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 Arguments
Applicant’s arguments in view of the amendment filed 08 July 2026, with respect to the rejection(s) of claim(s) 1-3, 5, and 7-8 as being rejected under § 102 in view of Alexander, have been fully considered and are persuasive. Therefore, the rejection has been withdrawn. However, upon further consideration, a new ground(s) of rejection is made as indicated below.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 103
The text of those sections of Title 35, U.S. Code not included in this action can be found in a prior Office action.
Claim(s) 1-8 and 18 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Alexander (previously cited) in view of JP 2016-073330 A to Tsuzuki et al. (“Tsuzuki”; cited by Applicant; machine translation provided by Examiner).
Regarding independent claim 1, Alexander (in Figs. 1, 6-8, and associated text) discloses a laundry washing machine (10) comprising:
a casing (12);
a washing tub located within the casing;
a drum (16) mounted within the washing tub and configured to rotate relative to the casing;
a door (24) attached to the casing and being openable to provide access to the drum;
a receptacle (dispenser 262 and drawer 224) having a volume configured to receive a unit dose package comprising a water soluble pouch containing a dose of cleaning product (see portion receiving unit dose package 263);
a tub supply pipe (64) fluidly connecting the receptacle to the washing tub (see Fig. 1);
one or more protrusions movably mounted to the casing to move between a first position in which the one or more protrusions are not located within the volume configured to receive the unit dose package, and a second position in which the one or more protrusions are located within the volume configured to receive the unit dose package; and
a motor configured to move the one or more protrusions from the first position to the second position (see ¶ [0060] disclosing “the controller 96 may activate the piercer 246 and move it from the non-piercing position…to the piercing position”, which inherently/implicitly teaches a driving means for such movement that reads on a “motor”).
Alexander discloses the claimed invention including moving one or more protrusions movably mounted to move between a first and second position. Alexander does not expressly disclose “wherein the moving between the first position and the second position is in a linear direction” as now recited in amended claim 1. Tsuzuki teaches an art-related dispenser for unit dose packages including moving one or more protrusions between first and second positions similar to Alexander (see Fig. 18 of Tsuzuki) and relatively between first and second positions in a linear direction (see Figs. 21-22 of Tsuzuki). Both embodiments serve the purpose of breaking detergent dose packages for dispensing.
Therefore, the position is taken that it would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art at the time of effective filing to modify the protrusion movement of the one or more protrusions in Alexander to a linear motion, such as that taught in Tsuzuki, to yield the same and predictable results of breaking a detergent dose package for dispensing.
Regarding claims 2-3, 5, and 7-8, Alexander further discloses
a control unit (96) configured to operate the washing machine, where in the control unit is configured to operate the motor (see above in ¶ [0060]),
wherein: the receptacle comprises at least a portion of a drawer that is movably connected to the casing (drawer 224, see ¶ [0025] and ¶ [0057]), and movable between an open position in which the volume configured to receive the unit dose package is exposed outside the casing, and a closed position in the volume configured to receive the unit dose package is closed within the casing (see ¶ [0057]; note the use of a drawer conventionally includes being slidably moved between an open and closed position);
the laundry washing machine further comprises a switch configured to activate when the drawer is in the closed position (see sensor 110 in ¶ [0040]-[0041]); and
the control unit is configured to operate the motor to move the one or more protrusions from the first position to the second position when the switch is activated (see ¶ [0060]).
wherein: the laundry washing machine comprises a water supply system (68) configured to dispense water to the volume configured to receive the unit dose package (note the configuration of line 68 connected to the dispenser for dispensing water thereto); and
the control unit is configured to activate the water supply system to dispense water to the volume configured to receive the unit dose package, and, subsequently, operate the motor to move the one or more protrusions from the first position to the second position (see water supply to the dispenser in ¶ [0025] and moving the protrusion from the first position to the second position above in ¶ [0060]),
wherein the one or more protrusions comprises one or more blades and/or pins (see piercing element as a needle in claim 31),
wherein: the receptacle comprises a drawer that is movably connected to the casing (drawer 224, see ¶ [0025] and ¶ [0057]), and movable between an open position in which the volume configured to receive the unit dose package is exposed outside the casing, and a closed position in the volume configured to receive the unit dose package is closed within the casing (see ¶ [0057]; note the use of a drawer conventionally includes being slidably moved between an open and closed position); and
the one or more protrusions are located, when in the first position, in the casing above the volume configured to receive the unit dose package (see Figs. 6-10 of Alexander).
Regarding claim 4, Alexander discloses the claimed invention including an embodiment having a drawer comprising a compartment additive loading and supply system. Alexander discloses a separate embodiment with a treating chemistry dispenser that “may have one or more compartments” (Alexander at ¶ [0084]).
Therefore, the position is taken that it would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art at the time of effective filing to duplicate the chemistry dispensing compartments to have a “multi-compartment” to order to achieve the predictable results of providing multiple treating chemistries as desired in a washing operation. It has been held that mere duplication of the essential working parts of a device involves only routine skill in the art. See MPEP § 2144.04(VI)(B) regarding Obviousness and Duplication of Parts.
Regarding claim 6 Alexander, supra, discloses the claimed invention including the controller moving a piercing protrusion from a first position to a second position to pierce a unit dose package. Examiner’s position is that the driving means inherently or implicitly required for such operation reads on a “motor” as claimed. Alexander does not disclose details of the driving means (i.e. the motor) such as wherein the motor comprises a solenoid, a rotating electric motor, a pneumatic piston, or a hydraulic piston. However, Examiner takes Official Notice that such elements are standard and conventional motor types in the art and well-within the general skill of one having ordinary skill in the art to implement such well-known motor components during operation of the dispenser in Alexander.
Regarding claim 18, Alexander (in Fig. 10) and Tsuzuki (in Fig. 18) teach general movement of a protrusion that is perpendicular to a bottom wall of the receptacle. While Tsuzuki also teaches relative linear movement between first and second positions to break the dose package, neither reference expressly discloses both linear movement of the protrusion(s) and while they remain perpendicular to a bottom wall of the receptacle. It would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art at the time of effective filing to rearrange the protrusions in such manner to yield the same and predictable breaking and dispensing results, since it has been held that rearranging parts of an invention involves only routine skill in the art. See MPEP § 2144.04(VI)(C) regarding Obviousness and Rearrangement of Parts.
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 JOSEPH L PERRIN whose telephone number is (571)272-1305. The examiner can normally be reached M-F 7:30-4:00.
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If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Michael E. Barr can be reached at 571-272-1414. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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Joseph L. Perrin, Ph.D.
Primary Examiner
Art Unit 1711
/Joseph L. Perrin/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 1711
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