DETAILED ACTION
The present application, filed on or after March 16, 2013, is being examined under the first inventor to file provisions of the AIA .
This action is in response to the claims filed 12/05/2023.
Claims 1-6 are presented for examination.
Priority
Receipt is acknowledged of certified copies of papers required by 37 CFR 1.55.
Claim Objections
Claims 2 and 6 are objected to because of the following informalities.
Regarding claim 6, in the last line, the word “pare” appears to be a misspelling of the word “part”.
Claims 2 and 6 recite “directed in a different directions from the axis”. The examiner assumed this language to contain a typo that inadvertently recites “directions” instead of a singular “direction”. The claim was interpreted to read with recitation of “a direction” and understood to mean a structure wherein ribs extend radially outward from a drum, and that radially outward extension is in a direction that is different than the direction of the axis of rotation of the drum.
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 2 and 6 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 112(b) or 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), second paragraph, as failing to set forth 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 2 recites the limitation "the second side of the ribs" in line 5. There is insufficient antecedent basis for this limitation in the claim.
Claim 2 recites the limitation "the length of the pile threads" in the last line. There is insufficient antecedent basis for this limitation in the claim.
Claim 2 recites the limitation "the height of the ribs" in the last line. There is insufficient antecedent basis for this limitation in the claim.
Claim 6 recites the limitation "the second side of the ribs" in the third to last line. There is insufficient antecedent basis for this limitation in the claim.
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 1 and 3-5 allowed.
Claim 2 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.
Claim 6 would be allowable if rewritten or amended 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.
The following is a statement of reasons for the indication of allowable subject matter.
WO1997010742 to McLaughlin et al. (page 3, lines 1-5, page 4, lines 34-35, page 5, lines 1-3, claims, figure 6), the prior art closest to the invention according to independent claim 1, discloses: a bucket with a wringer and a flat mop, which comprises a body of a bucket, a flat mop, and a water wringing section consisting of an opening for inserting a working part of the flat mop and a wringing element; the flat mop includes a mop rod, a working part of the mop attached so that it can rotate toward the mop rod, and a cloth disposed on the working part of the flat mop; the internal space of the bucket body is divided into a main chamber and a wringing chamber by a vertical wall mounted between the side walls of the body of the bucket, and the water wringing section is situated above the wringing chamber of the body of the bucket.
The bucket with a wringer and a flat mop according to claim 1 differs from that known from McLaughlin in that a rinsing section is located above the main chamber of the body of the bucket and includes an opening for insertion of the working part of the mop and a cleaning element; the water wringing section and the rinsing section are rigidly connected to one another, are arranged in the same horizontal plane, and are mounted in the upper part of the body of the bucket; mounted below the water wringing section is a bracket, and a wringing element is rotatably mounted in the bracket, wherein the wringing element and the cleaning element are arranged parallel to a flat side of the working part of the flat mop, and in the lower part of the body of the bucket are openings for draining water from the main chamber and the wringing chamber, said openings being equipped with plugs.
Examiner’s note: the “resilient elements” recited in claim 3 are interpreted broadly and not considered an invocation of 112(f).
Regarding claim 6, the prior art of record demonstrates various analogous flat mop buckets, including such buckets with squeezing elements comprised of drums that rotate and apply pressure to a mop element for the purposes of urging fluid out of the mop. The prior art of record, however, is silent to the particularly claimed bucket and squeezing element set forth in claim 6. Proper amendment to claim 6 to remedy 112 deficiencies and objections would place the claim in condition for allowance.
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure. Relevant Prior Art: US2796617 discloses a combination flat mop and wringer bucket including rollers or squeezing elements that engage a saturated mop head, but not a bucket and mop having all of the limitations required of claim 1 or 6. US10070768 discloses a cleaning apparatus including a mop and a cleaning device, wherein: the mop includes: a mop material carrying member for holding mop material; and a mop abutment member, the cleaning device is for cleaning mop material which freely depends from the mop material carrying member of the mop, the cleaning device includes: one or more cleaning arrangements for cleaning mop material; and a pair of abutment members located with respect to the one or more cleaning arrangements and at least partially defining an access aperture through which access to the one or more cleaning arrangements is provided, and the mop abutment member and the pair of abutment members of the cleaning device are configured for abutment in use to limit movement of the mop material carrying member through the access aperture towards the one or more cleaning arrangements. GB2480294 discloses a method for cleaning a flat mop including the use of brushes with different orientations of bristles on the brush, but not a bucket and mop having all of the limitations required of instant claim 1 or 6.
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/ELDON T BROCKMAN/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3799