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 .
Response to Amendment
This Office Action is in response to the Applicant’s amendment filed on May 4, 2026. Claims 1 and 4 have been amended. Claims 2-3 have been canceled. Claims 9-18 have been withdrawn.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 (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.
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, 4-6 and 8 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Rachow (US 2022/0009453 A1).
With regard to claim 1, Rachow discloses an integrated cleaning module (Fig. 1) configured to clean a vehicle sensor (280), the integrated cleaning module comprising: a washing liquid supply module (14) configured to supply cleaning liquid (20); and an air supply module (“compressor or air tank”, see Par. [0178]) connected to the washing liquid supply module and configured to supply air, wherein the air supply module includes: a compressor configured to generate compressed air (Par. [0178]); an air tank in which the compressed air generated by the compressor is stored (Par. [0178]); and an integrated dispenser (26D) configured to be in fluid connection with the washing liquid supply module (14) and the air tank (Par. [0178]), wherein the integrated dispenser is configured to distribute the cleaning liquid and the compressed air, wherein the integrated dispenser includes an air flow path through which the compressed air supplied from the air tank moves and a cleaning liquid flow path through which the cleaning liquid supplied from a pump (22) of the washing liquid supply module moves, and wherein the air flow path and the cleaning liquid flow path are separated (“first and second array of outlets 272, 276”, see Par. [0177-0178] and Figs. 20-21).
With regard to claim 4, the module of Rachow discloses the invention as disclosed in the rejection of claim 1 above. Rachow further discloses that the integrated dispenser (26D) includes an air inlet port (290) and at least one air distribution port communicating with the air flow path (Fig. 21), and wherein the air inlet port is connected to the air tank through a pipe (Par. [0178]).
With regard to claim 5, the module of Rachow discloses the invention as disclosed in the rejection of claim 4 above. Rachow further discloses that the integrated dispenser includes a cleaning liquid inlet port (288) and at least one cleaning liquid distribution port communicating with the cleaning liquid flow path (Fig. 21) , and wherein the cleaning liquid inlet port is connected to the pump through a pipe (Fig. 1).
With regard to claim 6, the module of Rachow discloses the invention as disclosed in the rejection of claim 5 above. Rachow further discloses that the integrated dispenser (26D) includes a body (298) in which at least one solenoid valve (28, Par. [0027]) is disposed and an upper cover coupled to an upper portion of the body (Fig. 21), wherein the air flow path, the air inlet port (290), and the at least one air distribution port are formed on one side of the upper cover (Fig. 21), and wherein the cleaning liquid flow path, the cleaning liquid inlet port, and the at least one cleaning liquid distribution port are formed on another side of the upper cover (Fig. 21).
With regard to claim 8, the module of Rachow discloses the invention as disclosed in the rejection of claim 1 above. Rachow further discloses that a support plate (30) on which the air supply module and the washing liquid supply module are mounted, wherein the air supply module and the washing liquid supply module are integrally assembled to the support plate (Figs. 1 and 20).
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.
Response to Arguments
Applicant’s arguments with respect to claim(s) 1 have been considered but are moot because the new ground of rejection does not rely on any reference applied in the prior rejection of record for any teaching or matter specifically challenged in the argument.
Conclusion
Applicant's amendment necessitated the new ground(s) of rejection presented in this Office action. Accordingly, THIS ACTION IS MADE FINAL. See MPEP § 706.07(a). Applicant is reminded of the extension of time policy as set forth in 37 CFR 1.136(a).
A shortened statutory period for reply to this final action is set to expire THREE MONTHS from the mailing date of this action. In the event a first reply is filed within TWO MONTHS of the mailing date of this final action and the advisory action is not mailed until after the end of the THREE-MONTH shortened statutory period, then the shortened statutory period will expire on the date the advisory action is mailed, and any nonprovisional extension fee (37 CFR 1.17(a)) pursuant to 37 CFR 1.136(a) will be calculated from the mailing date of the advisory action. In no event, however, will the statutory period for reply expire later than SIX MONTHS from the mailing date of this final action.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to JOEL ZHOU whose telephone number is (571)270-1163. The examiner can normally be reached Mon-Fri 9AM-5PM.
Examiner interviews are available via telephone, in-person, and video conferencing using a USPTO supplied web-based collaboration tool. To schedule an interview, applicant is encouraged to use the USPTO Automated Interview Request (AIR) at http://www.uspto.gov/interviewpractice.
If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, ARTHUR HALL can be reached at 5712701814. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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JOEL . ZHOU
Primary Examiner
Art Unit 3752
/QINGZHANG ZHOU/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3752
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