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 .
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 103
The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 103 which forms the basis for all obviousness rejections set forth in this Office action:
A patent for a claimed invention may not be obtained, notwithstanding that the claimed invention is not identically disclosed as set forth in section 102, if the differences between the claimed invention and the prior art are such that the claimed invention as a whole would have been obvious before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to a person having ordinary skill in the art to which the claimed invention pertains. Patentability shall not be negated by the manner in which the invention was made.
The factual inquiries for establishing a background for determining obviousness under 35 U.S.C. 103 are summarized as follows:
1. Determining the scope and contents of the prior art.
2. Ascertaining the differences between the prior art and the claims at issue.
3. Resolving the level of ordinary skill in the pertinent art.
4. Considering objective evidence present in the application indicating obviousness or nonobviousness.
Claim(s) 1-20 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Xu (US 2016/0327048 cited in IDS), and in further view of He (CN 208203594 machine translation cited in IDS).
Regarding claim 1, Xu figures 1-4 teach a dishwashing appliance defining a vertical direction, a lateral direction, and a transverse direction, the dishwasher appliance comprising:
a tub (104) defining a wash chamber (106);
a door (120) mounted to the tub to provide selective access to the wash chamber;
a rack (130, 132 rack assembly) mounted within the wash chamber and configured for receipt of articles for cleaning;
a spray assembly (144 lower spray assembly, 148 mid-level spray assembly);
a supply conduit (152 fluid circulation assembly, 154 circulation conduit) fluidly coupled to the spray assembly;
a pump assembly (200) fluidly coupled to the supply conduit, the pump assembly comprising:
a housing (210 pump housing) supporting an impeller (202) for rotation within the housing;
a motor (204) coupled to the impeller to impart rotation to the impeller; and
a cover (212 impeller portion) affixed to the housing (210), the cover comprising a first panel (215 wall segment), a second panel (213 wall segment), and a beam (217 wall segment) extending between the first panel and the second panel, the cover defined between an inner surface and an outer surface, the first panel and the second panel spaced apart by one or more openings (220 outlet) formed through the inner surface and the outer surface of the cover.[0020-37]
Xu is silent to the second panel of the cover positioned within the first panel.
He is directed towards a dishwasher pump assembly wherein figure 10 teaches a pump cover (8 housing) having a second panel positioned between within the first panel as shown below.[page 4]
[AltContent: textbox ()][AltContent: arrow][AltContent: textbox (Protrusions)][AltContent: arrow][AltContent: textbox (Third panel)][AltContent: arrow][AltContent: arrow][AltContent: textbox (rib)]
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the present invention to provide a second panel positioned within the first panel as taught in He as He suggests such construction is well-known in the art for manufacturing dishwasher pumps.
Regarding claim 2, Xu figure 2 teaches an outlet (220) creating a separation in wall segment (217) thereby suggesting the beam extending between the first panel and the second panel is one of a plurality of beams extending between the first panel and the second panel.
Regarding claim 3, Xu figure 2 suggests the plurality of beams extend in the lateral direction and/or the transverse direction.
Regarding claim 4, Xu figure 2 teaches the beams (217 wall segment) extend from wall segments (215, 213) thereby suggesting the plurality of beams extend in the vertical direction.
Regarding claim 5, He figures 3 and 10 suggests a third panel positioned within the first panel, the first panel and the third panel spaced apart by the one or more openings formed through the cover.
Regarding claim 6, He figure 10 teaches the second panel includes one or more protrusions (shown in figure above) extending from the outer surface of the cover.
Regarding claim 7, He figure 10 suggests the one or more protrusions comprise tabs extending from the second panel. However, He is silent to the one or more protrusions comprise cylindrical tabs extending from the second panel.
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the present invention to provide cylindrical tabs as a change in shape is obvious absent persuasive evidence that the particular shape is significant.(MPEP 2144.04)
Regarding claim 8, modified He figure 10 suggests the cylindrical tabs extending from the second panel are positioned equidistantly apart on the outer surface of the second panel of the cover.
Regarding claim 9, figure He figure 10 (reproduced above) suggests the one or more protrusions comprises a plurality of elongated ribs extending from the second panel.
Regarding claim 10, He figure 10 (reproduced above) suggests the plurality of elongated ribs extending from the second panel are positioned parallel and equidistantly apart on the outer surface of the second panel of the cover.
Regarding claim 11, Xu figures 3-4 teach an appliance pump assembly (200), comprising:
a housing (210 pump housing) supporting an impeller (202) for rotation within the housing;
a motor (204) coupled to the impeller to impart rotation to the impeller; and
a cover (212 impeller portion) affixed to the housing (210), the cover comprising a first panel (215 wall segment), a second panel (213 wall segment), and a beam (217 wall segment) extending between the first panel and the second panel, the cover defined between an inner surface and an outer surface, the first panel and the second panel spaced apart by one or more openings (220 outlet) formed through the inner surface and the outer surface of the cover.[0020-37]
Xu is silent to the second panel of the cover positioned within the first panel.
He is directed towards a dishwasher pump assembly wherein figure 10 teaches a pump cover (8 housing) having a second panel positioned between within the first panel as shown above.[page 4]
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the present invention to provide a second panel positioned within the first panel as taught in He as He suggests such construction is well-known in the art for manufacturing dishwasher pumps.
Regarding claim 12, Xu figure 2 teaches the appliance pump assembly defines a vertical direction, a lateral direction, and a transverse direction. Xu figure 2 further teaches an outlet (220) creating a separation in wall segment (217) thereby suggesting the beam extending between the first panel and the second panel is one of a plurality of beams extending between the first panel and the second panel.
Regarding claim 13, Xu figure 2 suggests the plurality of beams extend in the lateral direction and/or the transverse direction.
Regarding claim 14, Xu figure 2 teaches the beams (217 wall segment) extend from wall segments (215, 213) thereby suggesting the plurality of beams extend in the vertical direction.
Regarding claim 15, He figures 3 and 10 suggests a third panel positioned within the first panel, the first panel and the third panel spaced apart by the one or more openings formed through the cover.
Regarding claim 16, He figure 10 teaches the second panel includes one or more protrusions (shown in figure above) extending from the outer surface of the cover.
Regarding claim 17, He figure 10 suggests the one or more protrusions comprise tabs extending from the second panel. However, He is silent to the one or more protrusions comprise cylindrical tabs extending from the second panel.
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the present invention to provide cylindrical tabs as a change in shape is obvious absent persuasive evidence that the particular shape is significant.(MPEP 2144.04)
Regarding claim 18, modified He figure 10 suggests the cylindrical tabs extending from the second panel are positioned equidistantly apart on the outer surface of the second panel of the cover.
Regarding claim 19, figure He figure 10 (reproduced above) suggests the one or more protrusions comprises a plurality of elongated ribs extending from the second panel.
Regarding claim 20, He figure 10 (reproduced above) suggests the plurality of elongated ribs extending from the second panel are positioned parallel and equidistantly apart on the outer surface of the second panel of the cover.
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to CRISTI J TATE-SIMS whose telephone number is (571)272-1722. The examiner can normally be reached M-F 9am-6pm.
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CRISTI J. TATE-SIMS
Primary Examiner
Art Unit 1711
/CRISTI J TATE-SIMS/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 1711