DETAILED ACTION
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 112
The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 112(b):
(b) CONCLUSION.—The specification shall conclude with one or more claims particularly pointing out and distinctly claiming the subject matter which the inventor or a joint inventor regards as the invention.
The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), second paragraph:
The specification shall conclude with one or more claims particularly pointing out and distinctly claiming the subject matter which the applicant regards as his invention.
Claim 14 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 112(b) or 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), second paragraph, as being indefinite for failing to particularly point out and distinctly claim the subject matter which the inventor or a joint inventor (or for applications subject to pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, the applicant), regards as the invention.
Claim 14 states “at least a portion of the spray nozzle sprays a cleaning liquid toward the object” (third line from end). It is unclear if this limitation means that a portion of the plurality of the spray nozzles spray a liquid toward the object (i.e. at least some of the plurality of nozzles spray a liquid toward the object) or that at least a portion of each of the plurality of the spray nozzles sprays a liquid toward the object (i.e. at least some of the liquid sprayed from each of the nozzles is toward the object). For purposes of examination this limitation is interpreted to mean that at least some of the plurality of nozzles spray a liquid toward the object.
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 1-3 and 5-14 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over U.S. Patent 6044852 granted to Epperson et al. in view of KR0176673B1 by Jo.
As to claim 1, Epperson teaches a high-pressure cleaning device comprising a main body 20 (fig. 1); a cover 22 to cover an upper portion of the main body; a cleaning tank 32 between the main body and cover (fig. 2); and a cleaning assembly in the tank, the cleaning assembly comprising a base 46 in which an object to be cleaned is disposed (fig. 1) and a cleaning module to clean the object, the cleaning module comprising a cleaning liquid supply pipe (conduits from outlet 76 of pump, fig. 3).
Epperson teaches a spray tube 56 (fig. 1), but does not teach a first cleaning module that comprises a rotating disk, a plurality of cleaning nozzles, and a plurality of propulsion nozzles as claimed. However, one of ordinary skill in the art would have recognized as obvious to modify the device taught by Epperson to have the claimed rotating disk. Jo teaches a cleaning device having a cleaning module comprising a rotating disk 31 (fig. 2) having a first surface (lower surface as shown in fig. 3) perpendicular to a longitudinal direction of a cleaning liquid supply pipe, a second surface (top surface as shown in fig. 3) on a side opposite to the first surface, and a side surface between the first and second surfaces, a plurality of cleaning nozzles 37 in parallel to a rotation shaft of the disk (figs. 3 and 4), and a plurality of propulsion nozzles 35 inclined with respect to the rotation shaft (fig. 4, para. 30), the disk being rotated due to spraying from the propulsion nozzles (para. 30). Jo teaches that its rotating disk can be easily assembled and improves washing performance by evenly spraying washing water throughout a washing tank, including corner areas (paras. 32-33). One of ordinary skill in the art would have been motivated to modify the device taught by Epperson to include a first cleaning module, such as the rotating disk taught by Jo, to provide enhanced spray coverage using a simple and easily assembled structure.
Therefore, the claimed invention would have been obvious at its effective filing date.
As to claim 2, Jo teaches that the plurality of nozzles extends in a direction perpendicular to the second surface of the disk (fig. 3).
As to claim 3, Jo teaches that the propulsion nozzles are on the side surface of the disk and are inclined with respect to the rotation shaft of the disk (fig. 4).
As to claim 5, Epperson teaches a second cleaning module comprising a spray stem extending upward in the tank through which a cleaning liquid moves, a spray brand extending outward from the spray stem, and a spray nozzle disposed at an end of the spray branch (see figs. 1 and 13-15).
As to claim 6, Epperson teaches that the spray branch extends in a direction traversing a longitudinal direction of the spray stem and the spray nozzle faces the object to be cleaned (see figs. 1 and 13-15).
As to claim 7, Jo teaches that its cleaning module comprises a cleaning liquid receiving chamber formed in the disk and the plurality of cleaning nozzles and propulsion nozzles communicate with the chamber (fig. 3).
