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 .
Information Disclosure Statement
The information disclosure statements (IDS) submitted on 2/1/2024, 8/20/2024, and 8/26/2025 are in compliance with the provisions of 37 CFR 1.97. Accordingly, the information disclosure statements are being considered by the examiner.
Drawings
The drawings are objected to under 37 CFR 1.83(a). The drawings must show every feature of the invention specified in the claims. Therefore, the “water supply device” in Claim 15 must be shown or the feature canceled from the claim. No new matter should be entered.
Corrected drawing sheets in compliance with 37 CFR 1.121(d) are required in reply to the Office action to avoid abandonment of the application. Any amended replacement drawing sheet should include all of the figures appearing on the immediate prior version of the sheet, even if only one figure is being amended. The figure or figure number of an amended drawing should not be labeled as “amended.” If a drawing figure is to be canceled, the appropriate figure must be removed from the replacement sheet, and where necessary, the remaining figures must be renumbered and appropriate changes made to the brief description of the several views of the drawings for consistency. Additional replacement sheets may be necessary to show the renumbering of the remaining figures. Each drawing sheet submitted after the filing date of an application must be labeled in the top margin as either “Replacement Sheet” or “New Sheet” pursuant to 37 CFR 1.121(d). If the changes are not accepted by the examiner, the applicant will be notified and informed of any required corrective action in the next Office action. The objection to the drawings will not be held in abeyance.
Claim Objections
Claims 1-2, 4, and 15 are objected to because of the following informalities:
In Claim 1 Line 4, “each water outlet hole” should be revised to “each water outlet hole of the at least one water outlet hole” to ensure clarity in the claim.
In Claim 2 Line 2, “each water outlet hole” should be revised to “each water outlet hole of the at least one water outlet hole” to ensure clarity in the claim.
In Claim 2 Line 3, “each water outlet chamber” should be revised to “each water outlet chamber of the at least one water outlet chamber” to ensure clarity in the claim.
In Claim 4 Line 2, “each water outlet chamber” should be revised to “each water outlet chamber of the at least one water outlet chamber” to ensure clarity in the claim.
In Claim 15 Line 3, “configured to capable” should be revised to “configured to be capable” to ensure proper grammar.
Appropriate correction is required.
Claim Interpretation
The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 112(f):
(f) Element in Claim for a Combination. – An element in a claim for a combination may be expressed as a means or step for performing a specified function without the recital of structure, material, or acts in support thereof, and such claim shall be construed to cover the corresponding structure, material, or acts described in the specification and equivalents thereof.
The following is a quotation of pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, sixth paragraph:
An element in a claim for a combination may be expressed as a means or step for performing a specified function without the recital of structure, material, or acts in support thereof, and such claim shall be construed to cover the corresponding structure, material, or acts described in the specification and equivalents thereof.
The claims in this application are given their broadest reasonable interpretation using the plain meaning of the claim language in light of the specification as it would be understood by one of ordinary skill in the art. The broadest reasonable interpretation of a claim element (also commonly referred to as a claim limitation) is limited by the description in the specification when 35 U.S.C. 112(f) or pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, sixth paragraph, is invoked.
As explained in MPEP § 2181, subsection I, claim limitations that meet the following three-prong test will be interpreted under 35 U.S.C. 112(f) or pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, sixth paragraph:
(A) the claim limitation uses the term “means” or “step” or a term used as a substitute for “means” that is a generic placeholder (also called a nonce term or a non-structural term having no specific structural meaning) for performing the claimed function;
(B) the term “means” or “step” or the generic placeholder is modified by functional language, typically, but not always linked by the transition word “for” (e.g., “means for”) or another linking word or phrase, such as “configured to” or “so that”; and
(C) the term “means” or “step” or the generic placeholder is not modified by sufficient structure, material, or acts for performing the claimed function.
Use of the word “means” (or “step”) in a claim with functional language creates a rebuttable presumption that the claim limitation is to be treated in accordance with 35 U.S.C. 112(f) or pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, sixth paragraph. The presumption that the claim limitation is interpreted under 35 U.S.C. 112(f) or pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, sixth paragraph, is rebutted when the claim limitation recites sufficient structure, material, or acts to entirely perform the recited function.
