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) dated September 04, 2024 and June 23, 2025 have been received and fully considered by the Examiner.
Specification
The abstract of the disclosure is objected to because of its undue length. A corrected abstract of the disclosure is required and must be presented on a separate sheet, apart from any other text. See MPEP § 608.01(b). Applicant is reminded of the proper language and format for an abstract of the disclosure.
The abstract should be in narrative form and generally limited to a single paragraph on a separate sheet within the range of 50 to 150 words in length. The abstract should describe the disclosure sufficiently to assist readers in deciding whether there is a need for consulting the full patent text for details.
The language should be clear and concise and should not repeat information given in the title. It should avoid using phrases which can be implied, such as, “The disclosure concerns,” “The disclosure defined by this invention,” “The disclosure describes,” etc.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 102
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 1-3 and 7-9 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Tweedie et al. (US 20180085207 A1, hereinafter "Tweedie").
Regarding Claim 1, Tweedie discloses: An oral cavity cleaning device (Paragraph 0002, The present invention relates to a pump assembly, and to a cleaning appliance which includes a pump assembly. The cleaning appliance is preferably a handheld cleaning appliance, and is preferably a surface treating appliance. In preferred embodiments of the invention, the appliance is a dental cleaning appliance) comprising:
a tank configured to store a liquid (Paragraph 0054, The cleaning tool 14 also comprises a fluid reservoir 34 for storing a working fluid, and a nozzle 36 for delivering one or more bursts of working fluid to the teeth of the user during use of the appliance 10);
a nozzle to which the liquid stored in the tank is configured to be supplied via a liquid flow path and from which the liquid is configured to be discharged into an oral cavity (Paragraph 0055, The nozzle 36 forms part of a fluid delivery system 40 for receiving working fluid from the fluid reservoir 34 and for delivering bursts of working fluid to the teeth of a user during use of the appliance 10. The tip of the nozzle 36 comprises a fluid outlet 42 through which a burst of working fluid is delivered to the teeth of the user);
a pump that is disposed in the liquid flow path, the pump being configured to suck the liquid stored in the tank and being configured to discharge the liquid from the nozzle (Paragraph 0055, The fluid delivery system 40 comprises a pump assembly 46 for drawing working fluid from the fluid reservoir 34 through the fluid inlet 44, and for delivering a burst of working fluid to the nozzle 36);
and a pump drive mechanism configured to drive the pump (Paragraph 0055, The pump assembly 46 is located within the handle 12, and comprises a positive displacement pump 48 and a drive for driving the pump 48. The drive preferably comprises a motor 50),
wherein the pump comprises a piston which is configured to be reciprocated linearly in one direction (Paragraph 0063, the pump 48 is in the form of a piston pump, in which the fluid displacement member is a piston 90 which is moveable within the fluid chamber 82), the piston is configured to be reciprocated linearly so as to alternately perform a suction step of sucking the liquid into the pump and a discharge step of discharging the liquid from the pump (Paragraph 0063, 0063,The piston 90 is moveable in a first direction to draw fluid into the fluid chamber 82 from the fluid reservoir 34, and in a second direction, opposite to the first direction, to subsequently urge fluid from the fluid chamber 82 towards the nozzle 36. In this example, the piston 90 is a relatively rigid member which is moveable within the fluid chamber 82 along a linear path between linearly spaced positions),
and the piston is configured to be reciprocated once in such a way that a period of time taken for the suction step (Paragraph 0077, The time taken for the pump assembly 46 to return to a primed configuration to eject a second burst of fluid after the user has operated the button 18 to eject the first burst of fluid is preferably in the range from 0.4 to 0.6 seconds, and is preferably around 0.5 seconds)
and a period of time taken for the discharge step are different from each other (Paragraph 0076, The time taken for the pump assembly 46 to move from the primed configuration to one in which the pump 48 is decoupled from the drive is preferably in the range from 5 to 30 ms, more preferably between 5 and 15 ms and in this embodiment is around 8 ms).
