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 .
DETAILED ACTION
Drawings
The drawings are objected to under 37 CFR 1.83(a). The drawings must show every feature of the invention specified in the claims. Therefore, the following must be shown or the feature(s) canceled from the claim(s):
“wherein the auxiliary brush is plural in number...and the plurality of the auxiliary brushes are arranged side by side or the auxiliary brushes are arranged in a staggered way” from Claim 16;
“wherein the cleaning nozzle is plural in number, and the plurality of the cleaning nozzles are sequentially arranged at intervals along an axial direction of the roller brush” from Claim 19; and
“a ball joint” and “an elastic restoring member” from Claim 20.
No new matter should be entered.
Corrected drawing sheets in compliance with 37 CFR 1.121(d) are required in reply to the Office action to avoid abandonment of the application. Any amended replacement drawing sheet should include all of the figures appearing on the immediate prior version of the sheet, even if only one figure is being amended. The figure or figure number of an amended drawing should not be labeled as “amended.” If a drawing figure is to be canceled, the appropriate figure must be removed from the replacement sheet, and where necessary, the remaining figures must be renumbered and appropriate changes made to the brief description of the several views of the drawings for consistency. Additional replacement sheets may be necessary to show the renumbering of the remaining figures. Each drawing sheet submitted after the filing date of an application must be labeled in the top margin as either “Replacement Sheet” or “New Sheet” pursuant to 37 CFR 1.121(d). If the changes are not accepted by the examiner, the applicant will be notified and informed of any required corrective action in the next Office action. The objection to the drawings will not be held in abeyance.
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.
(a)(2) the claimed invention was described in a patent issued under section 151, or in an application for patent published or deemed published under section 122(b), in which the patent or application, as the case may be, names another inventor and was effectively filed before the effective filing date of the claimed invention.
Claim(s) 1-4 and 8-16 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by CN 113171032 (CN 032).
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Regarding Claim 1: CN 032 discloses a pool cleaning robot with a roller brush cleaning structure, comprising: a cleaning body (See Annotated Fig. A), the cleaning body being configured to clean contaminants in a pool; a roller brush (See Annotated Fig. A), the roller brush being rotatably arranged on the cleaning body and being configured to clean contaminants on a surface of the pool; and a roller brush cleaning structure (See Annotated Fig. A), the roller brush cleaning structure being arranged on the cleaning body (See Annotated Fig. A), and being in contact with at least part of the roller brush (See page 8, lines 32-35 of translation), to remove contaminants adhering to the roller brush.
Regarding Claim 2: CN 032 discloses a pool cleaning robot with a roller brush cleaning structure according to claim 1, wherein the roller brush cleaning structure (See Annotated Fig. A) extends along a radial direction (See Annotated Fig. A) of the roller brush.
Regarding Claims 3 and 4: CN 032 discloses a pool cleaning robot with a roller brush cleaning structure, wherein the roller brush (See Annotated Fig. B) comprises: a roller brush shaft (See Annotated Fig. B – Note that the shaft is implicitly disclose because the roller brush is rotatably mounted to the device), the roller brush shaft being arranged on the cleaning body (See Annotated Fig. A); a mounting cylinder (See Annotated Fig. B), the mounting cylinder being arranged on the roller brush shaft; and a cleaning blade assembly (See Annotated Fig. B), the cleaning blade assembly being detachably arranged on an outer periphery of the mounting cylinder, and at least part of the cleaning blade assembly being in contact with the roller brush cleaning structure (See Annotated Fig. A – See also See page 8, lines 32-35 of translation discussing that both rollers can be in contact with the roller brush cleaning structure) when the mounting cylinder (See Annotated Fig. B) and the cleaning blade assembly (See Annotated Fig. B) rotate in cooperation with the roller brush shaft.
Regarding Claims 8 and 9: CN 032 discloses a pool cleaning robot with a roller brush cleaning structure according to claim 1, wherein the roller brush cleaning structure comprises: a mounting plate (See Annotated Fig. A), the mounting plate being detachably connected to the cleaning body; and at least one cleaning tooth (See Annotated Fig. A), the cleaning tooth being fixed on the mounting plate, and the cleaning tooth (See Annotated Fig. A) protruding toward the roller brush (See Annotated Fig. A).
