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 .
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.
Election/Restrictions
Applicant’s election without traverse of Group II (claims 11-19 and 21) and Species B (figs 3A-3D) in the reply filed on 04/17/2026 is acknowledged.
Claims 15-19 are withdrawn from further consideration pursuant to 37 CFR 1.142(b) as being drawn to a nonelected Species A and D, there being no allowable generic or linking claim.
Applicant has cancelled claims 1-10 and 20 which belonged to non-elected Group I.
Response to Amendment
Preliminary amendments to the claims and specification, filed on 04/17/2026, are accepted and do not introduce new matter.
Claims 11-19 and 21-28 are pending; claims 15-19 are withdrawn; claims 22-28 are new.
Drawings
The drawings are objected to under 37 CFR 1.83(a). The drawings must show every feature of the invention specified in the claims. Therefore, the “first threads” and “second threads” must be shown or the feature(s) canceled from the claim(s). No new matter should be entered.
Corrected drawing sheets in compliance with 37 CFR 1.121(d) are required in reply to the Office action to avoid abandonment of the application. Any amended replacement drawing sheet should include all of the figures appearing on the immediate prior version of the sheet, even if only one figure is being amended. The figure or figure number of an amended drawing should not be labeled as “amended.” If a drawing figure is to be canceled, the appropriate figure must be removed from the replacement sheet, and where necessary, the remaining figures must be renumbered and appropriate changes made to the brief description of the several views of the drawings for consistency. Additional replacement sheets may be necessary to show the renumbering of the remaining figures. Each drawing sheet submitted after the filing date of an application must be labeled in the top margin as either “Replacement Sheet” or “New Sheet” pursuant to 37 CFR 1.121(d). If the changes are not accepted by the examiner, the applicant will be notified and informed of any required corrective action in the next Office action. The objection to the drawings will not be held in abeyance.
The drawings are objected to because the quality of the drawings is poor and their details are not clearly seen. Applicant is advised to submit drawings with higher resolution. Corrected drawing sheets in compliance with 37 CFR 1.121(d) are required in reply to the Office action to avoid abandonment of the application. Any amended replacement drawing sheet should include all of the figures appearing on the immediate prior version of the sheet, even if only one figure is being amended. The figure or figure number of an amended drawing should not be labeled as “amended.” If a drawing figure is to be canceled, the appropriate figure must be removed from the replacement sheet, and where necessary, the remaining figures must be renumbered and appropriate changes made to the brief description of the several views of the drawings for consistency. Additional replacement sheets may be necessary to show the renumbering of the remaining figures. Each drawing sheet submitted after the filing date of an application must be labeled in the top margin as either “Replacement Sheet” or “New Sheet” pursuant to 37 CFR 1.121(d). If the changes are not accepted by the examiner, the applicant will be notified and informed of any required corrective action in the next Office action. The objection to the drawings will not be held in abeyance.
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 11, 12, 14, 21, 22, 24 and 26 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Mueller et al (U.S. 2004/0255377).
Regarding claim 11, Mueller teaches a showerhead assembly (10), comprising:
a stationary showerhead (defined by casing 20 and face member 30) fluidly connected to a shower pipe (pipe that connects to inlet member 40), the stationary showerhead including a fluid pathway (defined by bore 49 and cavity 8, where water flows through, as seen in Fig 5) therethrough and a front face (30) that defines a plurality of openings (32) for water to exit therefrom (Par 0016), the front face defining a cavity opening (opening 34) and a cavity (cavity that houses filter member 50, seen in Fig 5) within the stationary showerhead (as seen in Fig 5) in which a water filter (filter member 50 includes a filter media 60 therein) is disposed, the cavity in fluid communication with the fluid pathway and the plurality of openings (the cavity in placed fluidly between bore 49 and cavity 8, which are part of the fluid pathway), the water filter arranged within the cavity such that water flowing through the cavity flows through the water filter prior to exiting from the openings of the front face of the stationary showerhead (as seen in Fig 5 and disclosed in Pars 0018-19).
Regarding claim 12, Mueller teaches the showerhead assembly according to claim 11, wherein the showerhead assembly further comprises a hatch member (defined by handle 62 and distal end 54) disposed at the cavity opening to enable a user to insert and remove the water filter therethrough (the handle 62 and distal end 54 enable the insertion and removal of the filter member 50 into the showerhead, as disclosed in Par 0019).
