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 .
Priority
Receipt is acknowledged of certified copies of papers required by 37 CFR 1.55.
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.
Claims 1-3 and 6-10 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Liu et al. (US 20210259908 A1, hereinafter "Liu") in view of Santamarina et al. (US 8869320 B1, hereinafter "Marina").
Regarding Claim 1, Liu discloses: A bathtub massage nozzle with a switch function (Paragraph 0023, FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a massage nozzle of the present application), (Figures 9a-9b, Paragraph 0048, The rotating shaft 401 is rotated and thus the flow of water-air mixture is rotated and sprayed from the sprayed end 1b), comprising a nozzle body, a nozzle core seat and a nozzle surface cover (Paragraph 0038, The nozzle housing comprises a nozzle seat 1, a cover 3 and a fastener 2. In assembly, the cover 3 is mounted into the hole of the wall 10, the nozzle seat 1 is installed in the cover 3, the nozzle core 4 is installed in the nozzle seat 1, and the fastener 2 is then sleeved on the outer circumference of the nozzle seat 1), (Paragraph 0039, Referring to FIG. 1, FIG. 2 and FIG. 7, the nozzle seat 1 comprises an inner cavity […] The nozzle core 4 is accommodated in the cavity. The nozzle core 4 includes a core body 403 and a core cover 400),
wherein the nozzle body comprises a water inlet end and a water spraying end opposite to the water inlet end, the water inlet end is provided with a water inlet and an air inlet (Paragraph 0039, Referring to FIG. 1, FIG. 2 and FIG. 7, the nozzle seat 1 comprises an inner cavity (not labelled), an inlet end 1a and a spray end 1b. The nozzle seat 1 further comprises a limiting shoulder 102 close to the outer periphery of the spray end 1b. The inlet end 1a is provided with a water inlet pipe 100 and an air inlet pipe 101. The water inlet pipe 100 and the air inlet pipe 101 offset from each other. Water flow is emitted out of the nozzle via the water spray end 1b);
the water inlet and the air inlet are arranged in a staggered manner, and the air inlet is closer to the water spraying end than the water inlet (Paragraph 0039, The inlet end 1a is provided with a water inlet pipe 100 and an air inlet pipe 101. The water inlet pipe 100 and the air inlet pipe 101 offset from each other. Water flow is emitted out of the nozzle via the water spray end 1b);
the water spraying end is formed with an accommodating cavity extending to the water inlet end (Paragraph 0039, Referring to FIG. 1, FIG. 2 and FIG. 7, the nozzle seat 1 comprises an inner cavity […] Water flow is emitted out of the nozzle via the water spray end 1b. The nozzle core 4 is accommodated in the cavity. The nozzle core 4 includes a core body 403 and a core cover 400. The core body 403 has a hollow flow passage 403a in the middle, and a rotating shaft 401 and a shaft seat 402 are installed in the hollow flow passage 403a. The shaft seat 402 is installed at the bottom of the hollow flow passage 403a),
the nozzle core seat is arranged in the accommodating cavity, and the nozzle core seat is provided with a core seat water inlet hole, an end of the side of the nozzle core seat far away from the core seat water inlet hole is provided with the nozzle surface cover, (Paragraph 0048, Referring also to FIG. 9a and FIG. 9b, in operation, hands of a user rotates the core cover 400 which drives the core body 403 to rotate. In an open state, the water inlet 403b and the air inlet 403c of the core body 403 respectively communicate with the water inlet pipe 100 and the air inlet pipe 101. Water is injected into the hollow flow passage 403a via the water inlet 403b and air enters into the hollow flow passage 403a via the air inlet 403c, and the water flow and the air flow are mixed into a flow of water-air mixture in the hollow flow passage 403a. The rotating shaft 401 is rotated and thus the flow of water-air mixture is rotated and sprayed from the sprayed end 1b).