Regarding Claims 10 and 11: CN 032 discloses a pool cleaning robot with a roller brush cleaning structure according to claim 8, wherein the cleaning tooth (See Annotated Fig. A) is plural in number, and the cleaning teeth (See Annotated Fig. A) are sequentially arranged at intervals along an axial direction of the roller brush.
Regarding Claims 12 and 13: CN 032 discloses a pool cleaning robot with a roller brush cleaning structure according to claim 1, wherein the roller brush cleaning structure comprises an auxiliary brush (See Annotated Fig. A) rotatably arranged on the cleaning body (See Annotated Fig. A), and at least part of the auxiliary brush is in contact with the roller brush (See Annotated Fig. A) during rotation of the roller brush.
Regarding Claims 14 and 15: CN 032 discloses a pool cleaning robot with a roller brush cleaning structure according to claim 12, wherein the auxiliary brush (See Annotated Fig. A) is one in number, a length direction of the auxiliary brush is parallel to an axial direction of the roller brush (See Annotated Fig. A), and a length of the auxiliary brush is less than or equal to an axial length of the roller brush (See Annotated Fig. A).
Regarding Claim 16: CN 032 discloses a pool cleaning robot with a roller brush cleaning structure according to claim 12, wherein the auxiliary brush (See Annotated Fig. A) is plural in number (See Annotated Fig. A), a length direction of at least one of the auxiliary brushes is parallel to an axial direction of the roller brush (See Annotated Fig. A), and the plurality of the auxiliary brushes (See Annotated Fig. A) are arranged side by side or the plurality of the auxiliary brushes (See Annotated Fig. A) are arranged in a staggered way.
Claim(s) 1, 2 and 17-19 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by CN 112220410 (CN 410).
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Regarding Claim 1: CN 410 discloses a pool cleaning robot with a roller brush cleaning structure, comprising: a cleaning body (See Annotated Fig. C), the cleaning body being configured to clean contaminants in a pool; a roller brush (See Annotated Fig. C), the roller brush being rotatably arranged on the cleaning body and being configured to clean contaminants on a surface of the pool; and a roller brush cleaning structure (See Annotated Fig. C), the roller brush cleaning structure being arranged on the cleaning body (See Annotated Fig. C), and being in contact with at least part of the roller brush (See Annotated Fig. C), to remove contaminants adhering to the roller brush.
Regarding Claim 2: CN 410 discloses a pool cleaning robot with a roller brush cleaning structure according to claim 1, wherein the roller brush cleaning structure (See Annotated Fig. C) extends along a radial direction (See Annotated Fig. C) of the roller brush.
Regarding Claims 17 and 18: CN 410 discloses a pool cleaning robot with a roller brush cleaning structure according to claim 1, wherein the roller brush cleaning structure (See Annotated Fig. C) comprises a cleaning nozzle (See Annotated Fig. C), the cleaning nozzle is arranged on the cleaning body (See Annotated Fig. C), and a water outlet (See Annotated Fig. C) of the cleaning nozzle is configured to face the roller brush (See Annotated Fig. C), to spray water on the roller brush.
Regarding Claim 19: CN 410 discloses a cleaning robot with a roller brush cleaning structure according to claim 17, wherein the cleaning nozzle (See Annotated Fig. C) is plural in number (See Annotated Fig. C), and the plurality of the cleaning nozzles are sequentially arranged at intervals along an axial direction of the roller brush (See Annotated Fig. C).
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 5-7 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.
Reasons for Allowable Subject Matter
None of the cited prior art, considered alone or in combination, discloses or teaches:
the cleaning blade assembly comprising a flexible bearing member that is arranged around the outer periphery of the mounting cylinder (22); and at least one cleaning blade set fixedly arranged on the flexible bearing member, and being configured to extend along a radial direction of the mounting cylinder when the flexible bearing member is arranged around the outer periphery of the mounting cylinder, of Claim 5; or
the ball joint of Claim 20.
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure. In addition to the references used in this rejection and those cited in the PTO-892, the following references are very relevant to the claimed invention: US 11647881.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to ERET C MCNICHOLS whose telephone number is (571)270-7363. The examiner can normally be reached Monday - Friday: 9:00 - 5:00 (Eastern).
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If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Terrell McKinnon can be reached at 571-272-4797. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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ERET C. MCNICHOLS
Primary Examiner
Art Unit 3632
/ERET C MCNICHOLS/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3632
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