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 and 11-14 and 16 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over US Patent 7,096,601 to Lyu.
In Reference to Claim 1
Lyu discloses a laundry treating apparatus comprising: a cabinet (Fig. 2, 12); and a drum (Col. 8, Line 60-64) rotatably disposed inside the cabinet and configured to accommodate laundry therein, wherein one of a signal generator (Fig. 2, 12) and a signal detector (Fig. 2, 22), wherein the laundry treating apparatus is paired with the external device only when the signal detector detects a signal from the signal generator.
Lyu does not teach the signal detector is disposed on the cabinet, and the other is disposed on an external device located outside the cabinet. It would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art at the time the invention was made to have one signal detector in or outside of the cabinet, since it has been held that rearranging parts of an invention involves only routine skill in the art. In re Japikse, 86 USPQ 70, (see MPEP §2144.04).
In Reference to Claim 2
Lyu discloses the signal detector detects the signal when located within a predetermined distance from the signal generator. (Col. 12, Line 14-16, since the wireless single is transferred between the dryer and washing machine, therefore, wireless is transferred with a predetermined distance.)
In Reference to Claims 3 and 4
Lyu discloses signals are wireless transferred between the dryer and washing machine. Lyu teaches various arrange between the dryer and washing machine, It would have been obvious to one with ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to position the dryer and the washing machine facing or back / back, since it has been held that rearranging parts of an invention involves only routine skill in the art.
In Reference to Claim 5
Lyu discloses the cabinet and the external are stacked vertically (Fig. 2) and signal detector and generator are both on the side.
Lyu does not teach the signal generator and detector are on a top surface and bottom surface. It would have been obvious to one with ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to position the dryer and the washing machine facing or back / back, since it has been held that rearranging parts of an invention involves only routine skill in the art.
In Reference to Claim 6
Lyu discloses the signal detector detects the signal while being aligned vertically with the signal generator. (As showed in Fig. 2, items 12 and 22 are aligned vertically)
In Reference to Claim 7
Lyu discloses the signal detector and the signal generator. Both are on a side surface.
Lyd does not teach detail relative position between the signal detector and the signal generator.
It would have been obvious to one with ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to position the dryer and the washing machine facing or back / back, since it has been held that rearranging parts of an invention involves only routine skill in the art.
In Reference to Claim 8
Lyu discloses the external device includes a drum configured to accommodate laundry therein to perform an external treatment course of the laundry. (Col. 8, Lyu discloses drum and motor are essential elements for washing machine and the dryer)
In Reference to Claim 11
Lyu discloses a controller (Fig. 3, 14) disposed inside the cabinet and configured to adjust rotation of the drum (Fig. 3, the controller control the motor 17 for drum) to perform a treatment course of the laundry, wherein the controller is permitted to be paired with (Fig. 2, 12 /22) a further controller disposed in the external device when the signal detector detects the signal.
In Reference to Claim 12
Lyu discloses the signal detector is disposed on the cabinet and transmits whether the signal has been detected to the controller (Fig. 4, S11), wherein the controller notifies the further controller that a current state is a pairing permitted state when the signal detector detects the signal (Fig. 4, S12).
In Reference to Claim 13
Lyu discloses an input device (Fig. 8, 11) disposed in the cabinet and configured to generate an input signal to be transmitted to the controller by a user; and an output device disposed in the cabinet and configured to output information to be transmitted to the user (Fig. 9 and 13, 93, there is a two-way communication between the system and the user), wherein when the input signal requesting pairing with the external device is received via the input device, the controller performs the pairing (the pairing is performed by 12 and 22) with the further controller when a current state corresponds to a pairing permitted state.
In Reference to Claim 14
Lyu discloses the controller performs the pairing via inter-device direct communication with the further controller. (As showed in Fig. 13, wireless communication is performed between 12/22 and 93, therefore, they are all paired toegther)
In Reference to Claim 16
Lyu discloses the input device disposed in the cabinet and configured to generate the input signal to be transmitted to the controller (Fig. 13, 93) by the user; and the output device disposed in the cabinet and configured to output the information to be transmitted to the user (as showed in Fig. 13, the communication between the user and controller is mutual), wherein when the input signal requesting the pairing (Fig 4, S13) with the external device is received from the input device, the controller provides information (The Office considers that providing a location info is the function of the recited apparatus, the art rejection is made based on the structure limitation of the recited structure) guiding an installation location of the external device to the user via the output device when the signal is not detected by the signal detector.
Claims 9 and 10 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Lyu in view of CN111411481 to Zhao.
In Reference to Claims 9 and 10
Lyu discloses the laundry treating apparatus with signal detector and generator.
Lyu does not teach magnetic reed switch.
Zhao teaches a laundry treating device comprising magnetic reed switch used for a steam generator in the laundry treating device (Since the claim recitation does not specify the intended purpose to use a magnetic reed switch valve, the Office considers that the operation of a steam generator is within the scope of the monitoring for a washer or a dryer)
It would have been obvious to one with ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to incorporate teachings from Zhao into the design of Lyu. Doing so, would result in a magnetic reed switch being used in the dryer to improve the system reliability.
Claim 15 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Lyu in view of US Patent 2020/0002866 to Hoppe.
In Reference to Claim 15
Lyu discloses the washing machine and dryer are wireless paired.
Lyu does not teach the method of pairing.
Hoppe teaches controller performs the paring by being in communication with the further controller in a Bluetooth scheme. (Paragraph 43)
It would have been obvious to one with ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to incorporate teachings from Hoppe into the design of Lyu. Doing so, would result in the wireless communication is performed by Bluetooth. Both inventions of Lyu and Hoppe having wireless communication in laundry device, Hoppe teaches a method of controlling home appliance with home automation network. So the user friendly has been improved.
Conclusion
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DEMING . WAN
Examiner
Art Unit 3762
/DEMING WAN/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3762
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