Absence of the word “means” (or “step”) in a claim creates a rebuttable presumption that the claim limitation is not to be treated in accordance with 35 U.S.C. 112(f) or pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, sixth paragraph. The presumption that the claim limitation is not interpreted under 35 U.S.C. 112(f) or pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, sixth paragraph, is rebutted when the claim limitation recites function without reciting sufficient structure, material or acts to entirely perform the recited function.
Claim limitations in this application that use the word “means” (or “step”) are being interpreted under 35 U.S.C. 112(f) or pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, sixth paragraph, except as otherwise indicated in an Office action. Conversely, claim limitations in this application that do not use the word “means” (or “step”) are not being interpreted under 35 U.S.C. 112(f) or pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, sixth paragraph, except as otherwise indicated in an Office action.
This application includes one or more claim limitations that do not use the word “means,” but are nonetheless being interpreted under 35 U.S.C. 112(f) or pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, sixth paragraph, because the claim limitation(s) uses a generic placeholder that is coupled with functional language without reciting sufficient structure to perform the recited function and the generic placeholder is not preceded by a structural modifier. Such claim limitation(s) is/are:
The “driving member” in Claims 1, 9, and 13-14, which uses the generic placeholder “member” coupled with functional language without reciting sufficient structure;
The “reset member” in Claim 10, which uses the generic placeholder “member” coupled with functional language without reciting sufficient structure;
The “positioning member” and “positioning part” in Claims 13-14, which uses the generic placeholder “member” and “part” coupled with functional language without reciting sufficient structure;
The “elastic component” in Claim 14, which uses the generic placeholder “component” coupled with functional language without reciting sufficient structure; and
The “water supply device” in Claim 15, which uses the generic placeholder “device” coupled with functional language without reciting sufficient structure.
Because this/these claim limitation(s) is/are being interpreted under 35 U.S.C. 112(f) or pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, sixth paragraph, it/they is/are being interpreted to cover the corresponding structure described in the specification as performing the claimed function, and equivalents thereof.
A review of the specification shows that the following appears to be the corresponding structure described in the specification for the 35 U.S.C. 112(f) or pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, sixth paragraph limitations:
The “driving member” in Claims 1, 9, and 13-14 corresponds to the disclosure in Paragraph 0061 of the Specification which states, “In an exemplary embodiment, referring to FIG. 1 to FIG. 3 and FIG. 7 to FIG. 12, the driving member 30 is a push button and is slidably connected with the housing assembly”. Therefore, based on the disclosure and the claims as a whole the examiner interprets the “driving member” in Claims 1, 9, and 13-14 to be a push button and equivalents thereof;
The “reset member” in Claim 10 corresponds to the disclosure in Paragraph 0064 of the Specification which states, “The reset member 40 may be a spring. In a process of driving the moving mechanism 20 by the driving member 30, the reset member 40 can be compressed to generate a reset driving force, and the reset driving force can drive the moving mechanism 20 so that the first end 251 abuts against the protruding part 31 to ensure a matching accuracy between the protruding part 31 and the first end 251. In addition, in some embodiments, the reset member 40 may also be a magnetic member, which can generate magnetic attraction to the moving mechanism 20 to generate a reset driving force for the corresponding moving mechanism 20”. Therefore, based on the disclosure and the claims as a whole the examiner interprets the “reset member” in Claim 10 to be a spring, a magnet, or equivalents thereof.
The “positioning member” in Claims 13-14 corresponds to the disclosure in Paragraph 0068 of the Specification which states “a positioning member is disposed on the other of the housing assembly 10 and the driving member 30. A plurality of positioning parts 900 are provided on the positioning member and the plurality of positioning parts 900 are disposed to cooperate with the positioning assembly 50 for positioning in different communication or disconnection states between the water inlet flow channel 100 and each water outlet hole 200, so as to be able to sense whether the driving member 30 moves to a preset position, realize the sensing of different communication or disconnection states between the water inlet flow channel 100 and each water outlet hole 200 corresponding to each preset position, and further realize the sensing of whether the water outlet is switched in place. In an embodiment of the present application, the positioning part 900 has a groove structure”. Therefore, based on the disclosure and the claims as a whole the examiner interprets the “positioning member” and “positioning part” in Claims 13-14 to be a groove structure and equivalents thereof.
