DETAILED ACTION
The communication dated 12/1/2025 has been entered and fully considered.
Claims 1-31 are currently pending. Claims 19-31 were withdrawn.
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.
Election/Restrictions
Applicant’s election without traverse of Group I in the reply filed on 12/1/2025 is acknowledged.
Claims 19-31 are withdrawn from further consideration pursuant to 37 CFR 1.142(b) as being drawn to a nonelected invention, there being no allowable generic or linking claim. Election was made without traverse in the reply filed on 12/1/2025.
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 1-6 and 12-18 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Park KR 20140017136 A (henceforth referred to as Park). Citations to Park, however, will be made to the English machine translation NPL document.
As for claim 1, Park teaches an appliance lift assembly (Fig. 1: part 1) comprising: a surface base (Figs. 1 and 5-6); a support frame mounted to the surface base (Fig. 1); a platform (Fig. 3: part 240) configured to support an appliance unit, the platform being movable in relation to the support frame; and a lifting system (Fig. 3: parts 230, 232, 235, 235’, 237, and 250) moving the platform and mounted to the support frame, the lifting system moving the platform between an extended mode (Figs. 2-3) and a retracted mode (Fig. 4), wherein the appliance lift assembly has dimensions to fit in an under-counter appliance enclosure (Figs. 2-4).
As for claim 2, Park further teaches the support frame comprising a reinforcement panel (Fig. 1).
As for claim 3, Park further teaches further comprising side panels and a back panel attached to the movable platform (Fig. 2).
As for claim 4, Park further teaches the lifting system comprising a pulling system mounted to the platform and to the support frame (Fig. 6).
As for claim 5, Park further teaches the pulling system further comprising a drive unit (Figs. 3 and 6: part 230).
As for claim 6, Park further teaches the drive unit being outside of the under-counter appliance enclosure (Figs. 3-4).
As for claim 12, Park further teaches comprising an accessory bracket to allow passage of service hoses/cord, cable and crossing outside of the lift assembly (Figs. 3-6).
As for claim 13, Park further teaches the lifting system having a passive lifter for vertically moving the platform (Figs. 2-4).
As for claim 14, Park further teaches the passive lifter being selected from any one of scissor legs and vertical structural channels comprising cam followers or cable support pulley arrangement (Figs. 2-6).
As for claim 15, Park further teaches the side panels and the back panel being partly visible when the platform is in extended mode (Figs. 2-3 and 5-6).
As for claim 16, Park further teaches comprising an access limiting mechanism for restricting entry under the appliance when lifted (Figs. 5-6: parts 470 and 570).
As for claim 17, Park further teaches the access limiting mechanism being selected in any one of a roller shutter or a stacking plate shutter (Figs. 5-6).
As for claim 18, Park further teaches the appliance being a dishwasher (Figs. 2-3 and 5-6).
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 7-11 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.
The following is a statement of reasons for the indication of allowable subject matter:
Park KR 20140017136 A, the closest prior art, differs from the instant claims in failing to teach a first force multiplication member and a second force multiplication member movable with regard to the support frame, the second force multiplication member being mounted to the movable platform. 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 appliance lift assembly taught by Park 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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/LEVON J SHAHINIAN/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 1711