Regarding Claim 2, Tweedie discloses all of the limitations of Claim 1. Tweedie further discloses: wherein the pump drive mechanism comprises a motor and a conversion mechanism that is configured to convert a rotational motion of the motor into a reciprocating linear motion (Paragraph 0067, As mentioned above, the drive comprises a motor 50. The motor 50 is connected to a drive shaft 108 by a gearbox (not shown) located within the gearbox housing 110 so that the drive shaft 108 can be rotated in a chosen direction by the motor 50 upon actuation by the control circuit 66. The drive shaft 108 protrudes through an aperture 112 formed in the lower housing section 84 to engage a rotatable second coupling member for coupling with the first coupling member of the pump 48), and the piston is coupled to the conversion mechanism (Paragraph 0064, The piston 90 forms part of a driven assembly that is driven by the drive of the pump assembly 46. The driven assembly also comprises a first coupling member for coupling the piston 90 to the drive. In this embodiment, the first coupling member comprises an arm 92 which is connected to the piston 90) and configured to be reciprocated linearly (Paragraph 0063, the piston 90 is a relatively rigid member which is moveable within the fluid chamber 82 along a linear path between linearly spaced positions).
Regarding Claim 3, Tweedie discloses all of the limitations of Claim 1. Tweedie further discloses: wherein the piston is configured to be reciprocated once in such a way that the period of time taken for the discharge step is shorter (Paragraph 0076, The time taken for the pump assembly 46 to move from the primed configuration to one in which the pump 48 is decoupled from the drive is preferably in the range from 5 to 30 ms, more preferably between 5 and 15 ms and in this embodiment is around 8 ms) than the period of time taken for the suction step (Paragraph 0077, The time taken for the pump assembly 46 to return to a primed configuration to eject a second burst of fluid after the user has operated the button 18 to eject the first burst of fluid is preferably in the range from 0.4 to 0.6 seconds, and is preferably around 0.5 seconds).
Regarding Claim 7, Tweedie discloses all of the limitations of Claim 1. Tweedie further discloses: wherein the pump drive mechanism comprises an assist mechanism that is configured to assist movement of the piston (Paragraph 0066, The pump assembly 46 further comprises an energy storage device which converts kinetic energy generated during the actuation of the pump 48 by the drive into potential energy which is stored by the energy storage device).
Regarding Claim 8, Tweedie discloses all of the limitations of Claim 7. Tweedie further discloses: wherein the assist mechanism is configured to assist the movement of the piston when one step of the discharge step or the suction step is performed (Paragraph 0076, When the first pin 120 has moved away from the first seat 128, the pump 48 becomes decoupled from the drive, which enables the compressed spring 106 to use its stored potential energy to expand and actuate the pump 48 in reverse. The piston 90 moves rapidly back towards its first position under the action of the spring 106 to urge a burst of working fluid through the fluid outlet 62 towards the nozzle 36), the one step taking a shorter period of time than the other step within one reciprocation of the piston (Paragraph 0076, The time taken for the pump assembly 46 to move from the primed configuration to one in which the pump 48 is decoupled from the drive is preferably in the range from 5 to 30 ms, more preferably between 5 and 15 ms and in this embodiment is around 8 ms), (Paragraph 0077, The time taken for the pump assembly 46 to return to a primed configuration to eject a second burst of fluid after the user has operated the button 18 to eject the first burst of fluid is preferably in the range from 0.4 to 0.6 seconds, and is preferably around 0.5 seconds).
Regarding Claim 9, Tweedie discloses all of the limitations of Claim 7. Tweedie further discloses: wherein the assist mechanism comprises a biasing member that biases the piston in one direction (Paragraph 0066, In this embodiment, the energy storage device is in the form of a spring 106 provided within the pump housing. The spring 106 is a compression spring. As shown in FIG. 4, the spring 106 has a first end which engages the pump housing, in this embodiment the end wall of the cylindrical end portion 86 of the lower housing section 84, and a second end which engages a radially enlarged section 107 of the piston 90 to urge the piston 90 in the second direction, towards the fluid outlet 62)
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 4-6 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Tweedie (US 20180085207 A1) in view of Mok et al. (US 20140154640 A1, hereinafter "Mok").
