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 .
Continued Examination Under 37 CFR 1.114
A request for continued examination under 37 CFR 1.114, including the fee set forth in 37 CFR 1.17(e), was filed in this application after final rejection. Since this application is eligible for continued examination under 37 CFR 1.114, and the fee set forth in 37 CFR 1.17(e) has been timely paid, the finality of the previous Office action has been withdrawn pursuant to 37 CFR 1.114. Applicant's submission filed on April 8, 2026 has been entered.
Response to Arguments
Applicant’s arguments, see pages 7-10, filed March 23, 2026, with respect to the rejection(s) of claim(s) 14-26 under 35 U.S.C. 103 have been fully considered and are persuasive. Therefore, the rejection has been withdrawn. However, upon further consideration, a new ground(s) of rejection is made in view of Masciovecchio (US 2023/0193546).
Masciovecchio is directed towards a laundry treating appliance with a panel where figures 3-6 teach a front wall 15 at a lower portion of the chassis 12. A panel 120 can be coupled to the front wall 15. At least one magnet 140 can be coupled to the panel 120. The at least one magnet 140 can be configured to magnetically engage the front wall 15. A hook 150 can also be provided with the panel 120. The hook 150 can project from the panel 120 in a direction toward the interior 13 of the chassis 12. An aperture 152 can be provided in the front wall 15 and be configured to receive the hook 150. [0021-22, 0040-41]
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.
The factual inquiries for establishing a background for determining obviousness under 35 U.S.C. 103 are summarized as follows:
1. Determining the scope and contents of the prior art.
2. Ascertaining the differences between the prior art and the claims at issue.
3. Resolving the level of ordinary skill in the pertinent art.
4. Considering objective evidence present in the application indicating obviousness or nonobviousness.
Claim(s) 14 and 16-26 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Kim (US 2018/0044837 cited in IDS), and in further view of Yi (CN 110295488A machine translation).
Regarding claim 14, Kim figures 1-6 and 18 teach a laundry treatment appliance, comprising:
a housing (10 cabinet) with side walls (20 side frame) and a front wall (120 front cover, 100 front frame), said front wall being formed with an opening (103 internal laundry port) to enable access to a receptacle (90 rotating tub) inside said housing;
said front wall being a layered assembly (figure 3) with at least one first front wall element (120 front cover) and at least one second front wall element (100 front frame) that are arranged substantially parallel to one another; and
said at least one second front wall element (100) being arranged between said at least one first front wall element (120) and said receptacle (90)of the laundry treatment appliance.[0131-145]
Kim is silent to at least one first front wall element being detachably connected to said at least one second front wall element with at least one magnetic element, and at least one first front wall element having at least one first positioning element and said at least one second front wall element having at least one second positioning element, and said at least one first positioning element is matched to said at least one second positioning element to align said at least one first front wall element relative to said at least one second front wall element.
Masciovecchio is directed towards a laundry treating appliance with a panel where figures 3-6 teach a front wall 15 at a lower portion of the chassis 12. A panel 120 can be coupled to the front wall 15. At least one magnet 140 can be coupled to the panel 120. The at least one magnet 140 can be configured to magnetically engage the front wall 15. A hook 150 can also be provided with the panel 120. The hook 150 can project from the panel 120 in a direction toward the interior 13 of the chassis 12. An aperture 152 can be provided in the front wall 15 and be configured to receive the hook 150. [0021-22, 0040-41]
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the present invention to provide a detachable panel configuration as taught in Masciovecchio for simplified coupling structure provided by the magnetic coupling and hook/aperture engagement can also decrease component assembly times compared to traditional appliance panels that require precise alignment for snap-fit components or other complex assembly processes.[0050]
Regarding claim 16, Kim teaches front cover 120 may be detachably coupled to the front frame 100, the side frames 20, the top frame 60, and the bottom frame 70 thereby reading on , wherein said at least one first front wall element is detachably connected to said at least one second front wall element.[0148]
Regarding claim 17, Kim teaches front frame 100 may be coupled to the side frames 20 using a screw member, such as a screw, a bolt, a pin, or a rivet thereby reading on wherein said at least one second front wall element is fixedly mounted to said housing of the laundry treatment appliance.[0141]
Regarding claim 18, Kim figure 1 teaches front cover 120 that forms the front exterior of the washing machine 1 may be integrally injection-molded using a resin material. In particular, the front cover 120 according to the current embodiment of the present invention may be formed to extend from the upper, top frame 60 to the lower, bottom frame 70 and thus may cover the whole area of the front frame 100. That is, the front cover 120 is seamless. Thus, a line that partitions the front side of the washing machine 1 into an upper portion and a lower portion, is not formed. Thus, the exterior of the washing machine 1 can be simplified, and an esthetic appeal thereof can be enhanced thereby reading on wherein said at least one first front wall element is configured as a design element with a substantially smooth surface.[0142]
Regarding claim 19, Kim figure 3 suggests at least one first front wall element (120) is configured to be deeper than said at least one second front wall element (100) as the first front wall element (120) protrudes rearwardly.
