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 statement (IDS) is in compliance with the provisions of 37 CFR 1.97. Accordingly, the information disclosure statement is being considered by the examiner.
Claim Objections
Claims 1, 6, and 13-14 are objected to because of the following informalities:
Claim 1 recites “a solenoid valve” two different times and in reference to two different elements (21 and V3). While it is understood what actual valve is being referred to in light of the disclosure, both elements having the same name creates issues of antecedent basis and clarity in later claims that recite “the solenoid valve”.
This can be corrected by renaming one to –a dispensing solenoid valve—and/or renaming the other to –a bypass solenoid valve—.
Claim 6 recites “each module”. This is inconsistent antecedent basis with “a module” in intervening claim 4.
This can be corrected by making claim 6 depend on claim 5.
Claims 13-14 recite “the heating mode”. This is improper antecedent basis.
This can be corrected by making claims 13-14 each depend on claim 11.
Appropriate correction is required.
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(s) 1-4, 6, 8-11, and 13-16 are is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Gransow et al (EP 3321428; machine translation provided) in view of Marty et al (US 20130075483).
Regarding claim 1, Gransow (FIGs 2-4) discloses “A hydraulic device, comprising a casing (10) and, housed in the casing:
- a mixing assembly (8 and lines connected directly therewith) for mixing hot (from 3/14) and cold (4/21) water equipped with a mixing valve (8), … a hot water inlet (left opening of 8), a cold water inlet (right opening of 8) and a water outlet (top opening);
- a dispensing assembly (11 and lines connected directly therewith) equipped with … a water inlet (bottom end) and at least one water outlet (top end) for dispensing water to a user (out from 10), the water inlet being connected to the water outlet of the mixing assembly;
- at least one controller (15);
- … wherein the device comprises a bypass assembly (6, 7, 9, 13-14, 21-22, and lines connected directly therewith) equipped with:
- an external hot water inlet (below 6) and an external cold water inlet (below 7);
- a hot water outlet (line directly above 14) connected to the hot water inlet of the mixing assembly and a cold water outlet (line directly above 21) connected to the cold water inlet of the mixing assembly;
- a first connection segment (line between 6 and 14) between the external hot water inlet and the hot water outlet, a second connection segment (line between 7 and 21) between the external cold water inlet and the cold water outlet and a third connection segment (section comprising the line directly below 13, directly below 22, and between 13/22) between the first connection segment and the second connection segment (ends are branches between 6/14 and 7/21), the third connection segment being equipped with a solenoid valve (13); and
- a temperature sensor (42)…”
Gransow is silent regarding “a motor for actuating the mixing valve...[a dispensing assembly equipped with] a solenoid valve (21) … the mixing assembly and the dispensing assembly being connected to the controller”.
However, Marty (FIGs 1-7) teaches a hot/cold mixing water supply system (analogous to Gransow, having, within a casing 10, the casing containing a mixing valve 20/40 driven by a motor (paragraph 4) and a “dispensing assembly” valve 32/42 (solenoid driven in paragraph 99) downstream of the mixing valve 20 and configured to supply multiple water destinations, where the valves are collectively operated by a controller 44.
Therefore it would have been obvious, before the effective filing date, to modify the water mixing system of Gransow with the features of Marty indicated above such that it includes “a motor for actuating the mixing valve...[a dispensing assembly equipped with] a solenoid valve (21) … the mixing assembly and the dispensing assembly being connected to the controller”, to provide central automatic means for controlling the mixing valve (as is desirable in Gransow, and an added feature of controlling outflow from the mixing valve to multiple destinations for additional control of the system.
Gransow is further silent regarding “a temperature sensor arranged in the hydraulic segment joining the external hot water inlet and the external cold water inlet passing through the third connection segment”. Instead Gransow has the temperature sensor 42 located further upstream of 13.
However, it is understood that placing the temperature sensor 42 of Gransow on the branch path directly upstream of 13 would yield the same result as the current temperature sensor location (sensing the temperature of the supply of 3; such that an undesirable sensed temperature triggers the opening of bypass solenoid valve 13).
It would have been obvious, before the effective filing date, to modify the sensor location of Gransow such that it is “a temperature sensor arranged in the hydraulic segment joining the external hot water inlet and the external cold water inlet passing through the third connection segment”, as choosing an alternate location of a part to achieve the same expected result (sensing supply temperature) would be within routine skill in the art.
