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 .
Information Disclosure Statement
The information disclosure statements (IDS) submitted on 2/3/2024 is being considered.
Claim Objections
Claim 12 is objected to because of the following informalities:
Claim 12 should read “to enable the recovery tank [[s]] to be placed”
. Appropriate correction is required.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 112
The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 112(b):
(b) CONCLUSION.—The specification shall conclude with one or more claims particularly pointing out and distinctly claiming the subject matter which the inventor or a joint inventor regards as the invention.
The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), second paragraph:
The specification shall conclude with one or more claims particularly pointing out and distinctly claiming the subject matter which the applicant regards as his invention.
Claims 1-20 rejected under 35 U.S.C. 112(b) or 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), second paragraph, as being indefinite for failing to particularly point out and distinctly claim the subject matter which the inventor or a joint inventor (or for applications subject to pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, the applicant), regards as the invention.
Claim 1 recites the limitation “a first end portion and a second end portion far from each other in the length direction”. It is unclear the meets and bounds to the term “far from each other”. As such, the calim is determined to be indefinite. For Examination purposes, it will be interpreted as “a first end portion and a second end portion positioned on opposite ends in the length direction”.
Claims 2-20 are also rejected due to dependency.
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, 2, 5, 6 and 18-20 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Nguyen (US 2021/0186283) in view of Lhoste-Clos (US2022/0322896).
Regarding claim 1, Nguyen discloses a cleaning apparatus, comprising:
a cleaning base (Item 14) comprising a brush roll (Item 90) capable of contacting a surface to be cleaned, a cleaning fluid dispenser (Item 179) for dispensing cleaning fluid to the brush roll and/or the surface to be cleaned, a suction nozzle (Item 20) and a brush-roll motor (Item 84) for driving the brush roll in rotation (Item 182);
a manipulating shaft (Item 18), a lower portion of which is rotatably coupled to the cleaning base (Item 94), an upper portion of the manipulating shaft is provided with a first handle, the manipulating shaft including a first engagement portion (below Item 16) provided with a first port in fluid communication with the suction nozzle (Item 97), a second port in fluid communication with the cleaning solution dispenser (Item 488), and a first electrical connection terminal in electrical communication with the brush- roll motor (Paragraph 109);
a cleaner body installed on the manipulating shaft and including a supply tank (Item 20) for storing cleaning liquid, a recovery tank (Item 22) for storing dirty liquid, a suction motor in fluid connection with the recovery tank (Item 86); and
a suction extension hose (item 96)
Nguyen fails to explicitly disclose a portable cleaner body removably installed on the manipulating shaft and including a supply tank for storing cleaning liquid, a recovery tank for storing dirty liquid, a suction motor in fluid connection with the recovery tank, a second handle for the user to carry the portable cleaner body, a battery pack, and a second engagement portion providing a third port in fluid communication with the recovery tank, a fourth port in fluid communication with the supply tank, and a second electrical connection terminal in electrical conduction with the battery pack; wherein the second engagement portion is configured to be capable of coupling with the first engagement portion to fluidly connect the third port to the first port, the fourth port to the second port, and the second electrical connection terminal to the first electrical connection terminal; and a suction extension hose set independently of the manipulating shaft and the portable cleaner body and having a first end portion and a second end portion far from each other in the length direction, and the suction extension hose providing a first fluid pathway, a second fluid pathway, and an electrical circuit located between the first end portion and the second end portion; wherein the second end portion is constructed to be capable of coupling with the second engagement portion to electrically connect the first fluid pathway to the third port fluidly, the second fluid pathway to the fourth port fluidly, and the electrical circuit to the second electrical connection terminal.