Regarding claim 14, Mueller teaches the showerhead assembly according to claim 12, further comprising a retention housing (defined by central portion 56 and proximal end 52) to which the hatch member connects (as seen in Figs 1-5, 56 and 52 connect to the hatch member 62/54), thereby forming a housing (56/52 and 62/54 form a housing for filter media 60) in which the water filter is positioned (as seen in Fig 3) when inserted into the stationary showerhead (as seen in Fig 5).
Regarding claim 22, Mueller teaches the showerhead assembly according to claim 14, wherein the retention housing is configured to secure the retention housing within the cavity (the retention housing comprises keys 64 which engage to keyways 81 in the cavity to secure the retention hosing onto the cavity of the showerhead, as seen in Fig 6 and disclosed in Par 0019).
Note: Although the claims 21 and 24-28 are directed to a method of manufacturing a showerhead, there are no actual manufacturing steps recited in the body of these claims. As such, these claims are very broad regarding how the showerhead is actually made.
Regarding claim 21, Mueller teaches a method of manufacturing a showerhead assembly (10), comprising:
forming a stationary showerhead (defined by casing 20 and face member 30) configured to be fluidly connected to a shower pipe (pipe that connects to inlet member 40), the stationary showerhead including a fluid pathway (defined by bore 49 and cavity 8, where water flows through, as seen in Fig 5) therethrough and a front face (30) that defines a plurality of openings (32) for water to exit therefrom (Par 0016), the front face defining a cavity opening (opening 34) and a cavity (cavity that houses filter member 50, seen in Fig 5) within the stationary showerhead (as seen in Fig 5) in which a water filter is disposed (filter member 50 includes a filter media 60 therein), the cavity in fluid communication with the fluid pathway and the plurality of openings (the cavity in placed fluidly between bore 49 and cavity 8, which are part of the fluid pathway), the water filter arranged within the cavity such that water flowing through the cavity flows through the water filter prior to exiting from the openings of the front face of the stationary showerhead (as seen in Fig 5 and disclosed in Pars 0018-19).
Regarding claim 24, Mueller teaches the method according to claim 21, wherein forming the stationary showerhead includes forming the stationary showerhead such that the water filter to attaches to an inside surface of the cavity (as seen in Fig 5, the filter member 50 attaches to an inside surface defined by 70, which is inside the cavity of the showerhead).
Regarding claim 26, Mueller teaches the method according to claim 21, further comprising forming a hatch member (defined by handle 62 and distal end 54) configured to be disposed at the cavity opening to enable a user to insert and remove the water filter therethrough (the handle 62 and distal end 54 enable the insertion and removal of the filter member 50 into the showerhead, as disclosed in Par 0019).
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 13 and 27-28 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Mueller et al (U.S. 2004/0255377) in view of Wang et al (U.S. 2019/0336987).
Regarding claim 13, Mueller teaches the showerhead assembly according to claim 12. However, Mueller does not teach the assembly wherein the hatch member is activated to open by pressing the hatch member.
Wang teaches a showerhead with a hatch member (core 3) that stores an inner core that carries a filter therein (as disclosed in Par 0028),wherein the hatch member is activated to open by pressing the hatch member (Pars 0027-28, describe how the hatch member 3 is released by pressing onto it, as it is seen in Fig 3).
It would have been prima facie obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have modified Mueller to incorporate the teachings of Wang to provide the hatch member with means to open it, such as by pressing, in order to be able to replace the filter within the hatch member when it’s no longer usable (as disclosed in Par 0002 of Wang).
Regarding claim 27, Mueller teaches the method according to claim 26. However, Mueller does not teach the method wherein forming the hatch member includes forming the hatch member configured to be activated to open by pressing the hatch member.
Wang teaches a showerhead with a hatch member (core 3) that stores an inner core that carries a filter therein (as disclosed in Par 0028),wherein the hatch member is activated to open by pressing the hatch member (Pars 0027-28, describe how the hatch member 3 is released by pressing onto it, as it is seen in Fig 3).
It would have been prima facie obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have modified Mueller to incorporate the teachings of Wang to provide the hatch member with means to open it, such as by pressing, in order to be able to replace the filter within the hatch member when it’s no longer usable (as disclosed in Par 0002 of Wang).