The “elastic component” in Claim 14 corresponds to the disclosure in Paragraph 0069 of the Specification which states “In an exemplary embodiment, referring to FIGS. 4, 7, 11 and 12, the positioning assembly 50 includes a mounting component 51, an abutting component 52 and an elastic component 53. The mounting component 51 is disposed on one of the housing assembly 10 and the driving member 30, the mounting component 51 is provided with a mounting space 1000. The abutting component 52 is partially located in the mounting space 1000, and the elastic component 53 is mounted in the mounting space 1000 and capable of abutting the abutting component 52 against the positioning member. In this way, arrangement of the elastic component 53 enables the abutting component 52 and the positioning member to be more closely matched with each other, thereby avoiding abnormal noise when the abutting component 52 slides relative to the positioning member due to a gap between the abutting component 52 and the positioning member”. Furthermore, Fig. 4 shows elastic component #53 as a spring. Therefore, based on the disclosure and the claims as a whole the examiner interprets the “elastic component” in Claim 14 to be a spring and equivalents thereof.
The “water supply device” in Claim 15 corresponds to the disclosure in Paragraph 0042 of the Specification which states “The water supply device is configured to be able to supply water to the water inlet flow channel 100. The water supply device may have, but is not limited to, a manually controlled or electrically controlled valve configuration, and the water inlet flow channel 100 is communicated with or disconnected from a water source by opening or closing the water supply device. The water includes, but is not limited to, clear water or pure water from a municipal water network.”. Therefore, based on the disclosure and the claims as a whole the examiner interprets the “water supply device” in Claim 15 to be a valve structure and equivalents thereof.
If applicant does not intend to have this/these limitation(s) interpreted under 35 U.S.C. 112(f) or pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, sixth paragraph, applicant may: (1) amend the claim limitation(s) to avoid it/them being interpreted under 35 U.S.C. 112(f) or pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, sixth paragraph (e.g., by reciting sufficient structure to perform the claimed function); or (2) present a sufficient showing that the claim limitation(s) recite(s) sufficient structure to perform the claimed function so as to avoid it/them being interpreted under 35 U.S.C. 112(f) or pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, sixth paragraph.
The examiner notes that the “guiding part” in Claim 5 is not being interpreted under 35 U.S.C. 112(f), because even though it uses the generic placeholder “part”, a “guiding part” is deemed to be equivalent to a guide structure.
The examiner also notes that the “mounting component” and “abutting component” in Claim 14 are not being interpreted under 35 U.S.C. 112(f) because even though they use the generic placeholder “component”, they are not coupled with functional language.
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 1-15 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.
Claim 1 is indefinite because Lines 15-17 state “so that the water outlet hole corresponding to the moving mechanism is communicated with or disconnected from the water inlet flow channel” and there is improper antecedent basis for “the water outlet hole corresponding to the moving mechanism” in the claim. It is not clear if “the water outlet hole corresponding to the moving mechanism” applies to a particular water outlet hole of the “at least one water outlet hole” in Lines 2-3. Furthermore Lines 5-6 state “wherein the moving mechanism is provided between each water outlet hole”. Therefore, it is not clear if “at least one moving mechanism” is intended to be claimed or not. For the purpose of examination, Claim 1 will be interpreted such that “at least one moving mechanism” is claimed, and such that each moving mechanism corresponds to a water outlet hole.
Claims 2-15 depend from Claim 1, therefore Claims 2-15 are also rejected under 35 U.S.C. 112(b) for being indefinite since Claim 1 is indefinite.
