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.
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 5-7 and 9-12 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 5 recites “the cooling air inlet port” in line 3 while there are more than one cooling air inlet port as claim 1 recites “at least one cooling air inlet port”. It is unclear which “the cooling air inlet port” in line 3 of claim 5 the Applicant wants to mention.
Claim 5 recites “the cooling air vent” in line 4 while there are more than one cooling air vent as claim 1 recites “at least one cooling air vent”. It is unclear which “the cooling air vent” in line 4 of claim 5 refers to.
Claim 6 recites “at least one air intake vent” in line 2. It is unclear “at least one air intake vent” in claim 6 is the same or different from “at least one air intake vent” in claim 1. For the purpose of applying art “at least one air intake vent” in claim 6 is interpreted to be the same as “at least one air intake vent” in claim 1.
Claim 7 recites “the air intake vent” in line 2 while there are more than one air intake vent as claim 1 recites “at least one air intake vent”. It is unclear which “the air intake vent” in claim 7 refers to.
Claim 9 recites “the air intake vent” in line 5 and claim 12 recites “the air intake vent” in line 3 while there are more than one air intake vent as claim 1 recites “at least one air intake vent”. It is unclear which “the air intake vent” in claims 9 and 12 refer to.
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 § 103
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 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 1-13 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Zhang (US 2014/0373402) in view of Grab (US 2023/0063470).
Regarding claim 1, Zhang teaches a smoothing appliance (fig. 1, apparatus 100) comprising:
a portable housing (fig. 1) having a handle (fig. 1, pipe 3 and rear portion of element 4) and a smoothing head (fig. 1, front portion of element 4) connected to the handle, the portable housing further comprising:
a steam circuit comprising a steam generator (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) extending between at least one intake port (fig. 2, air suction holes 9) and at least one air intake vent (fig. 2, motor air vents 14) and comprising a fan (fig. 2, para. [0053], impellers 11) configured to be rotated by a motor (fig. 2, para. [0053], motor 12), the fan and the motor being disposed in the smoothing head (fig. 2);
wherein the smoothing head comprises a treatment side (fig. 2, the outside of the ironing panel 7) configured to be placed opposite a fabric item to be smoothed, the treatment side comprising at least one steam vent (fig. 2, steam ejection holes 8) connected to the steam circuit (para. [0053]) and the at least one intake port forming an intake air inlet of the air intake circuit (para. [0053]).
Zhang does not clearly teach the smoothing head comprises an air cooling circuit for the motor extending between at least one cooling air inlet port and at least one cooling air vent disposed in the smoothing head, the cooling circuit being separate and distinct from the air intake circuit.
However, in the same field of suction and steaming device, Grab teaches the device comprises an air cooling circuit (fig. 5, cooling air inlet 88 and cooling air outlet 86) for the motor (fig. 6) extending between at least one cooling air inlet port (fig. 5, inlet 88) and at least one cooling air vent (fig. 5, outlet 86) disposed in the housing for motor, the cooling circuit being separate and distinct from the air intake circuit (fig. 5, the cooling air inlet 88 and cooling air outlet 86 are separate and distinct from the suction nozzle 54 and the exhaust vent 52).
It would have been obvious to one of the ordinary skilled in the art before the effective filing date of the invention to combine Zhang with the air cooling circuit for the motor as taught by Grab so that air is drawn through the interior of the device in order to cool the suction motor (Grab, para. [0002]).
Regarding claim 2, the modified structure Zhang-Grab does not teach the cooling circuit comprises a rotatably mounted propeller for circulating air entering through the cooling air inlet port towards the cooling air vent.
However, Grab teaches the cooling circuit comprises a rotatably mounted propeller (fig. 6, a cooling fan 106) for circulating air entering through the cooling air inlet port towards the cooling air vent (para. [0053]).
It would have been obvious to one of the ordinary skilled in the art before the effective filing date of the invention to combine the modified structure Zhang-Grab with a rotatably mounted propeller as taught by Grab for the benefit of allowing cooling air for the vacuum motor to be drawn into the housing by the cooling fan (Grab, para. [0054]).
Regarding claim 3, the modified structure Zhang-Grab teaches the propeller is axial helical centrifugal or centrifugal (Grab, fig. 6).
Regarding claim 4, the modified structure Zhang-Grab teaches the motor extends longitudinally along an axis from a first end to a second end, the first end being closer to the treatment side than the second end (Zhang, fig. 2).
The modified structure Zhang-Grab does not teach the propeller is disposed at the second end of the motor.
However, Grab teaches in figs. 9-10, the cooling fan is disposed behind the brush motor in the longitudinal axis of the housing (para. [0062], the brush motor cooling flow path B can share a common cooling fan 106).
It would have been obvious to one of the ordinary skilled in the art before the effective filing date of the invention to move the position of the cooling fan to the second end of the motor of the modified structure Zhang-Grab as suggested in figs. 9-10 for the benefit of allowing cooling air for the vacuum motor to be drawn into the housing by the cooling fan. Rearrangement of parts is generally recognized as being within level of ordinary skill in the art. In re Japikse, 181 F.2d 1019, 86 USPQ 70 (CCPA 1950).
