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 .
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.
Claims 5-6 are 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 5 and 6 recites “a sliding insertion direction of the dust chamber”. It is unclear to the examiner if applicant intends for this direction to be the same as “a first direction” in claim 1 that the claims are dependent upon or a different direction entirely. For purpose of examination examiner interprets the limitation as the same .
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 1-12 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Cho (11,006,797).
Regarding Claim 1, Cho teaches A cleaner station (Ref. 1, Fig. 2) connected to a dust bin of a cleaner to suction dust from the dust bin ([Col. 4, Lines 24-26]), the cleaner station comprising:
a suction flow path (Ref. A1&A2, Fig. 3) which is connected to the dust bin and through which air including dust flows by a suction operation of a dust collection motor (Ref. 30, Fig. 3, [Col. 5, Lines 20-22]);
a chamber housing (Ref. 2, Fig. 1) disposed under the suction flow path (Fig. 1&3) and having an accommodation space (Ref. 20, fig. 4) provided therein (Fig. 4); and
a dust chamber (Ref. 400, Fig. 4 the entire opened section) configured to separately store dust suctioned from the cleaner ([Col. 5, Lines 20-22]) and detachably coupled to the chamber housing (Fig. 6, [Col. 7, Lines 30-35]),
wherein the dust chamber is inserted into the chamber housing in a first direction (Fig. 6 annotated below) and withdrawn in a second direction (Fig. 6 annotated below) that is a direction opposite to the first direction, and
a coupling member (Ref. 13, 320, &410, Fig. 4&6) having a shape that is coupled by being fitted in a sliding manner ([Col. 7, Lines 30-32] describes slidably) is provided on an inner surface of the chamber housing (Fig. 4&8) and an outer surface of the dust chamber (Fig. 6).
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Regarding Claim 2, Cho teaches the limitation of claim 1, as described above, and further teaches wherein the coupling member includes:
a coupling rail (Ref. 19, Fig. 10) disposed on each of left and right outer surfaces of the dust chamber (Fig. 6-7 show the groove at least partially on the surface of the dust chamber to span the entire distance); and
a guide rail (Ref. 300&310, Fig. 6-8) disposed at each of locations facing the coupling rail (Fig. 8, [Col. 6, Lines 57-59]) and provided in a shape that protrudes from left and right inner surfaces of the chamber housing to guide the movement of the coupling rail (Fig. 8-9, [Col. 6, Lines 57-59] describes guiding the movement of the rail due to being set in the coupling rail).
Regarding Claim 3, Cho teaches the limitation of claim 2, as described above, and further teaches wherein the chamber housing and the dust chamber are constrained in directions of two or more axes orthogonal to each other by coupling the coupling rail to the guide rail (Fig. 4&8).
Regarding Claim 4, Cho teaches the limitation of claim 2, as described above, and further teaches wherein the coupling rail has a U shape ([Col. 6, line 57-59] describes a groove, Fig. 7) with an open rear when viewed from a left surface or right surface of the dust chamber (Fig. 8), and is formed with an insertion part (Ref. 310, Fig. 8) having a shape corresponding to the guide rail so that the guide rail is fitted (fig. 8).
Regarding Claim 5, Cho teaches the limitation of claim 2, as described above, and further teaches wherein the guide rail has a greater vertical width as it extends in a sliding insertion direction of the dust chamber based on a state when viewed from a side surface (Fig. 6 shows the guide rail (310&300) has a greater vertical width as it extends in a sliding insertion direction, if applicant intends for the vertical width to be gradually larger such a limitation is not required).
Regarding Claim 6, Cho teaches the limitation of claim 2, as described above, and further teaches wherein the guide rail includes one or more inclined surfaces formed in a sliding insertion direction of the dust chamber (Fig. 6 annotated below).
