DETAILED ACTION
This non-final rejection supersedes the previous one mailed on 1/9/2026.
The communication dated 8/1/2024 has been entered and fully considered.
Claims 1-15 are currently pending.
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 .
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.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 102
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 and 10 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Hatanaka et al. JP 2014100600 A (henceforth referred to as Hatanaka). Citations to Hatanaka, however, will be made to the English machine translation NPL document.
As for claim 1, Hatanaka teaches a laundry treating apparatus (Figs. 1-2) comprising: a first cabinet (Figs. 1-2); a first drum (Fig. 1) rotatably provided in the first cabinet, the first drum being configured to receive laundry; an output part (Fig. 3) provided at the first cabinet, the output part being configured to output a screen; and an input part (Fig. 3) provided at the first cabinet, the input part being configured to receive a user command for selection of an object to be displayed on the screen, wherein the output part outputs an option display screen (Fig. 4: part 34) configured to display a first option or a second option for a laundry treatment course, wherein an option switch item is displayed on the option display screen so as to be selectable through the input part, and wherein, when the option switch item is selected during display of the first option, the second option is displayed in place of the first option on the option display screen (paragraphs [0025]-[0063] and [0084]).
As for claim 10, Hatanaka further teaches that the option display screen comprises an option display area (Figs. 7a and 8a-b) configured to display the first option (Fig. 7a: part 56a; wash touch button with its associated treatment course selections) or the second option (Fig. 7a: parts 56b-56c; dry mode and their respective treatment course selections) and a course item representing the treatment course (paragraphs [0079] and [0084]; the course treatment buttons functionality varies with modes).
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 2-9 and 11-15 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:
As for claims 2, 4-6, 9, 11-12, and 14, Hatanaka et al. JP 2014100600 A, the closest prior art, differs from the instant claims in failing to teach the limitations additionally required by the dependent claim including all the limitations of the base claim and any intervening claims. Furthermore, it would not have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify the laundry treating apparatus taught by Hatanaka as claimed.
Claims 3, 7-8, 13, and 15 would be allowable as they are dependent upon an allowable claim above.
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to LEVON J SHAHINIAN whose telephone number is (571)270-1384. The examiner can normally be reached M-F: 9:30am-6:00pm.
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/LEVON J SHAHINIAN/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 1711