DETAILED ACTION
The communication dated 12/16/2025 has been entered and fully considered.
Claim 17 was amended. Claims 1-20 are currently pending.
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 (i.e., changing from AIA to pre-AIA ) 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
The restriction requirement between inventions Groups I-II, as set forth in the Office action mailed on 12/10/2025, is hereby withdrawn.
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 1-6 and 8 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Fawaz et al. U.S. Publication 2020/0301382 (henceforth referred to as Fawaz).
As for claim 1, Fawaz teaches a dishwasher (Fig. 1: part 100), comprising: a wash tub including a rack (Fig. 1); at least one spray device disposed in the wash tub and supported by the rack (Fig. 5); a fluid supply configured to supply wash fluid to the at least one spray device during a wash cycle that washes a load (paragraph [0050]), the fluid supply including at least one pump (necessarily present to move water through the dishwasher during operation); a wireless power transmitter external from an internal surface of the wash tub (paragraphs [0032] and [0054]; Fig. 1); a wireless power receiver supported by the rack and positioned adjacent to the wireless transmitter when the rack is in a washing position (Fig. 4: specifically the power receiver associated with sensors 300); and a wirelessly powered electrical device supported by the rack and electrically coupled to the wireless power receiver to receive power communicated from the wireless power transmitter to the wireless power receiver (Fig. 4: part 300).
As for claim 2, Fawaz further teaches that the wirelessly powered electrical device is an imaging device configured to capture one or more images within the wash tub (paragraph [0042]).
As for claim 3, Fawaz further teaches that the rack is an upper rack and the imaging device is supported by the upper rack (Fig. 4).
As for claim 4, Fawaz further teaches that the rack is a lower rack or a third rack and the imaging device is supported by the lower rack or third rack (Fig. 4).
As for claim 5, Fawaz further teaches a controller (Fig. 1: part 200) coupled to the imaging device and configured to control a wash cycle based on the one or more images captured by the imaging device (paragraphs [0042]-[0047]).
As for claim 6, Fawaz further teaches that the wirelessly powered electrical device is configured to wirelessly communicate data to the controller (paragraphs [0042]-[0047]).
As for claim 8, Fawaz further teaches that the wireless powered electrical device is a sensor configured to detect one or more properties within the wash tub (paragraph [0042]).
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.
The factual inquiries for establishing a background for determining obviousness under 35 U.S.C. 103 are summarized as follows:
1. Determining the scope and contents of the prior art.
2. Ascertaining the differences between the prior art and the claims at issue.
3. Resolving the level of ordinary skill in the pertinent art.
4. Considering objective evidence present in the application indicating obviousness or nonobviousness.
Claim 9 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Fawaz et al. U.S. Publication 2020/0301382 (henceforth referred to as Fawaz).
Fawaz teaches the features as per above. Examiner takes official notice that it was old and well known to use a battery as a power source and therefore would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention.
Allowable Subject Matter
Claim 7 is 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: Fawaz et al. U.S. Publication 2020/0301382, the closest prior art, differs from the instant claims in failing to teach that the at least one spray device is a spray arm and the wireless powered electrical device is a motor configured to drive the spray arm. Furthermore, it would not have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify the dishwasher taught by Fawaz as claimed.
Claims 10-20 are allowed.
The following is a statement of reasons for the indication of allowable subject matter: Fawaz et al. U.S. Publication 2020/0301382, the closest prior art, differs from the instant claims in failing to teach that the fluid conduit includes: a docking port configured to receive fluid from the fluid supply and convey the fluid to the at least one spray device. Furthermore, it would not have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify the dishwasher taught by Fawaz as claimed.
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to LEVON J SHAHINIAN whose telephone number is (571)270-1384. The examiner can normally be reached M-F: 9:30am-6:00pm.
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If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Michael Barr can be reached at (571)272-1414. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/LEVON J SHAHINIAN/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 1711