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 .
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 .
Status of Claims
Currently Claims 1 and 3-15 are pending, claim 2 has been cancelled, and claims 1 and 4 are amended.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 103
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 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.
Claim(s) 1 and 3-15 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Kaecher (U.S. JP 2021511956A) in view of Kiyohara (JP2015120114A). Please note that both references were submitted in applicants’ own IDS.
With respect to claim 1, Kaecher discloses a portable washing machine (title) comprising: a load carrying platform (platform of housing 14 (being the lower part of the housing, in which the wheels are attached, forming the platforms base) having the bottom with wheels 20) provided with at least one set wheels (wheels 20), and a handle (160); a motor (electric motor 64) mounted on the load carrying platform (being carried by the housing); and a pump (68) mounted on the load carrying platform (See figure 3) and configured to be driven by the motor (64), the portable washing machine pressurizing a cleaning liquid with the pump (abstract), the portable washing machine further comprising:
a battery (112-114) configured to supply electric power to the motor (abstract); and
a support portion (support under 28) that is provided on the load carrying platform at a position forward of the one set of wheels (see figure 1), is configured to come into contact with or be separated from a ground (figure 1), and is configured to support the load carrying platform together with the one set of wheels when the support portion is in contact with the ground (figure 1, the wheels and the front support holding the device upright),
wherein under conditions that an imaginary straight line imaginarily drawn between rotation centers of the one set of wheels is defined as an axle (the axle formed by the wheels 124a-b) and an imaginary straight line imaginarily draw between front ends of the one set of wheels (being an imagery line drawn from the front ends of the wheels) is defined as an imaginary front end straight line, in a state where the support portion and the one set of wheels are in contact with the ground (where the imaginary lines are not defined going in any angle, and can thus be angled straight lines in the plan view), Kaecher fails to specifically disclose a center of gravity of the portable washing machine is located above the load carrying platform and the center of gravity of the portable washing machine is located between the axle and the imaginary front end straight line in a plane view of the portable washing machine.
Kiyohara, paragraph 0029, discloses placing the center of gravity of the high pressure washer between the center of the tires and the contact surface of the front-rear direction (understood being between the wheels and the front support) allowing the device in its self-supporting state to be stable.
It would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to incorporate a center of gravity located forward of the axle and above the platform as disclosed by Kiyohara into the system of Kaecher, allowing for improved stability. Furthermore, the specific placement of the center of gravity between the axle and the imaginary front end straight line in plane view of the portable washing machine, can have the front end straight line be a straight line from the front end at an angle encompassing the center of gravity).
With respect to claim 3, Kaecher discloses the battery is a detachable battery that is attachable to and detachable from the load carrying platform (as it is removable from the battery storage 116), and the center of gravity when the detachable battery is removed is located forward of the axle (as the center of gravity would stay between the wheels and the support, as the batteries are also between the wheels and the support).
With respect to claim 5, Kaecher discloses the battery is provided below or above the motor (shown above the motor), and the battery and the motor overlap each other in a plan view of the load carrying platform viewed from a vertical direction as shown in figures 1-3, where the batteries within 50 overlap the motor of 64).
With respect to claim 6, Kaecher discloses the pump is disposed at one side of the motor, and the battery is disposed at another side of the motor (the batteries shown above the motor 64, and the pump 68 shown below the motor).
With respect to claims 7 and 12, Kaecher discloses the pump (68) is provided with a discharge pipe (figure 4, being the discharge from the pump 68 going to 26 in figure 3) through which the cleaning liquid pressurized by the pump flows (as the pump generates pressure in the fluid), and a distance by which the discharge pipe (the distance from 68 to 26) protrudes from the pump is greater than a distance by which an end portion of the battery (end of battery within 50) that faces the discharge pipe (facing downwards) protrudes from the motor (as the battery protrudes the motor; as the distance from 68 to 28, as seen in figure 3, is greater than that of 50 to 64).
With respect to claims 8 and 13, Kaecher discloses the battery is a detachable battery (being the batteries of 112/114) that is attachable to and detachable from the load carrying platform (being removeable from within 50), the pump is disposed at a lower portion of a surface of the motor that faces the one side (as shown in figure 3), and the battery is disposed on an upper surface of the motor (as shown in figure 3).
With respect to claims 9 and 14, Kaecher discloses the battery is located below the handle (see figure 1), the battery is moved in a direction from a higher position to a lower position when the battery is attached (shown in figure 7, where lid 54 raises, and the batteries are able to then be attached), and the battery is moved in a direction from the lower position to the higher position when the battery is detached (as the battery is lifted up and out).
With respect to claims 10 and 15, Kaecher discloses handle is provided at a position where the handle does not intersect with the battery that is being moved (as shown in figure 1, where the handle is offset from the battery, further figure 2, when the handle is lowered, the opening can happen without the lid of the battery box hitting the handle, as the battery box would then not open to remove the battery as it would hit the handle).
With respect to claim 11, Kaecher discloses the pump is disposed at one side of the motor (beneath it, figure 3), and the battery is disposed at another side of the motor (above it, see figure 3).
Response to Arguments/Amendments
The Amendment filed (01/13/2026) has been entered. Currently Claims 1 and 3-15 are pending, claim 2 has been cancelled, and claims 1 and 4 are amended. Applicants’ amendments to the claims have failed to overcome each and every rejection previously set forth in the Office Action dated (10/20/2025).
Applicant's arguments filed 01/13/2026 have been fully considered but they are not persuasive. The argument is persuasive taken into account the previous rejections leaning of the device such that now the claims require the devices to have the support portion and the wheels in contact with the ground. However, the imaginary straight lines do not include further references to their angle or location, and can be understood as shown below (in an example) of how they can be angled to include a center of gravity between them . Furthermore, the examiner notes using larger wheels would also allow for a shift in where the imaginary line could be.
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Conclusion
Applicant's amendment necessitated the new ground(s) of rejection presented in this Office action. Accordingly, THIS ACTION IS MADE FINAL. See MPEP § 706.07(a). Applicant is reminded of the extension of time policy as set forth in 37 CFR 1.136(a).
A shortened statutory period for reply to this final action is set to expire THREE MONTHS from the mailing date of this action. In the event a first reply is filed within TWO MONTHS of the mailing date of this final action and the advisory action is not mailed until after the end of the THREE-MONTH shortened statutory period, then the shortened statutory period will expire on the date the advisory action is mailed, and any nonprovisional extension fee (37 CFR 1.17(a)) pursuant to 37 CFR 1.136(a) will be calculated from the mailing date of the advisory action. In no event, however, will the statutory period for reply expire later than SIX MONTHS from the mailing date of this final action.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to JOSEPH A GREENLUND whose telephone number is (571)272-0397. The examiner can normally be reached M-F 9am-5pm EST.
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/JOSEPH A GREENLUND/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3752