The present application, filed on or after March 16, 2013, is being examined under the first inventor to file provisions of the AIA .
DETAILED ACTION
Claim Interpretation
As an initial matter, it is noted that there are numerous recitations in the claim which state “and/or”. For purposes of examination and particularly with regard to this Office action, any recitation of “and/or” is being interpreted as “or”.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 112
Second Paragraph
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 6-10 and 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.
Regarding claims 6-8 and 20, claim 6 recites “an included angle” twice for two different aspects of the claimed invention. Additionally, claim 7 recites another iteration of “an included angle”, and claim 8 recites two additional iterations of “an included angle”. Additionally, claim 20 recites “an included angle” at least once. The figures and the specification fail to provide clarification as to the meaning of any of these, how they are distinct and/or if they are distinct. Therefore, these terms are unclear. Additionally, each recitation after the first one lacks antecedent basis.
Claims 9 and 10 are rejected based on their dependency to claim 8, thereby containing the same issue.
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.
Claims 1-3, 11-15 and 18-20 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Pan et al. (US Patent Pub. No. 2022/0118278).
Pan discloses a skin treatment apparatus (“the hair device has both functions of hair removal and skin care” – see last sentence of Abstract), comprising:
a housing component (see numeral 21 of Figure 1) defining an accommodation cavity (see entirety of space encompassed by housing 21 and end plate 132) and a light outlet (see “a mounting hole 131 for clearance fit with the cold compressing portion 11” - paragraph 30; “since the cold compressing member 119 is made of sapphires, the cold compressing member 119 can also be used as a light outlet” - paragraph 71) communicated with each other;
a light emitting component (“The light emitted by the lamp beads 122 passes through the ending plate 132 and is emitted to the skin of the user” – paragraph 31; also see lamp tube 31) disposed in the accommodation cavity (note: the lamp beads are within end plate 132, which has been interpreted to read on a portion of the accommodating cavity; additionally, it is noted that lamp tube 31 is within the accommodation cavity of Pan), light generated from the light emitting component passing through the light outlet and being irradiated to a skin to be treated ((“The light emitted by the lamp beads 122 passes through the ending plate 132 and is emitted to the skin of the user” – paragraph 31);
a cold compress component (“The head portion 10 includes a cold compressing portion 11” – paragraph 16, see Figure 1) disposed on the housing component and located at the light outlet (“since the cold compressing member 119 is made of sapphires, the cold compressing member 119 can also be used as a light outlet” - paragraph 71), the cold compress component being configured to cool the skin to be treated or a skin in a vicinity of the skin to be treated (“The cold compressing portion 11 can quickly cool down to reduce a burning sensation caused by the light and ensure comfort” – paragraph 18; “the cold compressing portion 11 can effectively cold compress the skin of the user with high comfort and no skin damage” – paragraph 65); and
a heart dissipation component (see heat conducting portion 40) comprising a thermal conductive structure (“heat conducting portion 40 includes a heat conducting plate 41 attached to the cold compressing portion 11” – paragraph 47) and a heat dissipation sheet component (“heat conducting portion 40 includes … a first heat sink assembly 42 and a second heat sink assembly 43 which are attached to the heat conducting plate 41” – paragraph 47), the thermal conductive structure comprising a first thermal conductive section (“The heat conducting plate 41 is fixed on the cooling bracket 60” – paragraph 47; “a part of the heat conducting portion 40 is fixed to the bracket head 69 and is in contact with the heat conducting surface 112 of the cold compressing portion 11” – paragraph 46; thereby teaching that one end/section of the heat conductive plate 41 is connected to the cold compress portion 11) and a second thermal conductive section (“One end of the heat conducting plate 41 away from the cold compressing portion 11 covers the second cooling channel 62. The first heat sink assembly 42 is received in the second cooling channel 62 and contacts with a part of the heat conducting plate 41 covering the second cooling channel 62” – paragraph 47), the cold compress component being thermally connected to the first thermal conductive section (“The heat conducting plate 41 is fixed on the cooling bracket 60” – paragraph 47; “a part of the heat conducting portion 40 is fixed to the bracket head 69 and is in contact with the heat conducting surface 112 of the cold compressing portion 11” – paragraph 46; thereby teaching that one end/section of the heat conductive plate 41 is connected to the cold compress portion 11), and at least part of the heat dissipation sheet component being thermally connected to the second thermal conductive section (“One end of the heat conducting plate 41 away from the cold compressing portion 11 covers the second cooling channel 62. The first heat sink assembly 42 is received in the second cooling channel 62 and contacts with a part of the heat conducting plate 41 covering the second cooling channel 62” – paragraph 47).
