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 .
Election/Restrictions
Applicant’s election without traverse of Group I, claims 14-17 in the reply filed on 12/1/2025 is acknowledged.
Claims 18-19 are withdrawn from further consideration pursuant to 37 CFR 1.142(b) as being drawn to a nonelected Group II and III, there being no allowable generic or linking claim. Election was made without traverse in the reply filed on 12/1/2025.
Claims 11-17 and 20 are examined below.
Information Disclosure Statement
The information disclosure statement (IDS) submitted on 12/9/2024 and 8/6/2025 is in compliance with the provisions of 37 CFR 1.97. Accordingly, the information disclosure statement is being considered by the examiner.
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)(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.
Claims 11-14 and 20 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Fumagalli EP 0736626.
Regarding claim 11, Fumagalli discloses: A double-pump assembly (Fig 1), comprising:
a pump body (1),
wherein the pump body is internally provided with a first water inlet cavity (Fig 5: 28) and a second water inlet cavity (29) that are connected to each other (28 and 29 are connected),
the pump body is provided with a water inlet (Fig 4 and 5: 15), and
the water inlet is connected to the first water inlet cavity or the second water inlet cavity (15 is connected to 28 or 29), and
the pump body is further provided with a first water outlet (end of 11) and a second water outlet (end of 12),
the double-pump assembly further comprises a first pump head assembly (6 within 28) and a second pump head assembly (6 within 29) arranged in the pump body,
the first pump head assembly is configured to enable water entering the first water inlet cavity through the water inlet to be discharged through the first water outlet (Impeller pulls fluid into the cavity and through the outlet seen in fig 7), and
the second pump head assembly is configured to enable water entering the second water inlet cavity through the water inlet to be discharged through the second water outlet (Impeller pulls fluid into the cavity and through the outlet seen in fig 7).
Regarding claim 12, Fumagalli discloses:
wherein the pump body is further provided with an intermediate cavity (Fig 3: 21), and
the intermediate cavity is arranged between the first water inlet cavity and the second water inlet cavity and communicates the first water inlet cavity with the second water inlet cavity (Fig 5: 21 is between both 28 and 29 and allows for fluid communication between both cavities).
Regarding claim 13, Fumagalli discloses:
wherein the pump body is further provided with a first water outlet cavity (Fig 5: Cavity that leads to end of 11) and a second water outlet cavity (Cavity that leads to end of 12),
the first water outlet cavity is connected to the first water inlet cavity (28 is connected to cavity of 11),
the second water outlet cavity is connected to the second water inlet cavity (29 is connected to the cavity of 12),
the first water outlet is connected to the first water outlet cavity (end of 11 is connected to the cavity of 11), and
the second water outlet is connected to the second water outlet cavity (end of 12 is connected to the cavity of 11).
Regarding claim 14, Fumagalli discloses:
wherein the double-pump assembly further comprises a first filter assembly (Fig 6: 2),
the first filter assembly is removably arranged in the pump body (Par 25),
the first water inlet cavity is connected to the first water outlet cavity through a first through hole (28 is connected to the cavity of 11 through a hole in the side of the cavity), and
the first filter assembly is configured to filter water entering the first water outlet cavity through the first through hole (2 filters the water that enters the cavity of 11 through the hole. It filters the water before the inlet cavity and the water flows though the through hole then to the outlet cavity).
Regarding claim 20, Fumagalli discloses:
A clothes treatment device, comprising the double-pump assembly (Par 1: For washing machines).
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 15-17 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.
Regarding claim 15, The closest prior art of Fumagalli EP 0736626 discloses:
wherein the pump body is provided with a first mounting opening (Fig 6: Opening where 2 is mounted),
the first mounting opening is connected to the first water inlet cavity (Opening where 2 is mounted is connected to 28),
the first filter assembly comprises a first screw cap (Fig 1: 3) and a first filter member (Member of 2),
the first screw cap is fittingly connected to the first mounting opening (3 is fitted into the opening of where 2 is mounted),
a first end of the first filter member is connected to the first screw cap (End of 2 is connected to 3).
However, Fumagalli is silent as to:
a second end of the first filter member is connected to the first through hole.
This is considered allowable subject matter. The further defines the location in which the filter is inserted. This distinguishes itself over the prior art by having the filter being located in between the inlet cavity and outlet cavity within a through hole.
Claims 16 and 17 depend off of an allowable claim, therefore also allowable.
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure. Seo et al. US 20230416971 discloses a similar screw filter for a washing machine to applicants. Nakashima et al. US 11634854 and Zhao et al. US 11352734 discloses a double pump for a washing machine similar to applicants.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to COURTNEY D HEINLE whose telephone number is (571)270-3508. The examiner can normally be reached Monday-Friday (9:00am-5:00pm).
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If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Alford Kindred can be reached at (571) 272-4037. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/COURTNEY D HEINLE/Supervisory Patent Examiner, Art Unit 3745
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