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
Applicant’s election without traverse of Group I claims 1-14 in the reply filed on December 22, 2025 is acknowledged.
Claims 14-20 are withdrawn from further consideration pursuant to 37 CFR 1.142(b) as being drawn to a nonelected invention, there being no allowable generic or linking claim.
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) 1-7 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Wegener (WO 2021/175651 A1 machine translation).
Regarding claim 1, Wegener figures 1-3 teach a dishwasher appliance comprising:
a tub (3 appliance chamber) defined by a top wall, a sidewall coupled with the top wall, and a bottom wall coupled with the sidewall;
a door (5) rotatably coupled with at least one of the sidewall and the bottom wall, the door comprising a contact flange (6 lever); and
an actuating member (assembly of 15 pulley and 14 cable) coupled with the sidewall, the actuating member movable between a retracted position (when the door is closed) and an extended position (when the door is opened), wherein the actuating member in the extended position engages the contact flange.[Abstract][page 8]
Regarding claim 2, figure 22 teaches a collar bracket (18 motor plate) coupled with the sidewall, wherein the collar bracket extends outwardly from the tub, and wherein the collar bracket has a U-shaped cross-section (assembly of two mandrels 44 and motor plate 18 shown in figure 22).[page 11]
Regarding claim 3, figures 21 and 22 teach a first recess (13 cable drum) and a second recess (36 claw coupling) are defined by the collar bracket (18 motor plate), and wherein the actuating member (14 cable) extends through the first recess and the second recess.
Regarding claim 4, figure 1 teaches the sidewall of the tub defines a height measured in the vertical direction, and wherein the actuating member (14 cable) is coupled to the sidewall within a lower half of the height of the tub along the vertical direction.
Regarding claim 5, figure 1 teaches the actuating member (14 cable) is coupled to the sidewall within between 20% and 50% of the height along the vertical direction.
Regarding claim 6, figure 1 teaches the actuating member (14 cable) is coupled to the sidewall within between 30% and 40% of the height along the vertical direction.
Regarding claim 7, figure 1 teaches the actuating member (14 cable) is coupled to the sidewall at about 33% of the height along the vertical direction.
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.
The factual inquiries for establishing a background for determining obviousness under 35 U.S.C. 103 are summarized as follows:
1. Determining the scope and contents of the prior art.
2. Ascertaining the differences between the prior art and the claims at issue.
3. Resolving the level of ordinary skill in the pertinent art.
4. Considering objective evidence present in the application indicating obviousness or nonobviousness.
Claim(s) 8-14 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Wegener (WO 2021/175651 A1 machine translation), as applied to claim 1, and in further view of Kopera (US 2021/0274993).
Regarding claim 8, Wegener is silent to a sensing assembly for detecting proximity between distal end of actuating member and the contact flange.
Kopera is directed towards a dishwashing appliance having a position sensor mounted to the door or on the tub to engage a portion of the door (e.g., a latch) in contact with or received within the tub. Additionally or alternatively, feedback may be received (e.g., as a position signal) from a lock motor actuating the door. Upon reaching the open-vent position, a door closure assembly (e.g., lock motor) may hold or maintain the door in the open-vent position for a set period (e.g., predetermined period of time, a period continuing until completion of a dry cycle, etc. [0048]
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the present invention to provide a position sensor mounted to the door as taught in Kopera to provide drying efficacy of the appliance by providing an open-vent position.[0004-008][0038]
Regarding claim 9, Kopera figures 5A-5C teach closure assembly 118 includes a first contact 176A mounted to tub 104 and a second contact 176B mounted to door 116 (e.g., to rotate therewith). For instance, the first contact 176A may provide a rail or catch that receives or contacts the second contact 176B (e.g., latch 174) when door 116 is in the closed position or open-vent position thereby reading on a sensor coupled to one of the contact flange of the door and the actuating member; and an activator coupled to one of the contact flange of the door and the actuating member opposite the sensor, wherein the sensor is tripped in response to the activator and the sensor being out of proximity.[0040]
Regarding claim 10, Kopera teaches door closure assembly 118 includes a lock actuator or motor 172 to selectively move or motivate door 116, such as between a closed position (e.g., FIG. 2) and an oven-vent position (e.g., FIG. 4). Kopera teaches in figures 2 and 7 a controller (160) communicatively coupled with the actuator assembly(172 motor).
Kopera teaches method 700 may be used to operate any suitable dishwashing appliance, such as during a dry cycle in which a rinse or wash cycle has already been completed (e.g., such that articles within wash chamber 106 have been sprayed with water or wash fluid) thereby reading on the controller configured to:
a controller configured to:
receive a request to extend the actuating member;
extend the actuating member;
receive a signal that the sensor is tripped; and retract the actuating member in response to receiving the signal from the sensor.[0037][0045][0053-57]
Regarding claim 11, Wegener figures 1 and 21-22 teach a housing (12) coupled with the sidewall, wherein the actuating member (14 cable) is disposed within the housing; and a driving member (11 motor unit) communicatively coupled with the controller, the driving member configured to drive and retract the actuating member.[page 8]
Regarding claim 12, Wegener suggests the driving member (11 motor unit) comprises at least one of: an electric motor; a hydraulic motor; or a solenoid.
Regarding claim 13, Kopera teaches the position sensor may include a limit switch (e.g., mechanical or magnetic switch in selective engagement with the door 116 at a set position or threshold), a rotary encoder (e.g., optical sensor, a Hall effect sensor, etc.), a load cell, or a strain gauge thereby suggesting the activator comprises a magnet to be an obvious modification.[0042]
Regarding claim 14, Kopera teaches the position sensor may include a rotary encoder (e.g., optical sensor, a Hall effect sensor, etc.) thereby suggesting the sensor comprises at least one of: a reed switch; or a Hall effect sensor to be an obvious modification.[0041]
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to CRISTI J TATE-SIMS whose telephone number is (571)272-1722. The examiner can normally be reached M-F 9am-6pm.
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CRISTI J. TATE-SIMS
Primary Examiner
Art Unit 1711
/CRISTI J TATE-SIMS/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 1711