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 .
Response to Amendment
Applicant’s amendment and corresponding arguments, filed 11/6/2025, have been reviewed and considered. Claims 1, 13 and 14 have been amended and claim 6 has been canceled. Therefore, claims 1-5 and 7-15 are currently pending. Applicant’s amendment to the independent claims is considered sufficient in overcoming both the 35 U.S.C. 112(b) rejections and the prior art rejection(s) of the previous Office Action. This Office Action is a Final Rejection. Note that the finality of this Office Action is based on applicant’s submission of the IDS (which includes WO 2013/164275 A), dated 11/6/2025; however, the finality of this Office Action can also be based solely on the applicant’s amendments because the limitations (from previous claim 6) added to independent claim 1 fail to include the limitations of both claims 4 and 5 as well.
Priority
Acknowledgment is made of applicant's claim for foreign priority based on an application filed in China on 6/21/2024. It is noted, however, that applicant has not filed a certified copy of the CN202410806055.5 application as required by 37 CFR 1.55.
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.
Claim(s) 1-5, 7-8 and 11-12 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by HOLM (WO 2013/164275 A1).
Regarding claim 1, HOLM discloses a steam ironing head (2), comprising an ironing surface (10) with steam release holes (16), a blowing device (18) and a flow guiding surface (30), wherein the blowing device (18) is connected with a blowing port (20), and the orientation of the blowing port deviates from the normal direction of the ironing surface (10), causing the airflow blown out from the blowing port (20) when the ironing surface (10) is close to clothing to push the clothing toward the flow guiding surface, and maintaining an airflow channel between the clothing and the flow guiding surface (Figures 1b-3a); wherein a confluence area (note detailed view as shown in figure 2) is formed at an outlet of the blowing port (20) between the flow guiding surface (30) and the tangential direction (note that tangent can be along outer flange section of 10) of the ironing surface (10), and the confluence area gradually decreases as it extends away from the blowing port (Figures 2, 4 and 5).
Regarding claim 2, HOLM discloses wherein an angle (a) ranging from -30° to 30° is maintained between the orientation of the blowing port (20) and the tangential direction of the ironing surface (10) (Figures 2, 4 and 5).
Regarding claim 3, HOLM discloses wherein the blowing port (20) is located at a rear side of an edge of the ironing surface (10) (Figures 2, 4 and 5).
Regarding claim 4, HOLM discloses wherein the flow guiding surface (30) is a curved surface and protrudes forward (Figures 2, 4 and 5).
Regarding claim 5, HOLM discloses wherein the flow guiding surface (30) extends from a rear edge of the blowing port (20) in a direction away from an air outlet (Figures 2, 4 and 5).
Regarding claim 7, HOLM discloses wherein the guiding surface (30) is entirely located at a rear side of the tangential direction of the ironing surface (10) (Figures 2 and 5).
Regarding claim 8, HOLM discloses wherein the blowing port (20) and the flow guiding surface (30) are located at a lower side of the ironing surface (10) (Figures 2-3a and 4-5).
Regarding claim 11, HOLM discloses the ironing surface (10) being arranged on a head housing (2; Fig. 1b), and the blowing device (18) is located in the head housing, (2; Fig. 1b) and a blowing channel (22) connecting the blowing port (20) with the blowing device (18) is arranged inside the head housing (2) (Figures 1b and 2).
Regarding claim 12, HOLM discloses the widths of the blowing port (20), the flow guiding surface (30) and the ironing surface (10) tend to be consistent (Figures 2 and 3a).
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.
Claim(s) 10 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over HOLM (WO 2013/164275 A1).
Regarding claim 10, HOLM discloses a steam ironing head including a blowing device as discussed above. However, HOLM fails to disclose the blowing device being operated using power from a power cord or from a storage battery. It is old and known in the art for power to be provided to a blowing device from one of a power cord or storage battery in order for the blowing device to function properly and blow air as intended. Accordingly, it would have been obvious to a person with ordinary skill in the art at the time the invention was made to have provided the blowing device of HOLM to be operated using power from a power cord or from a storage battery because such is considered old and known in the art in order for the blowing device to function properly and blow air as intended.
Claim(s) 9 and 13-14 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over HOLM (WO 2013/164275 A1) in view of JAVIT (US 2020/0071874 A1).