Claim 2 is also indefinite because Lines 4-5 state “each moving mechanism is able to block and seal a side of the corresponding water outlet chamber”, however Claim 1 only claims “a moving mechanism” in Line 4, therefore it is not clear if one or more moving mechanisms are intended to be claimed in Claim 2 or not. For the purpose of examination, Claim 2 will be interpreted such that at least one moving mechanism is claimed.
Claims 3-12 depend from Claim 2, therefore Claims 3-12 are also rejected under 35 U.S.C. 112(b) for being indefinite since Claim 2 is indefinite.
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 1-11 and 13-15 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by EP-3384995-A1 to Borisov (“Borisov”).
As to Claim 1, Borisov discloses a water outlet device (See Figs. 1-5), comprising:
a housing assembly (#15 and #16) provided with a water inlet flow channel (#10) and at least one water outlet hole (See three water outlet holes #3 in Fig. 4);
a moving mechanism (See up to three components that can be considered moving mechanisms that are made up of #5 and #13 in Figs. 3-4.) movably mounted in the housing assembly and movable relative to the housing assembly (See Machine Translation of Description Paragraph 0023) along a first direction (See #6 in Fig. 4) wherein the moving mechanism is provided between each water outlet hole and the water inlet flow channel (See Annotated Fig. 4), the moving mechanism is provided with a first groove (See G1 in Annotated Fig. 4, which is a groove that contains #22), the first groove is communicated with the water inlet flow channel (See Annotated Fig. 4, the first groove is at least partially communicated with #2), the moving mechanism is provided with a first groove wall (See GW1 in Annotated Fig. 4, which is a lower surface of a flange above #22) and a second groove wall (See GW2 in Annotated Fig. 4, which is an upper surface of a flange below #22) opposite to each other along the first direction (See Annotated Fig. 4), the first groove wall and the second groove wall define the first groove (See Annotated Fig. 4), the first groove wall and the second groove wall are arranged so that water acting forces acting on the first groove wall and the second groove wall are able to be at least partially counteracted (See Annotated Fig. 4, if water hits GW1 and GW2, the moving mechanism made up of #5 and #13 is installed such that surfaces on GW1 and GW2 can provide counteracting forces to some extent with #22 installed); and
a driving member (#4, which is a switching element that is equivalent to a button) movably connected to the housing assembly (See Machine Translation of Description Paragraphs 0025-0026), wherein the driving member is movable relative to the housing assembly so as to drive the moving mechanism to move relative to the housing assembly along the first direction (See Machine Translation of Description Paragraph 0025), so that the water outlet hole corresponding to the moving mechanism is communicated with or disconnected from the water inlet flow channel (See Fig. 4 and Machine Translation of Description Paragraphs 0023-0026).
As to Claim 2, in reference to the water outlet device of Borisov as applied to Claim 1 above, Borisov further discloses wherein the housing assembly is further provided with at least one water outlet chamber (See three water outlet chambers #11 in Fig. 4), each water outlet hole is in one-to-one correspondence with each water outlet chamber (See Fig. 4), and communicates with the water inlet flow channel through the corresponding water outlet chamber (See Fig. 4), and each moving mechanism is able to block and seal a side of the corresponding water outlet chamber close to the water inlet flow channel, so as to disconnect the water outlet hole corresponding to the moving mechanism from the water inlet flow channel (See Figs. 4 and See Fig. 4 and Machine Translation of Description Paragraphs 0023-0026).
As to Claim 3, in reference to the water outlet device of Borisov as applied to Claim 2 above, Borisov further discloses wherein the moving mechanism is partially accommodated in the corresponding water outlet chamber and is provided with a second groove (See G2 in Annotated Fig. 4, which is a space between a lower surface of #13 and an upper surface of a flange above #22), the second groove is disposed to be accommodated in the water outlet chamber and communicated with the water outlet chamber in a state where a side of the corresponding water outlet chamber close to the water inlet flow channel is blocked and sealed (See Annotated Fig. 4, when #5 blocks #11 from #2, the second groove G2 is fluidly communicated with the water outlet chamber), the moving mechanism is provided with a third groove wall (See GW3 in Annotated Fig. 4, which is a lower surface of #13) and a fourth groove wall (See GW4 in Annotated Fig. 4, which is a top surface of the flange above #22) opposite to each other along the first direction corresponding to the second groove (See Annotated Fig. 4), the third groove wall and the fourth groove wall define the second groove (See Annotated Fig. 4), and the third groove wall and the fourth groove wall are disposed such that water acting forces applied to the third groove wall and the fourth groove wall respectively are able to be at least partially counteracted (See Annotated Fig. 4, if water hits GW3 and GW4, the moving mechanism made up of #5 and #13 is installed such that surfaces on GW3 and GW4 can provide counteracting forces to some extent).
