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 § 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 20 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Liang (CN 110754991 A).
As to claim 20, Liang includes a cleaner station (700) comprising:
a housing (The outer walls containing 740);
a coupling recess (720) provided on the housing and configured to be coupled to an outer surface of a dust bin (The dust bin is interpreted as machine body 110, containing the dust that is inside of dust collection box 120) of a cleaner (100) [machine translation, page 17, lines 9-17];
a dust passage hole (710) that communicates with an inner space of the dust bin when the dust
bin is opened;
a dust collecting motor (750; page 15, lines 1-4) that generates a suction force that causes debris in the dust bin to be discharged through the dust passage hole;
a dust collecting bin (760) that collects debris flowing from the dust bin of the cleaner and
through the dust passage hole based on the suction force of the dust collecting motor;
a cover opening motor (electromagnet 711) that opens the dust bin by moving a push protrusion (130); and
a controller (The “controller”; page 14, lines 1-4) that activates the cover opening motor after the cleaner is received in the coupling recess and activates that dust collecting motor after the dust bin is opened (The discussion of elements 710, 760, 130, 711, and the controller is on page 14, lines 1-13).
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 1-19 are allowed.
Reasons for Allowance
The following is an examiner’s statement of reasons for allowance:
The best reference, Liang (CN 110754991 A) [Fig. 2] does not include a cover opener (electromagnet 711; page 16, last 3 lines and page 17, lines 1-2) that opens a discharge cover (130), and the cover opener includes a push protrusion having the recited features (711 is the only element which opens the cover and it has no push protrusion that presses a coupling lever to open the cover) and a cover opening motor (711), as required by claim 1, lines 15-24.
Liang [Fig. 2] does not include a push protrusion which moves based on force from an opener motor (electromagnet 711; page 16, last 3 lines and page 17, lines 1-2) that opens a cover (130) of a dust bin (The dust bin is interpreted as machine body 110, containing the dust that is inside of dust collection box 120), and a controller (The “controller”; page 14, lines 1-4) that activates a dust collecting motor (750; page 15, lines 1-4) after the cover is opened by the push protrusion (711 is the only element which opens the cover and it has no push protrusion that moves to open the cover), as required by claim 19, last 4 lines.
Any comments considered necessary by applicant must be submitted no later than the payment of the issue fee and, to avoid processing delays, should preferably accompany the issue fee. Such submissions should be clearly labeled “Comments on Statement of Reasons for Allowance.”
Response to Arguments
Applicant's arguments filed 4/30/26 have been fully considered but they are not persuasive.
On pages 14-17, Applicant argued that Liang (CN 110754991 A) does not include a cover opening motor that opens the dust bin by moving a push protrusion.
Liang includes a cover opening motor (electromagnet 711) that opens the dust bin by moving a push protrusion (130). The claim does not recite the cleaner station comprising a push protrusion, and therefore, the push protrusion may be interpreted as part of the cleaner (100). Electromagnet 711 qualifies as a “cover opening motor” because it is able to open a cover.
Conclusion
THIS ACTION IS MADE FINAL. 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 nonprovisional extension fee (37 CFR 1.17(a)) 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 mailing date of this final action.
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.
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, 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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