Liu further discloses that the nozzle core seat is provided with sealing rubber rings at a side far away from the core seat water inlet hole (Paragraph 0054, The O-shaped sealing ring is configured to form a sealing between the limiting shoulder 102 of the nozzle seat 1 and the annular side wall 31 of the cover 3),
the sealing rubber rings are tightly connected with an inner side wall of the nozzle body (Paragraph 0050, The second sealing member 6 is arranged between the annular side wall 31 of the cover 3 and the nozzle seat 1 and close to the spray end 1b for forming a seal between the nozzle seat 1 and the annular side wall 31, thereby further improving the sealing performance of the installation), and the inner wall of the nozzle body and the nozzle core seat cooperatively form a closed air cavity between the sealing rubber rings (Paragraph 0050, this embodiment further provides a first sealing element 7 and a second sealing element 6. The first sealing element 7 is arranged between the wall 10 and the cover 3 and conformed with the cover 3 for forming a seal between the cover 3 and the wall 10. The second sealing member 6 is arranged between the annular side wall 31 of the cover 3 and the nozzle seat 1 and close to the spray end 1b for forming a seal between the nozzle seat 1 and the annular side wall 31, thereby further improving the sealing performance of the installation).
However, Liu does not explicitly disclose sealing rubber rings between the water inlet and the air inlet, or air outlet holes.
Marina does disclose:
the nozzle core seat is provided with sealing rubber rings between the water inlet and the air inlet and at a side far away from the core seat water inlet hole (Column 4, lines 51-54, The air chamber formed between the two O-rings 16 and 17 is coupled to a pair of air ports AP1 and AP2, respectively, which are formed in the diverging sidewalls 20 and 21);
the sealing rubber rings are tightly connected with an inner side wall of the nozzle body, and the inner wall of the nozzle body and the nozzle core seat cooperatively form a closed air cavity between the sealing rubber rings (Column 5, lines 19-22, The exploded view (FIG. 4) shows all the components comprising the nozzle. 16, 17 O-rings. Serve to isolate the entrained air from the water);
a side of the nozzle core seat far away from the core seat water inlet hole is provided with a predetermined number of air outlet holes (Column 4, lines 51-54, The air chamber formed between the two O-rings 16 and 17 is coupled to a pair of air ports AP1 and AP2, respectively, which are formed in the diverging sidewalls 20 and 21); and an air outlet end of the air outlet hole is located in a gap between the nozzle core seat and the nozzle surface cover (Column 4, lines 41-47, A molded fluidic housing 14 has a seat 15 for an O-ring 16 which in conjunction with O-ring 17 forms an air chamber AC (FIG. 1A) coupled to air barb B2. Fluidic insert 18 incorporates the power nozzle PN and the interaction regional IR. Feedback channels CH1 and CH2 are formed between the walls of the fluidic housing and the insert 18).
Both Marina and Liu teach nozzle arrangements that incorporate water aeration elements (Marina, Abstract, A spa nozzle has a fluidic oscillator for oscillating a jet of water back and forth through an outlet aperture and a pair of diverging sidewalls extending downstream of the outlet aperture for issuing a sweeping jet of water into the spa), (Liu, Figures 9a-9b, Paragraph 0048, The rotating shaft 401 is rotated and thus the flow of water-air mixture is rotated and sprayed from the sprayed end 1b). Thus, it would have been obvious to one skilled in the art before the effective filing date to modify Liu to include an art-recognized element as taught by Marina, so as to improve the aeration of the water and provide a more comfortable experience for a user (Columns 4-5, lines 63-14, As the oscillating jet passes through the throat T, it sweeps back and forth between outlet walls 20 and 21. As it flows past air ports AP1 and AP2, low pressure is communicated to the air chamber formed between the O-rings 16 and 17 […] The small barb B2 and the nozzle housing is used to connect the air line to deliver atmospheric air to the chamber. Because the exit of the nozzle is expanded to entrain air, the jet emanating from the nozzle is very well aerated compared to other fluidics with a relatively low exit velocity. The end result is a nozzle that gives a soft, pillowy, but still distinct feel).
