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 Objections
Claim 24 is objected to because of the following informalities:
In line 8, “and” should be inserted after “mechanism” for correct grammar.
Claim 33 is objected to because of the following informalities:
In line 5, “an” should be inserted after “at” for correct grammar.
In line 8, “an” should be inserted after “at” for correct grammar.
Appropriate correction is required.
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 12, 16, 19, 22, 24, 26, 30, 33, and 42 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 112(b) or 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), second paragraph, as being indefinite for failing to particularly point out and distinctly claim the subject matter which the inventor or a joint inventor (or for applications subject to pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, the applicant), regards as the invention.
There is no antecedent basis for the following elements:
“the outlet of the gas outflow channel” in claim 12, 4th to last line.
“a second direction” in claim 26, line 3 (No first direction was claimed).
“a third direction” in claim 26, line 4 (No first direction was claimed).
“the main body portion” in claim 42, line 11.
Claim 33, 3rd to last line recites “two flow baffles”. For clarity, “the” needs to be inserted before “two” because they were claimed before.
The remaining claims are rejected for depending on claim 1.
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 1-3 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Conrad (US 2019/0082925).
As to claim 1, Conrad includes a cleaning device (The single stage treatment unit 130 with the features of any of the embodiments of Fig. 19-41 can be used on upright section 116, which is illustrated in Fig. 1. The cleaning device is cleaning apparatus 100 with element 130 of embodiment of Fig. 37 used on upright section 116), comprising a device body (upright section 116) and a floor brush (102; Paragraphs 247-249 recite the surface cleaning head having a cleaning brush, and paragraph 505 recites the surface cleaning head being element 102), wherein the floor brush is connected to one end of the device body (Fig. 1); the device body is provided with a sewage storage box (Upright section 116 has a sewage storage box 130; Fig. 37); a box body (144, 148) of the sewage storage box is configured to at least store and/or filter garbage suctioned by the floor brush (130 stores garbage in 144 and 148, as explained in paragraph 631, and it filters garbage using screen 298, as explained in paragraph 544; Fig. 37).
As to claim 2, wherein the floor brush is rotatably connected to the one end of the device body (para 249); the device body includes a first channel (The air path at 112/109; Fig. 2); and the sewage storage box is connected to the floor brush through the first channel (Fig. 2).
As to claim 3, wherein the box body of the sewage storage box is provided with a second channel (The air path leading from 112/109 to 152, and 152 is discussed in paragraph 519), and the second channel is connected to the first channel (The second channel of 130 is connected to 112/109; Fig. 6).
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.
Claim 36 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Conrad (Fig. 37 embodiment) in view of Conrad (Fig. 6A embodiment), Conrad (Fig. 50-51B embodiment), and Conrad (Fig. 13A-13B embodiment).
As to claim 36, Conrad does not include the floor brush being provided with a detachable cleaning fluid box, the device body includes a sewage storage box supporting seat, the sewage storage box is provided on the device body through the sewage storage box supporting seat, the sewage storage box supporting seat including a groove, and at least a portion of the sewage storage box is accommodated within the groove.
Conrad (Fig. 6A embodiment) includes a cleaning device (100), wherein the floor brush is provided with a cleaning fluid box (162; para 664).
Conrad (Fig. 50-51B embodiment) includes a detachable cleaning fluid box (200a) [para 678].
Conrad (Fig. 13A-13B embodiment) includes a device body (116) including a sewage storage box supporting seat (372c), the sewage storage box is provided on the device body through the sewage storage box supporting seat, the sewage storage box supporting seat accommodated within a groove (The opening in 104a) of the sewage storage box (Fig. 13A-13B and para 777).
It would have been an obvious to modify the floor brush to have a cleaning fluid box, as taught by Conrad (Fig. 6A embodiment), which allows cleaning fluid to be sprayed onto the floor surface prior to that area being vacuumed, thereby enhancing the cleaning process.
It would have been an obvious to modify the cleaning fluid box to be detachable, as taught by Conrad (Fig. 50-51B embodiment), in order to permit the box to be refilled with cleaning fluid without the need to lift up the entire cleaning device.
