DETAILED ACTION
Claim(s) 2-19 and 21 are pending for consideration following applicant’s amendment filed 5/22/2026.
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 § 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 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.
Claim(s) 2, 3, 10, and 11 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Beauseigneur et al. (WO 2016/170247).
Regarding Claim 2, Beauseigneur discloses a sink applied to a system for recovering and reusing graywater (as shown in Figure 1), the sink comprising: a sink body 12 (i.e. the body comprising the sink therein in the same manner as achieved by applicant’s device), comprising a water basin 10 located at an upper part of the sink body 12 (as shown in Figure 1) and a cavity located at a lower part of the sink body 12 (cavity below 10 as shown in Figure 1 to accommodate the plumbing arrangement including the deflection member 4), wherein the water basin 10 comprises a water outlet (water outlet at the lower end of 10 as shown in Figure 1 which feeds the pipe leading to deflection member 4) configured to be connected to a sewer (via evacuation network 11); a sink graywater recovery pipeline (the pipeline connecting the deflection member 4 with the tank 3) configured to be connected to the water outlet (connected to the water outlet via the deflection member 4 and pipe between the water outlet of 10 and the deflection member 4); a washing device (the device including the hand shower 62 with the hose coupling the hand shower 62 with the electric pump 60 provides a washing device as claimed) configured to be connected to the sink graywater recovery pipeline (62 connected to the sink graywater recover pipeline via the tank 3); and a switching device 4 configured to switch between the sewer (as shown in Figure 2) and the sink graywater recovery pipeline (as shown in Figure 3), wherein when the switching device 4 opens the sewer and closes the sink graywater recovery pipeline (as shown in Figure 2), the graywater is led into the sewer and discarded (via 11), wherein when the switching device 4 opens the sink graywater recovery pipeline and closes the sewer (as shown in Figure 3), the graywater is led into the washing device (via tank 3), and wherein the washing device (including the hand shower 62 with the hose coupling 62 with 60 as shown in Figure 1) is configured to be movably retracted in the cavity (at least the hose portion of the washing device is movably retracted in the cavity as the hand shower 62 is pulled from its countertop location shown in Figure 1; i.e. the hand shower 62 is movable as is known in the art and such movement results in movable retraction of the hose portion from and to the cavity).
Regarding Claim 3, Beauseigneur further discloses, wherein the sewer (sewer connected to the outlet of 11) and the sink graywater recovery pipeline (pipeline connected to the inlet of tank 3) are configured to be connected to the water outlet (outlet of basin 10) via a drainage pipeline (drainage pipeline connecting the outlet of 10 with the deflection member 4), wherein the drainage pipeline comprises a first end (upper end of the pipe between 10 and 4) configured to be connected to the water outlet (outlet of 10) and comprises a second end (lower end of the pipe between 10 and 4) configured to be connected to the sewer and the sink graywater recovery pipeline (via the deflection member 4), and wherein the switching device 4 is disposed on the drainage pipeline (as described above).
Regarding Claim 10, Beauseigneur discloses a system for recovering and reusing graywater generated from a sink (as shown in Figure 1), the system comprising: the sink comprising: a sink body 12 (i.e. the body comprising the sink therein in the same manner as achieved by applicant’s device), comprising a water basin 10 located at an upper part of the sink body 12 (as shown in Figure 1) and a cavity disposed at a lower part of the sink body 12 (cavity below 10 as shown in Figure 1 to accommodate the plumbing arrangement including the deflection member 4), wherein the water basin 10 comprises a water outlet (water outlet at the lower end of 10 as shown in Figure 1 which feeds the pipe leading to deflection member 4) configured to be connected to a sewer (via evacuation network 11); a sink graywater recovery pipeline (the pipeline connecting the deflection member 4 with the tank 3) configured to be connected to the water outlet (connected to the water outlet via the deflection member 4 and pipe between the water outlet of 10 and the deflection member 4); a washing device (the device including the hand shower 62 with the hose coupling the hand shower 62 with the electric pump 60 provides a washing device as claimed) configured to be connected to the sink graywater recovery pipeline (62 connected to the sink graywater recover pipeline via the tank 3); and a switching device 4 configured to switch between the sewer (as shown in Figure 2) and the sink graywater recovery pipeline (as shown in Figure 3); and a controller (including actuator 5 having foot pedal 50 to control recovery of graywater and/or the valve on device 62 to control reuse of the graywater) configured to control recovery and reuse of the graywater collected from the sink, wherein when the switching device 4 opens the sewer and closes the sink graywater recovery pipeline (as shown in Figure 2), the graywater is led into the sewer and discarded (via 11), wherein when the switching device 4 opens the sink graywater recovery pipeline and closes the sewer (as shown in Figure 3), the graywater is led into the washing device (via tank 3), and wherein the washing device (including the hand shower 62 with the hose coupling 62 with 60 as shown in Figure 1) is configured to be movably retracted in the cavity (at least the hose portion of the washing device is movably retracted in the cavity as the hand shower 62 is pulled from its countertop location shown in Figure 1; i.e. the hand shower 62 is movable as is known in the art and such movement results in movable retraction of the hose portion from and to the cavity).
Regarding Claim 11, Beauseigneur further discloses, wherein the sewer (sewer connected to the outlet of 11) and the sink graywater recovery pipeline (pipeline connected to the inlet of tank 3) are configured to be connected to the water outlet (outlet of basin 10) via a drainage pipeline (drainage pipeline connecting the outlet of 10 with the deflection member 4), wherein the drainage pipeline comprises a first end (upper end of the pipe between 10 and 4) configured to be connected to the water outlet (outlet of 10) and comprises a second end (lower end of the pipe between 10 and 4) configured to be connected to the sewer and the sink graywater recovery pipeline (via the deflection member 4), and wherein the switching device 4 is disposed on the drainage pipeline (as described above).
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 4-9 and 12-17 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.
Claims 18, 19, and 21 are allowed.
Response to Arguments
Applicant's arguments filed 5/22/2026 with respect to claims 2 and 10 have been fully considered but they are not persuasive. Specifically, applicant argues that Beauseigneur fails to teach the new limitations of “wherein the washing device is configured to be movably retracted in the cavity”. These arguments are not persuasive because the washing device of Beauseigneur is seen to include both the hand shower 62 and the hose that couples the hand shower 62 with the pump 60. Therefore, at least a portion of the washing device (the hose described above) is configured to be movably retracted in the cavity when the hand shower is moved away from and back toward the countertop.
Conclusion
Applicant's amendment necessitated the new ground(s) of rejection presented in this Office action. Accordingly, THIS ACTION IS MADE FINAL. See MPEP § 706.07(a). 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 KEVIN MURPHY whose telephone number is (571)270-5243. The examiner can normally be reached Monday - Friday 8am-4pm.
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If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Craig Schneider can be reached on (571) 272-3607. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/KEVIN F MURPHY/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3753
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