Regarding Claim 2, Liu in view of Marina discloses all of the limitations of Claim 1. Liu further discloses: wherein a portion of the inner wall of the nozzle body adjacent to water spraying end is provided with a first annular groove which is concave toward an outer wall of the nozzle body (Paragraph 0054, The O-shaped sealing ring is configured to form a sealing between the limiting shoulder 102 of the nozzle seat 1 and the annular side wall 31 of the cover); an outer side of the nozzle core seat near the nozzle surface cover is provided with a first annular accommodating groove (Paragraph 0054, Secondly, the cover 3 is pressed into the hole of the wall 10 with the L-shaped sealing ring 7 installed therein, and then the O-shaped sealing ring is mounted in the annular positioning groove 103 defined at the outer circumferential surface of the limiting shoulder 102 of the nozzle seat 1. The nozzle seat 1 is then pressed into the cover 3 such that the bottom of the limiting shoulder 102 of the nozzle seat 1 firmly contacts with the annular flange 31a of the annular side wall 31 of the cover 3), and the first annular accommodating groove is provided with one of the sealing rubber rings which is adapted to the first annular groove (Paragraph 0050, The second sealing member 6 is arranged between the annular side wall 31 of the cover 3 and the nozzle seat 1 and close to the spray end 1b for forming a seal between the nozzle seat 1 and the annular side wall 31, thereby further improving the sealing performance of the installation).
Regarding Claim 3, Liu in view of Marina discloses all of the limitations of Claim 2. Marina further discloses: wherein a second annular groove concave toward the outer wall is defined in the inner wall of the nozzle body between the water inlet and the air inlet, a second annular accommodating groove is arranged on the outer side of the nozzle core seat near the core seat water inlet hole (Column 4, lines 51-54, The air chamber formed between the two O-rings 16 and 17 is coupled to a pair of air ports AP1 and AP2, respectively, which are formed in the diverging sidewalls 20 and 21), and the second annular accommodating groove is provided with another of the sealing rubber rings which is adapted to the second annular groove (Column 4, lines 41-47, A molded fluidic housing 14 has a seat 15 for an O-ring 16 which in conjunction with O-ring 17 forms an air chamber AC (FIG. 1A) coupled to air barb B2. Fluidic insert 18 incorporates the power nozzle PN and the interaction regional IR. Feedback channels CH1 and CH2 are formed between the walls of the fluidic housing and the insert 18).
Regarding Claim 6, Liu in view of Marina discloses all of the limitations of Claim 1. Liu further discloses: wherein one end of the nozzle core seat far from the core seat water inlet hole is provided with a nozzle core (Paragraph 0047, the nozzle core 4 is assembled. The nozzle core 4 is installed in the cavity of the nozzle seat 1), and the nozzle surface cover is provided with a water outlet corresponding to the nozzle core (Paragraphs 0039-0040, Referring to FIG. 1, FIG. 2 and FIG. 7, the nozzle seat 1 comprises an inner cavity (not labelled), an inlet end 1a and a spray end 1b. The nozzle seat 1 further comprises a limiting shoulder 102 close to the outer periphery of the spray end 1b. The inlet end 1a is provided with a water inlet pipe 100 and an air inlet pipe 101. The water inlet pipe 100 and the air inlet pipe 101 offset from each other. Water flow is emitted out of the nozzle via the water spray end 1b. The nozzle core 4 is accommodated in the cavity. The nozzle core 4 includes a core body 403 and a core cover 400. The core body 403 has a hollow flow passage 403a in the middle, and a rotating shaft 401 and a shaft seat 402 are installed in the hollow flow passage 403a. The shaft seat 402 is installed at the bottom of the hollow flow passage 403a […] The nozzle seat 1 extends through the annular side wall 31 of the cover 3, the spray end 1b is located in the annular side wall 31, and the outer diameter of the limiting shoulder 102 of the nozzle seat 1 matches the inner diameter of the annular side wall 31.).
Regarding Claim 7, Liu in view of Marina discloses all of the limitations of Claim 6. Marina further discloses: wherein the air outlet hole passes through the nozzle core, and the air outlet end of the air outlet hole is located in a gap between the nozzle core and the nozzle surface cover (Column 4, lines 32-33, FIG. 6 is a front view of the spa nozzle showing the outlet aperture and the dual air aspiration ports).
