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 . 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 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.
DETAILED NON-FINAL ACTION
Status of Claims
Cancelled
Currently Amended
Previously Presented/Original
Pending and Examined
21
5 and 18
1-4, 6-17, 19 and 20
1-20
Claims 1-17 are directed to an apparatus and claims 18-20 are drawn to a method.
Status of Previous Objections / Rejections
Examiner withdraws the previous Office action’s (OA) (i.e, 01/12/2026) objections and 35 USC §102 and 35 USC §103 rejections in view of one or more of amendments to the claims, Applicant’s remarks and a reconsideration of the pertinent objections/rejections. However, after careful reconsideration of the claims, Examiner believes new objections and 35 USC §103 rejections are appropriate and has applied such objections/rejections to the noted claims.
Response to Amendment
In their reply dated May 21, 2026, except for claims 5 and 18, Applicant did not amend the claims. However, Applicant presents arguments concerning the merits of the claims and the propriety of Examiner’s rejections. Except for claim 18 and its dependents, and certain other dependent claims (4, 5 and 13-17), Examiner has applied new prior art below.
Information Disclosure Statement
The Examiner has considered the information disclosure statements (IDS) submitted on 5/08/2026 and 6/08/2026. Please refer to the signed copies of the PTO-1449 forms attached herewith.
Claim Objections
Claim 1 states: “. . . a cartridge mount coupled the tank housing and formed to include a passageway . . .” As with the corrected claim 18, the preposition ‘to’ appears to be missing in the underlined portion.
Claims 2-10 depend on claim 1.
Appropriate correction is required.
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 set forth in Graham v. John Deere Co., 383 U.S. 1, 148 USPQ 459 (1966), that are applied 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.
Claims 1, 2 and 6-10 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Wilkins et al. (US5925240, Wilkins) in view of Burrows et al. (US20060113240, Burrows) and Lyons et al. (US20210316978, Lyons).
Regarding claims 1, 2 and 6-10, Wilkins discloses a water treatment system 10 for treating a water supply (Abstract, col. 1, Figs. 1-5), the water treatment system comprising:
a tank in fluid communication with the water supply to receive a flow of water from the water supply (col. 3, lines 20-32), the tank including a tank housing formed to define a storage reservoir (col. 3, lines 20-32, where the housing is implicit) and a cartridge mount coupled to the tank housing (col. 3, lines 32-53, where cartridge implies a cartridge mount and where ‘coupled’ is interpreted as fluidly coupled);
a dispenser configured to dispense a water treatment material into the storage reservoir of the tank (col. 3, lines 54-64; col. 10, ln 54 – col. 11, ln 2; col. 11, lines 41-48; “A dispensing unit (not shown) may also be provided in system 10 to make accurate water dosing more convenient for the user”; one can also interpret disinfection unit 42 as a dispenser; there is also a recirculation line 32 that allows the chemical to reach the storage tank); and
a control system configured to produce a water treatment solution in the storage reservoir by combining the water and the water treatment material and configured to dose the water supply with the water treatment solution from the storage reservoir;
wherein the control system comprises a doser in fluid communication with the storage reservoir and the water supply and configured to dose the water supply with the water treatment solution (col. 3, ln. 65 – col. 4, ln. 22, where dosing control implies the use of a doser) and a controller 46 coupled to the doser and configured to direct the doser to dose a predetermined amount of the water treatment solution into the water supply (col. 1, lines 51-63; col. 11, lines 41-48, where the doser ca n be the dosing pump, that is separate from the dispensing unit).
Individual filter cartridges can be hydraulically connected in series by coupling the outlet port of a first cartridge to an inlet port of a second cartridge, wherein the water flows through each cartridge (col. 7, lines 25-28).
Therefore, Wilkins discloses the claimed invention except
the cartridge mount is formed to include a passageway arranged to open into the storage reservoir; and
the dispenser is configured to be coupled to the cartridge mount of the tank.
Burrows discloses a combined filter cartridge and manifold for use in a water purification system or the like, to facilitate substantially drip-free filter cartridge removal and replacement, where the filter cartridge includes water inlet and outlet ports for respective connection with inlet and outlet fittings on the manifold (Abstract). The manifold is coupled to a suitable water supply and includes inlet and outlet fittings for quick and easy respective connection with water inlet and outlet ports on the filter cartridge ([0007]). A pivotal manifold cap is mounted on the manifold for pivoting movement between a normal closed or lowered position overlying and retaining the filter cartridge in proper connected relation with the manifold fittings and the water supply, and an open or raised position for disconnection of the water supply before permitting filter cartridge separation from the manifold (Id). Check valves at the cartridge inlet and outlet ports prevent water leakage from the removed cartridge (Id.).
Also, Lyons discloses a portable, self-contained beverage apparatus includes a container assembly having a known storage capacity for storing a consumable liquid, and a dispensing assembly disposed within the container assembly that dispenses variable, non-zero quantities of additives into the consumable liquid (Abstract). In accordance with one or more embodiments of the present disclosure, an RFID tag 102 may contain information about the contents of an additive vessel 101 to which the tag 102 is attached, including, for example, a capacity of the vessel, a standard serving amount for the particular additive and dosage or consumption limitations for the additive ([0206]).
