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
The applicant’s claim to priority of Japan 2011-105514 on 5/10/2011 is acknowledged.
Information Disclosure Statement
The applicant filed an IDS on 9/9/24 and 8/11/2025. Each has been annotated and considered.
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 (i.e., changing from AIA to pre-AIA ) 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)(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 1-7 and 11 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(2) as being anticipated by Huang et al. (US 20140013539 hereinafter Huang).
Regarding claim 1 (and similarly 11), Huang teaches a cleaner head comprising:
a housing configured to define an external appearance and having a space therein (See at least: Fig. 1 item 1 “main unit”);
a cleaning member disposed in the space in the housing and configured to clean a cleaning surface (See at least: Fig. 1 item 20 “vacuum cleaning arrangement”);
a lower cover configured to cover a lower side of the housing and having a lower surface in which a roller accommodation portion is recessed; a roller separably coupled in the roller accommodation portion, rotatably provided, and configured to roll on the cleaning surface (See at least: Fig. 5 items 2 “detachable wheel assembly arrangements”, item 28 “driving wheel”; item 3 “wheel compartment”); and
a roller cover having a flat plate shape separably coupled to the roller accommodation portion and the roller and configured to prevent the roller from being withdrawn (See Fig. 5. Item 4 “wheel covers”; item 41 “cover panel”; See also. Fig.s 3-14, [0031]-[0041] and [0045] to [0049]).
Regarding claim 2, Huang teaches wherein the roller accommodation portion comprises a cover groove recessed vertically, wherein the roller cover comprises: a cover main body disposed in parallel with the lower cover; and a cover coupling portion disposed perpendicularly to the cover main body, and wherein the cover coupling portion is disposed at one end of the cover main body and vertically inserted into the cover groove (See at least: Figs. 5-10 items 3 “wheel compartment”, 9 “locking slots”, 41 “cover panel”; 7 “elastic locking member”).
Regarding claim 3, Huang teaches wherein the roller accommodation portion comprises a hook groove horizontally recessed in an inner wall of the cover groove, wherein the cover coupling portion comprises a cover hook protruding horizontally, and wherein the cover hook is separably coupled to the hook groove and disposed at a position that faces the hook groove (See at least: Figs. 5-8 items 3 “wheel compartment”, 23 “locking indentions”, 41 “cover panel”, 7 “elastic locking member”, item 9 “locking slot”, 17 “protruding member”; 23 “locking indention”; [0043]-[0044]).
Regarding claim 4, Huang teaches, wherein the roller comprises:a roller main body having a cylindrical shape; and a roller shaft disposed to penetrate a rotation center of the roller main body, and wherein the roller accommodation portion comprises: a roller groove having an inner wall recessed to define a curved surface so that at least a part of the roller main body is inserted into the roller groove; one or more roller shaft grooves each having an inner wall recessed to define a curved surface so that at least a part of the roller shaft is inserted into the roller shaft groove; and a cover support protruding vertically and configured to support the cover main body (See at least: Figs. 5-14 items 28 “driving wheel”, 3 “wheel compartment”, 26 “wheel cavity”, 10 “engaging slot”, 4 “wheel cover”).
Regarding claim 5, Huang teaches wherein the cover main body further comprises: a shaft support groove having an inner wall vertically recessed to define a curved surface so that at least a part of the roller shaft is vertically inserted into the shaft support groove; and a cover support groove into which the cover support is vertically inserted (See at least: Figs. 5-10 items 8 “locking latch”, 4 “wheel cover”, 10 “engaging slot”, 3, “wheel compartment”; [0041]).
Regarding claim 6, Huang teaches wherein the roller shaft and the cover support are coupled to the cover main body and block a horizontal movement of the cover main body, and wherein a direction in which the roller shaft blocks the horizontal movement of the cover main body and a direction in which the cover support blocks the horizontal movement of the cover main body are orthogonal to each other (See at least: Figs. 5-10 items 8 “locking latch”, 4 “wheel cover”, 10 “engaging slot”, 3, “wheel compartment”; [0041]).
Regarding claim 7, Huang teaches wherein the roller accommodation portion further comprises a separation assisting groove recessed at a side opposite, in a horizontal direction, to a position at which the roller is disposed based on the cover coupling portion, wherein at least a part of the cover coupling portion is exposed to an internal space of the separation assisting groove, and wherein the cover hook is moved horizontally and separated from the hook groove when an external force is applied in the horizontal direction to a part of the exposed cover coupling portion (See at least: [0042]-[0044] and Figs. 5-8).
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 8-10 are objected to as being dependent upon a rejected base claim, but would be allowable if rewritten in independent form including all of the limitations of the base claim and any intervening claims.
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to Harry Oh whose telephone number is (571)270-5912. The examiner can normally be reached on Monday-Thursday, 9:00-3:00.
If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Abby Lin can be reached on (571) 270-3976. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/HARRY Y OH/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3657
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