Lhoste teaches a cleaning apparatus wherein a portable cleaner body removably installed on the manipulating shaft and including a supply tank (Item 34) for storing cleaning liquid, a recovery tank (Item 36) for storing dirty liquid, a suction motor (Item 32)in fluid connection with the recovery tank, a second handle (Item 48) for the user to carry the portable cleaner body, a battery pack (Item 60), and a second engagement portion providing a third port in fluid communication with the recovery tank, a fourth port in fluid communication with the supply tank (Paragraphs 23-24, although the ports are not explicitly discussed, one skilled in that art would understand the ports would be required for a hose connection), and a second electrical connection terminal in electrical conduction with the battery pack (Paragraphs 31-32); wherein the second engagement portion is configured to be capable of coupling with the first engagement portion to fluidly connect the third port to the first port, the fourth port to the second port, and the second electrical connection terminal to the first electrical connection terminal (through the hose Item 40); and a suction extension hose (Item 40) set independently of the manipulating shaft (Paragraph 24) and the portable cleaner body and having a first end portion and a second end portion far from each other in the length direction (best shown in Figure 7, first end is connected to Item 28 and the second end connected to Item 20), and the suction extension hose providing a first fluid pathway, a second fluid pathway, and an electrical circuit located between the first end portion and the second end portion (Paragraphs 23, 24, and 31); wherein the second end portion is constructed to be capable of coupling with the second engagement portion to electrically connect the first fluid pathway to the third port fluidly, the second fluid pathway to the fourth port fluidly, and the electrical circuit to the second electrical connection terminal. It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify Nguyen to include the portable cleaner body as taught by Lhoste. Such a modification would allow for a user to use the vacuum in a second mode that is lighter and easier to maneuver for hard to reach areas (Lhoste Paragraph 25).
The Examiner suggests tightening the language such that the ports directly connect with each other, noy just in fluid communication. Please reach out to the Examiner for any clarity on this manner.
Regarding claim 2, Nguyen in view of Lhoste disclose the cleaning apparatus of claim 1, wherein the portable cleaner body is removably supported on the front side of the manipulating shaft (Lhoste Figure 1).
Regarding claim 5, Nguyen in view of Lhoste disclose the cleaning apparatus of claim 1, wherein the recovery tank has a bottom end (Nguyen Annotated Figure 34), a top end opposite to the bottom end, and a side wall extending from the bottom end toward the top end, an interior of the recovery tank defined by the recovery chamber having an inlet tube (Item 508) leading to the chamber, the inlet tube inclined to a vertical plane having a lower port located on the side wall and an upper port extending into the chamber, and the third port is in fluid communication with or defined by the lower port (as shown below, the port is located on a sidewall that is angled from the bottom end).
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Regarding claim 6, Nguyen in view of Lhoste disclose the cleaning apparatus of claim 5, wherein the side wall has a recessed portion, and the lower port is located at the recessed portion (as shown in Annotated Figure 34, the bottom of 508 is located recessed up from the bottom).
Regarding claim 18, Nguyen in view of Lhoste disclose the cleaning apparatus of claim 1, further comprising: a plurality of cleaning tools adapted to contact the surface to be cleaned, wherein the plurality of cleaning tools are configured to be capable of coupling with the first end of the suction extension hose (Lhoste Item 24’).
Regarding claim 19, Nguyen in view of Lhoste disclose the cleaning apparatus of claim 18, comprising a plurality of modes of operation, the plurality of modes of operation comprising: a manipulating shaft operating mode in which the portable cleaner body is mounted to the manipulating shaft, and the first engagement portion coupled to the second engagement portion(Lhoste Fig 1); and a first hand-held operating mode in which the portable cleaner body is detached from the manipulating shaft, the second end portion of the suction extension hose is coupled to the second engagement portion, and the first end portion of the suction extension hose is coupled to one of the cleaning tools (Figure 2 or 6).
Regarding claim 20, Nguyen in view of Lhoste disclose the cleaning apparatus of claim 19, wherein the first end portion is constructed to be adapted to the first engagement portion and the plurality of modes of operation further comprising: a second hand-held operating mode in which the portable cleaner body is removed from the manipulating shaft, the second end portion of the suction extension hose is coupled to the second engagement portion, and the first end portion of the suction extension hose is engaged with the first engagement portion (Lhoste Figure 2).
Claims 3 and 4 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Nguyen (US 2021/0186283) in view of Lhoste-Clos (US2022/0322896) in view of Nam (KR 20030029245A)
Regarding claim 3, Nguyen in view of Lhoste disclose the cleaning apparatus of claim 1. Nguyen fails to explicitly disclose wherein the manipulating shaft comprises a sloped surface; the first port, the second port, and the first electrical connection terminal distributed on the sloped surface. Nguyen discloses the first port and the second port being on sloped surfac, but they are not the same sloped surface. Nam teaches a cleaning apparatus comprises a surface; the first port, the second port, and the first electrical connection terminal distributed on the same surface (Figure 5). It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify Nguyen such that the location of the first and second ports to be near each other on the same sloped wall as taught by Nam. Such a modification is viewed as a rearrangement of parts, which ahs been held to be of routine by one skilled in the art (see MPEP 2144.04). Such a modification would allow a user to easily connect a hose to the appropriate ports, as well as not interfere with the back mounting as taught by Lhoste.