As to Claim 4, in reference to the water outlet device of Borisov as applied to Claim 3 above, Borisov further discloses wherein the housing assembly is provided with a circumferential wall respectively corresponding to each water outlet chamber and defining the corresponding water outlet chamber (See three circumferential walls CW in Annotated Fig. 4, which are walls on #15 that surround #11), and the circumferential wall has an opening communicating with the water inlet flow channel (See #12 in Fig. 4);
each moving mechanism is guided by and matched with the corresponding circumferential wall and is slidable relative to the circumferential wall along the first direction (See Annotated Fig. 4 and Machine Translation of Description Paragraphs 0023-0026), and the fourth groove wall is able to be fitted to the corresponding opening to block and seal a side of the corresponding water outlet chamber close to the water inlet flow channel (See Annotated Fig. 4 showing GW4 blocking #12 adjacent to #10).
As to Claim 5, in reference to the water outlet device of Borisov as applied to Claim 4 above, Borisov further discloses wherein the fourth groove wall has a guiding part, and the guiding part is configured to be able to guide water to the water outlet chamber (See Annotated Fig. 4, the fourth groove wall that is GW4 makes up a surface that is equivalent to a guide that can guide water along a the surface on GW4 to #11); and/or
a space formed by the opening has a large end side facing the fourth groove wall, and the fourth groove wall is partially accommodated in the opening (See Annotated Fig. 4, the opening at #12 has a lower end opening that is wider than an upper end opening. The fourth groove wall GW4 is partially accommodated in #12 when it moves from an open position to a closed position).
As to Claim 6, in reference to the water outlet device of Borisov as applied to Claim 4 above, Borisov further discloses wherein the moving mechanism comprises a body (See B in Annotated Fig. 4, which is a central body on #5 of the moving mechanism) and a first sealing assembly (See SA1 in Annotated Fig. 4), the first sealing assembly is disposed on the body (See Annotated Fig. 4), and the fourth groove wall is located on the first sealing assembly (See Annotated Fig. 4, the fourth groove wall GW4 is on a top side of the SA1).
As to Claim 7, in reference to the water outlet device of Borisov as applied to Claim 6 above, Borisov further discloses wherein the moving mechanism further comprises a second sealing assembly (#13) disposed on the body and spaced from the first sealing assembly (See Annotated Fig. 4, the second sealing assembly #13 surrounds the body B and is spaced from SA1), the third groove wall is located on the second sealing assembly (See Annotated Fig. 4, the third groove wall GW3 is on a lower surface of #13), and the second sealing assembly is able to be slidably sealed with the circumferential wall (See Annotated Fig. 4 and Machine Translation of Description Paragraph 0023, the second sealing assembly #13 is capable of being slid within CW of #15 and forms a seal within #15).
