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 .
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 103
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 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.
This application currently names joint inventors. In considering patentability of the claims the examiner presumes that the subject matter of the various claims was commonly owned as of the effective filing date of the claimed invention(s) absent any evidence to the contrary. Applicant is advised of the obligation under 37 CFR 1.56 to point out the inventor and effective filing dates of each claim that was not commonly owned as of the effective filing date of the later invention in order for the examiner to consider the applicability of 35 U.S.C. 102(b)(2)(C) for any potential 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(2) prior art against the later invention.
Claims 1-8, 11-12, 19-20, 22 and 24 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Choi (KR 20080026410 A1) in view of Zhang et al. (US 2014/0299164 A1).
Choi discloses a laundry treating apparatus comprising: a cabinet 10 comprising a front plate (Fig. 2) having a laundry opening (Fig. 2, at 50) formed therein; a tub 20 provided in the cabinet 10 (Fig. 2), the tub 20 comprising a tub opening facing the laundry opening (Fig. 2); a drum 30 rotatably provided in the tub 20, the drum 30 being configured to receive laundry; a tub gasket 60 provided between the front plate and the tub (Fig. 2), the tub gasket 60 extending along a circumference of the laundry opening (Fig. 2); a gasket water supply portion 41 provided at the tub gasket 60, the gasket water supply portion 41 being configured to receive water from an outside of the tub gasket 60 (Fig. 2) ; and a water supply guide 100 provided at an inner circumferential surface of the tub gasket 60, the water supply guide 100 being in communication with the gasket water supply portion 41, the water supply guide being configured to discharge water supplied from the gasket water supply portion 41. However, Choi does not explicit the water supply guide being configured to discharge water along the inner circumferential surface of the tub gasket during the drying cycle. Zhang et al. discloses a laundry treating apparatus (paragraph [00042], drum washing machine) comprising a tub gasket 2 provided between the front plate and the tub 7 (paragraph [0042]), the tub gasket 2 extending along a circumference of the laundry opening (paragraph [0042], gasket ring 2), a gasket water supply portion 41 provided at the tub gasket 2 (Fig. 2), the gasket water supply portion 41 configured to receive water from an outside of the tub gasket 2 (Fig. 1) during a drying cycle for drying laundry (paragraph [0041] discloses flush gasket ring by spraying in dehydrating process), a water supply guide 4 provided at an inner circumferential surface of the tub gasket 2 (Fig. 2), the water supply guide 4 being in communication with the gasket water supply portion 12, the water supply guide 4 being configured to discharge water supplied from the gasket water supply portion 41 along the inner circumferential surface of the tub gasket 2 during the drying cycle (paragraphs [0018], [0041]-[0042], Fig. 4). Therefore, it would have been obvious to someone with ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the invention to modify the laundry treating apparatus of Choi to configure the water supply guide to discharge water along the inner circumferential surface of the tub gasket during the drying cycle as taught by Zhang et al. in order to obtain a good tub gasket cleaning effect (Zhang et al. paragraph [0031]).
With regard to claim 2, Choi discloses wherein the gasket water supply portion 41 extends through the inner circumferential surface of the tub gasket 60 toward the outside of the tub gasket 60 to receive water (Fig. 2). Zhang et al. discloses wherein the gasket water supply portion 12 extends through the inner circumferential surface of the tub gasket 2 toward the outside of the tub gasket 2 to receive water (Figs. 1-2).
With regard to claim 3, Zhang et al. discloses wherein the tub gasket 2 comprises a protruding support portion (Fig. 2, see portion of gasket 2 at 4) protruding toward the outside of the tub gasket 2, the protruding support portion being configured to allow the gasket water supply portion 41 to extend therethrough, the protruding support portion surrounding at least a part of the gasket water supply portion 41 (Fig. 2).
With regard to claim 4, Zhang et al. discloses wherein at least a part of the water supply guide 4 is located at an upper end of the inner circumferential surface of the tub gasket 2 (Fig. 2), and the water supply guide 4 comprises a water discharge port 42 configured to discharge water toward the inner circumferential surface of the tub gasket 2 (Figs. 2, 4).
With regard to claim 5, Zhang et al. discloses wherein a discharging direction of water through the water discharge port of the water supply guide is parallel to an inner circumferential direction of the tub gasket 2 (see arrows in Fig. 4).
With regard to claim 6, Zhang et al. discloses wherein the water supply guide 4 is connected to the gasket water supply portion 41, and at least a part of the water supply guide 4 extends in the inner circumferential direction of the tub gasket 2 (Fig. 2).
