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 .
Information Disclosure Statement
The information disclosure statement (IDS) submitted on 10/21/2024, 2/27/2025, 7/2/2026, and 8/31/2026. The submission is in compliance with the provisions of 37 CFR 1.97. Accordingly, the information disclosure statement is being considered by the examiner.
Specification
The disclosure is objected to because of the following informalities:
In paragraph [00053], line 2, “accessthe” appears to be missing a space. Thus, “accessthe” should be written as “access the.”
Appropriate correction is required.
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.
Claims 1-2 and 4-9 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Jia (US 20230157504 A1), in view of Bian (US 20230218134 A1).
Regarding claim 1, Jia teaches A nozzle assembly for a cleaning apparatus, comprising: a brushroll (roller brush 2); a motor (driving roller 2a driven by a drive 7 comprising of motor 71) [disposed within the brushroll and] configured to rotate the brushroll (“the roller brush 2 includes a driving roller 2a driven by a drive and relatively rotatably mounted on the mounting housing 11, and a periphery of the driving roller 2a is wrapped with a flexible roller brush 2b for flexible contact with the ground. Specifically, in this embodiment, the driving roller 2a is driven by a drive 7 composed of a motor 71,” [0042], Jia); as shown in annotated Fig. 3 below); a debris receptacle (waste collection box 3) comprising a debris inlet (waste collection inlet 31); a scraper (roller brush scaping guide 4 comprising of roller brush scraper 41) [disposed above the debris inlet] such that the scraper projects into the brushroll (as shown in annotated Fig. 3 below); and a ramp formed on the scraper (drainage groove 44) and extending between an outer edge of the scraper above the debris inlet and into an interior region of the debris receptacle (the drainage groove 44 formed from the roller brush scraper 41 is extending between an outer edge of the scraper above the lower wall of the waste collection inlet 31 and extends into an interior region of the waste collection box, since that the open area at the waste collection inlet 31 may be considered part of the interior region of the debris receptacle; as shown in annotated Fig. 3 below) the ramp comprising a runoff surface configured to direct debris and liquid removed from the brushroll by the scraper (“the roller brush scraping guide 4 is configured to scrape off the residual waste absorbed by the roller brush 2 and transfer the residual waste to the waste collection box 3,” [0047], Jia; “ The drainage path includes a drainage groove 44 located in the mounting housing 11, an inlet of the drainage groove 44 communicates with one or two sides of the liquid storage and drainage groove 42, and an outlet thereof communicates with the waste collection box 3,” [0050], Jia) as the brushroll rotates into the debris receptacle at a negative angle relative to a surface being cleaned (“In a rotating state of the roller brush 2, a directional closed-loop cleaning path is formed among the ground, the roller brush 2, and the waste collection box 3 through linked scraping by the roller brush scraping guide 4,” [0046], Jia; as shown in annotated Fig. 3 below).
PNG
media_image1.png
568
735
media_image1.png
Greyscale
Jia does not teach a motor disposed within the brushroll and teach a scraper disposed above the debris inlet.
However, Bian does teach a motor disposed within the brushroll (“In other embodiments, the motor chamber may not be provided, e.g., the drive device may be built into the interior of the cleaning roller,” [0069], Bian) and a scraper disposed above the debris inlet (as shown in annotated Fig. 12 below, wherein first scraping member 61 and second scraping member 62 are both above the input port 197).
It would have been obvious to a person of ordinary skill in the art, before the effective filing date of the claimed invention, to modify Jia to incorporate the teachings of Bian to dispose the motor within the brushroll to allow for synchronized rotational coordination between the motor and brushroll in addition to saving space within the nozzle assembly ([0069], Bian).
Additionally, it would have been obvious to a person of ordinary skill in the art, before the effective filing date of the claimed invention, to modify Jia, as modified, to incorporate the teachings of Bian to position the ramp of Jia entirely above the inlet to better direct roller from the debris towards the entire opening of the inlet ([0083], Bian).
PNG
media_image2.png
515
615
media_image2.png
Greyscale
Regarding claim 2, Jia, as modified, teaches the claimed invention as rejected above in claim 1, wherein the negative angle relative to the surface being cleaned is between about 0 degrees and about -90 degrees (as shown in annotated Fig. 3 above).
