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
Claim 11-19 withdrawn from further consideration pursuant to 37 CFR 1.142(b), as being drawn to a nonelected group 2 for washable objects, there being no allowable generic or linking claim. Applicant timely traversed the restriction (election) requirement in the reply filed on September 25, 2025.
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.
Claim(s) 1-10 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Andrea Felicioni et al. U.S. patent Publication 2019/0325787 A1 (Felicioni) in view of Sidney M. Weiss in view of Sidney M. Weiss U.S. Patent 4,473,373 (Weiss).
Regarding claims 1 and 7, Felicioni discloses a method of identifying identical washable objects, each of the objects comprises an identical tag that includes zones that are each the same shape and size and with each of the zones being a different color ([0002]). Felicioni does not directly disclose the method of selecting a washable object. Weiss discloses the method comprising: individually selecting each of the washable objects; for each of the washable objects, drawing a mark in a different one of the zones; placing the washable objects that include the marks in a washing machine and washing the washable objects; and removing the washable objects from the washing machine and identifying each of the washable objects based on the zone where the mark is located (Column 4 Lines 5-60); method of identifying identical washable objects, each of the objects comprises an identical tag that is divided into zones, the method comprising: placing a mark on a different zone of each of the washable objects; placing each of the washable objects that are marked in the washing machine and washing the washable objects; and removing the washable objects from the washing machine and identifying each of the washable objects based on the zone where the mark is located.
Therefore it would have been an obvious modification well known in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention with reasonable expectations of the success to modify Felicioni as taught by Weiss to include Weiss’ method of sorting laundry. Such a modification would provide a means to organize and sort objects for washing.
Regarding claim 2, Felicioni in view of Weiss discloses the method further comprising drawing the marks completely within one of the zones (zone shown Figure 1-4, Felicioni labeled section).
Regarding claim 3, Felicioni in view of Weiss discloses the method further comprising drawing two or more of the marks on at least one of the washable objects ([0048], Felicioni).
Regarding claims 4 and 9, Felicioni in view of Weiss discloses the method further comprising attaching tags that include the zones to each of the washable objects ([0035-0038], Felicioni).
Regarding claims 5 and 8, Felicioni in view of Weiss discloses the method wherein each of the zones is a different color and drawing the mark in the different one of the zones comprises drawing the mark on just a single one of the different colors ([0029, 0032, 0046], Felicioni).
Regarding claims 6 and 10, Felicioni in view of Weiss discloses the method wherein the washable objects are laundry bags, the method further comprising: placing clothes which each of the washable objects; washing the clothes and the washable objects together in the washing machine; and after washing, removing the clothes from each of the washable objects (Column 3 Line 55-Column 4 Line 60).
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure.
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/SHIN H KIM/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3636