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
Claims 5-7 and 9-11 are withdrawn from further consideration pursuant to 37 CFR 1.142(b) as being drawn to a nonelected invention, there being no allowable generic or linking claim. Election was made without traverse in the reply filed on 05/13/2026.
Status of Claims
The action is in reply to the Application filed on 03/01/2024. Claims 1-11 are currently pending. Claims 5-7 and 9-11 are withdrawn. Claims 1-4 and 8 are being examined.
Information Disclosure Statement
The information disclosure statement (IDS) submitted on 03/01/2024 has been received and considered by the examiner.
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.
Claims 1-2 and 8 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Cho (KR 200449053).
Regarding claim 1, Cho discloses: a mop cleaning apparatus (Figures 1-3 and see also paragraphs 0024-0026), comprising:
a container unit (element 10) including
a container wall (see figure 3 annotated below Detail A) that defines a cleaning compartment adapted to receive a mop head of a mop (See figure 2 showing the container unit (element 10) having a top opening define in elements 12/13 and see figure 3 annotated below showing the container wall (Detail A) operably receiving portions of a mop head of a mop (element 1), thus the container wall defines a cleaning compartment adapted to receive a mop head of a mop, as recited.), and a water-storing compartment (see paragraph 0026 where the prior art discloses the presence of “water” in a portion (element 12) of the container unit (element 10) and see also figure 3 annotated below showing water inside the container wall (Detail A), thus the container wall defines a water-storing compartment); and
a water-drawing unit (element 40) mounted in said container unit (see figure 3), and including
a water-inlet pipe (element 41), and
a water-outlet pipe (see figure 3 annotated below Detail B).
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Furthermore, Cho discloses a different means of the water-drawing unit (element 40) having the internal component of a wing wheel (element 411) in order to draw and discharge water (see paragraph 0032). Additionally, Cho further discloses a plurality of alternate internal components embodiments (Figures 2 and 4-5) of the water-drawing unit (element 40). However, Cho appears to be silent wherein the water-drawing unit includes a piston pump that has a cylinder defining a piston-receiving space and a water- drawing space that is in fluid communication with said piston-receiving space, a piston member movably disposed in said piston-receiving space, a water-outlet opening in fluid communication with said water-drawing space, and a water-inlet valve connected to said cylinder, and defining a water-inlet opening that is in fluid communication with said water-drawing space
Cho further teaches an alternate embedment of the water-drawing unit (Figure 4 element 40) comprising a piston pump (elements 421/422/423/424/425/Detail A/Detail B) that has a cylinder (element 421) defining a piston-receiving space (element 424) and a water-drawing space (see figure 4 annotated below Detail A) that is in fluid communication with said piston-receiving space (see figure 4 annotated below), a piston member (element 425) movably disposed in said piston-receiving space (see figure 4), a water-outlet opening (element 423) in fluid communication with said water-drawing space (see figure 4 annotated below), and a water-inlet valve ((see figure 4 annotated below Detail B) connected to said cylinder (see figure 4), and defining a water-inlet opening (element 422) that is in fluid communication with said water-drawing space (see figure 4 annotated below), wherein said piston member is movable relative to said cylinder between a water-drawing position (see figure 4 annotated below Detail C) where said piston member is distal from said water-drawing space (see figure 4 annotated below showing said piston member (element 425) being distal from said water-drawing space (Detail A) in order for water to be drawn (arrow) in the cylinder) and a water-discharging position (see figure 4 annotated below Detail D) where said piston member is proximate to said water-drawing space (see figure 4 annotated below showing said piston member (element 425) being proximate to said water-drawing space (Detail A) in order for water to be discharged (arrow) from the cylinder), wherein when said piston member is at the water-drawing position, said water-inlet valve is opened so that water in said water-storing compartment is drawn into said water-drawing space (see figure 4 annotated below showing when in the water-drawing position (Detail C), said water-inlet valve (element 422a) is opened so that water (see arrow) so that water in said water-storing compartment (as defined by the container wall of the container unit (element 10)) is drawn into said water-drawing space (Detail A), and wherein when said piston member is at the water-discharging position, said water-inlet valve is closed so that water in said water-drawing space is discharged (see figure 4 annotated below showing when in the water-discharging position (Detail D), said portion (element 422a) of the water-inlet valve (Detail B) is closed so that water in said water-drawing space is discharged (see arrow)).
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It would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to substitute the internal components of the water-drawing unit of Cho with the internal components of the water-drawing unit of alternate embodiment of Cho in order to provide a piston pump that has a cylinder defining a piston-receiving space and a water-drawing space that is in fluid communication with said piston-receiving space, a piston member movably disposed in said piston-receiving space, a water-outlet opening in fluid communication with said water-drawing space, and a water-inlet valve connected to said cylinder, and defining a water-inlet opening that is in fluid communication with said water-drawing space, wherein said piston member is movable relative to said cylinder between a water-drawing position where said piston member is distal from said water-drawing space and a water-discharging position where said piston member is proximate to said water-drawing space, wherein when said piston member is at the water-drawing position, said water-inlet valve is opened so that water in said water-storing compartment is drawn into said water-drawing space through said water-inlet pipe, and wherein when said piston member is at the water-discharging position, said water-inlet valve is closed so that water in said water-drawing space is discharged, since simple substitution of known elements for another to obtain a predictable results of coupling two different parts. The resultant combination would have the internal components of the water-drawing unit of alternate embodiment of Cho now in place of the wing wheel (element 411) of the water-drawing unit (element 40) of first embodiment Cho (Figures 1-3), which would necessarily have the water-inlet opening (element 422 of figure 4) now fluidly connected with the water-inlet pipe (element 41 of figure 2) and the water-outlet opening (element 423 of figure 4) now fluidly connected with the water-outlet pipe (see figure 3 annotated above on page 004 Detail B). One of ordinary skill in the art would recognize that providing a known water-drawing unit in the form of a piston pump would necessarily provide the predictable result of properly delivering highly accurate and consistent water flow within the container unit in order to consistently provide clean water for used with the mop head during operations ((See MPEP 2143.1(B)). Therefore, giving that the Cho modified discloses the same mop cleaning apparatus as recited, one of ordinary skill would find it obvious that the mop cleaning apparatus would necessarily have water-outlet pipe fluidly interconnects said water-outlet opening and said cleaning compartment, as recited.