As to Claim 8, in reference to the water outlet device of Borisov as applied to Claim 6 above, Borisov further discloses wherein the housing assembly is provided with an annular wall corresponding to each moving mechanism (See AW in Annotated Fig. 4, which is a portion of #16 that an end of #5 slides in), each circumferential wall is in one-to-one correspondence with one of the annular walls (See Annotated Fig. 4, there are three circumferential walls CW and three annular walls AW), and the circumferential wall and the annular wall are respectively located at two sides of the corresponding moving mechanisms along the first direction (See Annotated Fig. 4, the circumferential walls CW are on an upper side and the annular walls AW are on a lower side), the moving mechanism further comprises a third sealing assembly disposed on the body (See Annotated Fig. 4, the third sealing assembly SA3 includes GW2 and a lower end of #5, which are both on body B), the third sealing assembly is located at a side of the first sealing assembly away from the second sealing assembly and is spaced from the first sealing assembly (See Annotated Fig. 4, SA3 is on a lower side of SA1 while #13 is on an upper side of SA1), the first groove wall is disposed at a side of the first sealing assembly facing away from the fourth groove wall (See Annotated Fig. 4, GW1 is on a lower side of a flange on SA1 while GW4 is on an upper side of a flange on SA1), and the second groove wall is disposed on the third sealing assembly (See Annotated Fig. 4, GW2 is on an upper end of SA3), and the third sealing assembly is able to be slidably sealed with the annular wall (See Annotated Fig. 4, at least a lower portion of SA3 can be slid in AW to at least form a partial fluid seal in AW).
As to Claim 9, in reference to the water outlet device of Borisov as applied to Claim 8 above, Borisov further discloses wherein the housing assembly is provided with a through hole corresponding to each moving mechanism (See Annotated Fig. 4, there are three through holes TH that are provided on an upper end of #15 of the housing assembly), and the body has a first end which passes through the corresponding through hole and is protruded from the housing assembly so as to be driven by the driving member (See E1 in Annotated Fig. 4, which is driven by #8 of the driving member).
As to Claim 10, in reference to the water outlet device of Borisov as applied to Claim 9 above, Borisov further discloses wherein the driving member is a push button and is slidably connected with the housing assembly (See Annotated Fig. 4 and Machine Translation of Description Paragraphs 0023-0026, the driving member #4 is a switch structure that is equivalent to a button that can be pushed, and can be slid relative to #15 of the housing assembly), a side of the driving member facing the first end is provided with a protruding part (See PP in Annotated Fig. 4), and the first end is slidable relative to the protruding part to drive the corresponding moving mechanism to move relative to the housing assembly along the first direction (See Annotated Fig. 4 and Machine Translation of Description Paragraphs 0023-0026, when PP on #4 is pressed on E1 of #5, the moving mechanism moves relative to #15 along a direction of #6); and/or
a reset member (See three reset members #14, which are springs, in Fig. 4) is provided on the housing assembly corresponding to each moving mechanism (See Machine Translation of Description Paragraph 0023), and the reset member is configured to be able to generate a reset driving force for the corresponding moving mechanism to drive the moving mechanism to reset (See Fig. 4 and Machine Translation of Description Paragraph 0024).
As to Claim 11, in reference to the water outlet device of Borisov as applied to Claim 10 above, Borisov further discloses wherein guiding surfaces are provided at two sides of the protruding part along a moving direction of the driving member (See GS1 and GS2 in Annotated Fig. 4, which are on two sides of PP along moving direction MD); and/or
the reset member is a coil spring (See Machine Translation of Description Paragraphs 0023-0024), the body has a second end opposite to the first end (See E2 in Annotated Fig. 4), and the reset member is disposed between the second end and the housing assembly (See Annotated Fig. 4, the reset member #14 is provided in a space between E2 and #16 of the housing assembly in AW).
As to Claim 13, in reference to the water outlet device of Borisov as applied to Claim 1 above, Borisov further discloses wherein the water outlet device further comprises a positioning assembly disposed on one of the housing assembly and the driving member (See Annotated Fig. 4 showing positioning assembly PA on #15 and #16 of the housing assembly. PA can also be considered to include one instance of #5 and #14 which can be considered separate from the other moving mechanisms), a positioning member is disposed on the other of the housing assembly and the driving member (See positioning member #8 on driving member #4 in Fig. 4) a plurality of positioning parts are disposed on the positioning member (See PP in Annotated Fig. 4), and the plurality of positioning parts are disposed to cooperate with the positioning assembly for positioning in different communication or disconnection states between the water inlet flow channel and each of the water outlet holes respectively (See Annotated Fig. 4 and Machine Translation of Description Paragraphs 0023-0026. Each positioning part PP on #4 is capable of being disposed to cooperate with PA to position different communication states between #10 and #3); and/or
a plurality of water outlet holes are provided (See three water outlet holes #3 in Fig. 4), a quantity of the moving mechanisms is consistent with a quantity of the water outlet holes (See three moving mechanisms in Fig. 4 that are made up of #5 and #13), and the plurality of water outlet holes and the moving mechanisms are in one-to-one correspondence (See Fig. 4), and the driving member is movable relative to the housing assembly to drive at least one of the moving mechanisms to move relative to the housing assembly along the first direction (See Fig. 4 and Machine Translation of Description Paragraphs 0023-0026), so as to cause the water outlet hole corresponding to the moving mechanism to be communicated with or disconnected from the water inlet flow channel (See Fig. 4 and Machine Translation of Description Paragraphs 0023-0026).