Regarding claim 4, Jia, as modified, teaches the claimed invention as rejected above in claim 1, further comprising a retention component (mounting housing 11 comprising of upper mounting housing 11a and lower mounting housing 11b as shown in annotated Fig. 3 above) configured to couple the debris receptacle to the nozzle assembly (“In this embodiment, a waste collection box 3 is used in the waste collection region and can be directly clamped on the mounting housing 11 to facilitate actual operation and use such as disassembly, waste cleanup, and waste box cleaning by a user,” [0040], Jia) and to retain the scraper in contact with the brushroll (“Specifically, preferably, in this embodiment, the roller brush 2 correspondingly matches the mounting housing 11 to form a roller brush scraping guide 4 connected to the collection inlet 31,” [0047], Jia).
Regarding claim 5, Jia, as modified, teaches the claimed invention as rejected above in claim 1, wherein the brushroll comprises a solid core (flexible roller brush 2b) and a microfiber material cover (“Materials of the flexible roller brush 2b include at least two types of cleaning fibers with unequal water absorbencies, the cleaning fibers with a high water absorbency are mainly used to remove liquid waste on the ground, and the cleaning fibers with a low water absorbency are mainly used to remove solid waste on the ground,” [0043], Jia), wherein the scraper projects into the microfiber material cover (“Preferably, the roller brush scraper 41 come into interference with the cleaning fibers of the roller brush 2,” [0048], Jia).
Regarding claim 6, Jia, as modified, teaches the claimed invention as rejected above in claim 1.
Jia, as modified, does not teach the scraper is molded from a plastic material.
However, Bian does teach a surface cleaning machine, wherein the scraper is molded from a plastic material (“For example, the first scraping member 61 is made of plastic material,” [0074], Bian).
It would have been obvious to a person of ordinary skill in the art, before the effective filing date of the claimed invention, to modify Jia, as modified, to incorporate the teachings of Bian to provide a plastic material for the scraper to improve the performance in removing solid debris from the brushroll compared to other materials, such as metal ([0074] & [0075], Bian).
Regarding claim 7, Jia, as modified, teaches the claimed invention as rejected above in claim 1.
Jia, as modified, does not teach the scraper is formed from a metal.
However, Bian does teach the scraper is formed from a metal (“the second scraping member 62 is made of metal material,” [0074], Bian).
It would have been obvious to a person of ordinary skill in the art, before the effective filing date of the claimed invention, to modify Jia, as modified, to incorporate the teachings of Bian to provide a metal material for the scraper to improve the performance of removing excess liquid from the brushroll in addition to increasing the friction between the brushroll and the scraper compared to the other materials, such as plastic material ([0074] & [0075], Bian).
Regarding claim 8, Jia, as modified, teaches the claimed invention as rejected above in claim 1, wherein the debris receptacle comprises: a solid debris compartment for receiving solid debris (solid waste collection region 32); and a liquid debris compartment for receiving liquid debris (liquid waste collection region 33).
Regarding claim 9, Jia, as modified, teaches the claimed invention as rejected above in claim 1, further comprising one or more electrical connectors (as shown in annotated Fig. 10 below) configured to electrically couple to a power supply (battery 73) of the cleaning apparatus such that the power supply provides power to the motor (“The motor 71 specifically uses a battery 73 as a power supply, and the motor 71 and the battery 73 are mounted on two sides of the mounting housing 11, respectively,” [0063], Jia).
PNG
media_image3.png
612
553
media_image3.png
Greyscale
Claim 3 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Jia (US 20230157504 A1), in view of Bian (US 20230218134 A1), as applied to claim 1 above, and further in view of Witter et al. (US 20090307866 A1).
Regarding claim 3, Jia, as modified, teaches the claimed invention as rejected above in claim 1.
Jia, as modified, does not teach a separation distance between the runoff surface of the ramp and a bottom surface of the interior region of the debris receptacle decreases in a direction away from the debris inlet and toward the interior region of the debris receptacle.
However, Witter does teach a separation distance between the runoff surface of the ramp and a bottom surface of the interior region of the debris receptacle decreases in a direction away from the debris inlet and toward the interior region of the debris receptacle (“Also shown in FIG. 3 is an angled scoop or ramp 68 that angles down (e.g., at 45 degrees) from the mouth of the separator 24 towards the center of the barrel 12,” [0036], Witter; as shown in annotated Fig. 3 below).
It would have been obvious to a person of ordinary skill in the art, before the effective filing date of the claimed invention, to modify Jia, as modified, to incorporate the teachings of Witter to ensure that debris is directed towards the center of the debris receptacle to allow for the receptacle to fill up evenly rather than accumulation in one section, thus preventing potential blockage ([0036], Witter).
PNG
media_image4.png
821
788
media_image4.png
Greyscale
Claims 10-12, 16-17, and 20 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Wang (US 20230157504 A1), in view of Bian (US 20230218134 A1).
