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 .
Priority
Receipt is acknowledged of certified copies of papers required by 37 CFR 1.55.
Information Disclosure Statement
The information disclosure statements (IDS) submitted on **** are being considered.
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 1-6, 8-10, and 15-17 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Tang (CN113243844A) in view of Frank (WO 2024172645A1).
Regarding claim 1, Tang discloses a docking station, comprising:
a station body (Item 20), provided with a clean water path and a wastewater path, wherein the clean water path is configured to provide clean water to a cleaning device, the wastewater path is configured to discharge wastewater in the station body (Paragraph 114), and a water softener is provided on the clean water path (Item 222, Paragraph 164) ; and
Tang fails to explicitly disclose a first conductivity sensor, a second conductivity sensor, and a processor, wherein the first conductivity sensor is provided in the clean water path and located downstream of the water softener, the second conductivity sensor is provided in the wastewater path, and the processor is configured to determine dirtiness information based on detection results of the first conductivity sensor and the second conductivity sensor.
Frank teaches a docking station for a cleaner wherein a first conductivity sensor, a second conductivity sensor, and a processor, wherein the first conductivity sensor is provided in the clean water path and located downstream of the water softener, the second conductivity sensor is provided in the wastewater path, and the processor is configured to determine dirtiness information based on detection results of the first conductivity sensor and the second conductivity sensor (Page 8 Lines 1-9). It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify Tang to include the conductivity sensors of Frank. Such a modification would allow the system to understand when maintenance is needed (Frank Page 7 Lines 17-30). It’s well understood in the art dirt concentration levels and detergent concentration level can affect the cleaning affect of the mopping system.
Although not specifically relied upon this rejection, the functionality of the groove in the base station is better discussed in Tang’s other art (CN113243842A). Please see paragraphs 147-152. A copy of this document has been included in the rejection.
Regarding claim 2, Tang in view of Frank disclose the docking station according to claim 1, wherein the station body further comprises a clean water chamber provided on the clean water path, and the clean water chamber is located upstream of the water softener (Tang Item 210).
Regarding claim 3, Tang in view of Frank disclose the docking station according to claim 1, wherein the clean water path comprises a clean water main path (Tang within Item 20) and a plurality of clean water branches (within Item 10) connected to the clean water main path, the water softener is provided on the clean water main path, and the first conductivity sensor is provided on at least one of the clean water main path or a clean water branch .
Regarding claim 4, Tang in view of Frank disclose the docking station according to claim 3, wherein the station body is provided with a water injection port configured to inject water into the cleaning device, the plurality of clean water branches comprise a first clean water branch, a first end of the first clean water branch is connected to the clean water main path, and a second end of the first clean water branch is connected to the water injection port (Tang Paragraph 147 discussed how water is meant to be delivered to the water tank on the cleaning device).
Regarding claim 5, Tang in view of Frank disclose the docking station according to claim 3, wherein the station body further comprises a cleaning pool (Tang Item 201), the cleaning pool is configured to clean a cleaning cloth (Item 130) on the cleaning device, the plurality of clean water branches comprise a second clean water branch, a first end of the second clean water branch is connected to the clean water main path, and a second end of the second clean water branch is connected to the cleaning pool (Paragraph 140 discusses item 104 applying water to 103, which all can be placed on 201).
Regarding claim 6, Tang in view of Frank disclose the docking station according to claim 1, wherein the station body further comprises a cleaning liquid chamber (Tang Item 210) configured to store cleaning liquid, the cleaning liquid chamber is connected to the clean water path through a connecting pipe (Item 220), and a connection position between the connecting pipe and the clean water path is located downstream of the water softener.
Regarding claim 8 and 15, Tang discloses a method for controlling a docking station ; wherein the station body (Item 20) is provided with a clean water path and a wastewater path, the clean water path is configured to provide clean water to a cleaning device, the wastewater path is configured to discharge wastewater in the station body (Paragraph 114), and a water softener is provided on the clean water path (Item 222, Paragraph 164) ;
Tang fails to explicitly disclose wherein the docking station comprises a station body, a first conductivity sensor, a second conductivity sensor, and a processor and wherein the first conductivity sensor is provided in the clean water path and located downstream of the water softener, the second conductivity sensor is provided in the wastewater path, and the processor is configured to determine dirtiness information based on detection results of the first conductivity sensor and the second conductivity sensor, the method comprising: obtaining at least one first conductivity detection value of the clean water path; obtaining at least one second conductivity detection value of the wastewater path; and determining the dirtiness information based on the at least one first conductivity detection value and the at least one second conductivity detection value.