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Regarding Claim 7, Cho teaches the limitation of claim 1, as described above, and further teaches wherein the chamber housing (2) further includes an air hole (Fig. 3, the hole where the airflow (A1) pass through ) through which air is introduced into an internal space of the chamber housing by a negative pressure ([Col. 5, Lines 20-22] describes sucking air into the canister thereby forming a negative pressure to draw air).
Regarding Claim 8, Cho teaches the limitation of claim 7, as described above, and further teaches wherein in a state in which the dust chamber has been coupled to the chamber housing (Fig. 4),
a first space (Ref. 400, Fig. 4), which is an internal space of the dust chamber (Fig. 4), and a second space (Fig. 4 surrounding area to the first space), which is a space between the outer surface of the dust chamber and the inner surface of the chamber housing (Fig. 4), are defined, and
when the dust of the cleaner is suctioned, the air hole forms a pressure difference by which the dust chamber is moved in a sliding insertion direction (Fig. 8-9) between the first space and the second space (Fig. 3, 8-9, [Col. 5, Lines 20-28]).
Regarding Claim 9, Cho teaches the limitation of claim 1, as described above, and further teaches wherein the chamber housing further includes a connection flow path (Ref. 12, Fig. 3) which is disposed in a sliding insertion direction of the dust chamber (Fig. 4 show the connection flow path spanning in the sliding insertion direction) and through which air discharged from the chamber housing flows toward the dust collection motor (Fig. 3).
Regarding Claim 10, Cho teaches the limitation of claim 1, as described above, and further teaches wherein the dust chamber is selected from a first dust chamber (Ref. 400, Fig. 4) and a second dust chamber (Ref. 12&22, Fig. 3-4), which include different types of dust separation means, by a user (Fig. 3, [Col. 7, Lines 20-29] describes different dust separation means).
Regarding Claim 11, Cho teaches the limitation of claim 10, as described above, and further teaches wherein a dust bag (Ref. 400, Fig. 4, [Col. 7, Line 20] describes a dust bag), which is made of a material through which air passes ([Col. 7, Lines 20-29]) but dust does not pass as the dust separation means, is detachably coupled to the first dust chamber (Fig. 6, [Col. 7, Lines 30-35]).
Regarding Claim 12, Cho teaches the limitation of claim 10, as described above, and further teaches wherein the second dust chamber includes a mesh net (Ref. 12, Fig. 4, [Col. 5, Line 7] describes being a mesh) configured to separate dust using a plurality of holes formed in an air flow path as the dust separation means (Fig. 3, [Col. 5, Lines 10-11]).
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.
Claim 13 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Cho as applied to claim 10 above, and further in view of Kim (2021/0298550).
Regarding Claim 13, Cho teaches the limitation of claim 10, as described above, but fails to explicitly teach wherein the second dust chamber includes a cyclone part configured to separate dust using a cyclone flow as the dust separation means. Kim teaches a cleaner station with a suction flow path, a chamber housing, and a dust chamber and can be considered analogous art because it is within the same field of endeavor. Kim teaches a cleaner station (Ref. 1'', Fig. 30) comprising a dust chamber (Ref. 451, Fig. 33) configured to separately store dust suctioned from the cleaner ([0432]), wherein the second dust chamber includes a cyclone part configured to separate dust using a cyclone flow as the dust separation means ([0439] describes there can be an additional dust collection chamber using a cyclone). Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date to modify the second dust chamber, as taught by Cho, to have a second dust chamber using a cyclone part, as taught by Kim, to provide further filtration and improve dust separation and removal.
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure. Cho (2021/0068603), Morin (2016/0374528), and Morin (2016/0166126) teaches the a cleaner station connected to a dust bin of a cleaner, a suction flow path, and a dust chamber and can be analogous art because they are within the same field of endeavor.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to DANA L POON whose telephone number is (571)272-6164. The examiner can normally be reached on General: 6:30AM-3:30PM.
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/DANA LEE POON/Examiner, Art Unit 3723
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