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
Claim 18 is withdrawn from further consideration pursuant to 37 CFR 1.142(b), as being drawn to a nonelected group, there being no allowable generic or linking claim. Applicant timely traversed the restriction (election) requirement in the reply filed on 07/22/2026. Applicant’s traversal is not persuasive as the combination and sub combination have different classifications and require different search queries.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 112
Claims 1-17, 19 and 20 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 is stated both that the slider is moved in a “front-rear” direction and “forward direction. Leaving ambiguity as to how the slider is configured to be moved and retained.
While not part of the 112b rejection It is also noted that “front-rear” appears to mean “front to rear” or “forward and backward”. Of course, Applicant is allowed to be their own lexicographer, but replacing “front-rear” with more standard terminology could lend itself to more definite interpretation.
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, 17, 19 and 20 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by KR20180091776 to Kim).
Kim teaches:
A housing having a front that is open (; a slider accommodated in the housing and configured to be movable in a front-rear direction (210/230); a water tank (220) configured to be installed in the housing such that the water tank moves in and out of the front of the housing in the front-rear direction, and to be selectively connected to the slider such that the water tank moves together with the slider in the front- rear direction when the water tank is connected to the slider (abstract); and a latch configured to selectively engage the slider and to prevent the slider from moving forward when the latch engages the slider (¶ [0015] “are interlocked’), wherein the water tank is further configured to separate from the slider such that the water tank is movable in the front-rear direction, relative to the slider, when separated from the slider (¶ [0019] “so that it can be separated from the connector”). A first housing including a first guide surface that extends horizontally and a second housing including a second guide surface (see guide tracks 252 on either side as shown in Fig. 2) that extends horizontally and at least a portion of the slider is positioned between the first and second guide surfaces (Fig. 2)
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 2-16 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. Kim is silent as to the details of the interlock mechanism mentioning only functionally. As such Kim fails to teach the specific mechanisms and frames as required by the claims.
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to WOODY A LEE JR whose telephone number is (571)272-1051. The examiner can normally be reached Monday - Friday 0800-1630.
Examiner interviews are available via telephone, in-person, and video conferencing using a USPTO supplied web-based collaboration tool. To schedule an interview, applicant is encouraged to use the USPTO Automated Interview Request (AIR) at http://www.uspto.gov/interviewpractice.
If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Edward "Ned" Landrum can be reached at 571-272-5567. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
Information regarding the status of published or unpublished applications may be obtained from Patent Center. Unpublished application information in Patent Center is available to registered users. To file and manage patent submissions in Patent Center, visit: https://patentcenter.uspto.gov. Visit https://www.uspto.gov/patents/apply/patent-center for more information about Patent Center and https://www.uspto.gov/patents/docx for information about filing in DOCX format. For additional questions, contact the Electronic Business Center (EBC) at 866-217-9197 (toll-free). If you would like assistance from a USPTO Customer Service Representative, call 800-786-9199 (IN USA OR CANADA) or 571-272-1000.
/WOODY A LEE JR/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3761
Prosecution Insights