Regarding Claim 8, Liu in view of Marina discloses all of the limitations of Claim 6. Liu further discloses: wherein the nozzle core is a spherical nozzle core, a straight nozzle core, a rotating nozzle core or a porous nozzle core (Paragraph 0039, The nozzle core 4 includes a core body 403 and a core cover 400. The core body 403 has a hollow flow passage 403a in the middle, and a rotating shaft 401 and a shaft seat 402 are installed in the hollow flow passage 403a. The shaft seat 402 is installed at the bottom of the hollow flow passage 403a. One end of the rotating shaft 401 is rotatably mounted in the shaft seat 402, and the other end is rotatably connected with the core cover 400).
Regarding Claim 9, Liu in view of Marina discloses all of the limitations of Claim 1. Liu further discloses: wherein the nozzle core seat is provided with a locking slot, and a side edge of the nozzle surface cover is provided with a buckle engaging with the locking slot (Paragraphs 0062-0063, Referring to FIG. 10, the nozzle of embodiment 4 is similar to the nozzles of the above embodiments except the following differences: the threaded pressing piece 5 is installed in the nozzle seat 1 in a snap-fitting manner. Specifically, the outer periphery of the threaded pressing piece 5 is provided with a locking groove 5b and a limiting groove 5c. The nozzle seat 1 is provided with a locking block (not shown) configured to engage with the locking groove 5b and a limiting block (not shown) configured to engage with the limiting groove 5c. The locking groove 5b cooperates with the locking protrusion to prevent the threaded pressing piece 5 from falling out of the nozzle seat 1, and the limiting groove 5c cooperates with the limiting block to prevent the threaded pressing piece 5 from rotating relative to the nozzle seat 1 in the nozzle seat 1 […] Alternatively, the nozzle seat 1 and the cover 3 can be connected and limited by other simple mechanical connection methods such as threaded connection, snap-fitting connection, screw locking, etc., which is not be repeated here).
Regarding Claim 10, Liu in view of Marina discloses all of the limitations of Claim 1. Liu further discloses: further comprising a fastener with an internal thread, and an external thread is arranged on the outside of the nozzle body (Paragraph 0041, Referring to FIG. 1 and FIG. 2, in this embodiment, the fastener 2 includes a locking nut which is detachably sleeved on the outer circumference of the nozzle seat 1. The outer surface of one end of the nozzle seat 1 close to the cover 3 is provided with external threads. The inner surface of the locking nut is provided with internal threads for engaging with the external threads of the nozzle seat 1. The engaged threads with self-locking property are capable of preventing the locking nut from loosening after being fastened, thereby firmly locking the nozzle seat 1 to the wall 10); and the fastener cooperates with the nozzle surface cover to clamp the nozzle body for installation and fixation (Paragraph 0038, The nozzle housing comprises a nozzle seat 1, a cover 3 and a fastener 2. In assembly, the cover 3 is mounted into the hole of the wall 10, the nozzle seat 1 is installed in the cover 3, the nozzle core 4 is installed in the nozzle seat 1, and the fastener 2 is then sleeved on the outer circumference of the nozzle seat 1. The wall 10 is located between the cover 3 and the fastener 2, and the cover 3 and the fastener 2 cooperates to clamp the wall 10 to thereby realize locking and fixing of the nozzle seat 1).
Claims 4-5 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Liu (US 20210259908 A1) in view of Marina (US 8869320 B1), further in view of Sisk (US 20110140409 A1).
Regarding Claim 4, Liu in view of Marina discloses all of the limitations of Claim 1. The combination discloses varying attachment mechanisms and rotary arrangements for the nozzle assembly (Liu, Paragraph 0063, in the embodiments disclosed in the present application, the nozzle seat 1 and the cover 3 are connected and limited to each other by engagement of the limiting shoulder 102 and the annular flange 31a. Alternatively, the nozzle seat 1 and the cover 3 can be connected and limited by other simple mechanical connection methods such as threaded connection, snap-fitting connection, screw locking, etc., which is not be repeated here), but does not explicitly disclose a cam structure.
