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
Claims 28-38 withdrawn from further consideration pursuant to 37 CFR 1.142(b) as being drawn to nonelected inventions, there being no allowable generic or linking claim. Election was made without traverse in the reply filed on 03/26/2026.
Applicant’s election without traverse of 19-27 in the reply filed on 03/26/2026 is acknowledged.
Claim Objections
Claim 25 objected to because of the following informalities:
Regarding claim 25, the phrase “arranged to operate” should be changed to “wherein the soap dispenser arranged to operate”
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 19-27 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 19 recites the limitation "the bottom" in line 7. There is insufficient antecedent basis for this limitation in the claim.
Regarding claim 19, in lines 11-12 the phrase “the axis as it rotates and as it wears” render the claim indefinite because it is unclear to which element “it” reefers to.
As best understood and for the purpose of the examination the Examiner interpreted “the axis as it rotates and as it wears” as “the axis as the bar of soap rotates and as the bar of soap wears”.
Regarding claim 19, in line 15 the phrase “the bar of soap when it is in position” render the claim indefinite because it is unclear to which element “it” reefers to.
As best understood and for the purpose of the examination the Examiner interpreted “the bar of soap when it is in position” as “the bar of soap when the bar of soap is in position”.
Claims 20-27 are rejected because they are depended from claim 19.
Regarding claim 21, the phrase “when it is located in the soap dispenser” render the claim indefinite because it is unclear to which element “it” reefers to.
As best understood and for the purpose of the examination the Examiner interpreted “when it is located in the soap dispenser” as “when the bar of soap is located in the soap dispenser”.
Claim 22 recites the limitation "the bottom" in line 2. There is insufficient antecedent basis for this limitation in the claim.
Regarding claim 24, the phrase “to hold the bar of soap in alignment as it rotates” render the claim indefinite because it is unclear to which element “it” reefers to.
As best understood and for the purpose of the examination the Examiner interpreted “to hold the bar of soap in alignment as it rotates” as “to hold the bar of soap in alignment as the bar of soap rotates”.
Regarding claim 25, the phrase "desirably" renders the claim indefinite because it is unclear whether the limitation(s) following the phrase are part of the claimed invention. See MPEP § 2173.05(d).
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 102
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 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 19-27 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Wang (CN109549536A attached NPL, English Machine translation).
Regarding claim 19, Wang discloses a soap dispenser (fig.1; paragraphs 0007 and 0015) comprising:
a housing (fig.1: (1)) having an opening (see fig.1 below) through which a bar of soap can be inserted into the housing, the housing having threads (paragraph 0015: threaded hole of the element (1)) on an inside surface of the housing;
a grating element (fig.1: (6)) configured for shaving particles of soap from the bar;
a driving mechanism (fig.1: (2) and (3)) configured for both rotating the bar of soap about an axis of rotation (fig.1) and urging the bar of soap downwards onto the grating element to generate soap particles which are ejected from the bottom of the soap dispenser (paragraphs 0016),
wherein the driving mechanism includes a rotatable feeder legs element (see fig.1 below) and a circular feeder element (see fig.1 below: disk (3) and the threads of the element (2) that connected to the element (3)) engaged with the feeder legs element, the circular feeder element having threads which engage with the threads on the inside surface of the housing (paragraph 0015: threaded hole of the element (1) that engaged with threads of the element (2)); and
a centring element (see fig.1 below) for maintaining the bar of soap centred on the axis as it rotates and as it wears,
the centring element including a nipple protrusion located at the centre of the grating element for engaging a hole in the bar of soap (see fig.1 below: the nipples make holes in the soap bar),
wherein the circular feeder element has a flat bottom undersurface (see fig.1 below) which is arranged to contact against the bar of soap when it is in position in the housing to push the bar of soap downwards in the housing onto the grating element as the circular feeder element rotates and the threads of the circular feeder element are engaged with the threads on the inside surface of the housing (paragraphs 0015-0016).
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Regarding claim 20, Wang discloses wherein the opening is closable by a door (fig.1: (5)).
Regarding claim 21, Wang discloses a handle engaged with the feeder legs element to rotate the feeder legs element when the handle (see fig.1 above) is rotated, whereby the bar of soap is rotated, when it is located in the soap dispenser, to generate soap particles which are ejected from the dispenser.
Regarding claim 22, Wang discloses wherein the grating element (fig.1: (6)) is located at the bottom of the housing.
Regarding claim 23, Wang disclose wherein the housing is configured to receive more than one bar of soap into the housing, one on top of the other (fig.1: the housing (1) is capable to receive more than one bar of soap).
Regarding claim 24, Wang disclose wherein the centring element includes another nipple protrusion located at the centre of the flat bottom undersurface of the circular feeder element, to hold the bar of soap in alignment as it rotates (see fig.1 above).
Regarding claim 25, Wang disclose arranged to operate with a bar of soap having a hole at least in each end and desirably a through hole arranged to cooperate with the nipple protrusions (fig.1: the housing (1) is capable to process a bar of soap having a hole at least in each end).
Regarding claim 26, Wang disclose wherein the feeder legs element is attached to the circular feeder element such that when the feeder legs element rotates, the circular feeder element also rotates (see fig.1 above).
Regarding claim 27, Wang disclose wherein the threads of the circular feeder element run in a circumferential direction of the circular feeder element (see fig.1 above).
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to MOHAMMED S ALAWADI whose telephone number is (571)272-2224. The examiner can normally be reached 08:00 am- 05:00 pm.
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If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, CHRISTOPHER TEMPLETON can be reached at (571)270-1477. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/MOHAMMED S. ALAWADI/ Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3725
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