Regarding claim 4, Nguyen in view of Lhoste in view of Nam disclose the cleaning apparatus of claim 3, wherein the first electrical connection terminal, the second port, and the first port are distributed from top to bottom (Nam Figure 5).
Claims 7-10 and 12-14are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Nguyen (US 2021/0186283) in view of Lhoste-Clos (US2022/0322896) in view of Hangyu (US 11,019,976)
Regarding claim 7, Nguyen in view of Lhoste disclose the cleaning apparatus of claim 1. Nguyen fails to explicitly disclose wherein the portable cleaner body includes a housing, the recovery tank and the supply tank are both removably mounted to the housing, the recovery tank is located directly below the suction motor, and the supply tank and the battery pack are located on the left and right sides of the recovery tank, respectively.
Hangyu teaches a cleaning apparatus, wherein the portable cleaner body includes a housing, the recovery tank (Item 1) and the supply tank (Item 1000) are both removably mounted to the housing, the recovery tank is located directly below the suction motor, and the supply tank and the battery pack are located on the left and right sides of the recovery tank, respectively (Figure 5). It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify the location of the different components of Nguyen to be similar to what is taught by Hangyu. Such a modification is viewed as a rearrangement of parts, which has ben held to be of routine by one skilled in the art (see MPEP 2144.04). Having the supply tank above, below, to the left or right does not affect the performance of the cleaning apparatus, as long as the assembly is able to supply water for cleaning and power to the different components, they will operate the same. The exact configuration is viewed as design choice since different reservoirs, batteries and motors are shaped differently and the designer would want to assemble those components in the smallest housing possible.
Regarding claim 8, Nguyen in view of Lhoste in view of Hangyu disclose the cleaning apparatus of claim 7, wherein the second handle is fixedly provided on the top of the housing (Nguyen figure 1).
Regarding claim 9, Nguyen in view of Lhoste in view of Hangyu disclose the cleaning apparatus of claim 7, wherein the portable cleaner body also includes a pump for outputting cleaning fluid from the supply tank outwardly (Nguyen Item 180).
Regarding claim 10, Nguyen in view of Lhoste in view of Hangyu disclose the cleaning apparatus of claim 9, wherein the first handle is provided with a first control component for user operation (Nguyen Item 30), the second handle is provided with a second control component for user operation (Nguyen Item 32), the first control section has a first control button and a second control button for controlling the operation of the suction motor and the pump when the portable cleaner body is supported on the manipulating shaft, and the second control component has a third control button for controlling the operation of the suction motor when the portable cleaner body is removed from the manipulating shaft (Nguyen Paragraph 70-74).
Regarding claim 12, Nguyen in view of Lhoste in view of Hangyu disclose the cleaning apparatus of claim 7, wherein the portable cleaner body includes a receiving cavity provided in the housing to receive the recovery tank, and the receiving cavity has a front portion with an opening to enable the recovery tank to be placed into the receiving cavity from the front (Nguyen Figure 4; Hangyu Figure 5).
Regarding claim 13, Nguyen in view of Lhoste in view of Hangyu disclose the cleaning apparatus of claim 12, wherein the housing has a bottom wall and a vertical wall extending upwardly from the bottom wall, and the receiving cavity is at least partially defined by the vertical wall and the bottom wall (Nguyen Figure 4; Hangyu Figure 5).
Regarding claim 14, Nguyen in view of Lhoste in view of Hangyu disclose the cleaning apparatus of claim 13, wherein the housing has an exhaust hole in fluid communication with the suction motor, and the exhaust hole is located on the vertical wall and in fluid communication with the receiving cavity (Nguyen Item 88).
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 11 and 15-17 would be allowable if rewritten to overcome the rejection(s) under 35 U.S.C. 112(b) or 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), 2nd paragraph, set forth in this Office action and to include all of the limitations of the base claim and any intervening claims.
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to TOM R RODGERS whose telephone number is (313)446-4849. The examiner can normally be reached Monday thru Friday 8AM-5PM EST.
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/TOM RODGERS/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3723