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 § 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.
Claim 6 is 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.
Claim 6 recites the limitation "said delivering fluid line" in line 1. There is insufficient antecedent basis for this limitation in the claim. For examination purposes it has been assumed that the limitation refers to the conduit of claim 1.
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 1-10 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Sargeant et al. (US5755244A).
Regarding claims 1-4, 7-10, A storage system for use in a habitat (see abstract, column 1, lines 9-18, see household cabinet), which includes: at least one compartment 4 housing one or more kitchen item cubbies 2 capable of retaining a kitchen item (reads on claim 7) such as a utensil, dish, cup, glass, vegetable and meat (reads on claim 8) (see abstract, figures 1-4, column 8, lines 26-59), the cubbies 2 being individually and separately sprayed with fluid (see column 8, lines 26-59, column 12, line 61 – column 13, line 7, figures 1-5, 12, 25), and are connected to at least one conduit 75/40/35/80 operably disposed in the habitat and capable of receiving and conveying fluid to or from said compartment 4 (see column 8, lines 26-59, column 10, lines 9-34, column 11, lines 50-64, column 12, line 61 – column 13, line 7, figures 1-9, 12, 25, 41) (reads on claim 1); said cubby 2 is configured with at least one device 53/76/90/116 capable of controlling the direction of fluid flow as it enters said compartment (see figures 9, 12, 25, 27, 30, column 10, lines 24-34, column 12, line 61-column 13, line 50, column 15, lines 1-11) (reads on claim 2); said cubby 2 is configured with at least one device 35/79 capable of controlling the direction of fluid flow as it exits said cubby 2 (see figures 6-8, column 10, lines 9-23, column 12, line 61-column 13, line 50) (reads on claim 3); said cubby 2 is configured with at least one device 77 capable of controlling the velocity of fluid flow as it enters said compartment (see abstract, figures 12, 25, column 12, line 61-column 13, line 50) (reads on claim 4); a valve 51/48 connected to said conduit 40 for controlling flow therethrough (reads on claim 9); said valve 51/48 may be automatically actuated (see column 4, lines 18-20, column 10, lines 24-34, column 21, lines 43-49, column 22, lines 26-32, column 24, lines 8-14) (reads on claim 10).
Regarding claims 5-6, Sargeant et al. teaches the limitations of claim 1. Sargeant et al. also teaches at least two said conduits 75,40,35,80, wherein one said conduit 40 is capable of delivering fluid and interconnecting to a fluid source 46 and another said conduit 35 is capable of taking said fluid from said cubby 2 to a disposal area (see figures 6-9, column 10, lines 9-34) (reads on claim 5); said conduit 40, 80 is operably connected to a fluid/air temperature altering device 141 capable of altering the temperature of the fluid delivered to the cubby 2 (see column 3, lines 54-60, column 11, lines 40-44, column 15, lines 14-64) (reads on claim 6).
Conclusion
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/TINSAE B AYALEW/EXAMINER, Art Unit 1711