Regarding claim 20, Kim teaches guide door 300 that connects the external laundry port 121 and the internal laundry port 103 may be disposed between the front cover 120 and the front frame 100. The guide door 300 may have an approximately ring shape. A door 2 that opens/closes the external laundry port 121 and the internal laundry port 103 may be mounted on the guide door 300. The door 2 may be rotatably mounted on the guide door 300 thereby reading on a door hinge unit mounted to said at least one second front wall element, and a door unit rotatably supported on said door hinge unit for closing said opening in said front wall.[0144]
Regarding claim 21, Kim figure 4 teaches wherein said at least one first front wall element (120) is formed with at least one first cutout (121 external laundry port) and said door unit (300) projects at least partially through said at least one first cutout in said at least one first front wall element.[0144]
Regarding claim 22, Kim figures 1 and 3 teach display panel 411, a manipulation panel 420, and a pump filter cover 430 may be installed in the front cover 120. To this end, a display panel installation port 126, a manipulation panel installation port 127, and a pump filter cover installation port 130 may be formed in the front cover 120. A display panel support frame 410 may be installed in the display panel installation port 126, and the display panel 411 may be installed in the display panel support frame 410 thereby reading on a control unit arranged in said housing and having at least one operating region, said control unit being arranged in said housing with said at least one operating region projecting at least partially through a control unit cutout formed in said at least one second front wall element and being arranged on said at least one first front wall element with an operating surface of said operating region of said control unit being arranged substantially flush with an outer surface of said at least one first front wall element.[0147]
Regarding claim 23, Kim figures 1-3 teach the laundry treatment appliance has a height Hw from a lower face of the laundry treatment appliance to an upper face thereof;
said at least one first front wall element has a height FFE1 and said at least one second front wall element has a height FFE2 that is substantially equal to the height FFE1 of said at least one first front wall element; and
the height FFE1 of said at least one first front wall element and the height FFE2 of said at least one second front wall element is substantially equal to the height Hw of the laundry treatment appliance.
Regarding claim 24, Kim figure 4 suggests wherein said at least one second front wall element (100) is formed with at least one second cutout and wherein a front face of said at least one second front wall element facing in a direction of said at least one first front wall element is formed with at least one depression.[0180]
Regarding claim 25, Kim figure 4 suggests wherein said at least one depression in said at least one second front wall element is formed with at least one first depression and at least one second depression, and wherein said at least one second depression is a deeper depression than said at least one first depression.
Regarding claim 26, Kim figure 18 teaches a detergent dispenser drawer unit (502 detergent box) arranged in a vicinity of an upper face of the laundry treatment appliance. Figure 2 teaches wherein said at least one first depression includes a conduit (6 water supply pipe) extending between said detergent dispenser drawer unit of the laundry treatment appliance and said at least one second cutout in said at least one second front wall element.[0217-219]
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to CRISTI J TATE-SIMS whose telephone number is (571)272-1722. The examiner can normally be reached M-F 9am-6pm.
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CRISTI J. TATE-SIMS
Primary Examiner
Art Unit 1711
/CRISTI J TATE-SIMS/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 1711
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