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 .
Response to Arguments/Amendments
This Office Action is responsive to the amendment filed 2/17/2026. Claims 1-15 are pending. Claims 1-3, 5, 10, 12, and 13 have been amended. Claims 14 and 15 are withdrawn from further consideration.
The objections to the claims are withdrawn in response to Applicant’s amendments.
The rejections of claims 2, 12, and 13 under 35 U.S.C. 112(b) or 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), second paragraph, are withdrawn in response to Applicant’s amendments.
The rejection of claims 1-8, and 10-13 under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Dirnberger et al. (US 20200196830) in view of Staun (US 20190254498) is withdrawn in response to Applicant’s amendments. Accordingly, the rejection of claim 9 under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Dirnberger in view of Staun (US 20190254498) and further in view of Park (KR 20070002439) is also withdrawn.
In response to Applicant’s amendments, new ground(s) of rejection are applied below.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 112
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 4, 12, and 13 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.
Claim 4 recites the limitation "the storage compartment outlet." There is insufficient antecedent basis for this limitation in the claim because there are plural recitations of “a storage compartment outlet” and they are not necessarily the same.
Claim 12 recites “each of the plurality of storage compartments eat is input into the tub” which is not understood. The word “eat” appears to be a typographical error, and it is unclear what word(s), if any, should be in the place of the word “eat.”
Claim 12 recites the limitation "the storage compartment outlet" in lines 24 and 25. There is insufficient antecedent basis for this limitation in the claim because there are plural storage compartment outlets.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 103
The text of those sections of Title 35, U.S. Code not included in this action can be found in a prior Office action.
Claim(s) 1-8 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Delgado et al. (US 2015/0359412; cited by Applicant) in view of Huang et al. (CN 111956151; cited by Applicant).
Regarding claim 1, Delgado discloses a dishwasher comprising: a tub (16); a door configured to open or close the tub (18); and an automatic detergent dispenser and configured to discharge a solid detergent toward an inside of the tub (Figure 9: 190), wherein the automatic detergent dispenser comprises: a storage compartment to allow a plurality of solid detergents to be stacked and loaded therein in a stacking direction (200), the storage compartment including: a storage compartment outlet to which one solid detergent among the plurality of solid detergents is discharged (202); and an intermediate door configured to open or close the storage compartment outlet, the intermediate door to block the one solid detergent from discharging from the storage compartment in response to the intermediate door being closed (196, 204); an ejector configured to discharge the one solid detergent among the plurality of solid detergents to an outside of the storage compartment through the storage compartment outlet by pressing the one solid detergent to open the storage compartment outlet (192).
Delgado does not expressly disclose the relied upon embodiment dispenser is disposed in the door. However, Delgado discloses the dispensing chute (208) leads to the treating chamber (paragraph 67) and in another embodiment indicates that a dispenser (60) can be located in the door assembly (paragraph 50).
Because it is known in the art to provide the dispenser in the door assembly, and the results of the modification would be predictable, namely, locating the dispenser so that detergent can be dispensed to the tub as is known, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art at the time of the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have the dispenser is disposed in the door.
Delgado does not expressly disclose a holder configured to be movable toward the ejector inside the storage compartment to support the plurality of solid detergents in so that a stacked state of the plurality of solid detergents is maintained inside the storage compartment.
Huang discloses a feeding device and a dishwasher with the same, including: a containing cavity (111) holding washing blocks (20) pressed from above by a supporting piece (12) and an elastic member which is a spring (13).
Because it is known in the art to provide a support to hold the washing blocks as claimed, and the results of the modification would be predictable, namely, preventing the movement of the washing blocks as the door moves, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art at the time of the effective filing date of the claimed invention a holder configured to be movable toward the ejector inside the storage compartment to support the plurality of solid detergents in so that a stacked state of the plurality of solid detergents is maintained inside the storage compartment.
