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 .
Claim Objections
Claim 1, lines 9-11 is objected to because of the following informalities: “a water diversion port is provided on the water diversion disk, and when the water diversion disk is rotated, the water diversion port is selectively communicated with the plurality of flow diversion ports” should be - -a plurality of water diversion ports are provided on the water diversion disk, and when the water diversion disk is rotated, the plurality of water diversion ports are selectively communicated with the plurality of flow diversion port- -. Appropriate correction is required.
Claim 2, lines 4-10 is objected to because of the following informalities: “the water diversion port is provided on a top surface of the water diversion plate, a clamping ring groove is provided around the water diversion port on the top surface of the water diversion plate, the water diversion disk is provided with a plurality of elastic buckles at intervals in the circumferential direction of the water diversion disk, the plurality of elastic buckles are clamped into the clamping ring groove in an axial direction of the water diversion disk after elastically deformed, and the elastic buckle is movable in a circumferential direction of the clamping ring groove.” should be - - the plurality of flow diversion ports are provided on a top surface of the water diversion plate, a clamping ring groove is provided around the plurality of flow diversion ports on the top surface of the water diversion plate, the water diversion disk is provided with a plurality of elastic buckles at intervals in the circumferential direction of the water diversion disk, the plurality of elastic buckles are clamped into the clamping ring groove in an axial direction of the water diversion disk after elastic deformation, and the plurality of elastic buckles are movable in a circumferential direction of the clamping ring groove.- -. Appropriate correction is required.
Claim 5, lines 2 is objected to because of the following informalities: “an end of the pulling piece” should be - - the end of the pulling rod- -. Appropriate correction is required.
Claim 8, lines 2 is objected to because of the following informalities: “the spherical portion is rotatably arranged in the flow passage eat, and is in sealing communication with the water diversion port of the water diversion disk through the flow passage seat; the base comprises a water outlet panel, the water outlet is provided on the water outlet panel, water outlet channels correspondingly communicating the flow diversion ports with the water outlets are formed between a bottom surface of the water diversion plate and a top surface of the water outlet panel, the water diversion port is provided on a top surface of the water diversion plate, a protruding rotating shaft is arranged on the top surface of the water diversion plate” should be - - the spherical portion is rotatably arranged in the flow passage seat, and is in sealing communication with the plurality of water diversion ports of the water diversion disk through the flow passage seat; the base comprises a water outlet panel, the water outlets are provided on the water outlet panel, water outlet channels correspondingly communicating the flow diversion ports with the water outlets are formed between a bottom surface of the water diversion plate and a top surface of the water outlet panel, the plurality of flow diversion port are provided on a top surface of the water diversion plate, a protruding rotating shaft is arranged on the top surface of the water diversion plate- -. Appropriate correction is required.
Claim 9, lines 1-13 is objected to because of the following informalities: “wherein there are two groups of flow diversion ports that are opposite to each other, each group of flow diversion ports comprise a first flow diversion port, a second flow diversion port, and a third flow diversion port that are arranged side by side, there are correspondingly two water diversion ports, the water outlets comprise a first water outlet, a second water outlet, and a third water outlet; and a first flow passage water channel communicating the first flow diversion port with the first water outlet, a second flow passage water channel communicating the second flow diversion port with the second water outlet, and a third flow passage water channel communicating the third flow diversion port with the third water outlet are provided in the water diversion plate, there is one first flow passage water channel communicated with the two first diversion ports, there are two second flow passage water channels and two third flow passage water channels that are communicated with the two second flow diversion ports and the two third flow diversion ports in one-to-one correspondence respectively” should be - - wherein the plurality of flow diversion ports comprise two groups of flow diversion ports that are opposite to each other, each group of flow diversion ports comprise a first flow diversion port, a second flow diversion port, and a third flow diversion port that are arranged side by side, the plurality of water diversion ports comprise two water diversion ports, the water outlets comprise a first water outlet, a second water outlet, and a third water outlet; and a first flow passage water channel communicating two first flow diversion ports with the first water outlet, two second flow passage water channel communicating with the two second flow diversion ports with the second water outlet, and two third flow passage water channel communicating with the two third flow diversion ports with the third water outlet are provided in the water diversion plate, one first flow passage water channel communicated with the two first diversion ports, the two second flow passage water channels and the two third flow passage water channels are communicated with the two second flow diversion ports and the two third flow diversion ports in one-to-one correspondence respectively- -. Appropriate correction is required.
Claim 10, lines 3-6 is objected to because of the following informalities: “the water diversion port, projections of the opening and the water diversion port in an axial direction of the water diversion disk partially overlap, a sealing gasket is arranged in the water diversion port, and the sealing gasket is provided with a water hole” should be - - the plurality of water diversion ports, projections of the opening and a water diversion port of the plurality of water diversion ports in an axial direction of the water diversion disk partially overlap, a sealing gasket is arranged in a respective water diversion port, and the sealing gasket is provided with a water hole- -. Appropriate correction is required.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 112
The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 112(b):
(b) CONCLUSION.—The specification shall conclude with one or more claims particularly pointing out and distinctly claiming the subject matter which the inventor or a joint inventor regards as the invention.
