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 § 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.
Claim 14 is 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.
Claim 14 recites the limitation “an/or” in line 3. Is the remainder of the claim part of the “or” clause? Is the following subparagraph only part of the “or” clause?
Claim 14 recites the limitation "the plurality of water inlet hole groups" in line 10. There is insufficient antecedent basis for this limitation in the claim.
Claim 14 recites the limitation “a same outlet area” in line 16. It appears to be a double inclusion of the “plurality of water outlet areas” recited in 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.
Claim(s) 1, 2, 15 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Matsushita (3 154 691).
Matsushita discloses a water outlet device comprising:
a body mechanism 41 provided with a water separating end face (upstream face of first member 101) and a water outlet end face (upstream face of third member 103), the outer outlet end face being provided with a plurality of water outlet areas 128, 19, 130, wherein the body mechanism is provided with a water inlet flow channel (channel in unit 14) and a plurality of water outlet flow channels 123-126, and each of the plurality of water outlet flow channels I one-to one corresponding to each of the plurality of water outlet areas and penetrates between the corresponding water outlet areas and the water separating end face;
a first sealing member 108 provided on the water separating end face and provided with a plurality of flow holes (see figure 17), each of the plurality of flow holes being one-to-one corresponding to and communicating with each of the plurality of water outlet flow channels;
a switching member 64 movably installed on the body mechanism and fitted against a side of the first sealing member away from the water separating end face, wherein the switching member is provided with a through hole 65;
a supporting member 67 supported between the body mechanism and a side of the switching member away from the first sealing member and movably connected with at least one of the body mechanism and the switching member; and
a pushing mechanism 18 movably installed on the body mechanism, wherein the pushing mechanism is configured to be capable of driving the switching member to move with respect to the body mechanism so that the through hole communicates one of the plurality of flow holes with the water inlet flow channel, or the plurality of flow holes disconnect from the water inlet flow channel;
wherein the supporting member is elastically abutted against at least one of the body mechanism and the switching member;
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 3-13 and 16-19 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.
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to CHRISTOPHER S KIM whose telephone number is (571)272-4905. The examiner can normally be reached M-F 7:30-3:30.
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If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Arthur O Hall can be reached at (571) 270-1814. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/CHRISTOPHER S KIM/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3752 CHRISTOPHER S. KIM
Examiner
Art Unit 3752
CK