When the claimed invention was effectively filed, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art to modify Wilkins’ cartridge mount and dispenser in the manner claimed including use of a quick change cartridge mount since a sealed mount will eliminate potential user exposure to raw chemical treatments, prevent accidental spilling during system refills, and provide an airtight interface that avoids chemical degradation or environmental outgassing inside the treatment enclosure (Burrows, [0007], [0032], [0039], [0050], [0051]). Additionally, the modification will facilitate controller monitoring of chemical levels inside the attached cartridge and allow the system to alert users when a treatment module is depleted while ensuring the intermediate storage reservoir maintains a highly precise, uniform chemical mix (Lyons, [0015], [0019], [0026]-[0033], [0084]).
Additional Disclosures Included: Claim 2: The dispenser comprises: a cartridge configured to store the water treatment material, the cartridge including a body formed to include an interior storage region that stores the water treatment material and a neck coupled to the body and formed to include an opening arranged to open into the interior storage region, the neck configured to couple to the cartridge mount of the tank; and a dispensing system configured to control the dispensing of the water treatment material through the opening in the neck of the cartridge (Burrows, in claim 1 analysis); Claim 6: The control system further comprises:
a cartridge-mount lock coupled the cartridge mount and configured to change between a locked position in which the cartridge-mount lock engages of the gate controller to block rotation of the gate controller between the first position and the second position and an unlocked position in which the cartridge-mount lock is spaced apart from the gate controller to allow rotation of the gate controller between the first position and the second position; and
a cartridge sensor coupled to the cartridge mount of the tank and configured to detect if the dispenser is coupled to the cartridge mount;
wherein the controller is coupled to the cartridge-mount lock and the cartridge sensor and the controller is configured to direct the cartridge-mount lock to move from the locked position to the unlocked position if the cartridge sensor detects the dispenser is coupled to the cartridge mount of the tank (claim 1 analysis); Claim 7: The control system further comprises: an inlet valve in fluid communication with the water supply and configured to vary the flow of water from the water supply to the storage reservoir (claim 1 analysis); Claim 8: The system further comprising a tank inlet conduit in fluid communication with the water supply and the inlet valve;
a fill conduit in fluid communication with the inlet valve and the storage reservoir; and
a flush conduit in fluid communication with the inlet valve and the storage reservoir, the flush conduit including a nozzle coupled to an end of the flush conduit and configured to spray the flow of water from the water supply;
wherein the inlet valve is configured to change between a fully closed position in which the inlet valve blocks the flow of water through the fill conduit and the flush conduit to prevent water from being supplied to the storage reservoir, a fill position in which the inlet valve directs the flow of water through the fill conduit and blocks the flow of water through the fill conduit, and a flush position in which the inlet valve directs the flow of water through the flush conduit and blocks the flow of water through the fill conduit (claim 1 analysis); Claim 9: The control system further comprises: a level sensor located in the storage reservoir and coupled to the controller, the level sensor configured to measure a fill level of the water treatment solution in the storage reservoir; wherein the controller is configured to direct the inlet valve to change between the fully closed position, the fill position, and the flush position based on the fill level of the water treatment solution in the storage reservoir measured by the level sensor (claim 1 analysis); Claim 10: The control system further comprises: a mixer located in the storage reservoir and configured to mix the water treatment solution in the storage reservoir to prevent the water treatment solution from settling in the storage reservoir (claim 1 analysis).
Claim 3 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Wilkins et al. (US5925240, Wilkins) in view of Burrows et al. (US20060113240, Burrows) and Lyons et al. (US20210316978, Lyons), further in view of Mink et al. (US7,185,789, Mink).
Regarding claim 3, Wilkins, Burrows and Lyons combined do not explicitly detail an upper and lower valve structure with circumferentially spaced openings that align or offset via a pivot axis.
However, Mink discloses a dispenser apparatus for dispensing fluids, where the dispenser apparatus includes a rotatable table and a plurality of dispensing units (Abstract, figures). Each dispensing unit has a receptacle for holding a fluid, and each receptacle includes a corresponding pump for dispensing fluid held therein (Id.). The dispensing units have a base portion to detachably attach the units to the rotatable table (Id.). Mink thus discloses a standard shear-disk multi-port chemical dispensing architecture featuring a stationary upper disk and a rotatable lower disk pivoting around a common axis. The disks feature circumferentially spaced openings that align to establish an open orientation or rotate out of alignment to create a blocked, closed orientation (col. 13, ln. 6 – col. 14, ln. 51).
It would have been obvious to a one of ordinary skill in the art to implement Mink’s multi-port shear valve within the container neck of Wilkens to provide a robust, drip-free rotational metering assembly.
Claim 11 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Waggoner et al. (US9498086, Waggoner) in view of Heath (US20190225521).
Claim 11 is an independent apparatus claim.