Regarding claim 10, Wang teaches a nozzle assembly for a cleaning apparatus, comprising: a brushroll (brushroll 108) a motor (motor 190) [disposed within the brushroll and] configured to rotate the brushroll (“The drive coupling or transmission between the brushroll 108 and the motor 190 can comprise one or more belts, gears, shafts, pulleys or combinations thereof. One example of a transmission for the brushroll 108 is shown in FIG. 10. The transmission connects the brush motor 190 to the brushroll 108 for transmitting rotational motion of a shaft (not shown) of the brush motor 190 to the brushroll 108,” [0109], Wang; as shown in annotated Fig. 10 below); a debris receptacle (collection chamber 106) comprising a debris inlet (entrance opening 136) for receiving debris collected by the brushroll as the brushroll rotates (“Dirt and liquid that is swept up by the brushroll 108 can be propelled through the entrance opening 136 into the collection cup 106,” [0085], Wang); and a squeegee assembly (squeegee 120 and ramp 222) disposed across a full width of the nozzle assembly (“The squeegee 120 can be an elongated blade that generally spans at least the width of the inlet opening 116, or can generally span the width of the base 14, and can be supported by the bottom housing 130,” [0119], Wang), the squeegee assembly comprising: a first end comprising a contact surface disposed in continuous contact with an outer surface of the debris receptacle that extends from a bottom region of the debris receptacle to the debris inlet (“The ramp 222 can extend from the rear side of the inlet opening 116 upwardly to the entrance opening 136,” [0112], Wang; as shown in annotated Fig. 11 below), and a second end configured to contact a surface being cleaned (“A squeegee 120 is mounted to the base housing 104, behind the brushroll 108, and is configured to contact the surface as the base 14 moves across the surface to be cleaned,” [0083], Wang).
PNG
media_image5.png
677
865
media_image5.png
Greyscale
PNG
media_image6.png
591
834
media_image6.png
Greyscale
Wang does not teach a motor disposed within the brushroll.
However, Bian does teach a motor disposed within the brushroll (“In other embodiments, the motor chamber may not be provided, e.g., the drive device may be built into the interior of the cleaning roller,” [0069], Bian).
It would have been obvious to a person of ordinary skill in the art, before the effective filing date of the claimed invention, to modify Wang to incorporate the teachings of Bian to dispose the motor within the brushroll to allow for synchronized rotational coordination between the motor and brushroll in addition to saving space within the nozzle assembly ([0069], Bian).
Regarding claim 11, Wang, as modified, teaches the claimed invention as rejected above in claim 10, wherein the squeegee assembly further comprises: a rigid frame; a top half coupled to the rigid frame (“The squeegee 120 can be mounted or otherwise provided on the bottom housing 130, and can extend between the lateral sides 126, 128 of the base housing 104,” [0084], Wang); a lower half configured to flex (“The squeegee 120 can be pliant, i.e. flexible or resilient, in order to bend readily according to the contour of the surface to be cleaned and/or the brushroll 108, yet remain undeformed by normal use of the sweeper 10,” [0121], Wang); and a leading edge disposed at the second end and coupled to the lower half (“The squeegee 120 can be coupled with the trailing edge 230 of the inlet opening 116,” [0120], Wang).
Regarding claim 12, Wang, as modified, teaches the claimed invention as rejected above in claim 11, wherein the leading edge is configured to contact the surface being cleaned during a forward movement of the nozzle assembly (“On a forward stroke of the sweeper 10, the squeegee 120 can bend backward about the trailing edge 230, with the smooth forward-facing surface the squeegee 120 in contact with the floor surface F,” [0130], Wang) and to lift from the surface being cleaned during a backward movement of the nozzle assembly (“on a backstroke of the sweeper 10, the squeegee 120 can bend forward with the rear surface having the plurality of nubs 232 in contact with the floor surface F [nubs 232 reduces contact area between squeegee 120 and the cleaning surface, thereby separating or lifting off the squeegee from the cleaning surface],” [0130], Wang).
Regarding claim 16, Wang, as modified, teaches the claimed invention as rejected above in claim 10, wherein the squeegee assembly is attached to the debris receptacle (“The ramp 222 can extend from the rear side of the inlet opening 116 upwardly to the entrance opening 136,” [0112], Wang; as shown in annotated Fig. 11 above).
Regarding claim 17, Wang, as modified, teaches the claimed invention as rejected above in claim 10, wherein the brushroll comprises a solid core (dowel 216) and a microfiber material cover (microfiber material 220; “In one embodiment, the brushroll 108 comprises a dowel 216, a plurality of bristles 218 extending from the dowel 216, and microfiber material 220 provided on the dowel 216 and arranged between the bristles 218,” [0110], Wang; as shown in annotated Fig. 10 above) wherein the squeegee assembly contacts the microfiber material cover when the cleaning apparatus is in use (as shown in annotated Fig. 11 above).
