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 .
Response to Amendment
The response filed on August 26th, 2026 is acknowledged. Three pages of amended drawings, two pages of amended specification, and three pages of amended claims were received on 8/26/2026. The drawings and specification have been amended such that they are no longer objected to. Claims 1 and 3-7 have been amended. The claims have been amended to overcome previous claim objections in the non-final rejection mailed 5/26/2026. Claims 1, 5, and 8 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as noted below.
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, 5, and 8 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by US-2020/0038887-A1 to Cacka et al. (“Cacka”).
As to Claim 1, Cacka discloses a multifunctional shower head (See #100 in Fig. 1A), comprising:
a water inlet base (#144), provided with a water inlet channel (See WIC in Annotated Fig. 4), a plugging part (See #128 in Fig. 2, which is part of #408 shown in Fig. 15) and a water inlet through hole connected with the water inlet channel (See WITH in Annotated Fig. 4, which is a hole at a center of #138), wherein the plugging part and the water inlet through hole are located on a circular trajectory (See Fig. 2, Fig. 4, and See Figs. 8A-9B along with Fig. 15. The plugging part #128 and the hole on #138 are on a circular path that corresponds to an arc of #284, #286, #288, and #290);
a water outlet component (#126, #104, #102 and #150, which combine to form a water outlet component), rotatably connected with the water inlet base (See Paragraph 0073) and being provided with a water chamber (See the water chamber WC in Annotated Fig. 4 that is #172 in #102 of the water outlet component), a water outlet hole (See a water outlet hole WOH at an outlet for #175 on #104 of the water outlet component in Annotated Fig. 4) and at least two water inlet holes (See multiple water inlet holes #284, #286, #288, and #290 in Figs. 8A-8B), wherein the water inlet holes and the water outlet hole are respectively connected with the water chamber (See Annotated Fig. 4 and Figs. 7A-8B. The water inlet holes and the water outlet hole WOH are each fluidly connected downstream of the water chamber WC), and a rotating path of the water inlet holes corresponds to the circular trajectory (See Figs. 8A-8B and Paragraphs 0073-0074 and 0085-0086),
wherein when the water inlet through hole is arranged corresponding to one of the water inlet holes, the water inlet through hole is connected with the one of the water inlet holes in a sealing manner, and the rest of the water inlet holes are sealed and plugged by the plugging part (See Paragraph 0132),
wherein when the water inlet through hole is arranged corresponding to each of the water inlet holes, the water chamber is communicated with the water outlet hole, so that water flows out of the multifunctional shower head from the water outlet hole (See Annotated Fig. 4 showing the water inlet through hole WITH connected with one of the water inlet holes. No matter what water inlet through hole WITH is connected to, WC will always communicate with WOH, such that water will flow out of #100 via WOH).
As to Claim 5, in reference to the multifunctional shower head of Cacka as applied to Claim 1 above, Cacka further discloses wherein when the water inlet through hole is arranged corresponding to the one of the water inlet holes, the rest of the water inlet holes are arranged corresponding to the plugging part (See Annotated Fig. 4, Figs. 8A-9B, and Paragraph 0132).
As to Claim 8, in reference to the multifunctional shower head of Cacka as applied to Claim 1 above, Cacka further discloses wherein the water outlet component also comprises a branch waterway (#146 and #158), the branch waterway is provided with a water inlet (#312 and #284) and a water outlet (#256); a rotating path of the water inlet is arranged corresponding to the water inlet through hole (See Annotated Fig. 4 and Figs. 7A-8B. The water inlet forms a circular path such that it is equivalent to a rotating path and connects to WITH); and the water inlet and the water inlet through hole are sealed and connected with each other when the water inlet and the water inlet through hole are arranged correspondingly (See Paragraph 0132).
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Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 2-4 and 6-7 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.
The following is a statement of reasons for the indication of allowable subject matter:
The prior art fails to teach, disclose, or suggest, in combination with other limitations recited in dependent Claim 2: wherein “the water outlet jacket is provided with the water outlet hole, and the water chamber is formed between the water outlet jacket and the second water sealing base”.
As to Claim 2, in reference to the multifunctional showerhead of Cacka as applied to Claim 1 above, Cacka further discloses wherein the water outlet component comprises a first water sealing base (#146), a second water sealing base (#158 and #148) and a water outlet jacket (#156) which are connected in sequence (See Fig. 2);
the first water sealing base is rotatably connected with the water inlet base and is provided with the water inlet holes (See Fig. 4 and Fig. 8A); and
water diversion waterways are formed between the second water sealing base and the first water sealing base; the water diversion waterways are configured to connect with the water inlet holes and the water chamber (See Fig. 2 and See Fig. 8B and Paragraph 0091. Multiple waterways #310, #312, #314, and #316 are formed between #146 and #158 of the second water sealing base. The water diversion waterways connect downstream of the water chamber WC shown in Annotated Fig. 4 and the water inlet holes).