Regarding Claim 4, Tweedie discloses all of the limitations of Claim 1. Tweedie further discloses: the pump drive mechanism comprises a transmission mechanism (Paragraph 0064, [0064] The piston 90 forms part of a driven assembly that is driven by the drive of the pump assembly 46. The driven assembly also comprises a first coupling member for coupling the piston 90 to the drive. In this embodiment, the first coupling member comprises an arm 92 which is connected to the piston 90. The arm 92 is connected to the piston 90 by a link rod 94 which has a slot for receiving one end of the arm 92. A link pin 96 passes through aligned apertures 98, 100 formed in the arm 92 and the link rod 94 respectively to connect the arm 92 to the piston 90 so that the arm 92 is pivotably connected to the piston 90)
that is configured to set a moving speed of the piston when the discharge step (Paragraph 0076, The time taken for the pump assembly 46 to move from the primed configuration to one in which the pump 48 is decoupled from the drive is preferably in the range from 5 to 30 ms, more preferably between 5 and 15 ms and in this embodiment is around 8 ms) is performed to be different from a moving speed of the piston when the suction step is performed (Paragraph 0077, The time taken for the pump assembly 46 to return to a primed configuration to eject a second burst of fluid after the user has operated the button 18 to eject the first burst of fluid is preferably in the range from 0.4 to 0.6 seconds, and is preferably around 0.5 seconds),
and the transmission mechanism comprises a gear (Paragraph 0067, The motor 50 is connected to a drive shaft 108 by a gearbox (not shown) located within the gearbox housing 110 so that the drive shaft 108 can be rotated in a chosen direction by the motor 50 upon actuation by the control circuit 66).
However, Tweedie does not disclose that the transmission mechanism comprises a non-circular gear.
Mok does disclose: the pump drive mechanism comprises a transmission mechanism (Paragraph 0021, A pump 22 is in fluid communication with the reservoir 16. The pump 22 includes a piston 24 driven by a motor 26 to provide a forward stroke and a backward stroke to produce a pulsating fluid stream through the nozzle 14. The nozzle 14 is configured to direct the fluid within the mouth to clean teeth and gums. A transmission 28 connects the pump 22 and the motor 26)
that is configured to set a moving speed of the piston when the discharge step is performed to be different from a moving speed of the piston when the suction step is performed (Paragraph 0021, Preferably, the ratio of forward stroke to backward stroke is 18:82, however other ratios may be suitable. The elliptical drive gear 32 rotates at a constant angular speed while the elliptical driven gear 34 changes speed during each rotation),
and the transmission mechanism comprises a non-circular gear (Paragraph 0021, Referring to FIGS. 2a-2e the gear set 30 includes an elliptical drive gear 32 connected to the motor 26 to drive an elliptical driven gear 34 carrying a cam 36. The driven gear 34 is meshed with the drive gear 32 and connected to the piston 24. Because the gears 32, 34 are non-circular, the forward stroke and the backward stroke are non-symmetric).
Both Mok and Tweedie disclose oral cavity cleaning devices with a linearly reciprocated piston mechanism in communication with a gear assembly. It would have been obvious to one skilled in the art before the effective filing date to incorporate the teachings of Mok’s non-circular gear set with the pump assembly disclosed by Tweedie so as to provide another means of controlling the inflow and outflow of fluid through the device.
Regarding Claim 5, Tweedie in view of Mok discloses all of the limitations of Claim 4. Mok further discloses: wherein the non-circular gear is at least one elliptical gear (Paragraph 0020, The dental hygiene device 10 includes an elliptical gear set 30 to provide intermittent pauses in the pulsating fluid flow).
Regarding Claim 6, Tweedie in view of Mok discloses all of the limitations of Claim 5. Mok further discloses: wherein the transmission mechanism comprises two elliptical gears (Paragraph 0021, Referring to FIGS. 2a-2e the gear set 30 includes an elliptical drive gear 32 connected to the motor 26 to drive an elliptical driven gear 34 carrying a cam 36).
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure:
Boersma et al. (WO 2017098371 A1) discloses a crankshaft actuator for an oral healthcare apparatus
Taniguchi (US 20200229906 A1) discloses an oral cavity washing device with a pump and nozzle assembly
Wada et al. (US 9370408 B2) discloses an oral cleaning device with a vibrational frequency adjustment mechanism
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to MISHAL HUSSAIN whose telephone number is (703)756-1206. The examiner can normally be reached M-F, 8:30am - 5:00pm.
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If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Brandy S. Lee can be reached at (571) 270-7410. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/MISHAL HUSSAIN/
Examiner
Art Unit 3785
/BRANDY S LEE/Supervisory Patent Examiner, Art Unit 3785
Prosecution Insights