Regarding claim 20, Wang, as modified, teaches the claimed invention as rejected above in claim 10, further comprising one or more electrical connectors (as shown in annotated Fig. 10 above) configured to electrically couple to a power supply (rechargeable battery 194) of the cleaning apparatus such that the power supply provides power to the motor (“Referring to FIG. 10, the collection system can further include a motor 190 drivingly connected to the brushroll 108, as described below. The sweeper 10 can be cordless or battery powered. In the illustrated embodiment, a rechargeable battery 194 (e.g. a battery pack or a plurality of battery cells) is provided for cordless operation. In one example, the battery 194 can be a lithium ion battery. In another exemplary arrangement, the battery 194 can comprise a user replaceable battery. In an alternative embodiment, the sweeper 10 can have a power cord configured to be plugged into a household outlet for powering the electronic components of the sweeper 10,” [0101], Wang).
Claims 13-15 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Wang et al. (US 20200253447 A1), hereinafter Wang, in view of Bian (US 20230218134 A1), as applied to claim 11 above, further in view of Konandreas (US 20060184293 A1), and additionally in view of Arora et al. (CN 215738679 U).
Regarding claim 13, Wang, as modified, teaches the claimed invention as rejected above in claim 11.
Wang does not teach the top half and the lower half are constructed of a flexible material, and the leading edge is constructed of a low friction material.
However, Konandreas does teach the top half and the lower half are constructed of a flexible material (“As detailed in the section view of FIG. 12, the squeegee 630 comprises a vertical element 1002 and a horizontal element 1004. Each of the elements 1002 and 1004 are formed from a substantially flexible and compliant material such as neoprene rubber, silicone or the like,” [0091], Konandreas).
It would have been obvious to a person of ordinary skill in the art, before the effective filing date of the claimed invention, to modify Wang, as modified, to incorporate the teachings of Konandreas to provide a flexible material for the top half and lower half of the squeegee to enable continuous contact between the squeegee assembly and the cleaning surface that would require the squeegee assembly to bend and adapt the cleaning surface, especially if the surface is not perfectly flat or may contain irregularities, such as protrusions or depressions ([0091], Konandreas).
Wang, as modified, does not teach the leading edge is constructed of a low friction material.
However, Arora does teach the leading edge is constructed of a low friction material (“The lower edge 624 may be formed of a material that may reduce friction between the lower edge 624 and the floor surface when the side brush 600 is rotated. For example, the lower edge 624 may be made of micro-fiber, polytetrafluoroethylene or other low friction material or liner,” pg. 23, lines 34-37, Arora).
It would have been obvious to a person of ordinary skill in the art, before the effective filing date of the claimed invention, to modify Wang, as modified, to incorporate the teachings of Arora to reduce the amount of friction exerted between the low frictional material of the leading edge and the cleaning surface to reduce the force required to move the vacuum across the cleaning surface (pg. 23, lines 34-37, Arora).
Regarding claim 14, Wang, as modified, teaches the claimed invention as rejected above in claim 13.
Wang, as modified, does not teach wherein the flexible material is selected from a group consisting of silicone and thermoplastic elastomer (TPE).
However, Konandreas does teach flexible material is selected from a group consisting of silicone (“As detailed in the section view of FIG. 12, the squeegee 630 comprises a vertical element 1002 and a horizontal element 1004. Each of the elements 1002 and 1004 are formed from a substantially flexible and compliant material such as neoprene rubber, silicone or the like,” [0091], Konandreas) and thermoplastic elastomer (TPE).
The prior art is not required to teach the second option (thermoplastic elastomer (TPE)) due to the Markush claim format (MPEP 2117 I).
It would have been obvious to a person of ordinary skill in the art, before the effective filing date of the claimed invention, to modify Wang, as modified, to incorporate the teachings of Konandreas to provide a flexible material for the top half and lower half of the squeegee to enable continuous contact between the squeegee assembly and the cleaning surface that would require the squeegee assembly to bend and adapt the cleaning surface, especially if the surface is not perfectly flat or may contain irregularities, such as protrusions or depressions ([0091], Konandreas).
Regarding claim 15, Wang, as modified, teaches the claimed invention as rejected above in claim 13.
Wang, as modified, does not teach the low friction material is selected from a group consisting of polytetrafluoroethylene and woven nylon.
