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 .
Status of Claims
Claims 11-15 and 18 have been amended. Claims 1-10 have been canceled. Claims 11-20 have been examined on the merits.
Response to Arguments
Applicant’s arguments, see page 5, filed 08/03/2026, with respect to the amendments to
the drawing objections are persuasive. The drawing objections have been withdrawn.
Applicant’s arguments, see page 5, filed 08/03/2026, with respect to the previous 35 U.S.C. § 102(a)(1) rejections are not persuasive.
With respect to: “Applicant appreciates the annotated drawing on page 4 of the Office Action that identifies the edge at E1. However, in view of the amendment to claim 1, this edge is not the circumferential edge of the plate 26.”, the examiner disagrees.
Given the broadness of the claimed language, see rejected language with accompanied amended annotated figures 1-A and 2-A inserted below, and figure 5 of Strong.
Claim Objections
Claim 11 is objected to because of the following informalities: “first water outlet passages extending starting from”, the examiner believes “extending” was supposed to be removed or meant to have a conjunction between them.
Appropriate correction is required.
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.
Claims 11-16, and 18-20 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by STRONG (US 2893037 A).
Referring to claim 11: Strong discloses a cleaning disc (14 Fig. 2), comprising an outer brushing disc (27 Fig. 2), a cavity (86 Fig. 2) for accommodating an inner brushing disc (26 Fig. 2) being provided on the outer brushing disc (27 Fig. 2),
at least two first water outlet passages (31/34 Figs. 2-4) being distributed at intervals along a circumferential direction (shown in Figs. 2 and 3) at a bottom wall (26 Fig. 2) of the cavity (86 Fig. 2),
the at least two first water outlet passages (31/34 Figs. 2-4) extending starting (shown in Fig. 3)
from a circumferential edge (circumferential edge E1 Fig. 1-A inserted below and shown in Fig. 5) of the bottom wall (26 Fig. 2) of the cavity (86 Fig. 2) towards a center of the bottom wall (26 Fig. 2) of the cavity (86 Fig. 2),
and wherein at least one second water outlet passage (SWO-1 and SWO-2 Figs. 1-A and 2-A inserted below of plurality of 36/38 Figs. 2-5) for cleaning the cavity,
wherein a second water outlet passage (SWO-2 Fig. 2-A inserted below of plurality of 36/38 Figs. 2-5) of the at least one second water outlet passage (SWO-1 and SWO-2 Figs. 1-A and 2-A inserted below of plurality of 36/38 Figs. 2-5)
is provided between every two neighboring (neighboring 31 shown in Fig. 1-A inserted below) first water outlet passages (31/34 Figs. 2-4) of the at least two first water outlet passages (31/34 Figs. 2-4).
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Referring to claim 12: Strong discloses the cleaning disc of claim 11, wherein the cavity comprises the bottom wall (26 Fig. 2) and a sidewall (16 Figs. 2 and 4), the at least one second water outlet passage (SWO-1 and SWO-2 Figs. 1-A and 2-A inserted above of plurality of 36/38 Figs. 2-5) is arranged on the bottom wall (26 Fig. 2) of the cavity (86 Fig. 2) and located at an interface (shown in Figs. 2 and 4) between the bottom wall (26 Fig. 2) and the sidewall (16 Figs. 2 and 4).
Referring to claim 13: Strong discloses the cleaning disc of claim 11, wherein an inner stop rib (32 Figs. 2-5; “sheet-like liner” Col. 2, line 69) is formed at a side of each first water outlet passage (31/34 Figs. 2-4) of the at least two first water outlet passages, the inner stop rib “sheet-like liner” Col. 2, line 69 being in intimate contact with the first water outlet passage (31/34 Figs. 2-4), a length (arc-length of 32 shown in Fig. 3) of the inner stop rib being greater than that (height length of 31/34 shown in fig. 2) of the first water outlet passage (31/34 Figs. 2-4).