Sisk does disclose: wherein a middle part of the nozzle surface cover is provided with a support plane, and a cam structure is arranged on the support plane; and a side of the nozzle core seat opposite to the support plane is provided with a driven member adapted to the cam structure (Paragraph 0014, As the threaded portion 85 and the threaded section 45 engage and the nut 25 is rotated, the axial movement of the cam surface 95 of the nut 25 engages the outer cam portion 65 of the fingers 50 driving the fingers 50 inwardly causing the a compression section 70 of the fingers 50 to engage the sealing ring 20 to create an effective seal between the pipe 30 and the spigot 55).
Both Liu in view of Marina and Sisk teach fittings and arrangements for pool systems (Sisk, Abstract, A fitting for a whirlpool joins a pair of pipes. The fitting includes a coupling from which one of the pipes extends, the coupling having a flexible member adapted to cause a seal to sealingly engage the pipes or the pipes to seal against themselves, and a first thread), (Paragraph 0001, Knowing when an effective seal is made is important particularly since these joints are hidden behind and under whirlpools and spas and other types of hard to get to equipment), (Liu, Abstract, A spa nozzle has a fluidic oscillator for oscillating a jet of water back and forth through an outlet aperture and a pair of diverging sidewalls extending downstream of the outlet aperture for issuing a sweeping jet of water into the spa), (Liu, Paragraph 0020, The preceding description is exemplary rather than limiting in nature. Variations and modifications to the disclosed examples may become apparent to those skilled in the art that do not necessarily depart from the essence of this disclosure. For instance, the principles of this invention may also apply to other types of threads like a bayonet mount. Also, the principles can extend to different degrees of turning of the nut 25. Similarly, the sealing ring 20 may be used with pipes that don't touch with a broader compression section 70 of the fingers 50 and differently angled cam surface 95). Thus, it would have been obvious to one skilled in the art before the effective filing date to modify Liu in view of Sisk to include an art-recognized and well-known mechanical structure to aid in rotation of the nozzle arrangement.
Regarding Claim 5, Liu in view of Marina and Sisk discloses all of the limitations of Claim 4. Sisk further discloses: wherein the cam structure comprises a vertical plane perpendicular to the support plane, an arc surface connected with the vertical plane and parallel to the support plane, and an inclined transition surface connecting the support plane to the arc surface (Liu, Figures 7-8), (Sisk, Paragraph 0014, As the threaded portion 85 and the threaded section 45 engage and the nut 25 is rotated, the axial movement of the cam surface 95 of the nut 25 engages the outer cam portion 65 of the fingers 50 driving the fingers 50 inwardly causing the a compression section 70 of the fingers 50 to engage the sealing ring 20 to create an effective seal between the pipe 30 and the spigot 55), (Paragraph 0015, Though a ramp and tab are shown herein, other locking mechanisms may be used), (The preceding description is exemplary rather than limiting in nature. Variations and modifications to the disclosed examples may become apparent to those skilled in the art that do not necessarily depart from the essence of this disclosure. For instance, the principles of this invention may also apply to other types of threads like a bayonet mount. Also, the principles can extend to different degrees of turning of the nut 25. Similarly, the sealing ring 20 may be used with pipes that don't touch with a broader compression section 70 of the fingers 50 and differently angled cam surface 95).
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(Liu, Annotated Figure 6)
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure:
Colin (US 20050039251 A1) discloses a hydrotherapy jet with water and air conduits
Reynoso (US 20070289056 A1) discloses a method and apparatus for jet aeration
Peng et al. (US 8458825 B2) discloses a spa jet assembly with an internal rotator
Dongo et al. (US 6263522 B1) discloses a hydrotherapy jet system with internal cam rotating cam elements
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to MISHAL Z HUSSAIN whose telephone number is (703)756-1206. The examiner can normally be reached M-F, 8:30am - 5:00pm.
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If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Brandy S. Lee can be reached at (571) 270-7410. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/MISHAL HUSSAIN/
Examiner
Art Unit 3785
/BRANDY S LEE/Supervisory Patent Examiner, Art Unit 3785
Prosecution Insights