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) submitted on 01/03/2025 is acknowledged. The submission is in compliance with the provision of 37 CFR 1.97. Accordingly, the information disclosure statement is being considered by the examiner.
Drawings
The drawings are objected to because fig. 8 shows the steps in a smoothing method, which are not in English.
The drawings are objected to under 37 CFR 1.83(a). The drawings must show every feature of the invention specified in the claims. Therefore, the limitation “a first actuator”, “a second actuator” in claim 4 and “a third actuator”, “a fourth actuator” in claim 5 must be shown or the feature(s) canceled from the claim(s). No new matter should be entered.
Corrected drawing sheets in compliance with 37 CFR 1.121(d) are required in reply to the Office action to avoid abandonment of the application. Any amended replacement drawing sheet should include all of the figures appearing on the immediate prior version of the sheet, even if only one figure is being amended. The figure or figure number of an amended drawing should not be labeled as “amended.” If a drawing figure is to be canceled, the appropriate figure must be removed from the replacement sheet, and where necessary, the remaining figures must be renumbered and appropriate changes made to the brief description of the several views of the drawings for consistency. Additional replacement sheets may be necessary to show the renumbering of the remaining figures. Each drawing sheet submitted after the filing date of an application must be labeled in the top margin as either “Replacement Sheet” or “New Sheet” pursuant to 37 CFR 1.121(d). If the changes are not accepted by the examiner, the applicant will be notified and informed of any required corrective action in the next Office action. The objection to the drawings will not be held in abeyance.
Claim Objections
Claim 2 is objected to because of the following informalities:
In claim 2, line 4, “enables the steam release…” is read as “enable the steam release”.
Appropriate correction is required.
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.
Claims 1-11 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 1 recites “the steam vent” in line 10. It is unclear which steam vent the Applicant wants to mention as there are more than one steam vent by the term “at least one steam vent” recited in line 6. For the purpose of applying art, “the steam vent” in line 10 is interpreted as the at least one steam vent.
Claim 1 recites “the intake port” in line 10. It is unclear which intake port the Applicant wants to mention as there are more than one intake port by the term “at least one intake port” recited in line 7. For the purpose of applying art, “the intake port” in line 10 is interpreted as the at least one intake port.
Any remaining claims are rejected as depending from a rejected base claim.
In the art rejections below the claims have been treated as best understood 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 1-2, 6, 9-10 and 12 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Zhang (US 2014/0373402).
Regarding claim 1, Zhang teaches a smoothing appliance (fig. 1, apparatus 100) comprising:
a steam circuit (para. [0052], a steam generating device is arranged internally to mount 1),
an air intake circuit (fig. 2, dust collection casing 10, a centrifugal fan formed by centrifugal impellers 11, and a fan motor 12), and
a portable housing (fig. 1) having a handle (fig. 2) coupled to a smoothing head (figs. 2-3, ironing panel 7) having a treatment side (fig. 3, contacting side of the panel 7) configured to be placed opposite a fabric item to be smoothed (abstract), wherein the treatment side comprises at least one steam vent (fig. 3, steam ejection holes 8) connected to the steam circuit comprising a steam generator (fig. 1, para. [0052]) and at least one intake port (fig. 3, air suction holes 9) connected to the air intake circuit comprising a fan (fig. 2, a centrifugal fan formed by centrifugal impellers 11) configured to be rotated by a motor (fig. 2, motor 12), the appliance including a controller (fig. 2, para. [0052], controlling electric switch 5) for controlling steam release through the steam vent and air intake through the intake port (para. [0017], [0052], the controlling electric switch is a multi-position slide switch, so that the apparatus may be controlled in various modes, i.e., it may be controlled to clean the clothing only, or iron the clothing only, or both clean and iron the clothing), wherein the controller is configured to enable the steam release in a first operating mode and configured to enable steam release combined with air intake in a second operating mode (para. [0017]).
Regarding claim 2, Zhang teaches the controller comprises a push button including a push button head configured to enable the steam release when the push button head is depressed over a first depression stroke and enables the steam release combined with the air intake when the push button head is depressed over a second depression stroke (para. [0017], [0052], the multi-position slide switch is configured to enable the steam release (to iron the clothing only) in a first mode and configured to enable the steam release and air intake (to iron the clothing and clean the clothing by suction effect) in a second mode).
Regarding claim 6, Zhang teaches the controller is disposed on the handle of the appliance (fig. 2).
Regarding claim 9, Zhang teaches the appliance comprises a base (fig. 1, mount 1) connected to the smoothing head by a flexible pipe (fig. 1, pipe 3, para. [0022]).
Regarding claim 10, Zhang teaches the base comprises the steam generator (para. [0052]).
