repair (column 4, lines 16-23 and 39-41).
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 9-20 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.
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to ANDREW A. HORTON whose telephone number is (571)270-5039. The examiner can normally be reached Monday - Friday 8:30 AM - 5:00 PM.
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If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Monica S. Carter can be reached at (571) 272-4475. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/ANDREW A HORTON/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3723
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