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 .
Election/Restrictions
Applicant’s election without traverse of Group I and Species I in the reply filed on June 23, 2026 is acknowledged.
Response to Amendment
This Office Action is in response to the Applicant’s amendment filed on June 23, 2026. Claim 11 has been amended. Claims 17-20 have been canceled.
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 4, 5, 15, and 16 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.
Claims 4 and 15, each recites that “the plurality of nozzles configured to enable adjustment of a focal length at which the two-dimensional spray pattern is produced so as to vary a distance between adjacent flow streams produced by the plurality of nozzles along the reference plane.” The claim is indefinite because it is unclear what structure is responsible for enabling the adjustment of the “focal length,” how the adjustment is accomplished, or what is meant by “focal length” in the context of the claimed spray head assembly. The claim does not identify the component that is adjusted or otherwise define the structural features that provide the recited functionality. Accordingly, the metes and bounds of the claimed invention cannot be determined with reasonable certainty.
Claims 5 and 16 are being indefinite because the phrase “at least one of the plurality of nozzles being angled in both a first direction that is parallel to the linear row and a second direction that is perpendicular to the linear row” fails to particularly point out the claimed subject matter. It is unclear whether “angled in” a direction refers to angular displacement about an axis parallel to the linear row, about an axis perpendicular to the linear row, or to angular orientation toward those directions. Additionally, the claim does not identify the reference from which the angles are measured or the plane in which the angular relationships are defined. As a result, the scope of the limitation cannot be determined with reasonable certainty.
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.
Claims 1-3, 6-8, 11, and 14 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Kondo et al. (JP 201931784).
With regard to claim 1, Kondo discloses a spray head assembly (Fig. 3) comprising: an inner housing (48); an outer housing (46) that is spaced apart from the inner housing (Fig. 3), the outer housing defining a plurality of apertures (50a); and a plurality of nozzles (48a/b) disposed on the inner housing and oriented toward the plurality of apertures (Fig. 3), the plurality of nozzles (48a/b) arranged in a substantially linear arrangement across the inner housing (linear arrangement shown in Fig. 3), each one of the plurality of nozzles oriented in a different direction from the remaining nozzles (as shown in the figure below, each of nozzles 48a/b exhibits a different direction in references to the arrows).
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With regard to claim 2, the spray head assembly of Kondo discloses the invention as disclosed in the rejection above. Kondo further discloses that the outer housing (46) surrounds the inner housing (48) on at least three sides (Fig. 7).
With regard to claim 3, the spray head assembly of Kondo discloses the invention as disclosed in the rejection above. Kondo further discloses that the plurality of apertures (50a) are arranged in a non-linear pattern across a surface of the outer housing (50a arranged annually across surface 50 of outer housing as shown in Fig. 6), and wherein each nozzle of the plurality of nozzles (48a/b) is oriented toward a respective one of the plurality of apertures (Fig. 3).
With regard to claim 6, the spray head assembly of Kondo discloses the invention as disclosed in the rejection above. Kondo further discloses that a surface of the outer housing (46) that defines the plurality of apertures (50a) is a substantially planar surface (Fig. 6).
With regard to claim 7, the spray head assembly of Kondo discloses the invention as disclosed in the rejection above. Kondo further discloses that the surface of the outer housing (46) is angled relative to a surface of the inner housing along which the plurality of nozzles are disposed (chamfer surface of 48 is angled relative to surface 50 as shown in Fig. 7).
With regard to claim 8, the spray head assembly of Kondo discloses the invention as disclosed in the rejection above. Kondo further discloses that the outer housing (46) is spaced apart from the inner housing (48) to form a cavity therebetween (Fig. 3), the plurality of nozzles (48a/b) disposed within the cavity so that the plurality of nozzles are at least partially concealed from a user's view by the outer housing (Fig. 3).
With regard to claim 11, the spray head assembly of Kondo discloses the invention as disclosed in the rejection above. Kondo further discloses that the outer housing (46) defines a cavity (Fig. 3), the outer housing having a substantially planar surface (50) that defines the plurality of apertures (50a), and wherein the nozzles (48a/b) are disposed within the cavity and arranged in a substantially linear arrangement with the cavity (Fig. 3).
With regard to claim 14, the spray head assembly of Kondo discloses the invention as disclosed in the rejection above. Kondo further discloses that the plurality of apertures (50a) are arranged in a non-linear pattern across a surface of the outer housing (50a arranged annually across surface 50 of outer housing as shown in Fig. 6), and wherein each nozzle of the plurality of nozzles (48a/b) is oriented toward a respective one of the plurality of apertures (Fig. 3).
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 4, 5, 15, and 16 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.
Claims 9, 10, 12, and 13 are objected to as being dependent upon a rejected base claim, but would be allowable if rewritten in independent form including 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 JOEL ZHOU whose telephone number is (571)270-1163. The examiner can normally be reached Mon-Fri 9AM-5PM.
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JOEL . ZHOU
Primary Examiner
Art Unit 3752
/QINGZHANG ZHOU/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3752
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