DETAILED CORRESPONDENCE
Acknowledgements
This office action is in response to the application filed 7/29/2024.
Claims 1-12 are pending and have been examined.
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.
(a)(2) the claimed invention was described in a patent issued under section 151, or in an application for patent published or deemed published under section 122(b), in which the patent or application, as the case may be, names another inventor and was effectively filed before the effective filing date of the claimed invention.
Claims 1-2, 4 and 10-11 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Epperson et al. (US 6,044,852 A).
Re claim 1, Epperson discloses a high-pressure washer (abstract) comprising:
a main body (figs. 1-7 ref. 26; figs. 8-11 ref. 120; figs. 12-18 ref. 214);
a cover (ref. 22, 122, 128) configured to cover an upper portion of the main body;
a washing tank (ref. 32, 132, 234) formed between the main body and the cover;
a washing assembly (ref. 46, 146, 240) disposed in the washing tank and comprising a base (see figs. 1-18, base of support structures) in which an object to be washed is disposed and a first washing module (ref. 56, 156, 238, 268) configured to clean the object to be washed;
a water storage tank (ref. 40, 140, 282 sump) formed on a lower portion of the washing tank; and
a water cleaning module (ref. 78 filter, 178, 286; see also ref. 29 strainer; see laso ref. 308 oil skimmer) disposed in the water storage tank, wherein a washing liquid that washes the object to be washed is returned to the water storage tank, filtered, and reused (see figs. 1-18), and the water cleaning module comprises a suction port (see figs. 12-18 oil skimmer 308) formed at a height corresponding to a water surface level of the washing liquid stored in the water storage tank and a discharge port configured to discharge floating matter introduced into the suction port to outside (chute 320).
Re claim 2, a circulation port (see e.g. fig. 5 at ref. 78 to ref. 72) that is in fluid communication with the water storage tank, wherein the circulation port is configured to transport, to a filter device (ref. 70, 78), the washing liquid returned to the water storage tank.
Re claim 4, a heater (ref. 80) disposed in the water storage tank and configured to heat the washing liquid.
Re claims 10-11, further comprising a second washing module (see figs. 14-15 ref. 238), wherein the second washing module comprises: a spray stem (see figs. 14-15 side arms are extending upward) extending upward in the washing tank and through which a washing liquid moves; a spray branch (cross bar at top of ref. 238 or auxiliary spray tube 268) extending outward from the spray stem; and a spray nozzle (refs. 266, 270) disposed at an end of the spray branch. wherein the spray branch extends in a direction traversing a longitudinal direction of the spray stem (see fig. 14 top branch of ref. 238 or ref. 268 horizontal to the vertical spray stem), and the spray nozzle faces the object to be washed.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 103
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.
This application currently names joint inventors. In considering patentability of the claims the examiner presumes that the subject matter of the various claims was commonly owned as of the effective filing date of the claimed invention(s) absent any evidence to the contrary. Applicant is advised of the obligation under 37 CFR 1.56 to point out the inventor and effective filing dates of each claim that was not commonly owned as of the effective filing date of the later invention in order for the examiner to consider the applicability of 35 U.S.C. 102(b)(2)(C) for any potential 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(2) prior art against the later invention.
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.
The factual inquiries set forth in Graham v. John Deere Co., 383 U.S. 1, 148 USPQ 459 (1966), that are applied for establishing a background for determining obviousness under 35 U.S.C. 103 are summarized as follows:
1. Determining the scope and contents of the prior art.
2. Ascertaining the differences between the prior art and the claims at issue.
3. Resolving the level of ordinary skill in the pertinent art.
4. Considering objective evidence present in the application indicating obviousness or nonobviousness.
Claims 3 and 12 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Epperson et al. (US 6,044,852 A), as applied above, in view of Sheldon (US 5,398,708 A).
Re claim 3, Epperson discloses as shown above including a control module (ref. 18) and a water cleaning module, but does not disclose wherein the control module is configured to operate the water cleaning module when a predetermined time or a predetermined number of cleaning cycles is reached. However, Sheldon discloses it is very old and well-known in the parts cleaning machine art (title) to provide a timer to allow the filter (ref. 150, see fig. 1) and skimmer (ref. 200, see fig. 3) to operate for a prolonged time period so that fluid can be cleaned (col. 4 lines 1-5, col. 10 lines 3-8). At the time of filing, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art to modify the control module of Epperson to further operate the water cleaning module when a predetermined time is reached, as suggested by Sheldon, in order to remove contaminants from the cleaning fluid.
Re claim 12, Sheldon further discloses a jig (ref. 64) configured to fix the object to be washed to the base.
Claims 5-9 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Epperson et al. (US 6,044,852 A), as applied above, in view of TWI700132B (machine translation attached).
Re claims 5-9, Epperson discloses as shown above including wherein the first washing module comprises: a washing liquid supply pipe (ref. 56, 156, 238, 268) and rotating nozzles (see fig. 14), but does not teach a rotating disk comprising a first surface perpendicular to a longitudinal direction of the washing liquid supply pipe, a second surface formed on a side opposite to the first surface, and a side surface formed between the first surface and the second surface; a plurality of cleaning nozzles formed parallel to a rotation shaft of the rotating disk; and a plurality of propulsion nozzles formed to be inclined to the rotation shaft of the rotating disk, and the rotating disk rotates around the washing liquid supply pipe due to spraying from the plurality of propulsion nozzles. However, TWI700132B teaches it is well-known in the cleaning equipment nozzle art (abstract) to provide a first washing module comprising a washing liquid supply pipe (, see figs. 1-6, ref. 112), a rotating disk (upper disk ref. 13 and ref. 20) comprising a first surface (top) perpendicular to a longitudinal direction of the washing liquid supply pipe, a second surface (bottom) formed on a side opposite to the first surface, and a side surface formed between the first surface and the second surface; a plurality of cleaning nozzles (ref. 40, regarding “plurality” the mere duplication of parallel nozzles is prima facie obvious, moreso in view of Epperson having multiple parallel nozzles in the vertical direction, see Epperson fig. 14. See MPEP 2144.04(VI)(B) Duplication of Parts) formed parallel to a rotation shaft of the rotating disk; and a plurality of propulsion nozzles (ref. 33) formed to be inclined to the rotation shaft of the rotating disk, and the rotating disk rotates around the washing liquid supply pipe due to spraying from the plurality of propulsion nozzle (see fig. 4).
At the time of filing, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art to modify the first washing module of Epperson to further include a rotary cleaning nozzle, as suggested by TWI700132B, in order to clean all gaps with no deadzones.
Re claims 5-9, wherein the washing liquid supply pipe is formed perpendicular to the base (see fig 1 and 4; wherein the plurality of cleaning nozzles extends in a vertical direction from the second surface of the rotating disk (see figs. 2 and 4); wherein the plurality of propulsion nozzles is disposed on the side surface of the rotating disk and formed to be inclined to the rotation shaft of the rotating disk (see figs. 1-2 and 4); Regarding “wherein angles formed between the plurality of propulsion nozzles and the rotation shaft are adjustable”, making components adjustable or separable is prima facie obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art to enable optimization or modification depending on the object being cleaned. See MPEP 2144.04(V)(C) Making Separable. Here, fig. 5 shows joints 23 for spray group 30 that could be rotatable to enable adjustment of the angle for speed or coverage.
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure.
US 5499643 A note parts washer with overflow filtration and plurality of spray nozzles.
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KEVIN G. LEE
Examiner
Art Unit 1711
/KEVIN G LEE/Examiner, Art Unit 1711