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 .
This is the First Office action on the Merits from the examiner in charge of this application.
Claim Objections
Claim 4 is objected to because of the following informalities: line 2, “wherein the first one of the insulating layer” should be “wherein the first one of the insulating layers”. Appropriate correction is required.
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.
Claim(s) 1-3, 7-9, 12, and 18-20 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by USP 10670329 to Kang et al (hereinafter Kang).
Kang discloses (Claim 1). A refrigerator 1 comprising: a cabinet 10 that forms a storage space; and a door 20 configured to open and close the storage space such that (such as shown in Fig. 2) a rear of the door 20 faces the storage space and a front of the door faces away from the storage space when the door is closed relative to the storage space, and a first direction is from the front of the door toward the rear of the door, wherein the door 20 includes (such as shown in Fig. 7): a door liner 56 disposed at the rear of the door 20 and having a liner opening 561, and the door liner 56 includes a mounting groove (not numbered) recessed into a rear of the door liner 56; a gasket 503 disposed at the mounting groove of the door liner 56; a panel assembly 60 disposed at the front of the door 20 to cover the liner opening 561; and an insulating material 531 (such as shown in Fig. 24) disposed between the front of the door and a rear of the door liner 56, wherein the panel assembly 60 includes a plurality of transparent panels 61,64,69,65 spaced apart in the first direction, and the panel assembly 60 includes a plurality of insulating layers, and wherein an end of a first one (Fig. 24: defined as between panels 61 and 64) of the plurality of insulating layers extends further toward an outer end of the door as compared to an end of other ones (defined as between panels 64 and 69) of the plurality of insulating layers (such as shown in Fig. 12); (Claim 2). The refrigerator of claim 1, wherein an end of a second one of the plurality of insulating layers is closer to a center of the panel assembly as compared to the mounting groove; (Claim 3). The refrigerator of claim 2, wherein a peripheral end of each of the plurality of insulating layers forms a stepped structure (such as shown in Fig. 12); (Claim 7). The refrigerator of claim 1, wherein the plurality of transparent panels includes: a first panel 61 that forms a front surface of the door; a second panel 64 spaced apart from the first panel 61 in the first direction; and a third panel 69,65 spaced apart from the second panel 64 in the first direction such that the second panel 64 is between the first panel 61 and the third panel 69,65, and the third panel covering the liner opening of the door liner 561; (Claim 8). The refrigerator of claim 7, wherein the panel assembly further includes: a first spacer 63 disposed between the first panel 61 and the second panel 64; and a second spacer 66 disposed between the second panel 64 and the third panel 69, and wherein the first spacer 63 is disposed further away from a center of the panel assembly than the second spacer 66 (such as shown in Fig. 12); (Claim 9). The refrigerator of claim 7, wherein an end of the second panel 64 is closer to an end of the door than an end of the third panel 69, and the end of the third panel 69 is closer to a center of the panel assembly than the end of the second panel 64 (Fig. 27); (Claim 12). The refrigerator of claim 7, wherein an end of the mounting groove is recessed forward to a space between the second panel and the third panel (such as shown in Fig. 25); (Claim 18). The refrigerator of claim 1, wherein the door includes: a main door 40 configured to open and close the storage space, and the main door 40 having an opening; and a sub door 50 provided in front of the main door 40 and configured to open and close relative to the opening of the main door 40, and wherein the panel assembly 60 is disposed at the sub door 50; (Claim 19). The refrigerator of claim 18, wherein when the sub door 50 is closed relative to the storage space, the gasket 53 is to contact the main door; (Claim 20). A refrigerator 1 comprising: a cabinet 10 that forms a storage space; a first door 40 to open and close relative to the storage space, the first door 40 having an opening; and a second door 50 configured to open and close relative to the opening of the first door 40 such that a rear of the second door 50 faces the first door 50 when the first and second doors are closed relative to the storage space and a front of the second door faces away from the first door 40 when the first and second doors are closed relative to the storage space, and a first direction is from the front of the second door toward the rear of the second door, wherein the second door 50 includes: a door liner 56 having a liner opening 561, and the door liner 56 includes a mounting groove (not numbered) recessed into a rear of the door liner 56; a panel assembly 60 disposed at the front of the second door 50, wherein the panel assembly 60 includes: a plurality of transparent panels 61,64,69,65 spaced apart in the first direction, a first insulating layer disposed between a first one 61 of the transparent panels and a second one 64 of the transparent panels, and a second insulation layer disposed between the second one 64 of the transparent panels and a third one 69 of the transparent panels, wherein one of the first and second insulating layers extends further outward from a center of the panel assembly than the other one of the first and second insulating layers (such as shown in Figs. 12-13 & 24).
Claim(s) 1-3, 5-7, and 13 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by JP 2005-331221 to Miyamoto et al (hereinafter Miyamoto).
Miyamoto discloses (Claim 1). A refrigerator 1 comprising: a cabinet 10 that forms a storage space; and a door 21 configured to open and close the storage space such that a rear of the door 21 faces the storage space and a front of the door faces away from the storage space when the door 21 is closed relative to the storage space, and a first direction is from the front of the door 21 toward the rear of the door 21, wherein the door 21 includes (such as shown in Figs. 5-6): a door liner (not numbered) disposed at the rear of the door 21 and having a liner opening, and the door liner includes a mounting groove recessed into a rear of the door liner; a gasket disposed at the mounting groove of the door liner; a panel assembly disposed at the front of the door to cover the liner opening; and an insulating material 27 disposed between the front of the door and a rear of the door liner, wherein the panel assembly includes a plurality of transparent panels 100, 90c, 90b, 90a spaced apart in the first direction, and the panel assembly includes a plurality of insulating layers 94,92,91, and wherein an end of a first one 92 of the plurality of insulating layers extends further toward an outer end of the door as compared to an end of other ones 94 of the plurality of insulating layers; (Claim 2). The refrigerator of claim 1, wherein an end of a second one 94 of the plurality of insulating layers is closer to a center of the panel assembly as compared to the mounting groove; (Claim 3). The refrigerator of claim 2, wherein a peripheral end of each of the plurality of insulating layers forms a stepped structure; (Claim 5). The refrigerator of claim 1, wherein one of the plurality of insulating layers is a vacuum insulating layer 91, wherein another one of the plurality of insulating layers is an insulating layer to be injected with insulating gas 92, and wherein a thickness of the vacuum insulating layer 91 in the first direction is less than a thickness of other ones of the insulating layers 92 in the first direction; (Claim 6). The refrigerator of claim 5, wherein the vacuum insulating layer 91 extends further outward (defined as “outward” toward the front) than the mounting groove; (Claim 7). The refrigerator of claim 1, wherein the plurality of transparent panels includes: a first panel 100,90c that forms a front surface of the door; a second panel 90b spaced apart from the first panel in the first direction; and a third panel 90a spaced apart from the second panel 90b in the first direction such that the second panel 90b is between the first panel and the third panel 90a, and the third panel 90a covering the liner opening of the door liner; (Claim 13). The refrigerator of claim 7, wherein the plurality of insulating layers includes: a first insulating layer 94,92 disposed between the first panel and the second panel 90b, and a second insulating layer 91 disposed between the second panel 90b and the third panel 90a, wherein one of the first and second insulating layers is a vacuum insulating layer 91, and the other one of the first and second insulating layers is a thicker insulating layer than the vacuum insulating layer.
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 4, 10-11, and 14-17 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
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure, and all show structures similar to various elements of applicant’s disclosure.
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HVT
December 18, 2025
/HANH V TRAN/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3637