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 § 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 21-36 are 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.
The term “lower” in claim 21 is a relative term which renders the claim indefinite. The term “inner” is not defined by the claim, the specification does not provide a standard for ascertaining the requisite degree, and one of ordinary skill in the art would not be reasonably apprised of the scope of the invention. Similarly, the terms “upper” in claim 29 and “inner” in claim 30 are also not defined by the claims.
Claims dependent thereon are likewise rejected.
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.
Claim(s) 21 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by US 20200080254 A1 to Chang et al. (Chang).
In reference to independent claim 21, Chang discloses:
A laundry treatment apparatus (1) comprising:
a cabinet (11) defining an appearance of the laundry treatment apparatus;
an inner case (30) provided in the cabinet, the inner case defining a laundry treatment space (30) configured to receive laundry therein and having an opening through which the laundry is introduced and taken out (see Figs. 2-4);
a machine compartment (40) positioned at a lower portion of the inner case in the cabinet (see Fig. 4);
a heat supply (41) comprising an evaporator (41a), which is provided in the machine compartment (40) (see Fig. 3) so as to remove moisture from air introduced from the laundry treatment space (see [0061]), a condenser (41b) configured to heat the air introduced from the laundry treatment space, and a compressor (43) configured to supply compressed refrigerant to the condenser;
a circulation duct (34) provided in the machine compartment (40) (see Fig. 3), the circulation duct receiving the condenser (41b) therein and defining a flow channel in which the air in the laundry treatment space is circulated (see Fig. 3); and
a base (see Figs. 3-4) provided in the machine compartment (40) and disposed at a lower portion of the circulation duct (34), wherein the circulation duct (34) comprises:
a circulation duct bottom surface (see Fig. 3) defining a bottom surface of the flow channel (34) in which the air in the laundry treatment space is circulated; and
a sump (see Fig. 3) depressed from one side of the circulation duct bottom surface and configured to collect therein water condensed in the evaporator (see [0073]).
Claim(s) 21-23, 27, 28, and 33-35 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by KR 20190128464 A to Lee et al. (Lee).
In reference to independent claim 21, Lee discloses:
A laundry treatment apparatus (1000) comprising:
a cabinet (1010) defining an appearance of the laundry treatment apparatus;
an inner case (1030) provided in the cabinet, the inner case defining a laundry treatment space configured to receive laundry therein and having an opening (1011) through which the laundry is introduced and taken out (see Fig. 1);
a machine compartment (1310) positioned at a lower portion of the inner case in the cabinet (see Fig. 1);
a heat supply (1100) comprising an evaporator (1110), which is provided in the machine compartment (1310) (see Fig. 1) so as to remove moisture from air introduced from the laundry treatment space, a condenser (1130) configured to heat the air introduced from the laundry treatment space, and a compressor (1120) configured to supply compressed refrigerant to the condenser;
a circulation duct (1310’) provided in the machine compartment (1310) (see Figs. 4-5, 7), the circulation duct receiving the condenser (1130) therein (see Fig. 7) and defining a flow channel in which the air in the laundry treatment space is circulated; and
a base (see Fig. 7) provided in the machine compartment (1310) and disposed at a lower portion of the circulation duct (1310’), wherein the circulation duct (1310’) comprises:
a circulation duct bottom surface (1311) defining a bottom surface of the flow channel (see Fig. 8) in which the air in the laundry treatment space is circulated; and
a sump (1312) depressed from one side of the circulation duct bottom surface (1311) and configured to collect therein water condensed in the evaporator (see Fig. 8).
In reference to dependent claim 22, Lee further discloses: the sump (1312) comprises a sump bottom surface (1312) and a sump recess (1312’) depressed from the sump bottom surface (1312), and wherein the sump bottom surface (1312) and the sump recess (1312’) are formed integrally with the circulation duct bottom surface (1311) (see Fig. 8).
In reference to dependent claim 23, Lee further discloses: the base and the circulation duct (1310’) are formed integrally with each other (see Fig. 7).
In reference to dependent claim 27, Lee further discloses: the base (1310) comprises a compressor installation portion (1315) which provides a space in which the compressor (1120) is mounted (see Fig. 4), and wherein the sump (1312) is disposed so as to overlap at least a portion of the compressor installation portion (1315) in a forward/backward direction (see Fig. 4).
In reference to dependent claim 28, Lee further discloses: a width of the sump (1312) is less than a width of the compressor installation portion (1315) (see Fig. 6).
In reference to dependent claim 33, Lee further discloses: a water cover (1900) which is disposed on the circulation duct bottom surface (see Fig. 5) and above the sump (see Fig. 5) and which is disposed at a lower portion of the condenser (1130) (see Fig. 5) so as to prevent the circulation duct bottom surface and the sump from being exposed.
In reference to dependent claim 34, Lee further discloses: the water cover (1900) comprises: a water body (1910) configured to support at least one of the evaporator (1110) or the condenser (1120); and a support rib (1920) which extends downwards from the water body to space the water body apart from the circulation duct bottom surface.
In reference to dependent claim 35, Lee further discloses: the water cover (1900) further comprises a water cover through hole (1911′, 1912′, and 1913′) which is formed through the water body so as to allow the water condensed in the evaporator (1110) to move to the circulation duct bottom surface (see Fig. 5).
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.
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.
Claim(s) 36 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Lee in view of US 20180148885 A1 to Kitayama et al. (Kitayama).
In reference to dependent claim 36, Lee is silent regarding a water level sensor configured to detect a water level of the water collected in the sump; and a drain hole provided at the sump recess and configured to drain the water collected at the sump to the outside of the sump.
Kitayama teaches a similar laundry treatment device, i.e. a clothes dryer, including a condensed water storage chamber (11) located under an evaporator (9a) and a condenser (9b) the condensed water storage chamber (11) is separated from the evaporator (9a) and the condenser (9b) by a cover base (6a). The clothes dryer also includes a water level sensor (21) for detecting the water level of the water in the pump chamber (16) connected to the condensed water storage chamber (11), the pump chamber (16) containing a pump (19) for pumping condensed water (W) collected in the condensed water storage chamber (11) (see [0073]).
It would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have modified the sump of Lee to add a water level sensor in order to determine the water level in the sump and thus control the laundry treatment device to empty the sump of the collected condensed water via a pump as taught by Kitayama.
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 24-26, 29, 30, and 32 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 Ngoc T Nguyen whose telephone number is (571)272-7176. The examiner can normally be reached M-F 9:00 am - 5:00 pm.
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If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Helena Kosanovic can be reached at (571) 272-9059. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/NGOC T NGUYEN/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3799
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