Claims 2-4 are considered to be met by modified Delgado as applied above and which results in: wherein the holder is configured to support one solid detergent which is closest to the holder among the stacked plurality of solid detergents in the storage compartment to support the stacked plurality of solid detergents so that the stacked state is maintained while the door is opening the tub (Huang: 12, 13, 20); wherein each of the plurality of solid detergents has a width longer greater than a height, and the plurality of solid detergents is to be stacked and loaded in the storage compartment in a direction of the height of each of the plurality of solid detergents (Delgado: Figure 9: 194; Huang: 20); wherein the storage compartment includes a storage compartment outlet formed to allow the plurality of solid detergents to be discharged from the storage compartment, and the ejector is configured to move the one solid detergent to the outside of the storage compartment through the storage compartment outlet (Delgado: 192, 202).
Claims 5-8 are considered to be met by modified Delgado as applied above and which results in: wherein the ejector is disposed at a lower side of the storage compartment (Delgado: 192, 200), and the holder is configured to move toward the ejector inside the storage compartment to support the plurality of solid detergents to be maintained in the stacked state inside the storage compartment (Huang: 12, 13, 20); wherein the holder is configured to: press a solid detergent, which is located at a highest position among the stacked plurality of solid detergents, by gravity while the door is closing the tub (Delgado: see above obviousness rejection and door 18; Huang: 12, 13, 20); and support the solid detergent located at the highest position among the stacked plurality of solid detergents while the door is opening the tub (Delgado: see above obviousness rejection and door 18; Huang: 12, 13, 20); wherein the ejector is configured to move the one solid detergent in a direction different from the stacking direction of the plurality of solid detergents to allow the one solid detergent to be discharged to the outside of the storage compartment (Delgado: Figure 9, 192, 194); wherein the ejector is configured to press the one solid detergent in a direction perpendicular to the stacking direction of the plurality of solid detergents (Delgado: Figure 9, 192, 194).
Claim(s) 9 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Delgado et al. (US 2015/0359412; cited by Applicant), in view of Huang et al. (CN 111956151; cited by Applicant), and further in view of Park (KR 2007-0002439).
Regarding claim 9, modified Delgado is relied upon as above, but does not expressly disclose wherein the ejector includes a cam configured to move the one solid detergent to the outside of the storage compartment through rotation.
Regarding the cam, Examiner considers use of a cam to translating linear motion as conventional in the art and refers to Park (see Park's Figure 4, plunger 131, driving unit 140, cam 141). Using a cam as taught by Park to produce the linear motion of the actuator constitutes a predictable variant and/or simple substitution which would have been obvious to a person having ordinary skill in the art at the time of the effective filing date of the claimed invention (see MPEP 2143, "(A) Combining prior art elements according to known methods to yield predictable results"; alternatively, see MPEP 2143, "(B) Simple substitution of one known element for another to obtain predictable results").
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 10-11 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.
The following is a statement of reasons for the indication of allowable subject matter: the prior art does not disclose, or render obvious, the dishwasher as defined by the combination of claims 1 and 10. There is no apparent teaching, suggestion, or motivation to modify the closest prior art, Delgado et al. (US 2015/0359412; cited by Applicant), to further include wherein the automatic detergent dispenser further includes a seat configured to communicate with the tub and seat the one solid detergent discharged from the storage compartment thereon, wherein the seat includes a seat opening connected to the tub and a seat door configured to open or close the seat opening, and when in response to opening the seat opening by the seat door opens the seat opening, the one solid detergent seated on the seat is input into the tub.
Conclusion
Applicant's amendment necessitated the new ground(s) of rejection presented in this Office action. 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 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 DAVID G CORMIER whose telephone number is (571)270-7386. The examiner can normally be reached M-F: 9:30 - 6:00.
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DAVID G. CORMIER
Examiner
Art Unit 1711
/DAVID G CORMIER/ Primary Examiner, Art Unit 1711
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