DETAILED CORRESPONDENCE
Acknowledgements
This office action is in response to the communication filed 12/8/2025.
Claims 1-18 are pending and have been examined.
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
Applicant's election with traverse of Group I, Claims 1-9, in the reply filed on 12/8/2025 is acknowledged. The traversal is on the ground(s) that there is no appreciable search or examination burden because the apparatus has a controller configured to perform every step of the method. This is not found persuasive because the test for distinct inventions is if either or both of the following can be shown: (A) that the process as claimed can be practiced by another materially different apparatus or by hand; or (B) that the apparatus as claimed can be used to practice another materially different process (emphasis added). Here, the presence of the controller does not prevent the process from being done by hand and without a controller. However, in view of the identical language between dependent claims 11-19 and 2-7 and discovery of prior art containing a controller, the Restriction Requirement dated 10/22/2025 is withdrawn.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 102
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 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.
(a)(2) the claimed invention was described in a patent issued under section 151, or in an application for patent published or deemed published under section 122(b), in which the patent or application, as the case may be, names another inventor and was effectively filed before the effective filing date of the claimed invention.
Claims 1-18 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Mashal et al. (US 20210277564 A1).
Re claim 1¸ Mashal discloses a method of operating a washing machine appliance (¶ [0001]), the method comprising:
flowing a wash liquid into or within the washing machine appliance (¶ [0025], [0027] flow of fluid/water);
monitoring a sound with a microphone of the washing machine appliance during flowing the wash liquid (¶ [0033] microphone 180...used for monitoring sound waves);
analyzing the monitored sound (¶ [0034], ¶ [0041]-[0050]); and
determining a status of a fluid circulation system of the washing machine appliance based on the analysis of the sound (¶ [0053] a water valve (e.g. dripping or stuck in the ON position…indicates a particular operating condition).
Re claim 2, wherein analyzing the sound comprises generating a spectrogram of the sound and analyzing the spectrogram of the sound with an image analysis technique (¶ [0034], ¶ [0041]-[0050] spectrogram…image recognition processes).
Re claims 3-6, wherein flowing the wash liquid comprises opening a water valve. wherein the washing machine appliance comprises a controller, wherein opening the water valve comprises sending an open command from the controller to the water valve, and wherein monitoring the sound with the microphone of the washing machine appliance during flowing the wash liquid comprises activating the microphone by the controller concurrently with sending the open command. (¶ [0053] water valve; see also ¶ [0027]). wherein activating the microphone by the controller concurrently with sending the open command comprises activating the microphone for a predetermined recording time (¶ [0042]-[0043] “versus time”…”over time”). wherein the status of the fluid circulation system comprises a status of the water valve (¶ [0053] dripping or stuck in the ON position).
Re claims 7-8, wherein flowing the wash liquid comprises flowing the wash liquid through a conduit of the fluid circulation system (inherent, ¶ [0027]). wherein monitoring the sound during flowing the wash liquid comprises monitoring the sound at the conduit, and wherein the status of the fluid circulation system comprises a pressure within the conduit (¶ [0053] dripping or stuck ON, necessary includes determining there is pressure therein the conduit; see also ¶ [0003] diagnose mechanical failures).
Re claim 9, wherein determining the status of the fluid circulation system of the washing machine appliance based on the analysis of the sound comprises determining an abnormal status (¶ [0053], [0003] dripping or stuck ON…diagnose mechanical failures), further comprising providing a user notification in response to the abnormal status (¶ [0053] notification…via display).
Re claims 10-18, Independent claim 10 defines over claim 1 only in the recitation of a washing machine appliance comprising a controller. Mashal discloses the washing machine (abstract) and controller (¶ [0029]-[0030] controller 166). Claims 11-18 recite limitations rejected above.
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure.
CN117512940A note sound sensor for detecting abnormal water inlet conditions.
US20040128034A1 note microphone to detect flow through a pipe.
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KEVIN G. LEE
Examiner
Art Unit 1711
/KEVIN G LEE/Examiner, Art Unit 1711