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 .
Election/Restrictions
Applicant’s election without traverse of Group I in the reply filed on 04/24/2026 is acknowledged.
Claims 14-20 are withdrawn from further consideration pursuant to 37 CFR 1.142(b) as being drawn to a nonelected species, there being no allowable generic or linking claim. Election was made without traverse in the reply filed on 04/24/2026.
Priority
Receipt is acknowledged of certified copies of papers required by 37 CFR 1.55.
Information Disclosure Statement
The information disclosure statements (IDS) were filed on 11/03/2023, 12/19/2024, 06/25/025, and 10/13/2025. The submissions are in compliance with the provisions of 37 CFR 1.97. Accordingly, the information disclosure statements are being considered by the examiner.
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) 1-3 and 11-12 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Sato (US Publication No: 2018/0199776).
Regarding Claim 1: Sato discloses a dust collecting pile (Figure 3, No. 5) for collecting dust within a dust box (12) of a cleaning robot (2), comprising a body comprising a dust inlet channel having a dust inlet (25) configured to be communicated with the dust box, so that the dust within the dust box can enter the dust inlet channel through the dust inlet (Paragraph [0077], Lines 6-8); a dust barrel (Figure 6, No. 68) detachably disposed on the body (Figure 6; Paragraphs [0055] and [0109)), the dust barrel comprising a dust inlet end and an airflow outlet end, and the dust inlet end being communicated with the dust inlet channel (Figure 6); a cyclone separator (83) disposed within the dust barrel (Figure 6), the cyclone separator comprising a primary separation cyclone (81) and a secondary separation cyclone (82), and the primary separation cyclone having an axis disposed approximately parallel to that of the secondary separation cyclone (Figure 6); and a fan assembly (69) disposed on the body, an air inlet of the fan assembly being communicated with the airflow outlet end (Figure 5).
Regarding Claim 2: Sato discloses the dust collecting pile according to Claim 1, wherein the axis of the primary separation cyclone coincides with that of the secondary separation cyclone (Figure 6).
Regarding Claim 3: Sato discloses the dust collecting pile according to Claim 1, wherein the axis of the primary separation cyclone and the axis of the secondary separation cyclone are disposed approximately parallel to an axle center of the fan assembly (Figure 6).
Regarding Claim 11: Sato discloses the dust collecting pile according to Claim 1, wherein the fan assembly comprises a housing disposed on the body; a fan; and a flexible member located between the housing and the fan, the fan being fixed within the housing by the flexible member, and the flexible member avoiding a direct contact between the fan and the housing (Figure 5; Paragraphs [0057], [0058], & [0064]).
Regarding Claim 12: Sato discloses the dust collecting pile according to Claim 1, wherein the dust barrel comprising the cyclone separator comprises a dust bag transition device; and a dust bag can be mounted through the dust bag transition device after the cyclone separator is removed (Figure 6).
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.
This application currently names joint inventors. In considering patentability of the claims the examiner presumes that the subject matter of the various claims was commonly owned as of the effective filing date of the claimed invention(s) absent any evidence to the contrary. Applicant is advised of the obligation under 37 CFR 1.56 to point out the inventor and effective filing dates of each claim that was not commonly owned as of the effective filing date of the later invention in order for the examiner to consider the applicability of 35 U.S.C. 102(b)(2)(C) for any potential 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(2) prior art against the later invention.
Claim(s) 4-5 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Sato in view of Conrad (US Publication No: 2020/0179953).
Regarding Claim 4: Sato discloses the dust collecting pile according to Claim 1; however, Sato fails to disclose the body comprising a base in which the dust inlet channel is disposed; and a mounting body connected to the base, an air inlet conduit being disposed in the mounting body and communicating the dust inlet channel with the dust inlet end, wherein both the dust barrel and the fan assembly are disposed on the mounting body.
Conrad teaches a dust collecting pile with a body comprising a base (Paragraph [0130], “docking station”) in which the dust inlet channel is disposed; and a mounting body (Figures 1-3, No. 100) connected to the base, an air inlet conduit being disposed in the mounting body and communicating the dust inlet channel with the dust inlet end, wherein both the dust barrel and the fan assembly are disposed on the mounting body.
Before the effective filing date of the claimed invention, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art to make the dust collecting pile of Sato with a base and mounting body, as taught by Conrad, for the purpose of allowing the dust collecting pile to be docked from a distance (Paragraph [0132]).
Regarding Claim 5: Sato, as modified by Conrad, discloses the dust collecting pile according to Claim 4, wherein the mounting body is detachably disposed on the base (Conrad: Paragraphs [0130]-[0132]).
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 6-10 and 13 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. The following is a statement of reasons for the indication of allowable subject matter: The prior art fails to disclose a dust collecting pile as claimed in Claim 4, further comprising a first filtering assembly disposed above the fan assembly, wherein the first filtering assembly comprises an air inlet end that is communicated with the airflow outlet end and an air outlet end that is communicated with the air inlet, or a dust collecting pile as claimed in Claim 1, wherein the body further comprises a liquid outlet hole, and the dust collecting pile further comprises a shielding member movably disposed on the body, so that the shielding member has a sealed position in which the liquid outlet hole is shielded and an open position in which the liquid outlet hole is released, wherein in response to that the dust of the dust box enters the dust inlet channel, the shielding member is located in the sealed position, and in response to that the dust of the dust box stops entering the dust inlet channel, the shielding member can move to the open position, so that the dust inlet channel is communicated with an outside through the liquid outlet hole.
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to MICHAEL L SEHN whose telephone number is (571)270-3564. The examiner can normally be reached M-F 8:30 AM-6 PM, every other Friday off.
If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Courtney Heinle can be reached at 571-270-3508. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/MICHAEL L SEHN/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3745
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