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
1. 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.
2. Claims 1-7, 9-11 and 15 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over US 2020/0154906 A1 (LEE) in further in view of US 2022/0307757 (Okada).
With respect to claim 1, LEE shows a door assembly for a refrigeration appliance, the door assembly (Fig.2) being configured to open or close a housing body of the refrigeration appliance, the door assembly comprising: an inner door (80, FIg.2) configured to be pivotably mounted on a front side of the housing body relative to the housing body (Fig.2, FIg.3), said inner door having a first door frame (81 & 811, Fig.3) enclosing an inner door cavity (Fig.2); and an outer door (100, Fig.3) pivotably mounted on a front side of said inner door (Fig.3, Fig.1) relative to said inner door and configured to selectively open or close said inner door cavity (Fig.1, Fig.3), said outer door (100) having a thermal insulation glass module (110, 150, FIg.5) with at least two glass sheets (110, 150, sections 0071, 0074) that are spaced apart from one another (FIg.6), a sealing portion (130 at 132, FIg.5, Fig.6) arranged between adjacent said glass sheets (Fig.6), and a thermal insulation space (135, FIg.6) between said glass sheets (150, 110) formed by said sealing portion; and said sealing portion having a first sealing section (top slanted part at 132, FIg.6 engaged with front of the refrigerator housing body at 19, Fig.6) wherein, in a projection plane perpendicular to a thickness direction of the door assembly, a projection of said first sealing section (at the slanted top of 132) is located on an outer side of a projection of said first door frame (811; the top end of 132 is flush with the top of the refrigerator body, as shown in Fig.6, Fig.1; and 132 is engaged with front face 19 of the housing body); and the top end of the inner door borders the opening of the refrigerator compartment which is lower than the top end of the outer door and lower than the top of the refrigerator/below shoulder 19, Fig.6; thus the first/top sealing section 132 of the sealing portion of the outer door 100 projects above the projection of the inner door frame 811). With respect to claim 1, LEE doesn’t show there is a first door seal disposed on a rear side of the first door frame to sealably close the first door frame relative to the housing body when the inner door is closed and that in the projection plane perpendicular to the thickness direction of the door direction the projection of the first sealing section is located on an outer side of a projection of the first door seal.
Okada shows a first door seal (40) disposed on a rear side of said first door frame (321, Fig.3) and configured to sealably close said first door frame (321) relative to the housing body (20, FIg.4) when said inner door (32) is closed (section 0034); and that the in the projection plane perpendicular to the thickness direction of the door direction the projection of the first sealing section (41, FIg.4) is located on an outer side of a projection of the first door seal (40, Fig.4).
. It would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the invention to include a first door seal disposed on the rear side of the first door frame of LEE, such as taught by Okada, in order to improve the sealing performance between the first door frame and the opening face of the housing body and thus ensures that the cold air remains contained and that external heat and humidity are blocked from entering the cooling compartment of the refrigerator.
With respect to claim 2, the combination (LEE/Okada) shows at least one of the following is true:in a projection plane perpendicular to a thickness direction of the door assembly, a projection of the first sealing section (top end of 132, LEE/41, Okada) is spaced apart from a projection of said first door seal (811, FIg.6, LEE/40, Okada, Fig.4); or in a projection plane perpendicular to the thickness direction of the door assembly, the projection of the first sealing section (top part of 132/41) is adjacent to the projection of said first door seal (811/40).
With respect to claim 3, the combination (LEE) shows wherein said sealing portion (130) moves along an outer edge of at least one glass sheet (150, Fig.5, FIg.6) of said thermal insulation glass module, so that said sealing portion (130) has an annular configuration surrounding said glass sheet (150, Fig.5).
With respect to claim 4, the combination (LEE) shows wherein the first sealing section (132, 133) extends through an entire longitudinal extension scale of at least one side of said sealing portion (FIg.5).
With respect to claim 5, the combination (LEE) shows wherein: said sealing portion (130) has a second sealing section (face at 133 that accommodates 160, FIg.5); and in the projection plane perpendicular to the thickness direction of the door assembly, a projection of said second sealing section completely overlaps the projection of said first door seal (FIg.5, Fig.2, Fig.3).
With respect to claim 6, the combination (LEE) shows wherein at least one of the following is true:the door assembly is provided with a second gripping portion (60, FIg.5) at a position adjacent to said second sealing section (133); or said sealing portion has said first sealing section (top inclined end of 132) and said second sealing section (face at 133 that accommodates 160, FIg.5) in the at least one side (rear side) of said sealing portion.
With respect to claim 7, the combination (Okada) shows wherein said first door frame (321, Fig.4) has a first assembly portion for assembling said first door seal, said first assembly portion is provided with at least one fitting recess (Fig.4), and said first door seal (40) is formed with at least one fitting protrusion for fitting into said at least one fitting recess.
