DETAILED ACTION
The communication dated 5/31/2024 has been entered and fully considered.
Claims 1-20 are currently pending.
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 .
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.
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 1-4 and 7-12 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Roderick et al. U.S. Publication 2018/0333037 (henceforth referred to as Roderick).
As for claim 1, Roderick teaches a dishwasher (Fig. 1: part 10) comprising: a housing (Fig. 1: part 12) defining a washtub (Fig. 1: part 14); a plurality of racks (Fig. 1: parts 20, 22, 24) disposed within the washtub; a manifold (Fig. 1: part 80) in fluid communication with recirculation fluid within the washtub, the manifold further comprising: an impeller (Fig. 4: part 104) positioned in fluid communication with an inlet of the manifold; a drive gear system (paragraph [0025]; Fig. 4) mechanically coupled to the impeller via a drive shaft (Fig. 4: part 120); a transmission shaft mechanically coupled to the drive gear system (paragraph [0034]); and a spray tube (Fig. 1: parts 26, 28, 30, 32) coupled to the transmission shaft and fluidly coupled to the inlet of the manifold (Fig. 6), the spray tube being configured to oscillate to distribute fluid onto items positioned within the washtub (paragraph [0028]; Figs. 1 and 6).
As for claim 2, Roderick further teaches that the manifold is coupled to at least one of the plurality of racks (paragraph [0026]; Figs. 1 and 3).
As for claim 3, Roderick further teaches that the impeller is axially aligned with the inlet of the manifold, such that fluid that enters the manifold traverses the impeller in a direction collinear with the axis of rotation of the impeller (Figs. 4-6).
As for claim 4, Roderick further teaches a range-limiting assembly mechanically coupled to the transmission shaft (paragraph [0041]).
As for claim 7, Roderick further teaches that the spray tube is coupled to a front portion of at least one of the plurality of racks via an attachment bracket (Fig. 1: part 62).
As for claim 8, Roderick further teaches that the manifold includes more than one spray tube (Fig. 6).
As for claim 9, Roderick further teaches that each of the plurality of racks includes at least one manifold (Fig. 1).
As for claim 10, Roderick teaches a dishwasher (Fig. 1: part 10) comprising: a housing (Fig. 1: part 12) defining a washtub (Fig. 1: part 14); at least one dishware rack (Fig. 1: parts 20, 22, 24) slidably disposed within the washtub from a loading position to a wash position; at least one manifold (Fig. 1: part 80) coupled to a rear side of the at least one dish ware rack, the manifold further comprising: an inline impeller (Fig. 4: part 104) in fluid communication with a fluid inlet of the manifold and having an axis of rotation collinear with a fluid path of fluid entering the fluid inlet (Fig. 6); a drive gear system (paragraph [0025]; Fig. 4) mechanically coupled to the impeller via a drive shaft (Fig. 4: part 120); a transmission shaft mechanically coupled to the drive gear system (paragraph [0034]); and at least one spray tube (Fig. 1: parts 26, 28, 30, 32) in fluid communication with the fluid inlet and mechanically coupled at one end to the transmission shaft via a drive oscillator and at the other end to a front side of the at least one dish ware rack (Fig. 1), the at least one spray tube being configured to oscillate to distribute fluid onto items positioned within the at least one dishware rack (paragraph [0028]; Figs. 1 and 6).
As for claim 11, Roderick further teaches a range-limiting assembly mechanically coupled to the transmission shaft (paragraph [0041]).
As for claim 12, Roderick further teaches that the range-limiting assembly further comprises an offset drive wheel coupled to the transmission shaft and having a coupling joint disposed radially thereon a first distance from an axis of rotation of the disc (Figs. 4 and 6).
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 5-6 and 13-16 are objected to as being dependent upon a rejected base claim, but would be allowable if rewritten in independent form including all of the limitations of the base claim and any intervening claims.
Claims 17-20 are allowed.
The following is a statement of reasons for the indication of allowable subject matter: Roderick et al. U.S. Publication 2018/0333037, the closest prior art, differs from the instant claims in failing to teach a range-limiting assembly configured to limit the range of rotation of the at least one spray tube for targeted cleaning of dishware in the at least one rack. Furthermore, it would not have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify the dishwasher taught by Roderick as claimed.
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to LEVON J SHAHINIAN whose telephone number is (571)270-1384. The examiner can normally be reached M-F: 9:30am-6:00pm.
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If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Michael Barr can be reached at (571)272-1414. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/LEVON J SHAHINIAN/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 1711