Regarding claim 2, Pan teaches that “the housing 21 defines a first guide opening 24 and a second guide opening 25” (see paragraph 34) and “first driving opening 51 is configured to input or output the external cooling medium from the first guide opening 24, and the second driving opening 52 is configured to blow or suck away the cooling medium to the hair removal device 30 and the cold compressing portion 11, thereby enabling the cooling medium around the hair removal device 30 and the cold compressing portion 11 to flow” (see paragraph 35). This reads on “wherein the housing component is provided with a housing air outlet part, and at least part of the heat dissipation component is disposed corresponding to the housing air outlet part”. Paragraphs 35-37 teach the configuration of these cooling channels and teach how the cooling bracket is coupled with the cool driving portion. These components are part of the heat dissipation component and are disposed corresponding to the housing’s air outlet part.
Regarding claim 3, the housing component of Pan (see numeral 21 of Figure 1) comprises: a housing (see numeral 21 of Figure 1 and 6), the light outlet being located at a first end of the housing (see opening at left end of housing in Figure 1 with numeral 111 which is an opening within which cold compress 111 resides), and the first end of the housing being provided with a necking section (see reproduction of Figure 6 below):
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Regarding claim 11, the device of Pan includes a first side plate (see 22 in Figure 3) and a second side plate (see 23 in Figure 3). It is noted that the edges of first side place 22 bend toward the second side plate to meet it and couple to it, including at the necking section illustrated above. This bending of the edges occurs along the edge, along the light output direction of the light emitting component.
Regarding claim 12, Figure 4 illustrates a support component that resides within the accommodation cavity of Pan (i.e., within the housing). As can be seen in Figure 4, there is a first mounting cavity which includes an opening or through hole 123 in which the light emitting component is disposed, and a second mounting cavity which cooperates with the opening labeled 62 in Figure 4, which is part of heat dissipation mechanisms of Pan. The heat dissipation sheet component(s) reside above the open space within numeral 62 of Figure 4, as illustrated in the deconstructed view of Figure 3. Additionally, the heat dissipation components reside above the light emitting component mounting cavity, at least up until the component labeled 622 in Figure 4, thereby reading on “at least part of a projection of the second mounting cavity on the first mounting cavity being within the first mounting cavity along a length direction of the housing.”
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Regarding claim 13, the reproduction of Figure 4 to the right, it illustrates a first ventilation surface facing the first extension section, which is an underside of the housing component 22 of Pan. This first ventilation surface shown below is “gradually close to the second side plate 23 of Pan. Also, numeral 62 is an air vent in communication with the second mounting cavity.
Regarding claim 14, Figures 4 and 5 of Pan illustrates the holder component, which holds the heat dissipation sheet (see Figures 1 and 3 of Pan), holds the light emitting component(s), which are located on two sides of a thermal conductive structure (see element 41 in Figure 3, below which resides the light emitting cavity and above which resides heat dissipation component 43). The second cavity (see numerals 52 and 62 in Figure 4) have the first ventilation surface and the mounting port 52, within which the heat dissipation component 421 is mounted (see Figure 3 of Pan).