With regard to claim 7, Zhang et al. discloses wherein the water discharge port 42 is formed at each end of the water supply guide 4 in an extension direction of the water supply guide 4 (Fig. 2).
With regard to claim 8, Zhang et al. discloses wherein an outer circumferential surface of the water supply guide 4 facing the inner circumferential surface of the tub gasket 2 is in contact with the inner circumferential surface of the tub gasket 2 (Fig. 2).
With regard to claims 11-12, Choi discloses wherein the tub gasket 60 comprises a leakage prevention recess (Fig. 2, at 61) provided at an inwardly facing end of the inner circumferential surface of the tub gasket 60 facing the tub 20, the leakage prevention recess being depressed away from a center of the tub gasket 60 (Fig. 2), the leakage prevention recess being configured to collect water. Wherein the tub gasket 60 further comprises a water discharge portion 80 provided at a lower end of the tub gasket 60, the water discharge portion 60 being in communication with the leakage prevention recess (Fig. 2), the water discharge portion 80 being configured to discharge the water collected in the leakage prevention recess to the outside of the tub gasket 60 (Fig. 2).
With regard to claim 19, Choi discloses wherein the gasket water supply portion 41 alternately performs a supply maintenance process in which water is supplied to the water supply guide 100 and a supply interruption process in which a supply of water to the water supply guide is interrupted during the drying cycle (Choi, translation, page 5, paragraph 3, gasket cleaning step may be performed before or after dehydrating step S13).
With regard to claims 20, 24, Choi discloses further comprising: a flow valve (Fig. 2, not numbered, upstream of component 43) provided in the cabinet, the flow valve being configured to control a flow of water provided to the gasket water supply portion 41; and a controller (not shown, translation, page 3, paragraph 3 and page 4, paragraph 4) provided in the cabinet, the controller being configured to control the flow valve such that the supply maintenance process and the supply interruption process of the gasket water supply portion are repeated during the drying cycle.
With regard to claim 22, Choi discloses further comprising: a heating unit provided in the cabinet, the heating unit being configured to heat air in the tub during the drying cycle, wherein the tub is heated by the heating unit in a stagnant state of air therein during the drying cycle and is dehumidified by contact with the tub gasket (Choi, translation, page 5, first paragraph).
Claim 23 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Choi (KR 20080026410 A1) in view of Zhang et al. (US 2014/0299164 A1) as applied to claim 22 as above, and further in view of Civanelli et al. (US 2020/0308753 A1).
The laundry treating apparatus of Choi as modified by Zhang et al. as above includes all that is recited in claim 23 except for wherein the heating unit provides an electromagnetic field from an outside of the tub to an inside of the tub, and the drum is heated by induced current formed by the electromagnetic field, whereby air in the tub is heated. Civanelli discloses a laundry treating apparatus comprising a heating unit 30 provides an electromagnetic field from an outside of the tub 14 to an inside of the tub 14, and the drum is heated by induced current formed by the electromagnetic field, whereby air in the tub is heated (Fig. 1, paragraph [0026]). Therefore, it would have been obvious to someone with ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the invention to substitute the heating unit that provides an electromagnetic field from an outside of the tub to an inside of the tub, and the drum is heated by induced current formed by the electromagnetic field, whereby air in the tub is heated for the heating unit of Choi in order to save energy.
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 9-10, 13-18 and 21 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: the primary reason for allowance of claims9-10, 13-18 and 21 is the inclusion of the limitations “a leakage prevention protrusion protruding from an outwardly facing end of the inner circumferential surface of the tub gasket facing an outside of the cabinet, the leakage prevention protrusion extending in the inner circumferential direction, and the water supply guide is in contact with the leakage prevention protrusion.in claim in combination with the remaining claimed elements” in claim 9, “a water diffusion portion protruding from the inner circumferential surface of the tub gasket, the water diffusion portion being configured to guide a flow of water on the inner circumferential surface of the tub gasket” in claim 13, “the flow valve is a constant flow valve configured to maintain a constant flow pressure of water discharged from the flow valve” in claim 21 in combination with the remaining claimed elements.
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to JESSICA J YUEN whose telephone number is (571)272-4878. The examiner can normally be reached Monday-Friday 9am-5pm.
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If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, MICHAEL G HOANG can be reached at (571) 272-6460. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/Jessica Yuen/
Primary Examiner
Art Unit 3762
JY
Prosecution Insights