However, Arora does teach low friction material is selected from a group consisting of polytetrafluoroethylene (“The lower edge 624 may be formed of a material that may reduce friction between the lower edge 624 and the floor surface when the side brush 600 is rotated. For example, the lower edge 624 may be made of micro-fiber, polytetrafluoroethylene or other low friction material or liner,” pg. 23, lines 34-37, Arora) and woven nylon.
The prior art is not required to teach the second option (woven nylon) due to the Markush claim format (MPEP 2117 I).
It would have been obvious to a person of ordinary skill in the art, before the effective filing date of the claimed invention, to modify Wang, as modified, to incorporate the teachings of Arora to reduce the amount of friction exerted between the low frictional material of the leading edge and the cleaning surface to reduce the force required to move the vacuum across the cleaning surface (pg. 23, lines 34-37, Arora).
Claim 18 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Wang et al. (US 20200253447 A1), hereinafter Wang, in view of Bian (US 20230218134 A1), as applied to claim 17 above, and further in view of DiRenna et al. (US 20170209009 A1).
Regarding claim 18, Wang, as modified, teaches the claimed invention as rejected above in claim 17.
Wang, as modified, does not teach the solid core of the brushroll comprises one or more ribs configured to cause the nozzle assembly to vibrate to cause fine debris to travel underneath the squeegee assembly.
However, DiRenna does teach the solid core of the brushroll comprises one or more ribs configured to cause the nozzle assembly to vibrate to cause fine debris to travel underneath the squeegee assembly (“The roller brush, which may include a beater bar or other rigid/semi-rigid features agitates and sweeps the carpet or other floor surface to dislodge dust and dirt, so that the particulate material is carried away on the flow of air entering the suction intake and collected in a bag or other container within the machine,” [0005], DiRenna).
It would have been obvious to a person of ordinary skill in the art, before the effective filing date of the claimed invention, to modify Wang, as modified, to incorporate the teachings of DiRenna to provide one or more ribs on the solid core of the brushroll to translate the vibrations of the nozzle assembly towards carpet to displace fine debris particles from the carpet to the debris receptacle through travelling underneath the squeegee assembly ([0005], DiRenna).
Claim 19 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Wang et al. (US 20200253447 A1), hereinafter Wang, in view of Bian (US 20230218134 A1), as applied to claim 10 above, and further in view of Jia (US 20230157504 A1).
Regarding claim 19, Wang, as modified, teaches the claimed invention as rejected above in claim 10.
Wang, as modified, does not teach the debris receptacle comprises: a solid debris compartment for receiving solid debris; and a liquid debris compartment for receiving liquid debris.
However, Jia does teach the debris receptacle comprises: a solid debris compartment for receiving solid debris (solid waste collection region 32); and a liquid debris compartment for receiving liquid debris (liquid waste collection region 33).
It would have been obvious to a person of ordinary skill in the art, before the effective filing date of the claimed invention, to modify Wang, as modified, to incorporate the teachings of Jia to provide a method of separating the solid debris and the liquid debris as to prevent mixing between solid debris and liquid debris, which is known for resulting in bad odor developing in the debris receptacle ([0055], Jia).
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure:
Berg et al. (US 5088149 A) teaches a vacuum powered scrub head comprising of a squeegee blade made of thermoplastic.
Forbes et al. (US 20210393024 A1) teaches a cleaner head for a vacuum cleaner.
Pruiett et al. (US 20210169294 A1) teaches a surface cleaning apparatus with a steam delivery system.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to ISHAQ M ISHAQ whose telephone number is (571)270-0696. The examiner can normally be reached Monday-Friday 7:30AM-5PM.
Examiner interviews are available via telephone, in-person, and video conferencing using a USPTO supplied web-based collaboration tool. To schedule an interview, applicant is encouraged to use the USPTO Automated Interview Request (AIR) at http://www.uspto.gov/interviewpractice.
If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, David Posigian can be reached at 313-446-6546. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
Information regarding the status of published or unpublished applications may be obtained from Patent Center. Unpublished application information in Patent Center is available to registered users. To file and manage patent submissions in Patent Center, visit: https://patentcenter.uspto.gov. Visit https://www.uspto.gov/patents/apply/patent-center for more information about Patent Center and https://www.uspto.gov/patents/docx for information about filing in DOCX format. For additional questions, contact the Electronic Business Center (EBC) at 866-217-9197 (toll-free). If you would like assistance from a USPTO Customer Service Representative, call 800-786-9199 (IN USA OR CANADA) or 571-272-1000.
/I.M.I./Examiner, Art Unit 3723 /LAURA C GUIDOTTI/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3723
Prosecution Insights