Frank teaches a docking station for a cleaner wherein the docking station comprises a station body, a first conductivity sensor, a second conductivity sensor, and a processor and wherein the first conductivity sensor is provided in the clean water path and located downstream of the water softener (both Frank and Tang can have reversible pumps so up stream and downstream are true), the second conductivity sensor is provided in the wastewater path, and the processor is configured to determine dirtiness information based on detection results of the first conductivity sensor and the second conductivity sensor, the method comprising:
obtaining at least one first conductivity detection value of the clean water path;
obtaining at least one second conductivity detection value of the wastewater path; and
determining the dirtiness information based on the at least one first conductivity detection value and the at least one second conductivity detection value (Page 8 Lines 1-9; P 25 Line 27- Page 26 Line 13). It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify Tang to include the conductivity sensors of Frank. Such a modification would allow the system to understand when maintenance is needed (Frank Page 7 Lines 17-30). It’s well understood in the art dirt concentration levels and detergent concentration level can affect the cleaning effect of the mopping system.
Regarding claim 9 and 16, Tang in view of Frank disclose the method according to claim 8, wherein the determining the dirtiness information based on the at least one first conductivity detection value and the at least one second conductivity detection value comprises:
determining a first conductivity target value according to the at least one first conductivity detection value;
determining a second conductivity target value according to the at least one second conductivity detection value; and
determining a ratio or an absolute value of a difference between the first conductivity target value and the second conductivity target value as a target dirtiness value, and determining the target dirtiness value as the dirtiness information (Frank Page 25 Lines 27-Page 27 line 18).
Regarding claim 10 and 17, Tang in view of Frank disclose the method according to claim 8, further comprising:
determining a cleaning strategy based on the dirtiness information (Frank Page 25 Lines 27-Page 27 line 18 discusses adding detergent or replacing the filter).
Claims 7, 11-14, and 18-20 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Tang (CN113243844A) in view of Frank (WO 2024172645A1) in view of Zhang (CN 114947611A)
Regarding claim 7, Tang in view of Frank disclose the docking station according to claim 1. Tang fails to explicitly disclose wherein the station body further comprises a wastewater chamber provided on the wastewater path, and the wastewater chamber is connected to a cleaning pool within the station body through a first wastewater pipe; the station body is provided with a wastewater outlet configured to discharge the wastewater, and the wastewater chamber is connected to the wastewater outlet through a second wastewater pipe; and the second conductivity sensor is provided in at least one of the first wastewater pipe or the second wastewater pipe.
Zhang teaches a docking station wherein the station body further comprises a wastewater chamber (Item 152) provided on the wastewater path, and the wastewater chamber is connected to a cleaning pool (Item 146) within the station body through a first wastewater pipe (Item 154); the station body is provided with a wastewater outlet configured to discharge the wastewater (Paragraph 118 discusses a “The first interface is used to connect to the drain pipe so that the water in the first water tank 152 can be discharged into the drain pipe in a timely manner, thereby eliminating the need for the user to disassemble and install the first water tank 152”), and the wastewater chamber is connected to the wastewater outlet through a second wastewater pipe; and the second conductivity sensor is provided in at least one of the first wastewater pipe or the second wastewater pipe (Figure 1 and 2). It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify Tang to connect to a drain pipe as taught by Zhang. Such a modification would allow the station to operate without the need for a user to empty the waste water tank (Paragraph 118; Zhang)
Regarding claim 11 and 18, Tang in view of Frank disclose the method according to claim 10. Tang fails to explicitly disclose wherein the cleaning strategy comprises at least one of: whether to rewash a cleaning cloth, a number of rewashes of the cleaning cloth, whether to re-mop, or an area to be re-mopped.
Zhang teaches a cleaning strategy in which the cleaning cloth is determined to be need a rewash (Paragraph 114) or whether to re-mop, or an area to be re-mopped (Paragraph 132). It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify Tang to include the steps of rewashing the cloth as taught by Zhang. By linking the cleaning mechanism 140 with the detection mechanism 130, the cleaning fluid can be allocated reasonably to avoid waste, and the situation of incomplete mop cleaning can be avoided ((Zhang Paragraph 115).
Regarding claim 12-14 and 19-20, Tang in view of Frank in view of Zhang disclose the method according to claim 11, wherein the determining the cleaning strategy based on the dirtiness information comprises:
determining whether to rewash the cleaning cloth and the number of rewashes of the cleaning cloth based on a target dirtiness value and first preset configuration information, wherein the first preset configuration information is indicative of a correspondence between dirtiness value ranges and whether to rewash the cleaning cloth and the number of rewashes, a larger dirtiness value corresponding to a greater number of rewashes (Zhang Paragraphs 114 and 130-132 discusses the possible need for multiple cleanings depending on the cleanliness level. It is noted that the mop comes back for recharging or pad cleaning, the floor area should get cleaner each round and thus the variables change.).
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to TOM R RODGERS whose telephone number is (313)446-4849. The examiner can normally be reached Monday thru Friday 8AM-5PM EST.
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/TOM RODGERS/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3723
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