As to Claim 14, in reference to the water outlet device of Borisov as applied to Claim 13 above, Borisov further discloses wherein the positioning assembly comprises a mounting component (#16), an abutting component (See a single closing element #5 that is AC in Annotated Fig. 4) and an elastic component (See a single spring #14 that is EC in Annotated Fig. 4), the mounting component is disposed on one of the housing assembly and the driving member (See Fig. 4, the mounting component #16 is on the housing assembly), the mounting component is provided with a mounting space (See a space MS that is equivalent to AW in Annotated Fig. 4), the abutting component is partially located in the mounting space (See Annotated Fig. 4, a lower portion of AC is in MS), and the elastic component is mounted in the mounting space and is able to abut the abutting component against the positioning member (See Annotated Fig. 4, the spring ES is mounted in MS of #16 and can push #5 against #8).
As to Claim 15, in reference to the water outlet device of Borisov as applied to Claim 1 above, Borisov further discloses a water outlet system (See Machine Translation of Description Paragraph 0018 disclosing a shower), comprising:
the water outlet device according to claim 1 (See Fig. 4); and
a water supply device configured to capable of supplying water to the water inlet flow channel (See Machine Translation of Description Paragraphs 0018 and 0027 disclosing a shower, which is a water supplying devise that has a valve structure and can supply water to #10).
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 12 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Borisov in view of US PGPUB 2023/0311135 A1 to Liu et al. (“Liu”).
Regarding Claim 12, in reference to the water outlet device of Borisov as applied to Claim 11 above, Borisov does not disclose wherein the second end has an accommodating groove, the housing assembly is provided with a connecting column opposite to the accommodating groove, and the reset member is sleeved on the connecting column and partially accommodated in the accommodating groove (See Annotated Fig. 4, the second end E2 is a post that does not have a groove, and AW does not have any column in it).
However, Liu discloses, in the same field of endeavor of shower spraying (See Paragraph 0002), a water outlet device (See Fig. 3) that has a moving mechanism (See #416 in Fig. 8-2) with a body having a first end (See a right end of #416 in Fig. 8-2) and an opposite second end (See a left end of #416 in Fig. 8-2) that has an accommodating groove (#41821 in Fig. 8-2)), wherein a housing assembly (#414) is provided with a connecting column (#419) opposite to the accommodating groove (See Fig. 8-2), and a reset member (#417, which is a spring as disclosed in Paragraph 0032) is sleeved on the connecting column and partially accommodated in the accommodating groove (See Fig. 8-2 and Paragraph 0032).
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify the water outlet device of Borisov as applied to Claim 11 above such that the second end of the body each moving mechanism of Borisov has an accommodating groove and the housing assembly of Borisov is provided with a connecting column opposite to each accommodating groove, such that the reset members of Borisov are sleeved on the connecting columns and partially accommodated in the accommodating grooves, as taught by Liu since doing so would yield the predictable result of helping position the moving mechanisms and reset members at a consistent central location in bores of the housing assembly (See Liu Paragraph 0032 and Fig. 8-2).
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Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure. See Notice of References Cited Form PTO-892.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to KEVIN E SCHWARTZ whose telephone number is (571)272-1770. The examiner can normally be reached Monday - Friday 9:00AM - 5:00PM MST.
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/KEVIN EDWARD SCHWARTZ/Examiner, Art Unit 3752 February 5th, 2026