DETAILED ACTION
This Office Action is responsive to application number 18/878,612 - TEST PIECE FOR URINALYSIS, TRANSMISSION MECHANISM, AND TOILET, filed on 12/21/24. Claims 1-3, 7,9,12,15,22,25-26, 30-32, 35-36, 47-49, 52-53 are pending. Claims 4-6, 8, 10-11, 13-14, 16-21, 23-24, 27-29, 33-34, 37-46, 50-51 and 54-57 have been canceled.
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 1-3, 7, 9, 35-36, 48 and 52-53 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.
Regarding claims 1, 9 and 52, where applicant acts as his or her own lexicographer to specifically define a term of a claim contrary to its ordinary meaning, the written description must clearly redefine the claim term and set forth the uncommon definition so as to put one reasonably skilled in the art on notice that the applicant intended to so redefine that claim term. Process Control Corp. v. HydReclaim Corp., 190 F.3d 1350, 1357, 52 USPQ2d 1029, 1033 (Fed. Cir. 1999). The term “toilet seat” in the claims is used by the claim to mean “the toilet bowl, pedestal or base,” while the accepted meaning is “the seat that rotates between horizontal and vertical positions and sits on the bowl, pedestal or base.” The term is indefinite because the specification does not clearly redefine the term and merely calls the pedestal, base or bowl 100 the toilet seat.
Regarding claims 2,15, 25, 48, 53 The term “close to” is a relative term which renders the claim indefinite. The term “close to” is not defined by the claim, the specification does not provide a standard for ascertaining the requisite degree, and one of ordinary skill in the art would not be reasonably apprised of the scope of the invention.
Regarding claim 52, “a toilet seat” is indefinite as it is unclear if this is the previously introduced toilet seat of claim 1 from which it depends.
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.
Claim(s) 1, 35 and 52 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Hiruta et al. (US 5,111,539).
Regarding Claim 1 Hiruta shows a test piece (6) for urinalysis, installed on a toilet seat (1) for human urinalysis, comprising a housing (420, 421), a support (422, 423), and test paper (6), wherein the support is movably arranged on the housing (note, col. 5, lines 35-65 and col. 6, lines 0-4), and the test paper is placed on the support to move with the support relative to the housing (Figs. 3-5); in an initial state, the test paper is sealed in the housing (note, col. 5, lines 12-24; note, col. 5, lines 59-69 and col. 6, lines 0-3); during testing, the test paper is exposed out of the housing by driving the support (Figs. 4, 10; note, col. 5, lines 59-69 and col. 6, lines 0-3).
Regarding Claim 35 Hiruta shows a test piece (6) for urinalysis, arranged on a toilet (1), comprising: a base (2) arranged on the toilet; a movable member (422) capable of carrying a to-be-tested sample (6) and movable along the base (Figs. 3-5, 10-12); and a test module (423) arranged on the base, wherein the test module is movable relative to the movable member (telescopic, movable relative to each other), and the test module comprises a test state and a yield state; wherein in the test state, the test module is close to the movable member (retracted), the movable member carries the to-be-tested sample to a position corresponding to the test module, and the test module tests the to-be-tested sample; in the yield state (extended), the test module moves to a position away from the movable member to yield the movable member (Figs. 3-5; 8-10).
Regarding Claim 52 Hiruta shows the toilet, comprising a toilet seat (1) provided with a test hole (at 440, 442 and 2a), and further comprising the test piece (6) for urinalysis according to claim 1, wherein the housing (420 A, Fig. 8, note col. 7, lines 42-47) of the test piece for urinalysis is detachably or movably arranged at the test hole.
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 25-36, 30-32, and 47-49 are allowed.
Claims 2-3, 7, 9, 12, 15, 22, 36 and 53 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
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure. CN 106596910 A shows a similar device; Huang (US 4,901,736) shows the general state of the art.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to CHRISTINE J SKUBINNA whose telephone number is (571)270-5163. The examiner can normally be reached Monday thru Thursday, 9:30 AM to 6PM EST.
Examiner interviews are available via telephone, in-person, and video conferencing using a USPTO supplied web-based collaboration tool. To schedule an interview, applicant is encouraged to use the USPTO Automated Interview Request (AIR) at http://www.uspto.gov/interviewpractice.
If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, DAVID ANGWIN can be reached at 571-270-3735. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
Information regarding the status of published or unpublished applications may be obtained from Patent Center. Unpublished application information in Patent Center is available to registered users. To file and manage patent submissions in Patent Center, visit: https://patentcenter.uspto.gov. Visit https://www.uspto.gov/patents/apply/patent-center for more information about Patent Center and https://www.uspto.gov/patents/docx for information about filing in DOCX format. For additional questions, contact the Electronic Business Center (EBC) at 866-217-9197 (toll-free). If you would like assistance from a USPTO Customer Service Representative, call 800-786-9199 (IN USA OR CANADA) or 571-272-1000.
/CHRISTINE J SKUBINNA/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3754 7/17/2026
Prosecution Insights