Regarding claim 11, Waggoner discloses a dispenser assembly adapted for use in a water treatment system to dispense a water treatment material into a reservoir of water (Abstract, Fig. 1-14), the dispenser assembly comprising:
a cartridge mount coupled to a tank included water treatment system (Fig. 4, where the tank is the reservoir or storage); and
a dispenser configured to be selectively coupled to the cartridge mount, the dispenser comprising:
a cartridge 100 configured to store the water treatment material, the cartridge including a body formed to include an interior storage region that stores the water treatment material and a neck coupled to the body and formed to include an opening arranged to open into the interior storage region (col. 1, ln. 56 – col. 2, ln. 17; Fig. 4); and
a dispensing system coupled to the cartridge and configured to control the dispensing of the water treatment material through the opening in the neck of the cartridge (col. 1, lines 22-35, ln. 56 – col. 2, ln. 6; col. 5, lines 33-48; Fig. 4);
wherein the dispenser is configured to be inserted into the cartridge mount and rotated about a rotation axis in a first direction to cause the dispensing system to change from a closed orientation in which the dispensing system blocks the water treatment material from dispensing through the opening in the neck of the cartridge to an open orientation in which the dispensing system has moved to allow the water treatment material to move through the opening of the cartridge to dispense the water treatment material out of the interior storage region into the reservoir of water (col. 4, ln. 31 – col. 5, ln. 61; Fig. 4).
Therefore, Waggoner discloses the claimed invention except where the water treatment material is citric acid.
Notably, one can interpret a material such as citric acid is a functional aspect not affecting the structure of the apparatus since such materials are merely worked upon by the apparatus. However, to the extent that Applicant’s view or positively recite citric acid as a structural feature, Heath discloses systems, apparatuses, and/or methods for liquid treatment including one or more of disinfection, filtration, and/or purification of the liquid using electromagnetic fields (EMFs), in order to provide treated liquids for different uses, such as, but not limited to, water treatment for drinking or other purposes (Abstract, [0001]). Heath notes that Injection systems can include, but are not limited to, soda ash or sodium hydroxide injection for acidic water ([0146]). Acid injection is used for water with a high pH and is a point-of-entry system and can include a solution of acetic acid injected into water (Id.). Usually white vinegar is used, as it is the cheapest, but citric acid and alum are also an option (Id.).
When the claimed invention was effectively filed, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art to employ citric acid as desired, for any desired control, including balancing the pH (Heath, [0146]).
Claim 12 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Waggoner et al. (US9498086, Waggoner) in view of Heath (US20190225521), further in view of Mink et al. (US7,185,789, Mink)
Regarding claim 12, Waggoner and Heath combined do not explicitly detail an upper and lower valve structure with circumferentially spaced openings that align or offset via a pivot axis etc.
However, Mink discloses a dispenser apparatus for dispensing fluids, where the dispenser apparatus includes a rotatable table and a plurality of dispensing units (Abstract, figures). Each dispensing unit has a receptacle for holding a fluid, and each receptacle includes a corresponding pump for dispensing fluid held therein (Id.). See claim 3 analysis.
At the time when the claimed invention was effectively filed, it would have been obvious to an ordinarily skilled artisan to implement Mink’s multi-port shear valve within the container neck of Wilkens to provide a robust, drip-free rotational metering assembly.
Conclusion
This is a non-final in view of the newly applied prior art. Examiner did not apply prior art to all claims, as noted in the Response to Amendment section above.
Electronic Inquiries
Any inquiry concerning this communication or an earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to Hayden Brewster whose telephone number is (571) 270-1065. The examiner can normally be reached M-Th 9 AM - 4 PM.
Alternatively, to contact the examiner, Applicant may send a communication, via e-mail or fax. Examiner’s direct fax number is: (571) 270-2065. Examiner's official e-mail address is: "Hayden.Brewster@uspto.gov." However, since e-mail communication may not be secure, Examiner will not respond to a substantive e-mail unless Applicant’s communication is in accordance with the provisions of MPEP §502.03 & related sections that discuss the required Authorization for Internet Communication (AIC). Nonetheless, all substantive communications will be made of record in Applicant’s file.
To facilitate the Internet communication authorization process, Applicant may file an appropriate letter, or may complete the USPTO SB439 fillable form available at https://www.uspto.gov/sites/default/files/documents/sb0439.pdf, preferably in advance of any substantive e-mail communication. Since one may use an electronic signature with this particular form, Applicant is encouraged to file this form via the Office’s system for electronic filing of patent correspondence (i.e., the electronic filing system (Patent Center)). Otherwise, a handwritten signature is required. In addition to Patent Center, Applicant can submit their Internet authorization request via US Postal Service, USPTO Customer Service Window, or Central Fax. Examiner can also provide a one-time oral authorization, but this will only apply to video conferencing. It is improper to request Internet Authorization via e-mail.
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If attempts to reach the Examiner are unsuccessful, Applicant may reach Examiner’s supervisor, Bobby Ramdhanie at 571-270-3240. The central fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/HAYDEN BREWSTER/Examiner, AU 1779
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