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 § 102
1. 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.
2. Claims 1-20 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by US 2019/0145041 A1 (Bhandare).
With respect to claim 1, Bhandare discloses a method of assembling a door assembly (100) for a laundry appliance (10), the door assembly comprising an inner frame (130, FIg.3), a window (132, Fig.3) in the inner frame, an outer frame (106, FIg.3) outboard of the inner frame and the window and a grille (104, FIg.9, grille means “a grating forming a barrier or a screen” Merriam-webster; and member 104 forms a grating/lattice, FIg.9, forming a barrier or screen for the door assembly) forms mounted to the outer frame (106, Fig.9), the door assembly (100) configured to be rotatably mounted to a cabinet (12) of the laundry appliance (10), the method comprising: forming a cap (top cap of 148, FIg.12B) on one of the grille or the outer frame (106) by heat stake welding (“heat can be applied by a heating apparatus 154 in order to melt the top of the heat stake posts 148 while applying downward pressure to create a cap”, paragraph 0052), whereby the grille (104) is coupled to the outer frame (106) by the heat stake welded cap (cap of 148, Fig.12B).
With respect to claim 2, further comprising passing a cylindrical boss (148, Fig.10,Fig.11A, Fig.12A, Fig.12B) on the one of the grille or the outer frame (106, FIg.11A) through a passage (hole in 146, Fig.12A) in the other of the grille (104) or the outer frame (Fig.10, Fig.12A) prior to forming the cap on the one of the grille or the outer frame by heat stake welding (Fig.12A, Fig.12B).
With respect to claim 3, wherein forming the cap on the one of the grille or the outer frame (Fig.12B) comprises heating a distal end (via heating apparatus 154) of the cylindrical boss (148), and applying a forming tool (154) to the distal end of the cylindrical boss (148), whereby the distal end of the cylindrical boss (148) is formed into the cap (FIg.12B).
With respect to claim 4, wherein heating the distal end of the cylindrical boss (148) comprises heating the forming tool (154), whereby applying the forming tool (154) to the distal end of the boss (148) also heats the distal end of the boss (Fig.12A, Fig.12B, paragraph 0052).
With respect to claim 5, wherein a proximal portion of the boss (148) remains cylindrical after forming the cap on the distal end of the boss (Fig.12B).
With respect to claim 6, wherein the proximal portion of the boss (148) defines an outer diameter (FIg.12B), the passage (hole in 146, Fig.12A) defines an inner diameter (Fig.12A), and the cap (Fig.12B) defines a major dimension at a shoulder of the boss (148).
With respect to claim 7, wherein the shoulder of the boss (Fig.12B) abuts a distal end of the passage (Fig.12B).
With respect to claim 8, wherein the major dimension of the cap (cap formed on the top of 148, Fig.12B) is greater than the inner diameter of the passage (FIg.12B).
With respect to claims 9 and 10, wherein the grille (104) and the outer frame (106) comprises a plastic material (both can be formed of plastic; paragraphs 0037 and 0038).
With respect to claim 11, Bhandare shows a laundry appliance (10, Fig.1), comprising: a cabinet (12, Fig.1) defining an opening (22, Fig.2); a vessel (drum 16) mounted within the cabinet, the vessel (16) accessible through the opening (22); and a door assembly (100, Fig.2) rotatably mounted to the cabinet at the opening (FIg.2), the door assembly (100) rotatable between a closed position (Fig.1) wherein the vessel is enclosed within the cabinet and an open position (Fig.2) permitting access to the vessel through the opening, the door assembly comprising: an inner frame (130, Fig.3); a window (132, Fig.3) in the inner frame; an outer frame (106) outboard of the inner frame (130) and the window (132); and a grille (104, Fig.9) mounted to the outer frame (106, Fig.9), wherein the grille (104) is coupled to the outer frame (106) by a heat stake welded cap (cap formed on top of 148, Fig.12B; “heat can be applied by a heating apparatus 154 in order to melt the top of the heat stake posts 148 while applying downward pressure to create a cap”, paragraph 0052) formed on one of the grille or the outer frame (106).
With respect to claim 12, wherein the cap (cap on top of 148, Fig.12B) is formed on a distal end of a boss (148) of the one of the grille and outer frame (106), the boss comprising a cylindrical proximal portion (Fig.12A, Fig.10), the proximal portion of the boss extending through a passage (hole in 146, Fig.10, Fig.12A) in the other of the grille (104) or the outer frame.
With respect to claim 13, wherein the proximal portion of the boss (148) defines an outer diameter, the passage defines an inner diameter (Fig.12A), and the cap (cap of 148, FIg.12B) defines a major dimension at a shoulder of the boss (148, FIg.12B).
With respect to claim 14, wherein the shoulder of the boss (148) abuts a distal end of the passage (Fig.12B).
With respect to claim 15, wherein the major dimension of the cap (cap of 148, FIg.12B) is greater than the inner diameter of the passage (hole in 146, FIg.12B).
With respect to claims 16-20, Bhandare discloses all the limitations as discussed above in claims 11-15.
Conclusion
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/HIWOT E TEFERA/Examiner, Art Unit 3637