Regarding claim 15, see fan 50 in Figures 1, 3, 4 and 5. Note that there is an opening 52 from the fan sending air to the cold compress, and another opening 51 blowing upward into the cavity which houses the heat dissipation components.
Regarding claim 18, paragraph 37 of Pan states that “the cold compressing portion 11 is fixed to the cooling bracket 60 and is opposite to the hair removal device 30, to receive the light emitted by the hair removal device 30 and emit the light.” Additionally, it can be seen in Figure 6 that elements 13, 12, 111, 112, 31 and 33 (all on the left side of the figure) all come together and reside in the front (i.e., left) section of the accommodation cavity, which all fits together in a specific mounting cavity (i.e., equivalent to the claimed “third mounting cavity”), and is located between the first mounting cavity (i.e., the one holding the heat dissipation components) and the light outlet.
Regarding claim 19, Pan teaches a reflecting plate 33 (see paragraph 61 of Pan), which equates to the claimed light holder outlet (see description of the claimed “holder light outlet 1252a” in paragraph 223 of the PGPUB 2024/0390696 of the instant application, stating this is a U-shaped structure). This reflecting plate is held via a mounting structure within the cavity of the housing, which holder is the claimed second holder. Additionally, light cover 13 of Pan is mounted to the structure of the housing and is a third mounting structure, as claimed.
Regarding claim 20, it is noted that Pan teaches that the heat dissipation component resides on one side of the light emitting component, as illustrated in at least Figure 3. The remainder of the claim is moot because “and/or” in this claim is being interpreted as “or”.
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.
Claims 4-7 and 10 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Pan as applied to claim 3 above, in view of Xue (CN 112451087).
Pan is described above with respect to claim 3. However, Pan does not teach a reduced height of the heat dissipation sheet component.
Regarding claim 4, Xue teaches a cold compress assembly of a depilator (see Title). Elements 51, 52, 53 and 54 in Figure 1 illustrate a radiating frame. It can be seen in Figure 1 that the cross-section of portion 52 has a larger height than that of the top end of portion 51, such that the height gradually reduces as one goes from the bottom of portion 52 to the top of portion 51 (see reproduction below; also see Figure 4).
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It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the instant application to provide a heat dissipation portion having a varied height, as taught by Xue, and to utilize this within the system of Pan in order to accommodate a housing with a reduced internal clearance, as is illustrated above with respect to Xue. This same feature (of reduced height) would allow for the heat dissipation portion of Pan to also extend further toward the cold compress and lamp, into the necking portion as is illustrated above in the rejection of claim 3, thereby increasing its ability to withdraw heat from these areas of the device.
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Regarding claim 5, it is noted that the reproduction of Figure 4 to the right illustrates the claimed elements of claim 5.
Regarding claim 6, it can be seen that the sloped section and the lower surface below the “missing corner” relates to the claimed “transition surface” of claim 6. There is an included angle between this sloped section and the 1st side surface, and there is an included angle (90o) between the surface below “missing corner” and the 2nd side surface. Additionally, the space above the surface labeled “missing corner” is the missing corner and is in a space between at least a part of the transition surface and the housing.
Regarding claim 7, Figure 5 of Xue illustrates that portion 52 of Xue’s heat dissipation sheet equivalent is comprises a plurality of “fins” 522, which is the same as “sheets” of the claim. These fins/sheets 522 are arranged at intervals at a first direction, and extend in a second direction equal to Xue’s light output direction.
Regarding claim 10, it is noted that each fin of Xue includes a space therebetween adjacent fins. This provides an air inlet at the top/bottom and an air outlet at the other bottom/top, in the configuration as claimed (see Figure 5).
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 8 and 9 would be allowable if rewritten 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 and to include all of the limitations of the base claim and any intervening claims.
Claims 16 and 17 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.
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to JAMES KISH whose telephone number is (571)272-5554. The examiner can normally be reached M-F 10:00a - 6p EST.
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If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Unsu Jung can be reached at (571) 272-8506. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/JAMES KISH/ Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3792