Regarding claim 12, Zhang teaches a method for ironing out a fabric item to be pressed using a smoothing appliance (fig. 7, apparatus 300) having a steam circuit (fig. 7, steam generating device 301), an air intake circuit (fig. 7, para. [0067], a fan formed by motor 310 and impellers 311) and a portable housing (fig. 7), the portable housing comprising a handle (fig. 7, 303 and 316) coupled to a smoothing head (fig. 7, an upper portion of the head 303) having a treatment side (fig. 7) configured to be placed opposite a fabric item to be smoothed, wherein the treatment side comprises at least one steam vent (fig. 7, steam ejection holes 306) connected to the steam circuit (para. [0067]) and at least one intake port (fig. 7, air suction holes 307) connected to the air intake circuit (para. [0067]), the method comprising:
placing the treatment side opposite a fabric item (abstract);
contacting the treatment side to the fabric item, the contacting step comprising at least one steam release step with no air intake (para. [0017], [0068], by turning on the heating of the generating device) and at least one steam release step combined with air intake (para. [0017], [0068], by turning on both the motor of the fan and the heating of the generating device); and
stopping the appliance, the stopping step comprising at least one intake stop step and at least one steam release stop step (para. [0017], [0068], by turning off both the motor of the fan and the heating of the generating device).
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.
The factual inquiries for establishing a background for determining obviousness under 35 U.S.C. 103 are summarized as follows:
1. Determining the scope and contents of the prior art.
2. Ascertaining the differences between the prior art and the claims at issue.
3. Resolving the level of ordinary skill in the pertinent art.
4. Considering objective evidence present in the application indicating obviousness or nonobviousness.
Claims 3-5 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Zhang (US 2014/0373402).
Zhang does not clearly teach the second depression stroke extends beyond the first depression stroke.
However, Zhang teaches switch (5) is a multi-position slide switch (para. [0052]) so that apparatus is operated in various modes of operation.
It would have been obvious to one of the ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the invention to modify Zhang with the second depression stroke extends beyond the first depression stroke for the benefit of adjusting the modes of operation by sliding the switch between two or more positions. Rearrangement of relative positions of the multi-position slide switch to adjust between operation modes is not patentable. In re Japikse, 181 F.2d 1019, 86 USPQ 70 (CCPA 1950).
Regarding claim 4, Zhang does not teach in fig. 1 the controller comprises a first actuator configured to activate the steam release, and a second actuator configured to activate the air intake.
However, Zhang teaches ,in fig. 7, there are two rotary button controlling switches (315); one switch is electrically connected with the motor of the fan for controlling the motor and the other switch is electrically connected with the electric heat tube of the steam generating device for controlling on and off of the heating of the generating device (para. [0068]).
It would have been obvious to one of the ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the invention to modify fig. 1 of Zhang with a first actuator configured to activate the steam release, and a second actuator configured to activate the air intake as taught in fig. 7 for the benefit of providing various modes of operation by controlling cleaning and/or ironing the clothing functions.
Regarding claim 5, Zhang does not teach in fig. 1 the controller comprises a third actuator configured to activate the steam release combined with the air intake, and a fourth actuator configured to stop the air intake.
However, Zhang teaches ,in fig. 7, there are two rotary button controlling switches (315); one switch is electrically connected with the motor of the fan for controlling the motor and the other switch is electrically connected with the electric heat tube of the steam generating device for controlling on and off of the heating of the generating device (para. [0068]).
It would have been obvious to one of the ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the invention to modify fig. 1 of Zhang with a first actuator configured to activate the steam release, and a second actuator configured to activate the air intake as taught in fig. 7 for the benefit of providing various modes of operation by controlling cleaning and/or ironing the clothing functions.
Then the modified structure Zhang teaches a third actuator (by turning on two switches) configured to activate the steam release combined with the air intake, and a fourth actuator (by turning off the switch connected with the motor of the fan) configured to stop the air intake.
Claims 7-8 and 11 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Zhang (US 2014/0373402), as applied to claims 1 and 9 above, and further in view of Javit (US 2020/0071874).
Regarding claim 7, Zhang teaches the handle, the smoothing head (fig. 2)and the steam generator are incorporated into the portable housing (fig. 1, para. [0052]), the portable housing comprising a liquid tank (para. [0052]).
Zhang does not clearly teach a pump configured to supply liquid to the steam generator.
However, in the same field of endeavor, Javit teaches a pump (fig. 1, pump 7) configured to supply liquid to the steam generator (para. [0081]).
It would have been obvious to one of the ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the invention to combine Zhang with a pump configured to supply liquid to the steam generator as taught by Javit for the benefit of supplying the water from the water tank to the steam generator for generating steam in ironing the clothing.
Regarding claim 8, the modified structure Zhang-Javit teaches the smoothing head is connected to an upper end of the handle (Zhang, fig. 1) and the portable housing comprises a baseplate connected to a lower end of the handle (Zhang, fig. 1, the mount 1 is connected to a lower end of the handle), the steam generator (Zhang, para. [0022], [0052]), the liquid tank (Zhang, para. [0052]) and the pump being disposed in the baseplate (Javit, fig. 1).
Regarding claim 11, Zhang teaches the base comprises a liquid tank (para. [0052]).
Zhang does not clearly teach a pump configured to supply liquid to the steam generator.
However, in the same field of endeavor, Javit teaches a pump (fig. 1, pump 7) configured to supply liquid to the steam generator (para. [0081]).
It would have been obvious to one of the ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the invention to combine Zhang with a pump configured to supply liquid to the steam generator as taught by Javit for the benefit of supplying the water from the water tank to the steam generator for generating steam in ironing the clothing.
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure. See form PTO-892.
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/UYEN T NGUYEN/Examiner, Art Unit 3732