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
1. 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 5 and 6 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 limitation “the projection plane” in claim 5 lacks antecedent basis. The limitation “the at least one side” in claim 6 lacks antecedent basis.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 102
2. 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.
3. Claims 1-15 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by US 2017/0191744 A1 (KOO).
With respect to claim 1, KOO shows a door assembly (FIg.6) for a refrigeration appliance, the door assembly being configured to open or close a housing body of the refrigeration appliance (Fig.3), the door assembly comprising: an inner door (40, Fig.3) configured to be pivotably mounted on a front side of the housing body relative to the housing body, said inner door (40) having a first door frame (42&43, Fig.7) enclosing an inner door cavity (403); a first door seal (44, Fig.7, Fig.8) disposed on a rear side of said first door frame and configured to sealably close said first door frame relative to the housing body when said inner door is closed; and an outer door (50, Fig.3) pivotably mounted on a front side of said inner door relative to said inner door and configured to selectively open or close said inner door cavity (Fig.3), said outer door (50) having a thermal insulation glass module (54, FIg.20) with at least two glass sheets (541, 542, FIg.20, section 0188) that are spaced apart from one another, a sealing portion (sealed portion between spacer bar 543 and the glass sheets, Fig.20, section 0010) arranged between adjacent said glass sheets, and a thermal insulation space between said glass sheets formed by said sealing portion (Fig.20); and said sealing portion having a first sealing section (see annotated Fig.13 below) which, viewed in a direction parallel to a main extension plane of the door assembly, is located on an outer side of said first door seal (44, see annotation, when viewed parallel to the main plane of the door the first sealing section of the outer door is at a lower spaced apart height than the first door seal 44 of the inner door; thus it’s outside of the first door seal 44).
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With respect to claim 2, wherein in a projection plane perpendicular to a thickness direction of the door assembly, a projection of the first sealing section is spaced apart from a projection of said first door seal (44, see figure 13 above).
With respect to claim 3, wherein said sealing portion (at 543, Fig.21) moves along an outer edge of at least one glass sheet (541, 542) of said thermal insulation glass module, so that said sealing portion has an annular configuration surrounding said glass sheet (Fig.21).
With respect to claim 4, wherein the first sealing section (sealing section between spacer 543 and front glass 541) extends through an entire longitudinal extension scale of at least one side of said sealing portion (at 543, Fig.21, FIg.16).
With respect to claim 5, wherein: said sealing portion has a second sealing section (opposite side of the first sealing section); and in the projection plane perpendicular to the thickness direction of the door assembly (extending vertically, Fig.16), a projection of said second sealing section is surrounded by the projection of said first door seal (44, Fig.16).
With respect to claim 6, alternatively the second sealing section is on the same side of the first sealing section but extending vertically), said sealing portion has said first sealing section and said second sealing section in the at least one side (Fig.13, FIg.16, between the spacer bar 543 and the front glass panel 541; first sealing section extending horizontally on an upper side of the sealing portion and second sealing section extending vertically downwards from the first sealing portion).
With respect to claim 7, wherein said first door frame (42&43) has a first assembly portion (see annotated figure 16 below) for assembling said first door seal (44), said first assembly portion is provided with at least one fitting recess (see figure below), and said first door seal is formed with at least one fitting protrusion (see annotation below) for fitting into said at least one fitting recess.
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With respect to claim 8, wherein at least one of the following is true: said first door frame (42&43) has a first foaming space (space between 41, 42 and 43, FIg.16) filled with a thermal insulation foaming material (section 0097); or said first door frame (42 & 43) is provided with a first hinge assembly portion (hole on the top corner of 40, FIg.7) of a first hinge mechanism (401) for said inner door (40), said first hinge mechanism (401) being configured to be arranged between said inner door (40) and said housing body (10, FIg.3), and said first hinge assembly portion is a shaft hole for the hinge shaft (Fig.7).
With respect to claim 9, further comprising a second door seal (591, Fig.19) configured to sealably close said outer door (50, Fig.13) relative to said first door frame (42&43) when said outer door (50) is closed (Fig.13).
With respect to claim 10, wherein said outer door (50) has a second door frame (55, 56, 57, 58, Fig.18) configured to bear said thermal insulation glass module (54), and said second door seal (591) is assembled on a rear side of said second door frame (Fig.18, Fig.13).
With respect to claim 11, wherein said second door frame is provided with a second assembly portion (59, FIg.25) for assembling said second door seal (591, FIg.25), said second assembly portion surrounds said inner door cavity (403, Fig.16), and said second assembly portion (59) particularly supports said thermal insulation glass module (Fig.16).
With respect to claim 12, further comprising a second hinge mechanism (51, FIg.18, Fig.17) for said outer door (50) arranged between said inner door (40) and said outer door (50, Fig.6), said second door frame being provided with a second hinge assembly portion (shaft) of said second hinge mechanism, and a second hinge assembly portion being a hinge shaft (section 0104).
With respect to claim 13, further comprising a second hinge mechanism (51, 52, FIg.7) for said outer door (50) arranged between said inner door and said outer door (Fig.6), a second hinge assembly portion (shaft at the end of 51 and 52) of the second hinge mechanism being arranged on a rear side of said thermal insulation glass module (54, FIg.18, FIg.6) of said outer door and being a hinge shaft (section 0104).
With respect to claim 14, wherein said thermal insulation glass module (54, Fig.18) is a vacuum glass module (section 0219), and the thermal insulation space of said hollow glass module is filled with an inert gas (section 0220).
With respect to claim 15, KOO shows a refrigeration appliance (FIg.1), comprising a housing body (10, Fig.1) and at least one door assembly (20, Fig.1) according to claim 1 mounted to said housing body (10).
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to HIWOT E TEFERA whose telephone number is (571)270-3320. The examiner can normally be reached M-F 9-6PM.
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/HIWOT E TEFERA/Examiner, Art Unit 3637
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