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 .
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.
This application currently names joint inventors. In considering patentability of the claims the examiner presumes that the subject matter of the various claims was commonly owned as of the effective filing date of the claimed invention(s) absent any evidence to the contrary. Applicant is advised of the obligation under 37 CFR 1.56 to point out the inventor and effective filing dates of each claim that was not commonly owned as of the effective filing date of the later invention in order for the examiner to consider the applicability of 35 U.S.C. 102(b)(2)(C) for any potential 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(2) prior art against the later invention.
Claims 10-16 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Ragogna et al. (EP 3124680 A1) in view of Shi (CN 111549506 A).
Ragogna et al. discloses a method for controlling a dryer 2 (Fig. 2), the dryer 2 including: a drum 16 configured to receive a drying item 18; at least one first sensor H (Fig. 3, paragraph [0040]) configured to detect the drying item in the drum (paragraph [0026]); a pump chamber 48, 50 configured to store condensate; and a drain pump 50 configured to discharge the condensate, wherein the method comprises: obtaining information for detecting the drying item in the drum through the at least one first sensor H. However, Ragogna et al. does not disclose a second sensor configured to detect a water level of the pump chamber; obtaining water level information about the pump chamber through the second sensor; determining whether the water level of the pump chamber is a full water level based on the obtained water level information about the pump chamber. Shi et al. discloses a method for controlling a dryer 1 comprising a second sensor 72 configured to detect a water level of the pump chamber 71; obtaining water level information about the pump chamber through the second sensor 72; determining whether the water level of the pump chamber is a full water level based on the obtained water level information about the pump chamber (paragraph [0020]). Therefore, it would have been obvious to someone with ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the invention to modify the method of Ragogna et al. to include a second sensor configured to detect a water level of the pump chamber; obtaining water level information about the pump chamber through the second sensor; determining whether the water level of the pump chamber is a full water level based on the obtained water level information about the pump chamber as taught by Shi et al. in order to prevent overflow of the water and thus improve safety. Regarding the steps: (1) determining whether the drying item is present in the drum based on the information for detecting the drying item in the drum when the water level of the pump chamber is the full water level; and (2) limiting a number of forced drains of the pump chamber to lower the water level of the pump chamber when the drying item is present in the drum. These two steps are conditioned on the water level of the pump chamber is the full water level and the drying item is present in the drum respectively. When the water level of the pump chamber is not the full water level and the drying item is not present in the drum, the determining step and the limiting step are not required.
Regarding claim 11. Ragogna et al. discloses further comprising: rotating, using a driving motor 30 the drum 16; obtaining, using a current sensor as the at least one first sensor, a driving current value of the driving motor (paragraph [0026]); and determining whether the drying item is present in the drum comprises: comparing the obtained driving current value with a threshold current value, and determining whether the drying item is present in the drum based on a result of the comparison (paragraph [0026]).
Regarding claim 12, Ragogna et al. discloses further comprising: obtaining, using a humidity sensor as the at least one first sensor, a humidity value in the drum, and determining whether the drying item is present in the drum comprises: comparing the obtained humidity value with a threshold humidity value, and determining whether the drying item is present in the drum based on a result of the comparison (paragraph [0026]).
Regarding claims 13-14, since the limiting step in claim 10 is conditional on when the drying item is present in the drum and the limiting step is not required when the drying item is not present in the drum, the steps in claims 13-14 are not required as well.
Regarding claim 15, Ragogna et al. discloses further comprising: providing, using a display of the dryer, status information about the dryer to a user, and outputting a message for guiding to a drain error on the display when the driving of the drain pump for the forced drains is stopped (paragraph [0055]).
Regarding claim 16, Ragogna discloses further comprising: generating, using a blower fan 28, an air flow circulating through the drum 16 (Fig. 2). The step of driving the blower fan for a predetermined time is conditioned on when the water level of the pump chamber is lower than a threshold water level. When the water level of the pump chamber is equal to higher than a threshold water level, the blower fan driving step is not required.
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 1-9 and 17-20 are allowed.
The following is a statement of reasons for the indication of allowable subject matter: the primary reason for allowance of claims 1-9 and 17-20 is the inclusion of the limitations of a controller configured to limit a number of forced drains of the drain pump to reduce/lower a water level of the pump chamber when the drying item is present in the drum in claims 1 and 17 in combination with the remaining claimed elements.
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to JESSICA J YUEN whose telephone number is (571)272-4878. The examiner can normally be reached Monday-Friday 9am-5pm.
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If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, MICHAEL G HOANG can be reached at (571) 272-6460. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/Jessica Yuen/
Primary Examiner
Art Unit 3762
JY
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