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 .
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.
This application currently names joint inventors. In considering patentability of the claims the examiner presumes that the subject matter of the various claims was commonly owned as of the effective filing date of the claimed invention(s) absent any evidence to the contrary. Applicant is advised of the obligation under 37 CFR 1.56 to point out the inventor and effective filing dates of each claim that was not commonly owned as of the effective filing date of the later invention in order for the examiner to consider the applicability of 35 U.S.C. 102(b)(2)(C) for any potential 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(2) prior art against the later invention.
Claim(s) 17-33 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over JP 2005230324 A to Yajima et al. (Yajima) in view of JP 08035769 A to Nakano et al. (Nakano).
In reference to independent claim 17, Yajima discloses:
A shoe care device (see Figs. 1-4) comprising:
an inner cabinet configured to accommodate a shoe therein (see Fig. 1);
an outlet (16, 17) configured to suction air from the inner cabinet;
an inlet (14, 15) configured to discharge air into the inner cabinet;
a connection path (13) connecting the outlet to the inlet;
a heater (11) in the connection path;
a blower (10) configured to generate airflow in the connection path; and
a dehumidifier (9) block (see Fig. 2) being located in the connection path such that air passes through the dehumidifier.
Yajima is silent regarding a dehumidifying block defining an inner space to accommodate the heater therein.
Nakano teaches a similar shoe dryer including a rectangular dehumidifying agent accommodating portion (22) housing a heater (second heater 25).
It would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have modified the shoe dryer and dehumidifier of Yajima to include the dehumidifying block, i.e. dehumidifying agent accommodating portion 22, as taught by Nakano so as to contain the dehumidifier within the shoe care apparatus.
In reference to dependent claim 18, Nakano further teaches the dehumidifying block (22) comprises: an inner mesh configured to define the inner space; an outer mesh positioned outside the inner mesh (a non-woven fabrics 24 and 27 prevent a dehumidifying agent 26 from spilling out, and ensures air permeability, see [0031]-[0034]); and a dehumidifying material located between the inner mesh and the outer mesh (24 and 27), the dehumidifying material comprising a plurality of grains (dehumidifying agent 26, such as silica gel, see [0034]).
In reference to dependent claim 19, Nakano further teaches: the connection path includes a first path defined by the inner space defined by the inner mesh and a second path defined by an outer space defined by the outer mesh such that air introduced into the outlet passes through the dehumidifying block to flow from the first path to the second path (see Figs. 1 and 2, the dehumidifying agent housing part 22 forms a box with the dehumidifying agent 26 is sandwiched between the non-woven fabric layers 24 and 27).
In reference to dependent claim 20, Nakano further teaches: dehumidifying block (22) comprises: a ceiling part extending horizontally along a first direction; a first side wall extending downward from a first side of the ceiling part and extending along the first direction; and a second side wall extending downward from a second side of the ceiling part and extending along the first direction (see Figs. 1, 2, 6 and 7), wherein each of the ceiling part, the first side wall, and the second side wall comprises a portion of the dehumidifying material (26) (see Figs. 1 and 2), and wherein the heater (25) is bordered by the ceiling part, the first side wall, and the second side wall (see Fig. 2).
In reference to dependent claim 21, Nakano further teaches: a dehumidifier housing having a housing bottom plate to support the dehumidifying block (see Figs. 1, 2 and 4), the housing bottom plate having a housing inlet (29) configured to introduce air into the inner space of the dehumidifying block (22), the housing inlet facing a bottom surface of the ceiling part (see Fig. 1).
In reference to dependent claim 22, Nakano further teaches: a first path of the connection path is defined by an inner surface of the ceiling part, the first side wall, and the second side wall, wherein a second path of the connection path is defined by an outer surface of the ceiling part, the first side wall, and the second side wall, and wherein air introduced into the outlet passes through the dehumidifying block to flow from the first path to the second path (see Fig. 1).
In reference to dependent claim 23, Nakano further teaches: the inner space of the dehumidifying block (22) is configured to be shielded in a rear and a front thereof in the first direction (by the bottom plate 23 and the pressing plate 28, see Figs. 2 and 7).
In reference to dependent claim 24, Nakano further teaches: the first direction is a direction toward the inlet (29) (see Fig. 1), and wherein the housing inlet is located rearward of the dehumidifying housing in the first direction (see Figs. 1 and 4).
In reference to dependent claim 25, Nakano further teaches: the ceiling part is configured such that a portion thereof closer to the housing inlet (29) is thicker than a portion further away from the housing inlet (see Fig. 4).
In reference to dependent claim 26, Nakano further teaches: the inner cabinet includes a cabinet bottom plate (23) having a bottom hole (see Fig. 7), and wherein the shoe care device further comprises a dehumidifying material cover (non-woven fabric 24 is laid on the entire upper surface of the bottom plate 23, see [0032]) configured to open and close the bottom hole, the dehumidifying material cover being spaced from and shielding the dehumidifying block.
In reference to dependent claim 27, Nakano further teaches: a suction duct (see Figs. 1 and 2) connecting the outlet (holes in bottom plate 16) to the blower (20), the suction duct defining a portion of the connection path (see Figs. 1 and 2), and a blowing duct connecting the blower to the housing inlet (29) (see Fig. 2), the blowing duct defining another portion of the connection path, the blowing duct being convex rearwards in the first direction (see Fig. 2).
In reference to dependent claim 28, Yajima and Nakano are silent regarding the blower being lower than the inlet and outlet. In reference to dependent claims 29 and 30, Nakano further teaches a heater flange (25a) having a horizontal plate, the heater having a fixed end at the horizontal play (via 25c) (see Fig. 7). Yajima and Nakano are silent, however, regarding a vertical plate and the heater having a free end. In reference to dependent claim 31, Yajima and Nakano are silent the proportions of the first path. In reference to dependent claims 32 and 33, Yajima and Nakano are silent regarding the shape and thickness of the dehumidifying block, but these would simply be a matter of design choice. Absent criticality or unexpected results, it would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have configured the blower, heater flange, and dehumidifying block as desired in order to meet the suitability and intended use of the shoe care device of Yajima and Nakano.
Claim(s) 34 and 35 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over JP 2005230324 A to Yajima et al. (Yajima) in view of JP 08035769 A to Nakano et al. (Nakano) further in view of KR 20150117430 A to Yoon.
In reference to dependent claims 34 and 35, Yajima and Nakano are silent regarding a steam generator to supply steam to inside the inner cabinet and a sump to accommodate water therein.
Yoon teaches a similar shoe care device including a steam generation means (200) and water storage tank (210).
It would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have incorporated the steam generator and water tank of Yoon in order to steam, deodorize and sterilize the shoes while drying them.
Allowable Subject Matter
Claim 36 is 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.
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to Ngoc T Nguyen whose telephone number is (571)272-7176. The examiner can normally be reached M-F 9:00 am - 5:00 pm.
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/NGOC T NGUYEN/ Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3799