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 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 of this title, 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.
Claims 1-12 are rejected under 35 U.S.C 103(a) as being unpatentable over Us Pub No.: 20210318061 (“Lee et al.”) in view of US Pub No.: CN 114508888 ("Feng et al.").
Regarding Claim 1, Lee et al. discloses a refrigerator, comprising:
a main body (10) including a storage room; and
a door (32) coupled to the main body (10) to open and close the storage room, and including a door body (40) coupled to the main body (10) and a panel (70) detachably coupled to a front surface of the door body (40) to cover the front surface of the door body (40),
wherein the panel (70) includes:
a display (71) including a screen configured to display an image;
a glass panel (90) provided in front of the display (71)
an upper trim (180) fixed to an upper portion and of a rear surface of the glass panel (90), and a lower trim (160) fixed to a lower portion of the rear surface of the glass panel (90, the upper trim (180) and the lower trim (160) configured to be detachably assembled with the front surface of the door body (40); and
a display cover (100) fixed to the rear surface of the glass panel and on which the display detachably mounted, the display cover 100 including:
a display mounting portion (101) configured to support side edges of the display (via 140) .
Lee et al. discloses a plurality of hooks on the left and right side of the display mounting portion but does not does not expressly disclose the such that assembly hooks that allow the display cover to be detachably assembled to the front surface of the door body.
Feng et al. discloses a refrigerator with a display assembly (40); having a display cover (41) with display mounting portion (see Figs. 5-6) that supports the side of edges of the display (42), and a plurality of assembly hooks (71, 74) extending from the mounting portion that supports the side edges of the display (via 71, along all four side edges), and at least one assembly hook (74) of the plurality of assembly hooks is formed on each of left and right sides of the display mounting portion and so that the plurality of assembly hooks (via 74) are detachably assembled with the front surface of the door body.
It would have been obvious to one having skill in the art before the effective filing date of the invention that the display cover could also be improved with assembly hooks that support side edges of the display and secure the display cover in place within the door body, as demonstrated by Feng et al.
Regarding Claim 2, the combination discloses (LEE et al.) wherein the display cover (100) includes: an opening (102) having a size corresponding to the screen of the display (71).
Regarding Claim 3, the combination discloses (LEE et al.) the display mounting portion is provided to have a square frame shape and extend from the rear surface of the display (71) cover toward a rear side of the display (71) mounting portion.
Regarding Claim 4, the combination discloses (LEE et al.) wherein the display (71) mounting portion includes a fixing hook (140) to fix the display (71) mounted on the display mounting portion.
Regarding Claim 5, the combination discloses (LEE et al.) wherein a plurality of fixing hooks (140) are formed on left and right sides of the display mounting portion (101), and are formed toward the display (71) mounted on the display mounting portion (101) to fix the display (71).
Regarding Claims 6-7, the combination discloses (Feng et al.) Claim 6-wherein a plurality of assembly hooks (71, 74) are formed on the left and right sides of the display mounting portion, and are formed toward a direction opposite to fixing hooks of the plurality of fixing hooks formed on same sides of the left and right sides of the display mounting portion; Claim 7-the combination discloses (Feng et al.) wherein the plurality of assembly hooks (71, 74) and the plurality of fixing hooks (71, 74) are alternately formed along each of the left and right sides of the display mounting portion.
Furthermore, such an arraignment or configuration of having the hooks face in different direction and altering the hooks, also demonstrated by Feng et al. would be an obvious matter of design choice, to change the arrangement of the hooks, one having ordinary skill in the art, to improve the stability of the entire display assembly.
Regarding Claim 8, the combination discloses (Feng et al.) wherein the door body includes an assembly groove (via 51, see 75, 76) into which each assembly hook (74) of the plurality of assembly hooks is assembled.
Regarding Claim 9, the combination discloses (LEE et al.) wherein the door body includes:
a door outer case (41, see Fig. 10); and
a door inner case (55) coupled to a rear surface of the door outer case (41),
wherein the door outer case (41) includes a heat dissipation plate (51, 52) configured to dissipate heat generated by the display (71)
Regarding Claim 10, the combination discloses (LEE et al.) wherein the heat dissipation plate (51, 52) includes: a first heat dissipation plate (52) including a display accommodating portion in which the display (71) is accommodated, and a central opening (53) formed in a center of the first heat dissipation plate (52); and a second heat dissipation plate (51) coupled to the central opening to cover the central opening on a rear surface of the first heat dissipation plate (52).
Regarding Claim 11, the combination discloses (LEE et al.) wherein a plurality of assembly grooves are formed on left and right side edges of the first heat dissipation plate (52, as seen in Fig. 10). Feng et al. teaches the display panel is mounted to the grooves (75, 76) along plate 52, mounted in the door body, as seen in Figs. 10-13. It would be obvious to one having skill in the art to provide the heart dissipation plate with grooves in the similar to the mounting grooves taught by Feng et al. to receive the assembly books when mounting the display assembly onto the heat dissipation plate of the door body., in the same manner as the
Regarding Claim 12, the combination discloses (Feng et al.) wherein the assembly hooks (74) are detachably assembled with the front surface of the door body (via 51) to prevent left and right sides of the panel from being lifted.
Response to Arguments
Applicant’s arguments with respect to claims 1-12 have been considered but are not persuasive. Applicant argues that Feng does not teach the “plurality of assembly hooks” that support the side edges of the display and detachably assembled with the front surface of the door body. As to claims 1-12, Lee et al. substantially discloses the same invention but does not teach the assembly hooks that support the side edges of the display and detachably assembled with the front surface of the door body.
As demonstrated above, Feng et al teaches a plurality of hooks (71, 74) that support the side edges of the display and detachably assembled with the front surface of the door body. Thus, the rejection is maintained.
Conclusion
Accordingly, THIS ACTION IS MADE FINAL. See MPEP § 706.07(a). Applicant is reminded of the extension of time policy as set forth in 37 CFR 1.136(a).
A shortened statutory period for reply to this final action is set to expire THREE MONTHS from the mailing date of this action. In the event a first reply is filed within TWO MONTHS of the mailing date of this final action and the advisory action is not mailed until after the end of the THREE-MONTH shortened statutory period, then the shortened statutory period will expire on the date the advisory action is mailed, and any extension fee pursuant to 37 CFR 1.136(a) will be calculated from the mailing date of the advisory action. In no event, however, will the statutory period for reply expire later than SIX MONTHS from the date of this final action.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to KIMBERLEY S WRIGHT whose telephone number is (571)270-3328. The examiner can normally be reached on M-F 11:30-5:30.
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/KIMBERLEY S WRIGHT/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3637
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