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
Examiner confirms Applicant’s election of claims 1-6 directed to Group I as indicated in Applicant’s response to election dated 10/17/2025. Claims 7-21 are withdrawn.
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.
Claim(s) 1-3 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Xie CN 108420382 A (Note: see attached machine translation for paragraph reference numbers).
Regarding Claim 1, Xie teaches: A door opening device (Fig 1) for a dishwasher, the door opening device being provided on one side of a main body (P0035, body) of a dishwasher (P0035, dishwasher) and performing opening of a door (P0035, door cover) with respect to the main body (P0050), the door opening device comprising: a case (2) fixed to the main body (P0035); a movable member (Fig 4, 12) disposed inside the case (Fig 4, 12) to be slidably movable with respect to the case (P0037, P0041, Figs 1 and 4); a latch unit (Fig 4, left and right arms 4) including at least one latch (Fig 4, left and right arms 4 are each a latch) rotatably mounted on at least one fixing shaft (Fig 4, each left and right latch 4 is mounted on its own fixing shaft 14) inside the movable member (P0041); and a latch guide member (7, 10, 13) disposed on the movable member (P0041, 7 is mounted on 14 of the moveable member. P0044, 13 is located on moveable member 12, of which an end of 10 is disposed in) to be slidably movable with respect to the movable member (Comparing Fig 4 to Fig 5 shows the relative movement between moveable member 12 and at least 10 and 7, which are parts of the latch guide member); wherein the latch guide member guides the latch unit so that the latch is rotated as the latch guide member slides (Going from Fig 4 to Fig 5 shows left and right 4 which is the latch, rotating via 7, 12, and 10, as 10 of the latch guide member slides, also described in P0048 and P0050).
Regarding Claim 2, Xie teaches: A door opening and closing device (Fig 1) for a dishwasher, the door opening and closing device being provided on one side of a main body (P0035, body) of a dishwasher (P0035, dishwasher) and performing opening of a door (P0035, door cover) with respect to the main body (P0050), the door opening and closing device comprising: a case (2) fixed to the main body (P0035); a movable member (Fig 4, 12) disposed inside the case (Fig 4, 12) to be slidably movable in forward and rearward directions with respect to the case (P0037, P0041, Figs 1, 4, and 5, the Figs show the moveable member 12 slideably moveable with respect to case 2 with the up direction being the forward direction and the down direction being the rearward direction); a latch unit (Fig 4, left and right arms 4) including a left latch (Fig 4, left 4) rotatably mounted on a fixing shaft (Fig 4, left 14) on an inner left side of the movable member (Fig 4, left latch 4 is mounted on its own fixing shaft 14 on the inner left side of moveable member 12) and a right latch (Fig 4, right 4) rotatably mounted on a fixing shaft (Fig 4, right 14) on an inner right side of the movable member (Fig 4, right latch 4 is mounted on its own fixing shaft 14 on the inner right side of moveable member 12); and a latch guide member (7, 10, 13) disposed on the movable member (P0041, 7 is mounted on 14 of the moveable member. P0044, 13 is located on moveable member 12, of which an end of 10 is disposed in) to be slidably movable over a predetermined distance in the forward and rearward directions with respect to the movable member (Comparing Fig 4 to Fig 5 shows the relative forward and rearward, up and down respectfully, movement between moveable member 12 and at least 10 and 7, which are parts of the latch guide member); wherein the latch guide member guides the latch unit so that the left and right latches are rotated symmetrically with each other as the latch guide member slides (Going from Fig 4 to Fig 5 shows left and right 4 which is the latch, rotating symmetrically via 7, 12, and 10, as 10 of the latch guide member slides, also described in P0048 and P0050).
Regarding Claim 3, Xie teaches: The door opening and closing device of claim 2, wherein a fastening hole (Fig 4, the hole through which left fixing shaft 14 extends through left latch 4) provided between front and rear ends of the left latch (Fig 4, hole extends between the front facing surface of left latch 4 that is the front end, and the rear facing surface of left latch 4 that is the rear end) is fitted around the left fixing shaft (shown in Fig 4) and a fastening hole (Fig 4, the hole through which right fixing shaft 14 extends through right latch 4) provided between front and rear ends of the right latch (Fig 4, hole extends between the front facing surface of right latch 4 that is the front end, and the rear facing surface of right latch 4 that is the rear end) is fitted around the right fixing shaft (shown in Fig 4), so that the left and right latches are rotatably disposed around the respective fixing shafts on the movable member (shown comparing Fig 4 to Fig 5).
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 4-6 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.
Regarding Claim 4, none of the prior art discloses or renders obvious a door opening and closing device having the combination of features recited in claim 4. The closest prior art of record, Xie CN 108420382 A, teaches an opening and closing device having much of the claimed structure but fails to teach: in the latch guide member, left and right fixing shaft receiving depressions extending in the forward and rearward directions are formed at locations corresponding to the left and right fixing shafts, respectively, and the left and right fixing shafts are inserted into the left and right fixing shaft receiving depressions, respectively; and the latch guide member is slidable forward and rearward with respect to the movable member between a frontmost location at which the left and right fixing shafts of the movable member come into contact with rear ends of the left and right fixing shaft receiving depressions, respectively, and a rearmost location at which the left and right fixing shafts of the movable member come into contact with front ends of the left and right fixing shaft receiving depressions, respectively.
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to CHRISTOPHER F CALLAHAN whose telephone number is (571)272-5847. The examiner can normally be reached Mon through Thur 7:30am-5:30pm.
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/C.C./Examiner, Art Unit 3675
/CHRISTINE M MILLS/Supervisory Patent Examiner, Art Unit 3675