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 .
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.
Claim(s) 1 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by KR 20030064047 A to Kim (Kim 1).
In reference to independent claim 1, Kim 1 discloses:
A clothes treating apparatus comprising:
a housing (see Fig. 3) including:
a side frame (70),
a support frame (71) mounted on the side frame (70) (see Fig. 3) and including:
a support upper surface portion (top surface of upper frame 71; see Fig. 3), and
a support forming portion (71a) protruding from the support upper surface portion (see Fig. 3) to strengthen the support frame against bending and/or twisting, and
a front frame (90) mounted to a front side of the side frame (70) (see Fig. 3), and including:
a frame front surface portion facing forward (front surface of front cover 90; see Fig. 3), and
a frame upper surface portion (91) facing upward and supported by the support upper surface portion (see Fig. 3), and
a drum (not shown; see Title) inside the housing to accommodate laundry inside the drum.
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.
This application currently names joint inventors. In considering patentability of the claims the examiner presumes that the subject matter of the various claims was commonly owned as of the effective filing date of the claimed invention(s) absent any evidence to the contrary. Applicant is advised of the obligation under 37 CFR 1.56 to point out the inventor and effective filing dates of each claim that was not commonly owned as of the effective filing date of the later invention in order for the examiner to consider the applicability of 35 U.S.C. 102(b)(2)(C) for any potential 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(2) prior art against the later invention.
Claim(s) 2-#### is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Kim 1 in view of KR 20150094502 A to Kim et al. (Kim 2).
In reference to dependent claims 2 and 3, Kim 1 is silent regarding the front frame including a frame forming portion protruding from the frame upper surface portion, wherein the frame forming portion includes a first frame forming portion having a first size and first shape, a second frame forming portion having a second size and a second shape, and the first size is different from the second size or the first shape is different from the second shape.
Kim 2 teaches a similar washing machine including an inner frame (1130) having an embossing shape with a ball-eye part (1132a) and a recessed part (1132b) to reinforce the strength of a top frame (1100) (“The inner frame 1130 may be provided with an embossing shape having a ball-eye 1132a and a recess 1132b so as to reinforce the strength of the top frame 1100”; see Fig. 33).
It would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have modified the locking portion (91) of Kim 1 to include the embossing shape with the two differently shaped parts as taught by Kim 2 in order to strengthen the locking portion of Kim 1.
In reference to dependent claim 4, Kim 1 is silent regarding the support frame including a support front surface portion that is spaced apart from the frame front surface portion to form an accommodating space so that at least a portion of a user interface device is accommodatable in the accommodating space.
Kim 2 further teaches a front cover (120) including a display panel installation hole (126) for installing a display panel (411) (“The front cover 120 may be provided with a display panel 411, an operation panel 420, and a pump filter cover 430. To this end, the front cover 120 may be provided with a display panel installation hole 126, an operation panel installation hole 127, and a pump filter cover installation hole 130. A display panel support frame 410 may be installed on the display panel installation hole 126 and a display panel 411 may be installed on the display panel support frame 410”; see Figs. 3-4).
It would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have modified the front cover (90) and the upper frame (71) of Kim 1 to include and accommodate a hole and a display panel as taught by Kim 2 in order to display and input various types of information.
In reference to dependent claims 10 and 11, Kim 2 further teaches the front frame (120) includes: a frame opening (126) configured so that the user interface device (411) is mountable thereon; and a frame seating portion on an edge of the frame opening and configured so that the user interface device is seatable thereon; and the support frame includes a recessed portion recessed so that a portion of the frame seating portion is located thereon (see Figs. 1, 3-4).
In reference to dependent claim 12, Kim 1 further discloses the support frame (71) including: a fixing hole (71b) through which a fastening member (a bolt) passes to fix the front frame to the support frame, and a guide line to guide a position of the fixing hole (“The front cover 90 has an opening and an upper end thereof is bent inwardly so that a locking portion 91 supported by the upper frame 71 is formed, and the locking protrusion 71a is fitted into the locking portion 91. The through hole portion 91b is disposed to face the engaging hole portion 91a and the fastening hole portion 71b to be bolted to each other”; see Fig. 3).
In reference to dependent claims 13 and 15, Kim 1 further discloses the front frame (90) includes a mounting portion (91b) couplable to the support frame (71), and the support frame includes a mounting hole (71b) configured to accommodate at least a portion of the mounting portion in response to the front frame being mounted on the support frame (“The front cover 90 has an opening and an upper end thereof is bent inwardly so that a locking portion 91 supported by the upper frame 71 is formed, and the locking protrusion 71a is fitted into the locking portion 91. The through hole portion 91b is disposed to face the engaging hole portion 91a and the fastening hole portion 71b to be bolted to each other”; see Fig. 3); and the support frame (71) includes a deformable support portion (71a) that is deformed by the mounting portion while the front frame is mounted on the support frame, and is restored, in response to the front frame being mounted on the support frame, to support the mounting portion so that the front frame is coupled to, and is prevented from being separated from, the support frame (“The front cover 90 has an opening and an upper end thereof is bent inwardly so that a locking portion 91 supported by the upper frame 71 is formed, and the locking protrusion 71a is fitted into the locking portion 91. The through hole portion 91b is disposed to face the engaging hole portion 91a and the fastening hole portion 71b to be bolted to each other”; see Fig. 3).
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 5-8, 9, and 14 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.
The following is a statement of reasons for the indication of allowable subject matter:
Regarding claim 5, Kim 1 further discloses the support upper surface portion longitudinally extends in a first direction (see Fig. 3), the support front surface portion longitudinally extends in a second direction (see Fig. 3). However, Kim 1 and the prior art of record do not disclose or teach the support frame includes a support rib that extends in a third direction that is different from the first direction and the second direction to support the frame upper surface portion.
Regarding claim 9, Kim 1 further discloses the support frame (71) includes a mounting guide (71b) between the support upper surface portion and the support front surface portion (see Fig. 3). However, Kim 1 and the prior art of record do not disclose or teach the mounting guide being inclined with respect to the support upper surface portion and the support front surface portion, and configured so as to guide the front frame while the front frame is mounted on the support frame.
Regarding claim 14, the prior art does not disclose or teach the support frame includes an inclined portion along an edge of the mounting hole and inclined upward from the support upper surface portion toward the mounting hole.
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to Ngoc T Nguyen whose telephone number is (571)272-7176. The examiner can normally be reached M-F 9:00 am - 5:00 pm.
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If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Helena Kosanovic can be reached at (571) 272-9059. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/NGOC T NGUYEN/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3799
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