Referring to claim 14: Strong discloses the cleaning disc of claim 11, wherein each first water outlet passage the first water outlet passages (31/34 Figs. 2-4) is an individual water outlet channel or formed by a plurality of continuous water outlet holes (31/34 Figs. 2-4);
the second water outlet passage (SWO-1 and SWO-2 Figs. 1-A and 2-A inserted above of plurality of 36/38 Figs. 2-5) is also an individual water outlet channel or formed by a plurality of continuous water outlet holes (SWO-1 and SWO-2 Figs. 1-A and 2-A inserted above of plurality of 36/38 Figs. 2-5).
Referring to claim 15: Strong discloses the cleaning disc of claim 11, wherein the at least two first water outlet passages (31/34 Figs. 2-4) and the at least one second water outlet passage (SWO-1 and SWO-2 Figs. 1-A and 2-A inserted above of plurality of 36/38 Figs. 2-5) are connected with each other (shown Fig. 2).
Referring to claim 16: Strong discloses the cleaning disc of claim 11, wherein a plurality of arc-shaped sheets (32 Figs. 2-5; “sheet-like liner” Col. 2, line 69) are further provided on the outer brushing disc (27 Fig. 2), projections of the arc-shaped sheets in an axial direction (shown in Fig. 3) of the outer brushing disc (27 Fig. 2) circumscribing the cavity (86 Fig. 2) of a round shape (shown in Fig. 3).
Referring to claim 18: Strong discloses the cleaning disc of claim 12, wherein a barrier bar (82 Fig. 2; “The valve can be closed whenever the device is out of operation” Col. 2, lines 7-8) is correspondingly provided above each first water outlet passage of the at least two first water outlet passages (31/34 Figs. 2-4) and above each second water outlet passage of the at least one second water outlet passage (SWO-1 and SWO-2 Figs. 1-A and 2-A inserted above of plurality of 36/38 Figs. 2-5), respectively.
Referring to claim 19: Strong discloses the cleaning disc of claim 11, wherein the cleaning disc (14 Fig. 2) is installed on any one of a floor sweeper, a floor scrubber (“Floor Scrubbing Appliance”, title), an electric cleaning brush, an industrial sweeping robot, a home sweeping robot, or a polishing machine.
Referring to claim 20: Strong discloses the electric cleaning appliance (“electric motor” Col. 3, line 26), wherein the electric cleaning appliance is installed with the cleaning disc (14 Fig. 2) of claim 11, and the electric cleaning appliance is any one of a floor sweeper, a floor scrubber (“Floor Scrubbing Appliance”, title), an electric cleaning brush, an industrial sweeping robot, a home sweeping robot, or a polishing machine.
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 17 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over STRONG (US 2893037 A) and Poppitz (US 3748050 A).
Referring to claim 17: Strong discloses the cleaning disc of claim 11, the outer brushing disc (27 Fig. 2) is fixed on an outer shaft (24 Fig. 2), and the inner brushing disc (26 Fig. 2) is located in the cavity (86 Fig. 2) of the outer brushing disc (27 Fig. 2).
But is silent on wherein an inner shaft snap-fitting block is provided in a center of the inner brushing disc and the inner brushing disc is fixed on an inner shaft via a connector.
Poppitz in an analogous cleaning apparatus (20 Fig. 1) teaches wherein an inner shaft snap-fitting block (54 Fig. 4; “A snap ring 54 on the shaft 52” Col. 4, line 2) is provided in a center of the similar configuration inner disc (27 Fig. 4), the inner disc (27 Fig. 4) is fixed on an inner shaft (52 Fig. 4) via a connector (33 Fig. 4).
It would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify the cleaning disc of Strong with the attachment configuration as taught by Poppitz for the purpose of having an alternate attachment/ coupling mechanism.
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 CHRISTOPHER SOTO whose telephone number is (571)272-8172. The examiner can normally be reached Monday-Friday, 8a.m. - 5 p.m..
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If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Monica Carter can be reached at 571-272-4475. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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CHRISTOPHER SOTO
Examiner
Art Unit 3723
/CHRISTOPHER SOTO/Examiner, Art Unit 3723
/MONICA S CARTER/Supervisory Patent Examiner, Art Unit 3723
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