It would have been an obvious to substitute the means of connecting the device body to the floor brush for the following means: the device body includes a sewage storage box supporting seat, the sewage storage box provided on the device body through the sewage storage box supporting seat, and the sewage storage box supporting seat accommodated within a groove of the sewage storage box, as taught by Conrad (Fig. 13A-13B embodiment), in order to provide an alternative means of detachably connecting the device body to the floor brush, which allows the device body to be securely fastened to the floor brush because of the groove.
It would have been an obvious reversal of parts to modify the sewage storage box and sewage storage box supporting seat so that the sewage storage box supporting seat includes a groove, and at least a portion of the sewage storage box is accommodated within the groove, in order to provide an equivalent alternative means of connecting the sewage storage box to the sewage storage box supporting seat.
Claim 39 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Conrad (Fig. 37 embodiment) in view of Conrad (Fig. 66A-66C embodiment).
As to claim 39, Conrad does not include the cleaning device further includes a handheld vacuum cleaner, the handheld vacuum cleaner is detachably installed at another end of the device body, one end of the handheld vacuum cleaner away from the device body is provided with a handle, and a battery is accommodated inside the handle.
Conrad (Fig. 66A-66C embodiment) includes a handheld vacuum cleaner (The cleaner of Fig. 66A), the handheld vacuum cleaner is detachably installed at another end (The top end) of the device body, one end (The top end) of the handheld vacuum cleaner away from the device body is provided with a handle (386), and a battery (388) is accommodated inside the handle (para 810).
It would have been an obvious to substitute the handheld vacuum cleaner (The section including 104a, 125, and 386; Fig. 3) of Conrad for the handheld vacuum cleaner of Conrad (Fig. 66A-66C embodiment), which includes the handheld vacuum cleaner detachably installed at another end of the device body, one end of the handheld vacuum cleaner away from the device body provided with a handle, and a battery accommodated inside the handle, in order to permit the user to more easily grip the handheld vacuum using the handle and the handheld vacuum to be usable wirelessly using the battery.
Claim 40 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Conrad (Fig. 37 embodiment) in view of Conrad (Fig. 66A-66C embodiment), and further in view of Sardar (US 2019/0246853).
As to claim 40, Conrad (Fig. 66A-66C embodiment) provided the handheld vacuum cleaner further includes a dust canister assembly (144) and a motor (124), the dust canister assembly, the motor, and the handle (now understood as the highest two segments of 386) are disposed in sequence along a first direction (The vertical direction) of the handheld vacuum cleaner, and widths (The distance between 144 and 160 measured at two locations along the horizontal direction) each of which being a distance from the dust canister assembly to a position of a plurality of positions on the handheld vacuum cleaner along the first direction are substantially the same (Fig. 66A).
Conrad does not include the handheld vacuum cleaner includes an attachment member, the attachment member is detachably connected to the handheld vacuum cleaner, and the attachment member includes at least one of: a de-mite brush, a flat brush, a bristle brush, a pet brush, or a water hose.
Sardar includes a handheld vacuum cleaner (300; para 69) including an attachment member (700), the attachment member is detachably connected to the handheld vacuum cleaner (para 81), and the attachment member includes at least one of: a de-mite brush, a flat brush, a bristle brush (700 is a bristle brush; para 76), a pet brush, or a water hose.
It would have been obvious to modify Conrad to have an attachment member, the attachment member is detachably connected to the handheld vacuum cleaner, and the attachment member includes at least one of: a de-mite brush, a flat brush, a bristle brush, a pet brush, or a water hose, as taught by Sardar, in order to allow the option of the handheld vacuum cleaner to be used for brushing a surface, thereby providing an additional cleaning approach which enhances the cleaning process.
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 4-7 and 28 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. Claims 12, 16, 19, 22, 24, 26, 30, 33, and 42 would be allowable if rewritten to overcome the rejection(s) under 35 U.S.C. 112(b) or 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), 2nd paragraph, set forth in this Office action and to include all of the limitations of the base claim and any intervening claims.
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to ANDREW A. HORTON whose telephone number is (571)270-5039. The examiner can normally be reached Monday - Friday 8:30 AM - 5:00 PM.
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/ANDREW A HORTON/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3723
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