Regarding Claim 2, Cacka does not disclose wherein the water outlet jacket is provided with the water outlet hole, and the water chamber is formed between the water outlet jacket and the second water sealing base (See Annotated Fig. 4, the water outlet hole WOH is formed in #104 and the water chamber WC is formed in #102, both of which are upstream of the water outlet jacket and the second water sealing base).
One having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention would not be motivated to reconfigure the multifunctional showerhead of Cacka as applied above such that the water outlet jacket is provided with the water outlet hole, and the water chamber is formed between the water outlet jacket and the second water sealing base as required by dependent Claim 2, as there is no apparent benefit to making such a modification and making such a modification would change the overall functionality and configuration of the multifunctional showerhead of Cacka. Furthermore, there is no prior teaching in Cacka or other prior art that indicates that making such a modification would be an obvious design choice without utilizing improper hindsight.
Claims 3-4 and 6-7 depend from Claim 2, therefore Claims 3-4 and 6-7 are also deemed to contain allowable subject matter.
Response to Arguments
Applicant's arguments filed 8/26/2026 have been fully considered but they are not found persuasive.
Regarding Claim 1 being rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1), applicant argues that Cacka does not disclose “wherein the plugging part and the water inlet through hole are located on a circular trajectory” as required by Claim 1. Applicant also argues that Cacka does not disclose “wherein when the water inlet through hole is arranged corresponding to each of the water inlet holes, the water chamber is communicated with the water outlet hole, so that water flows out of the multifunctional shower head from the water outlet hole” as now required in amended Claim 1. Applicant argues that the multifunctional showerhead of Cacka operates differently from the multifunctional showerhead of the disclosed invention.
These arguments are not found persuasive. In accordance with MPEP 2111.01, during examination the claims must be interpreted as broadly as their terms reasonably allow. In re Prater, 415 F.2d 1393, 1404-05, 162 USPQ 541, 550-51 (CCPA 1969).
In the above updated rejection of Claim 1 under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1), the water inlet base is being interpreted as only being #144, which is provided with water inlet through hole WITH shown in updated Annotated Fig. 4 above. The water inlet base #144 is interpreted as having plugging part #128 shown in Fig. 2 which is part of #408 shown in Fig. 15. Both the water inlet through hole WITH that is a hole in #138 and the plugging part #128 are located on a circular trajectory along #408 that corresponds to a path of #284, #286, #288, and #290 as shown in Fig. 2, Fig. 4, Figs. 8A-9B, and Fig. 15.
Furthermore, in the above updated rejection of Claim 1, the water outlet component is being interpreted as being made up of #126, #104, #102 and #150, which combine to form a single water outlet component. The water chamber is now being interpreted as WC in updated Annotated Fig. 4 above, which is #172 in #102 of the water outlet component. The water outlet hole is now being interpreted as WOH in updated Annotated Fig. 4 above, which is at an outlet for #175 on #104 of the water outlet component. As shown in updated Annotated Fig. 4 above, Cacka discloses wherein when the water inlet through hole WITH is arranged corresponding to each of the water inlet holes #284, #286, #288, and #290, the water chamber WC is communicated with the water outlet hole WOH, so that water flows out of the multifunctional shower head from the water outlet hole. Regardless of which water inlet through hole WITH is connected to, WC will always communicate with WOH, such that water will flow out of #100 via WOH. Therefore, independent of the differences between the multifunctional showerhead of Cacka and applicant’s disclosed invention, the disclosure of Cacka reads on a broadest reasonable interpretation of amended Claim 1, and the above rejections under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) are proper.
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure. See Notice of References Cited Form PTO-892.
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.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to KEVIN E SCHWARTZ whose telephone number is (571)272-1770. The examiner can normally be reached Monday - Friday 9:00AM - 5:00PM MST.
Examiner interviews are available via telephone, in-person, and video conferencing using a USPTO supplied web-based collaboration tool. To schedule an interview, applicant is encouraged to use the USPTO Automated Interview Request (AIR) at http://www.uspto.gov/interviewpractice.
If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Arthur O Hall can be reached at (571)-270-1814. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/KEVIN EDWARD SCHWARTZ/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3752 October 13, 2026
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