Regarding claim 2, Cho modified discloses: the mop cleaning apparatus as claimed in Claim 1, wherein:
said piston pump further has a water-outlet valve (see figure 4 annotated below Detail A) that is connected to said cylinder (see figure 4 annotated below), and that defines said water-outlet opening (see figure 4 annotated below);
said water-outlet pipe is connected to said water-outlet valve (See rejection of claim 1 above, where the prior art of Cho as modified, shows the water-drawing unit (element 40) being operably connected to said water-outlet pipe (see figure 3 annotated above Detail B on page 4) which now comprises the internal components of alternate embodiment of Cho (figure 4) which includes the water-outlet valve (see figure 4 annotated below Detail A) which would necessarily be operably connected to said water-outlet pipe.); and each of said water-inlet valve and said water-outlet valve is a check valve (See figure 4 annotated below showing the both said water-inlet valve and said water-outlet valve as mechanical device that permits fluid to flow in a single direction and automatically prevents backflow, thus being a check valve.).
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Regarding claim 8, Cho modified discloses: the mop cleaning apparatus as claimed in Claim 2, wherein: said water-outlet valve has
a valve body (see figure 4 annotated below Detail A) that extends along an axis (see figure 4 annotated below X-X axis), and that is hollow (see figure 4 annotated below), and
a sealing plate (element 423a) that is disposed movably within said valve body (see figure 4 annotated below); and
when said piston member is moved from the water-discharging position to the water-drawing position, said sealing plate is moved to close said water-outlet opening, so that said water-outlet valve is closed (see figure 4 annotated below).
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Claims 3-4 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Cho (KR 200449053) in view of Jakobsson (WO 2007081257).
Regarding claim 3, Cho modified discloses all the limitations as stated in the rejection of claim 1 and further discloses a different means of said water-let valve (see figure 4 annotated above Detail B on page 007) having a body with a blocking plate (element 422a). However, Cho modified appears to be silent wherein said water-inlet valve has a valve body that extends along an axis, and that has a hollow portion, and an enlarged hollow portion extending from said hollow portion and having an internal diameter greater than an internal diameter of said hollow portion, and a sealing member that is disposed movably within said enlarged hollow portion; and when said piston member is moved from the water-drawing position to the water-discharging position, said sealing member is moved to close said water-inlet opening, so that said water-inlet valve is closed.
Jakobsson is also concern in providing a cleaning apparatus (Figures 1-2 and see also page 002, ll. 21-37) comprising a cylinder (element 3) and a water-inlet valve (element 4). Jakobsson further teaches wherein said water-inlet valve has
a valve body (element 44) that extends along an axis (see figure 2 annotated below X-X axis), and that has
a hollow portion (see figure 2 annotated below Detail A), and
an enlarged hollow portion (see figure 2 annotated below Detail B) extending from said hollow portion (see figure 2 annotated below) and having an internal diameter greater than an internal diameter of said hollow portion (see figure 2 annotated below showing said enlarged hollow portion (Detail B) being larger than said hollow portion (Detail A), thus having said enlarged hollow portion would necessarily have an internal diameter greater than an internal diameter of said hollow portion), and
a sealing member (element 48 and see also page 005, ll. 12 where the prior art discloses element 48 as “a ball”) that is disposed movably within said enlarged hollow portion (see page 005, ll. 10-14 and page 006, ll. 5-14).
It would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to substitute the water-inlet valve components of Cho modified with the water-inlet valve components of Jakobsson in order to provide wherein said water-inlet valve has a valve body that extends along an axis, and that has a hollow portion, and an enlarged hollow portion extending from said hollow portion and having an internal diameter greater than an internal diameter of said hollow portion, and a sealing member that is disposed movably within said enlarged hollow portion, since simple substitution of known elements for another to obtain a predictable results of coupling two different parts. The resultant combination would have the water-inlet valve components of Jakobsson now operably connected to the cylinder of the piston pump of Cho modified. One of ordinary skill in the art would recognize that providing a known valve in combination with the cylinder of the piston pump would necessarily provide the predictable result of automatically and properly allowing fluid to pass through while also preventing reverse flow and backpressure damage during operations ((See MPEP 2143.1(B)). Therefore, giving that the Cho modified discloses the same mop cleaning apparatus as recited, one of ordinary skill would find it obvious that the mop cleaning apparatus would necessarily operate the same including when said piston member is moved from the water-drawing position to the water-discharging position, said sealing member is moved to close said water-inlet opening, so that said water-inlet valve is closed, as recited.
Regarding claim 4, Cho modified discloses: the mop cleaning apparatus as claimed in Claim 3, wherein said sealing member is formed as one of a ball shape (As described above in the rejection of claim 3, (see page 13), the prior art of Jakobsson discloses element 48 (sealing member) as “a ball” (see page 005, ll. 12) and a cone shape.
Conclusion
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/A.S./Examiner, Art Unit 3723
/BRIAN D KELLER/Supervisory Patent Examiner, Art Unit 3723
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