The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), second paragraph:
The specification shall conclude with one or more claims particularly pointing out and distinctly claiming the subject matter which the applicant regards as his invention.
Claims 1-10 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 112(b) or 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), second paragraph, as being indefinite for failing to particularly point out and distinctly claim the subject matter which the inventor or a joint inventor (or for applications subject to pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, the applicant), regards as the invention.
Claim 1, line 11 recites “a pulling button” which renders the claim indefinite. First, a button by definition is pushed or pressed, see Merriam Webster and Dictionary.com, so that it is unclear how the pulling button of the instant application is considered a button since it is pulled. Second, the term pull renders the claim indefinite because the instant application does not specify how the button is pulled aside from being labeled a pulling button. In particular, it is unclear if the button is pulled in the radial direction with respect to the water diversion disk or pulled in the circumferential direction with respect to the water diversion disk.
The claims are generally narrative and indefinite, failing to conform with current U.S. practice. They appear to be a literal translation into English from a foreign document and are replete with grammatical and idiomatic errors, see claim objections above.
Claim 4, line 2 recites “flaky” which renders the claim indefinite because unclear what this means. Meriam Webster and Oxford Languages defines flaky as easily breaking or tending to become a small loose mass or bit. Thus, it is unclear if the instant application is claiming that the pulling rod is easily breakable or something else.
Claims dependent thereon are rejected for the same reasons.
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, 3-5 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Lin et al (US 20190344292)
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Annotated Figure 1 and 2 of Lin
Regarding claim 1, Lin discloses a top shower (Figure 1), comprising a base (Figure 1 and 2; 1 and 4. 4 is the components below 3), a water diversion plate (Figure 1; 3), a water diversion disk (Figure 1; 2), a water inlet connector (Annotated Figure 2; labeled water inlet), and an adjustment component (Figure 1; 21), wherein
the water inlet connector is connected to a top surface (The top of the base, see Figure 2) of the base, and a variety of types of water outlets (Paragraph 0052) are provided on a bottom surface (The bottom of the base) of the base;
the water diversion plate is fixedly arranged in the base, and is provided with a plurality of flow diversion ports (The ports in Figure 1; 3 that connect to each 241 to each different water groups in different areas of the faceplate, Paragraph 0052) at intervals (The circumferential spacing between the flow diversion ports. Figure 1 shows that 3 does not have a hole coincident with the center of 24, so that a circumferential spacing exists between the diversion ports) in a circumferential direction (The circumferential direction with respect to the central axis of the water diversion disk) of the water diversion disk, and the flow diversion ports are communicated with the water outlets respectively; the water diversion disk is rotatably arranged in the base (Paragraph 0047), and is matched with the water diversion plate; and
a plurality of water diversion ports (Figure 1; 241) are provided on the water diversion disk, and when the water diversion disk is rotated, the plurality of water diversion ports are selectively communicated with the plurality of flow diversion ports (Paragraph 0052); and
the adjustment component comprises a pulling button (Figure 4; 211) movably arranged on a side (The side of the base) of the base and a pulling rod (Annotated Figure 1; labeled rod) connected to the water diversion disk and the pulling button respectively, and the pulling button drives, through the pulling rod, the water diversion disk to rotate (Paragraph 0047, 0053, 0058).
Regarding claim 3, Lin discloses the invention as claimed.
Lin further discloses wherein a connection seat (Annotated Figure 1; labeled guide portion and clamping block) is arranged on a periphery (The periphery of the water diversion disk) of the water diversion disk, and an end (The end of the rod opposite the pulling button) of the pulling rod away from the pulling button extends into the base (See Figure 4), and is connected to the connection seat in a clamping manner (The rod is clamped in the connection seat).
Regarding claim 4, Lin discloses the invention as claimed.
Lin further discloses wherein the pulling rod is a pulling piece of a long-strip flaky structure (The rod is a pulling piece of long strip flaky structure. The rod is a small, flat, thin piece), and is elastic (The rod is elastic. When the operating member is pushed against Annotated Figure 1; labeled hard stop, the pulling rod is elastically deformed), and the pulling piece implements a clamping connection (The pulling piece implements a clamping structure) to the connection seat through elastic deformation.
Regarding claim 5, Lin discloses the invention as claimed.
Lin further discloses wherein a guide portion (Annotated Figure 1; labeled guide portion) and a clamping block (Annotated Figure 1; labeled guide portion) are arranged on the connection seat, a clamping groove (The groove in the rod for Annotated Figure 1; labeled clamping block, see Figure 2) is provided at the end of the pulling rod away from the pulling button, and the pulling piece is inserted into the base along the guide portion, to clamp the clamping block into the clamping groove.
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 2, 6-10 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.
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to EDWIN G KANG whose telephone number is (571)272-9814. The examiner can normally be reached Mon-Fri 8:00-5:00 PM EST.
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If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Devon Kramer can be reached at (571) 272-7118. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/EDWIN KANG/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3741
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