With respect to claim 9, the combination (LEE) shows further comprising a second door seal (160, FIg.5, Fig.6) configured to sealably close said outer door (100) relative to said first door frame (811) when said outer door (100) is closed (section 0056).
With respect to claim 10, the combination (LEE) shows wherein at least one of the following is true:said outer door (100) has a second door frame (130) configured to bear said thermal insulation glass module, and said second door seal (160, Fig.5) is assembled on a rear side of said second door frame (130); or in the projection plane perpendicular to the thickness direction of the door assembly, a projection of said second door seal (160, Fig.5) is completely located on an inner side of a projection of said sealing portion (Fig.5).
With respect to claim 11, the combination (LEE) shows said second door frame (130) is provided with a second assembly portion (133) for assembling said second door seal (160, Fig.5, section 0068), said second assembly portion (133) surrounds said inner door cavity, and said second assembly portion (133) particularly supports said thermal insulation glass module (150, FIg.5).
With respect to claim 15, the combination (LEE) shows a refrigeration appliance, comprising a housing body (10, FIg.3) and at least one door assembly (80, 100) according to claim 1 mounted to said housing body (Fig.1).
3. Claims 8 and 12 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over US 2020/0154906 A1 (LEE) in view of US 2022/0307757 (Okada) in further view of US 2012/0286639 A1 (Lee ‘639).
With respect to claim 8, modified LEE shows a hinge mechanism (Fig.2, FIg.3) for the inner door (80) but doesn’t explicitly show or disclose the hinge assembly portion has a hinge shaft/shaft hole. Lee ‘639 shows the first door frame (210/110, FIg.6, FIg.8) is provided with a first hinge assembly portion (515, Fig.6, Fig.8) of a first hinge mechanism (510) for said inner door (200/100), said first hinge mechanism (510) being configured to be arranged between the inner door (200/100) and said housing body (10); said first hinge assembly portion (515) is a shaft hole (516, Fig.6, Fig.8) for the hinge shaft (H). It would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the invention to include a shaft hole in the first hinge assembly portion of the hinge mechanism of modified LEE, such as taught by Lee ‘639, in order to pivotally support the inner door on the housing body.
With respect to claim 12, modified LEE shows a second hinge mechanism for the outer door but doesn’t show the second hinge assembly portion has a hinge shaft or hinge hole.
Lee ‘639 shows a second hinge mechanism (520, 510, Fig.6) for said outer door (410) arranged between said inner door (200) and said outer door (410), said second door frame being provided with a second hinge assembly portion (H, Fig.6) of said second hinge mechanism, and a second hinge assembly portion (H) being a hinge shaft (Fig.6). It would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to include a second hinge mechanism for the outer door of modified LEE, such as taught by Lee ‘639 in order to pivotally support the outer door on the housing body and the inner door.
4. Claim 13 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over US 2020/0154906 A1 (LEE) in view of US 2022/0307757 (Okada) in further view of US 2018/0164033 (Lee ‘033).
With respect to claim 13, modified LEE shows a second hinge mechanism for the outer door but doesn’t show the hinge assembly arranged on a rear side of the glass module and being a hinge shaft or shaft hole.
With respect to claim 13, Lee ‘033 shows a second hinge mechanism (501, FIg.3) for said outer door (50) arranged between said inner door (40) and said outer door (50, Fig.3), a second hinge assembly portion (541a, Fig.6) of the second hinge mechanism being arranged on a rear side of said thermal insulation glass module (60, FIg.6) of said outer door and being a shaft hole (541a). It would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the invention to include a second hinge mechanism on a rear side of the thermal insulation glass module of the outer door of modified LEE, such as taught by Lee ‘033, in order to provide a simple rotation mechanism to pivotally support the outer door.
5. Claim 14 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over US 2020/0154906 A1 (LEE) in view of US 2022/0307757 (Okada) in further view of US 2017/0191744 A1 (KOO).
With respect to claim 14, the combination (LEE) shows wherein said thermal insulation glass module (150, 110, Fig.5) is a vacuum glass module (section 0067) or a hollow glass module but doesn’t explicitly teach the thermal insulation space of said hollow glass module is filled with an inert gas. KOO teaches 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). It would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the invention to include inert gas in the thermal space between the glass module of modified LEE, such as taught by KOO, in order to improve thermal insulation performance and maintain cooler internal temperature and further reduce condensation between the glass modules.
Response to Arguments
Applicant’s arguments with respect to claim 1 have been considered but are moot in view of the new grounds of rejection.
Conclusion
Applicant's amendment necessitated the new ground(s) of rejection presented in this Office action. Accordingly, THIS ACTION IS MADE FINAL. See MPEP § 706.07(a). 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.
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/HIWOT E TEFERA/Examiner, Art Unit 3637
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