DETAILED CORRESPONDENCE
Acknowledgements
This office action is in response to the communication filed 7/7/2026.
Claims 1-31 are pending, Claims 18-31 are withdrawn, and Claims 1-17 have been examined.
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 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.
The factual inquiries for establishing a background for determining obviousness under 35 U.S.C. 103 are summarized as follows:
1. Determining the scope and contents of the prior art.
2. Ascertaining the differences between the prior art and the claims at issue.
3. Resolving the level of ordinary skill in the pertinent art.
4. Considering objective evidence present in the application indicating obviousness or nonobviousness.
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 1-17 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Kim et al. (KR 2009/0118217 A) (cited by Applicant) (machine translation attached) in view of Choi et al. (KR20180111349A) (cited by Applicant).
Re claim 1, Kim discloses a clothing treatment apparatus (abstract) comprising a cabinet (ref. 100, see fig. 1), an object accommodation part (ref. 400) disposed inside the cabinet and configured to accommodate an object, and a steam generation device (ref. 600) disposed outside the object accommodation part and configured to generate steam to be supplied to the object accommodation part (see fig. 1), wherein the steam generation device comprises:
a housing (ref. 612 see fig. 2; see also fig. 12 ref. 720, 740, 730, 710) configured to receive steam water and to form a heating space (via ref. 630 heater);
a cover (ref. 710) configured to cover the heating space;
a first heater (ref. 630 or 754) configured to preheat the steam water at a first water level or to heat the steam water, thereby generating steam; and
a second heater (ref. 631 see fig. 9; see also fig. 1 ref. 650 reheating device; see also fig. 12 ref. 730 heat exchanger) configured to heat the steam generated at the first water level in a space between the first water level and the second water level, thereby generating overheated steam (see fig. 9 overheated steam chamber 645 may be part of the upper portion of the steam chamber; see also fig. 12 level of ref. 720, 754 lower than heat exchanger 730).
Kim does not explicitly disclose the combination of to heat the steam water at a second water level higher than the first water level, thereby generating steam and generate overheated steam.
However, Choi discloses it is well-known in the steam generation art (abstract) to provide a second water heater (see fig. 8 refs. 850, 830) configured to heat the steam water at a second water level higher than the first water level, thereby generating steam and generate overheated steam (“shorten the time for generating steam and superheated steam”).
At the time of filing, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art to modify the second heater of Kim to further be at both a liquid level and vapor level, as suggested by Choi, in order to ensure generation of steam and superheated steam.
Re claims 2-4, Kim further discloses wherein the steam generation device further comprises a water level sensing unit (ref. 620) configured to sense the first water level and the second water level of steam water supplied to the heating space. wherein the water level sensing unit comprises a first water level electrode configured to sense the first water level, and a second water level electrode configured to sense the second water level (see fig. 2 refs. 622, 624 or 626). wherein the first heater preheats and heats the steam water of the first water level in accordance with water level sensing of the first water level electrode and the second heater heats the steam water of the second water level in accordance with water level sensing of the second water level electrode, thereby generating steam (p. 3 ¶ 4, 11 low water level electrode and high water level electrode ).
Re claim 5, Kim further discloses wherein: the steam generation device further comprises a temperature sensor (ref. 614) configured to sense an internal temperature of the heating space, thereby sensing generation of steam (the water is heated as described above by measuring the temperature inside the steam generator 610 by the temperature sensor 614); and the second heater heats steam over the first water level in accordance with steam sensing of the temperature sensor, thereby generating overheated steam (a temperature of 120 ℃ or more as described above is sprayed into the drum).
Re claims 6-9¸ Kim further discloses wherein the steam generation device further comprises: a lower barrier wall (body housing of ref. 610 see fig. 2) configured to form a movement path of the steam generated at the first water level; and an upper barrier wall disposed over the second heater and configured to form a movement path of the steam together with the lower barrier wall (see fig. 9 upper barrier wall formed at upper portion of ref. 612) (also consider lower barrier wall of 720 and upper barrier wall 740 see fig. 12). wherein the second heater is disposed between the lower barrier wall and the upper barrier wall and heats the steam moving between the lower barrier wall and the upper barrier wall, thereby generating overheated steam (see fig. 9 and fig. 12). wherein each of the lower barrier wall and the upper barrier wall is formed with a plurality of through holes configured to diffuse the steam and the overheated steam (see fig. 9 hole at 616, and 634)(see also fig. 12 holes 755, 741, 743, 731). wherein the lower barrier wall is provided at the housing such that one side thereof is opened, and the upper barrier wall is provided at the housing such that another side thereof is opened, to form the movement path of the steam generated at the first water level (see fig. 9 left to right steam movement; see fig. 12 bottom to top steam movement).
Re claims 10-17, Independent claim 10 defines over the above rejections only in the recitation of a water level sensing unit configured to sense a first water level and a second water level of steam water supplied to the heating space, the second water level being higher than the first water level, and the first heater configured to heat steam water below the first water level. Kim further discloses the water level sensing unit (ref. 620) and the first water level and the second water level of steam water (see fig. 2 refs. 622, 624 or 626); and the first heater below the water level (see fig. 2 ref. 630 below refs. 622, 624). Re claims 11-17, Dependent claims 11-17 recite limitations rejected above over Kim and are therefore fully satisfied by Kim.
Response to Arguments
Applicant's arguments filed 7/7/2026 have been fully considered but they are not persuasive in part and persuasive in part. Therefore, the rejection has been withdrawn. However, upon further consideration, a new ground(s) of rejection is made in view of Choi et al. (KR20180111349A) (cited by Applicant) necessitated by Applicant’s IDS filed 9/3/2026.
Here, at issue is the language “steam water”. The broadest interpretation of “steam water” includes steam that has been formed from water, i.e. water vapor. However, Examiner agrees the amended claims require the simultaneous formation of steam and overheated steam, which is not clear in Kim. Although any condensation from Kim would be expected to be reheated as steam. Nonetheless, Choi, as applied above, fully addresses plural liquid water heaters and the creation of additional steam and expanding/overheating steam.
Conclusion
Applicant's submission of an information disclosure statement under 37 CFR 1.97(c) with the timing fee set forth in 37 CFR 1.17(p) on 9/3/2026 prompted the new ground(s) of rejection presented in this Office action. Accordingly, THIS ACTION IS MADE FINAL. See MPEP § 609.04(b). Applicant is reminded of the extension of time policy as set forth in 37 CFR 1.136(a).
A shortened statutory period for reply to this final action is set to expire THREE MONTHS from the mailing date of this action. In the event a first reply is filed within TWO MONTHS of the mailing date of this final action and the advisory action is not mailed until after the end of the THREE-MONTH shortened statutory period, then the shortened statutory period will expire on the date the advisory action is mailed, and any nonprovisional extension fee (37 CFR 1.17(a)) pursuant to 37 CFR 1.136(a) will be calculated from the mailing date of the advisory action. In no event, however, will the statutory period for reply expire later than SIX MONTHS from the mailing date of this final action.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to KEVIN LEE whose telephone number is (571)270-7299. The examiner can normally be reached M-F 8:30am to 6:30pm.
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KEVIN G. LEE
Examiner
Art Unit 1711
/KEVIN G LEE/Examiner, Art Unit 1711
/MICHAEL E BARR/Supervisory Patent Examiner, Art Unit 1711
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