Regarding claim 9, HOLM discloses a steam ironing head as discussed above. However, HOLM fails to disclose air inlets. JAVIT discloses a steam ironing head (4) comprising air inlets (23) located at a rear of the steam ironing head (4) in order to provide a steady supply of air to a blowing device (25) (Figures 2 and 6). Accordingly, it would have been obvious to a person with ordinary skill in the art to have provided the steam ironing head of HOLM with air inlets at a rear side thereof, in light of the teachings of JAVIT, in order to provide a steady supply of air to a blowing device.
Regarding claims 13-14, HOLM discloses a steam ironing head as discussed above. HOLM further discloses the steam ironing head (2) being a component of a hand-held ironing machine (garment steamer) including a steam generator (4; 8) (Fig. 1b). However, HOLM fails to disclose the hand-held garment ironing/steaming machine comprising a water tank, a water pump and a steam generator as claimed. JAVIT discloses a hand-held garment ironing/steaming machine (2) comprising a steam ironing head (4) that outputs both air and steam (Figures 1-8). JAVIT discloses the hand-held garment ironing/steaming machine (2) comprising a main body (3) equipped with a water tank (6), a water pump (7) and a steam generator (5) wherein the water pump (7) is used for conveying water stored in the water tank (6) to the steam generator (5), and the steam generator (5) is used for vaporizing the conveyed water into steam (Fig. 1) (para. 0081). JAVIT further discloses the steam ironing head (4) connected with the steam generator (5) through a steam pipe (16) wherein the steam generated by the steam generator is conveyed to the steam ironing head (4) through the steam pipe (16) and then released from steam release holes (18) (Figures 1, 3 and 6). Accordingly, it would have been obvious to a person with ordinary skill in the art at the time the invention was made to have provided the hand-held garment ironing/steaming machine of HOLM with a water tank, a water pump, a steam generator and a steam pipe as claimed, in light of the teachings of JAVIT, in order to efficiently produce steam from a widely available source (i.e. water).
Claim(s) 15 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over HOLM (WO 2013/164275 A1) in view of JAVIT (US 2020/0071874 A1) and in further view of KUAN et al. (US 2017/0321371 A1).
HOLM in view of JAVIT discloses a hand-held garment ironing/steaming machine as discussed above. However, HOLM in view of JAVIT fails to disclose a support rod extending upward from the main body for hanging clothing and/or supporting an ironing board. KUAN discloses a hand-held garment ironing/steaming machine (1) comprising a support rod (19) extending upward from the main body (2) for hanging clothing (from 16) and/or supporting an ironing board (14) in order for the hand-held garment ironing/steaming machine in order to be able to hold clothing to accomplish a steaming operation thereon (Figures 1-2 and 6). Accordingly, it would have been obvious to a person with ordinary skill in the art at the time the invention was made to have provided the main body of HOLM in view of JAVIT with a support rod extending upward therefrom as claimed, in light of the teachings of KUAN, in order to be able to hold clothing to accomplish a steaming operation thereon.
Conclusion
Applicant's submission of an information disclosure statement under 37 CFR 1.97(c) with the timing fee set forth in 37 CFR 1.17(p) on 11/6/2025 prompted the new ground(s) of rejection presented in this Office action. Accordingly, THIS ACTION IS MADE FINAL. See MPEP § 609.04(b). Applicant is reminded of the extension of time policy as set forth in 37 CFR 1.136(a).
A shortened statutory period for reply to this final action is set to expire THREE MONTHS from the mailing date of this action. In the event a first reply is filed within TWO MONTHS of the mailing date of this final action and the advisory action is not mailed until after the end of the THREE-MONTH shortened statutory period, then the shortened statutory period will expire on the date the advisory action is mailed, and any nonprovisional extension fee (37 CFR 1.17(a)) pursuant to 37 CFR 1.136(a) will be calculated from the mailing date of the advisory action. In no event, however, will the statutory period for reply expire later than SIX MONTHS from the mailing date of this final action.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to NATHAN E DURHAM whose telephone number is (571)272-8642. The examiner can normally be reached 8:00 am - 4:00 pm, Monday - Friday.
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NED
/NATHAN E DURHAM/ Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3732