Regarding claim 28, Mueller and Wang teach the method according to claim 27, further comprising forming a retention housing (defined by central portion 56 and proximal end 52 of Mueller) to which the hatch member connects (as seen in Figs 1-5 of Mueller, 56 and 52 connect to the hatch member 62/54), thereby forming a housing (56/52 and 62/54 of Mueller form a housing for filter media 60) in which the water filter is positioned (as seen in Fig 3) when inserted into the stationary showerhead (as seen in Fig 5).
Claims 23 and 25 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Mueller et al (U.S. 2004/0255377) in view of Smith (U.S. 2011/0297624).
Regarding claim 23, Mueller teaches the showerhead assembly according to claim 22, to wherein the retention housing includes first threads (keys 64); and wherein the stationary showerhead defines second threads (keyways 81) that are reciprocal to the first threads of the retention housing to enable the retention housing to be releasably connected to the stationary showerhead (as disclosed in Par 0019, the keys 64 mate with the keyways 81 to releasable connect the retention housing to the showerhead; 64 and 81 are complementary to each other and engage in a rotational fashion; as such, they are considered threads).
If it is found that Mueller does not teach first and second threads as claimed, Smith teaches a similar showerhead assembly where a filter assembly (12) is engaged into a showerhead (10) by way of male and female threads (as disclosed in Par 0047).
Rotational engagement with keys and keyways (i.e. tabs and slots) were known in the art, as evidenced by Mueller, while corresponding threads were known in the art as evidence by Smith. One of ordinary skill in the art could have substituted the keys and keyways of Mueller with the threads of Smith by known methods. The results of using both elements would have yield predictable results, as both work equally well at rotationally engaging a filter housing to a showerhead. Thus, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in art to replace the means of engagement with threads, since the examiner takes Official Note of equivalence of keys and keyways (i.e. tabs and slots) and male and female threads in the related art for their use in releasably engaging a concentric piece to a cavity. The selection of any of these known equivalents in this context would be within the level of ordinary skill in the art {See MPEP 2144.06 II}. Examiner notes that in order to rely on equivalence as a rationale supporting an obviousness rejection, the equivalency must be recognized in the prior art, as stated in MPEP 2144.06 II. In the present case, Smith recognizes the equivalence between keys and keyways (i.e. tabs and slots) and male and female threads (as disclosed in Pars 0047-48).
Regarding claim 25, Mueller teaches the method according to claim 21, further comprising: wherein forming the stationary showerhead includes forming threads (keyways 81) within the cavity to which corresponding threads (keys 64) on a housing (casing of 50) of the water filter or other member with which the water filter is configure to engage to be retained thereby (as disclosed in Par 0019, the keys 64 mate with the keyways 81 to releasable connect the retention housing to the showerhead; 64 and 81 are complementary to each other and engage in a rotational fashion; as such, they are considered threads).
If it is found that Mueller does not teach threads as claimed, Smith teaches a similar showerhead assembly where a filter assembly (12) is engaged into a showerhead (10) by way of male and female threads (as disclosed in Par 0047).
Rotational engagement with keys and keyways (i.e. tabs and slots) were known in the art, as evidenced by Mueller, while corresponding threads were known in the art as evidence by Smith. One of ordinary skill in the art could have substituted the keys and keyways of Mueller with the threads of Smith by known methods. The results of using both elements would have yield predictable results, as both work equally well at rotationally engaging a filter housing to a showerhead. Thus, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in art to replace the means of engagement with threads, since the examiner takes Official Note of equivalence of keys and keyways (i.e. tabs and slots) and male and female threads in the related art for their use in releasably engaging a concentric piece to a cavity. The selection of any of these known equivalents in this context would be within the level of ordinary skill in the art {See MPEP 2144.06 II}. Examiner notes that in order to rely on equivalence as a rationale supporting an obviousness rejection, the equivalency must be recognized in the prior art, as stated in MPEP 2144.06 II. In the present case, Smith recognizes the equivalence between keys and keyways (i.e. tabs and slots) and male and female threads (as disclosed in Pars 0047-48).
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to JUAN C BARRERA whose telephone number is (571)272-6284. The examiner can normally be reached on M-F Generally 10am-4pm and 6-8pm.
If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, ARTHUR O. HALL can be reached on 571-270-1814. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
If there are any inquiries that are not being addressed by first contacting the Examiner or the Supervisor, you may send an email inquiry to TC3700_Workgroup_D_Inquiries@uspto.gov.
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/JUAN C BARRERA/
Examiner, Art Unit 3752
/ARTHUR O. HALL/Supervisory Patent Examiner, Art Unit 3752
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