Regarding claim 2, Marty as applied to claim 1 further teaches “wherein the solenoid valve (32/42) of the dispensing assembly is an all-or-nothing solenoid valve or a proportional solenoid valve (understood to read on “all-or-nothing” fluid control relative to providing water to either of the destinations 34/36).”
Regarding claim 3, Marty as applied to claim 1 further teaches “wherein the dispensing assembly comprises a plurality of water outlets (34/36) for dispensing water to a user.”
Regarding claim 4, Gransow (FIGs 2-4) discloses “wherein the mixing assembly and the dispensing assembly are grouped in a module (collection of components in FIG 2 read as a “module”), whose having inlets that are the hot water inlet and the cold water inlet and comprising the water outlet (as defined).”
Regarding claim 6, Gransow (FIGs 2-4) discloses “wherein each module is equipped with a controller (15).”
Regarding claim 8, Marty as applied to claim 1 further teaches “comprising fixing and closing end plates (387, 376) and equipped with through holes for tightening with a stud (377).”
Regarding claim 9, Gransow (FIGs 2-4) discloses “comprising a user interface (16) connected to the controller (see FIG 2).”
Regarding claim 10, Gransow (FIGs 2-4) discloses “wherein the controller comprises generating means configured to generate for generating a control signal for turning a circulator module ON and OFF (paragraph 16 operation seen to be an on/off “circulator mode” as it conditionally activates whether to return [read on “circulate”] the supply water and it is capable of being turned off; “circulating mode” as a term on its own not seen to explicitly include additional structure), the generating means being wired or wireless (16, 19).”
Regarding claim 11, Gransow (FIGs 2-4) discloses “wherein the controller is configured to work with a heating mode in the controller is configured to open or close the solenoid valve of the bypass assembly based on a signal provided by the temperature sensor of the bypass assembly (paragraph 16 operation seen to be a “heating mode” as it operates to tune the temperature of the outbound water [functionally read on “heating” that operation range includes increasing the outbound water temperature; “heating mode” as a term on its own not seen to explicitly include additional structure).”
Regarding claim 13, Gransow (FIGs 2-4) discloses “wherein the controller is configured to deactivate the heating mode when a user requests water with a specific temperature (water reaching the desired temperature in paragraphs 16/22 and switching operation to outflow water read on “deactivate the heating mode”).”
Regarding claim 14, Gransow (FIGs 2-4) discloses “wherein the controller is configured to deactivate the heating mode when a predetermined minimum time has elapsed since the last use (water reaching the desired temperature in paragraphs 16/22 and switching operation to outflow water read on “deactivate the heating mode; can be further augmented with time delay in paragraph 8).”
Regarding claim 15, Gransow (FIGs 2-4) discloses “wherein the temperature sensor is arranged in the partial hydraulic segment comprised between the solenoid valve and the connection segment (after the modification in claim 1 deemed as obvious in the art, the sensor is at the segment of the branch line upstream of 13).”
Regarding claim 16, Marty as applied to claim 1 further teaches “An assembly of the device (D) according to claim 1 and a preinstallation box (72), the device being housed in the preinstallation box (see FIGs 7-9).”
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 5, 7, 12, and 17 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.
The following is a statement of reasons for the indication of allowable subject matter:
Regarding claim 5, Gransow is further silent regarding “comprising a plurality of modules, the bypass assembly being equipped with a hot water outlet and a cold water outlet for each module.”
This is seen to be more distinct than mere duplication of parts as they are connected in a specific manner. For at least this reason, claim 5 is nonobvious.
Claim 7 is allowable by virtue of its dependency on claim 5.
Regarding claim 12, Gransow is further silent regarding “wherein the controller is configured to open or close the solenoid valve of the dispensing assembly based on a signal provided by the temperature sensor of the bypass assembly.”
While the components are present in Gransow/Marty, modifying the controller to operate in this specific manner is nonobvious as it would require undue hindsight reasoning.
Regarding claim 17, Gransow is further silent regarding “a circuit formed by a hot water pipe, a cold water pipe and a heater.”
While water circulation devices are shown in applicant’s cited ES 1136010, the modification to Gransow is nonobvious as it would require dramatic changes to Gransow’s intended operation.
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure. Devices similar to the application are disclosed by Wolf et al (US 20090056011), Bresson et al (US 20200356124), and DuPlessis et al (US 20140026970).
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to PATRICK C WILLIAMS whose telephone number is (571)431-0767. The examiner can normally be reached M-F 9:00-5:00 PM.
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/PATRICK C WILLIAMS/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3753
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