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.
Claims 1-8 and 11-16 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by BR 112015011965 B1 to Pesavento et al. (Pesavento).
Regarding claim 1, Pesavento discloses a laundry appliance (Fig. 1, generally; machine translation, paragraph 34) comprising: a tub positioned within a cabinet and a basket supported for rotation within the tub, the basket defining a chamber for receipt of laundry articles for drying (Fig. 1, part 12; machine translation, paragraph 35, ll. 2-3); a conditioning system comprising a dehumidification section and a heating section (machine translation, paragraphs 35 and 38); a recirculating air flow system for providing fluid communication between the chamber and the conditioning system, wherein the recirculating air flow system, the conditioning system, and the basket define a process air flow path (machine translation, paragraph 35); a fan operable to move a flow of process air through the process air flow path (machine translation, paragraph 35; Fig. 1, part 18); and a controller operably coupled to the conditioning system and the fan (machine translation, paragraphs 25, 28, and 31), the controller being configured to: rotate the basket at a tumble speed during a drying cycle (machine translation, paragraph 44); energize the conditioning system (machine translation, paragraph 28); energize the fan to operate at a first speed to recirculate a first air flow through the recirculating air flow system during a first portion of the drying cycle (machine translation paragraphs 25 and 35); deenergize the conditioning system (machine translation, paragraphs 28 and 29); and selectively energize the fan to operate at a second speed during a second portion of the drying cycle, the second speed less than the first speed (machine translation, paragraph 18).
Regarding claims 2-4 and 7-8, the claim language regarding “wherein the first portion of the drying cycle is a heating process for heating the laundry articles” (claim 2); “wherein the second portion of the drying cycle is a cooling process for allowing the laundry articles to cool” (claim 3); “wherein energizing the conditioning system comprises energizing at least one of the dehumidification section and the heating section during the drying cycle” (claim 4); “wherein selectively energizing the fan during the second portion of the drying cycle includes deenergizing the fan for a time period” (claim 7); and “wherein the basket rotating at tumble speed induces an air flow through the recirculating air flow system” (claim 8) are all statements regarded as intended use as Applicant is claiming the laundry appliance and not the method of operation/controlling thereof, do not add further structural limitations to the claims, and because the apparatus of Pesavento is capable of performing said intended use, the limitations of the claims are considered to be met.
Regarding claim 5, Pesavento discloses wherein the dehumidification section comprises an evaporator (machine translation, paragraph 38).
Regarding claim 6, Pesavento discloses wherein the heating section comprises a condenser (machine translation, paragraph 38).
Regarding claim 11, Pesavento discloses a method of operating a laundry appliance (machine translation, paragraph 1), the laundry appliance comprising a basket supported for rotation within a tub (Fig. 1, part 12; machine translation, paragraph 35, ll. 2-3), a conditioning system comprising a dehumidification section and a heating section (machine translation, paragraphs 35 and 38), a recirculating air flow system in fluid communication with the basket and the conditioning system, wherein the recirculating air flow system, the conditioning system, and the basket define a process air flow path (machine translation, paragraph 35), and a fan operable to move a flow of process air through the process air flow path (machine translation, paragraph 35; Fig. 1, part 18), the method comprising: rotating the basket at a tumble speed during a drying cycle (machine translation, paragraph 44); energizing the conditioning system (machine translation, paragraph 28); energizing the fan to operate at a first speed to recirculate a first air flow through the recirculating air flow system during a first portion of the drying cycle (machine translation paragraphs 18, 25 and 35); deenergizing the conditioning system (machine translation, paragraphs 28 and 29); and selectively energizing the fan to operate at a second speed during a second portion of the drying cycle, the second speed less than the first speed (machine translation, paragraphs 18).
Regarding claim 12, Pesavento discloses wherein operating the fan at the first speed recirculates heated process air through the process air flow path (machine translation paragraphs 10, 18, and 70).
Regarding claim 13, Pesavento discloses wherein operating the fan at the second speed recirculates process air through the process air flow path (machine translation paragraphs 10, 18, and 70).
Regarding claim 14, Pesavento discloses wherein energizing the conditioning system comprises energizing at least one of the dehumidification section and the heating section during the drying cycle (machine translation, paragraphs 28-31).
Regarding claim 15, Pesavento discloses wherein energizing the dehumidification section comprises energizing an evaporator (machine translation, paragraph 38).
Regarding claim 16, Pesavento discloses wherein energizing the heating section comprises energizing a condenser (machine translation, paragraph 38).
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 9-10 and 17-20 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 closest prior art of record is that of BR 112015011965 B1 to Pesavento et al. (Pesavento). Pesavento does not disclose or make obvious the limitations of claims 9 and 19, claiming wherein the recirculating air flow system comprises one or more flow control devices operable to control the flow of process air through the process air flow path or wherein the recirculating air flow system comprises one or more flow control devices; and wherein the method further comprises operating the one or more flow control devices to control the flow of process air through the process air flow path (respectively). Pesavento does not disclose or make obvious the limitations of claim 17, claiming wherein selectively energizing the fan during the second portion of the drying cycle includes deenergizing the fan for a time period.
The advantage of the current invention over that of the prior art to Pesavento is that of the one or more flow control devices or the deenergizing the fan for a time period wherein this reduces the flow rate of the air during a cooling portion of the cycle to thereby keep humidity low by keeping additional moisture from being reintroduced into the laundry articles all in order to more efficiently process the laundry thereof.
Claims 10, 18, and 20 are allowable, as above, as being dependent upon claims 9, 17, and 19 (respectively).
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to BENJAMIN LEE OSTERHOUT whose telephone number is (571)270-7379. The examiner can normally be reached 9:00am-5:00pm.
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BENJAMIN LEE OSTERHOUT
Primary Examiner
Art Unit 1711
/BENJAMIN L OSTERHOUT/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 1711