As to claim 8, Epperson teaches a water reservoir 40 (fig. 2) on a bottom of the tank, wherein a cleaning liquid is returned to the water reservoir, is filtered, and reused (col. 7, ll. 12-31).
As to claim 9, Epperson teaches a water cleaning module 308 in the water reservoir, the module comprising an inlet port at a height corresponding to a water surface level and a discharge port to discharge floating matter introduced into the inlet port to the outside (fig. 16; col. 13, ll. 40-63).
As to claim 10, Epperson teaches a circulation port in fluid communication with the water reservoir, the circulation port to transport returned cleaning liquid to a filter device 78 (fig. 5; also note filter device 129 to which returned cleaning liquid from a circulation port is directed, fig. 10).
As to claim 11, Epperson teaches a heater 80 in the water reservoir to heat the cleaning liquid (fig. 2).
As to claim 12, in the device taught by Epperson, as modified to have the cleaning module taught by Jo, at least a portion of a cleaning liquid sprayed from the cleaning nozzles and propulsion nozzles may be sprayed toward a recess of an object to the cleaned (an object may be placed in the device such that the nozzles are oriented towards a recess).
As to claim 13, Epperson teaches a jig to fix the object to be cleaned to the base, the jig may be in contact with an inner wall of a recess of an object to be cleaned (col. 5, ll. 50-54).
As to claim 14, Epperson teaches a high-pressure cleaning device comprising a main body 20 (fig. 1); a cover 22 to cover the main body; a cleaning tank 32 between the main body and cover (fig. 2); and a cleaning assembly in the tank, the cleaning assembly comprising a base 46 in which an object to be cleaned is disposed (fig. 1) and a cleaning module to clean the object, the cleaning module comprising a cleaning liquid supply pipe (conduits from outlet 76 of pump, fig. 3).
Epperson teaches a spray tube 56 (fig. 1), but does not teach a first cleaning module that comprises a rotating disk and a plurality of nozzles as claimed. However, one of ordinary skill in the art would have recognized as obvious to modify the device taught by Epperson to have the claimed rotating disk. Jo teaches a cleaning device having a cleaning module comprising a rotating disk 31 (fig. 2) having a first surface (lower surface as shown in fig. 3) perpendicular to a longitudinal direction of a cleaning liquid supply pipe, a second surface (top surface as shown in fig. 3) on a side opposite to the first surface, and a side surface between the first and second surfaces, and a plurality of spray nozzles 37 to spray liquid toward the object to be cleaned in a direction perpendicular to the second surface (figs. 3 and 4). Jo teaches that its rotating disk can be easily assembled and improves washing performance by evenly spraying washing water throughout a washing tank, including corner areas (paras. 32-33). One of ordinary skill in the art would have been motivated to modify the device taught by Epperson to include a first cleaning module, such as the rotating disk taught by Jo, to provide enhanced spray coverage using a simple and easily assembled structure.
Therefore, the claimed invention would have been obvious at its effective filing date.
Claim 4 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over U.S. Patent 6044852 granted to Epperson et al. in view of KR0176673B1 by Jo as applied to claim 3 above, and further in view of U.S. Patent Application Publication 20210177235 by Haegermarck et al.
As to claim 4, Jo does not teach that the angles formed between the propulsion nozzles and the first surface are adjustable. However, one of ordinary skill in the art would have recognized as obvious to make the angles adjustable. Haegermarck teaches that the angle of a propulsion nozzle on the side of a rotating cleaning body may be adjustable in order to achieve an ideal rotational speed in different settings or scenarios such as a lower flow pump (para. 30). One of ordinary skill in the art would have been motivated to modify the fixed propulsion nozzles taught by Jo to be adjustable so that an ideal rotational speed may be achieved, as taught by Haegermarck. Therefore, the claimed invention would have been obvious at its effective filing date.
Conclusion
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/SPENCER E. BELL/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 1711