Regarding claim 5, the modified structure Zhang-Grab teaches the smoothing head comprises a rear side opposite the treatment side and a lateral side extending between the treatment side and the rear side.
The modified structure Zhang-Grab does not clearly teach the cooling air inlet port is disposed on the lateral side and the cooling air vent is disposed on the rear side.
However, Grab teaches the cooling air inlet port is disposed on the lateral side and the cooling air vent is disposed on the rear side (fig. 5).
It would have been obvious to one of the ordinary skilled in the art before the effective filing date of the invention to combine the modified structure Zhang-Grab with the teaching that the cooling air inlet port is disposed on the lateral side and the cooling air vent is disposed on the rear side as taught by Grab so that air is drawn through the interior of the device in order to cool the suction motor (Grab, para. [0002]).
Regarding claim 6, the modified structure Zhang-Grab teaches the air intake circuit comprises at least one intake vent (Zhang, fig. 2, vents 14) disposed on the rear side (Zhang, fig. 2).
Regarding claim 7, the modified structure Zhang-Grab does not teach the at least one cooling air vent in the cooling circuit opens into the air intake circuit at the air intake vent in the air intake circuit.
However, Grab teaches in figs. 9-10, the at least one cooling air vent in the cooling circuit opens into the air intake circuit at the air intake vent in the air intake circuit (figs. 9-10, the cooling air outlet 120 is next to the air outlet 52).
It would have been obvious to one of the ordinary skilled in the art before the effective filing date of the invention to combine the modified structure Zhang-Grab with the teaching that the at least one cooling air vent in the cooling circuit opens into the air intake circuit at the air intake vent in the air intake circuit as taught by Grab so that air is drawn through the interior of the device in order to cool the suction motor (Grab, para. [0002]).
Regarding claim 8, the modified structure Zhang-Grab does not teach the cooling circuit comprises a plurality of cooling air inlet ports and/or a plurality of cooling air vents.
However, Grab teaches the cooling circuit comprises a plurality of cooling air inlet ports and/or a plurality of cooling air vents (fig. 6, there are at least two cooling air inlet ports and a plurality of cooling air vents 86).
It would have been obvious to one of the ordinary skilled in the art before the effective filing date of the invention to combine the modified structure Zhang-Grab with the teaching that the cooling circuit comprises a plurality of cooling air inlet ports and/or a plurality of cooling air vents as taught by Grab so that air is drawn through the interior of the device in order to cool the suction motor (Grab, para. [0002]).
Regarding claim 9, the modified structure Zhang-Grab teaches the portable housing comprises a receiving chamber comprising an inner wall defining an enclosure in which the motor is disposed (Zhang, fig. 2).
The modified structure Zhang-Grab does not teach the receiving chamber comprising blades extending from the inner wall to form at least one air intake flow channel between the at least one air intake port and the air intake vent and to form at least one cooling pipe to enable cooling air entering through the at least one cooling air inlet port to flow into the enclosure.
However, Grab teaches the receiving chamber comprising blades (annotated fig. 6 below, blades formed by parts of element 60 and element 106) extending from the inner wall to form at least one air intake flow channel between the at least one air intake port and the air intake vent and to form at least one cooling pipe to enable cooling air entering through the at least one cooling air inlet port to flow into the enclosure.
It would have been obvious to one of the ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the invention to combine the modified structure Zhang-Grab with the teaching of Grab that the receiving chamber comprising blades extending from the inner wall to form at least one air intake flow channel between the at least one air intake port and the air intake vent and to form at least one cooling pipe to enable cooling air entering through the at least one cooling air inlet port to flow into the enclosure so that air is drawn through the interior of the device in order to cool the suction motor (Grab, para. [0002]).
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Regarding claim 10, the modified structure Zhang-Grab teaches each blade is hollow so as to define the at least one cooling pipe (Grab, annotated fig. 6 above).
Regarding claim 11, the modified structure Zhang-Grab teaches the at least one air intake channel is defined between two blades (Grab, annotated fig. 6 above).
Regarding claim 12, the modified structure Zhang-Grab teaches each blade is curved to direct intake air flowing between the at least one intake port and the air intake vent (Grab, annotated fig. 6 above).
Regarding claim 13, the modified structure Zhang-Grab does not teach the air intake circuit and the cooling circuit are configured so that intake air flows in a direction orthogonal to a cooling air flow direction in the receiving chamber.
However, Grab teaches the air intake circuit and the cooling circuit are configured so that intake air flows in a direction orthogonal to a cooling air flow direction in the receiving chamber (annotated fig. 6 below).
It would have been obvious to one of the ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the invention to combine the modified structure Zhang-Grab with the teaching of Grab that the air intake circuit and the cooling circuit are configured so that intake air flows in a direction orthogonal to a cooling air flow direction in the receiving chamber so that air is drawn through the interior of the device in order to cool the suction motor (Grab, para. [0002]).
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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