DETAILED ACTION
The Amendment filed 7/21/2026 has been entered. Claims 1-4,6,8-20 remain pending in the application.
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 17-20 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 112, second paragraph, as being indefinite for failing to particularly point out and distinctly claim the subject matter which applicant regards as the invention.
Regarding claims 18-20, the following claimed language suggests or makes optional but do(es) not require the claimed limitations contained therein rendering the claim(s) indefinite:
Claim 18: “may extend”;
Claim 19: “may include”;
Claim 20 “may include”, “may be formed”;
For examination purposes, under a broadest reasonable interpretation, these claimed limitations have been interpreted as not requiring the aforementioned optional components. See MPEP 2111.04.
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 –
(b) the invention was patented or described in a printed publication in this or a foreign country or in public use or on sale in this country, more than one year prior to the date of application for patent in the United States.
Claims 1-2,6,11-12,17-20 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(b) as being anticipated by US Patent 5819722 to Katz.
As to claim 1, Katz discloses A cooking appliance, comprising: a main body to accommodate a cooking chamber (Fig 1); a door (16/24/20) to open and close the cooking chamber; and a handle (50), mountable on a front of the door (Fig 4,5), including a contact portion (where 49 contacts 16) and a protruding portion (56,57,58) extending rearward from the contact portion to allow a fastening member to be inserted (Fig 10,11; Col 7, Line 65-Col 8, Line 5), wherein the door includes: a door frame (24/20); and a front panel (16) arrangeable in front of the door frame (Fig 4) so that while the front panel is arranged in front of the door frame, the front panel is in contact with the contact portion of the handle (49 contacting 16 Fig 4) while the handle is mounted on the front of the door, wherein the front panel includes: a handle coupling portion formed to be cut to allow the protruding portion of the handle to pass through and formed in an area corresponding to the contact portion of the handle (as 55 and 54 pass through 56,57,58 also pass through shown Fig 4,Fig 9,Fig 12 also shown to rest against 24), and a support protrusion (55,54; alt 89 Fig 4) extending toward the door frame from an area of the front panel which corresponds to the contact portion of the handle in contact with the front panel of the door to thereby prevent deformation of the door due to operation of the handle wherein the support protrusion is formed to be adjacent to the handle coupling portion (Fig 4).
As to claim 2, Katz discloses the support protrusion is in contact with a front side of the door frame to allow the front panel and the door frame to be spaced apart from each other (89, Fig 4).
As to claim 6, Katz discloses wherein the support protrusion (89) is formed at a position facing the contact portion of the handle (Fig 4).
As to claim 11, Katz discloses the support protrusion (55,54; alt 89 Fig 4) is formed in an area where the handle is mounted on the front panel (Fig 4).
As to claim 12, Katz discloses the support protrusion is in a circular shape (55,54).
As to claim 17, Katz discloses a cooking appliance, comprising: a main body to accommodate a cooking chamber (Fig 1); a door frame (24/20) in front of the cooking chamber; a front panel (16) to cover a front side of the door frame; a handle (50) mountable on a front of the front panel and including a contact portion in contact with the front panel (as 49 contacts 16); and a support protrusion (55,54; alt 89 Fig 4), formed in an area corresponding to the contact portion of the handle, to space the door frame apart from the front panel by protruding from one of the door frame or the front panel (Fig 4).
As to claim 18, Katz discloses the support protrusion may extend toward the door frame from the front panel (55,54,Fig 4).
As to claim 19, Katz discloses the handle may include a protruding portion extending toward the front panel from the contact portion to allow a fastening member to be inserted (56,57,58).
As to claim 20, Katz discloses the front panel may include a handle coupling portion formed to be cut to allow the protruding portion of the handle to pass through, and the support protrusion may be formed outside of the handle coupling portion (as 55 and 54 pass through 56,57,58 also pass through shown Fig 4,Fig 9,Fig 12 also shown to rest against 24).
Claims 17-20 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(b) as being anticipated by US Patent 5819722 to Katz.
As to claim 17, Nuss discloses A cooking appliance, comprising: a main body to accommodate a cooking chamber (Fig 1); a door frame (106) in front of the cooking chamber; a front panel (34) to cover a front side of the door frame; a handle (28) mountable on a front of the front panel and including a contact portion in contact with the front panel (58 region); and a support protrusion (60), formed in an area corresponding to the contact portion of the handle, to space the door frame apart from the front panel by protruding from one of the door frame or the front panel (Fig 2).
As to claim 18, Nuss discloses the support protrusion may extend toward the door frame from the front panel (60).
As to claim 19, Nuss discloses the handle may include a protruding portion extending toward the front panel from the contact portion to allow a fastening member to be inserted (optional feature).
As to claim 20, Nuss discloses the front panel may include a handle coupling portion formed to be cut to allow the protruding portion of the handle to pass through, and the support protrusion may be formed outside of the handle coupling portion (optional features).
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 103
The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 103(a) 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.
This application currently names joint inventors. In considering patentability of the claims under 35 U.S.C. 103(a), the examiner presumes that the subject matter of the various claims was commonly owned at the time any inventions covered therein were made absent any evidence to the contrary. Applicant is advised of the obligation under 37 CFR 1.56 to point out the inventor and invention dates of each claim that was not commonly owned at the time a later invention was made in order for the examiner to consider the applicability of 35 U.S.C. 103(c) and potential 35 U.S.C. 102(e), (f) or (g) prior art under 35 U.S.C. 103(a).
Claims 15 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over US Patent 5819722 to Katz as applied to claim 1 above in view of US Patent 5433189 to Bales.
As to claim 15, Katz discloses substantially all the limitations of the claim(s) except for wherein the front panel includes a stainless material. It would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art at the time the invention was made to have wherein the front panel includes a stainless material, since it has been held to be within the general skill of a worker in the art to select a known material on the basis of its suitability for the intended use as a matter of obvious design choice. In re Leshin, 125 USPQ 416. See also Ballas Liquidating Co. v. Allied industries of Kansas, Inc. (DC Kans) 205 USPQ 331.
Further Bales discloses wherein the front panel includes a stainless material (Col 1, Line 15-30).
At the time of invention, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art to modify Katz to include wherein the front panel includes a stainless material using the teachings of Bales as stainless steel would operate at a reasonable exterior temperature for a heating appliance while offering a desired aesthetic.
Allowable Subject Matter
Claim 3-4,8-10,13-14,16 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.
Response to Arguments
Applicant’s arguments with respect to claims have been considered but are moot in view of the new ground(s) of rejection.
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to JESSE SAMUEL BOGUE whose telephone number is (571)270-1406. The examiner can normally be reached on M-F 8:00-5:00.
If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Mark Laurenzi can be reached on 571-270-7878. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/JESSE S BOGUE/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3746
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