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
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.
(a)(2) the claimed invention was described in a patent issued under section 151, or in an application for patent published or deemed published under section 122(b), in which the patent or application, as the case may be, names another inventor and was effectively filed before the effective filing date of the claimed invention.
Claim(s) 1-4, 8-11, 13-15 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1)/(a)(2) as being anticipated by Lomicka et al US 20050173932.
Regarding claim 1, Lomicka discloses a cooking apparatus comprising: a main body including a cooking chamber (Lomicka, Figure 1); a door (81) to open and close the cooking chamber and including a door locking portion (1); a latch (35A) mounted on the main body and that is movable, with the cooking chamber closed, between a first latch position (Lomicka, Figure 6) in which the latch is engaged with the door locking portion and a second latch position (Lomicka, Figure 7) in which the latch is disengaged from the door locking portion; a slider (22A) connected to the latch and that is movable between a first slider position corresponding to the first latch position and a second slider position corresponding to the second latch position (Lomicka, ¶0035); and a pusher (421A) configured to press the slider and that is movable to a first pusher position of releasing the pressing of the slider and movable to a second pusher position of pressing the slider, wherein the pusher is configured to move the slider from the first slider position to the second slider position with the pusher moved from the first pusher position to the second pusher position (Lomicka, Figures 6 and 7), so as to move the latch from the first latch position to the second latch position, and wherein the slider is configured to be movable between the first slider position and the second slider position with the pusher located at the first pusher position, so as to correspondingly move the latch between the first latch position and the second latch position.
Regarding claim 2, Lomicka further discloses the slider being moved to the first slider position and the slider is adjacent to the pusher (Lomicka, Figure 6), and with the slider moved to the second slider position and the pusher located at the first pusher position the slider being spaced apart from the pusher (Lomicka, Figure 7).
Regarding claim 3, Lomicka further discloses the pusher being rotatable with respect to the main body about a rotation axis of the pusher from the first pusher position to the second pusher position, and from the second pusher position to the first pusher position (Lomicka, ¶0069).
Regarding claim 4, Lomicka further discloses the pusher being configured to rotate about the rotation axis of the pusher in a direction from the first pusher position toward the second pusher position, and from the second pusher position toward the first pusher position (Lomicka, Figures 6 and 7).
Regarding claim 8, Lomicka further discloses the latch being configured to move from the second latch position to the first latch position as the pusher is moved from the second pusher position to the first pusher position (Lomicka, Figures 6 and 7).
Regarding claim 9, Lomicka further discloses an elastic spring (73A) connected to the latch and elastically biased to apply an elastic force to the latch in a direction in which the latch moves from the second latch position to the first latch position (Lomicka, ¶0071).
Regarding claim 10, Lomicka further discloses the latch is configured to be rotatable about a rotation axis (at 33A) thereof between the first latch position and the second latch position, and as the slider being moved from the first slider position to the second slider position (Lomicka, Figures 6 and 7), the slider is moved toward the rotation axis of the latch, and as the slider is moved from the second slider position to the first slider position, the slider moves away from the rotation axis of the latch.
Regarding claim 11, Lomicka further discloses the slider being configured to be linearly movable between the first slider position and the second slider position (Lomicka, ¶0034).
Regarding claims 13 and 14, Lomicka further discloses a pusher position detection sensor (41)configured to detect a position of the pusher; the pusher position detection sensor includes a switch configured to generate an electrical signal depending on whether or not the switch is pressed by the pusher, with the pusher moved to the first pusher position, the pusher is spaced apart from the switch, and as the pusher is moved from the first pusher position to the second pusher position, the switch is pressed by the pusher (Lomicka, ¶0046).
Regarding claim 15, Lomicka further discloses a connecting rod (30A) connecting the latch and the slider.
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 5-7 and 12 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: The prior art fails to disclose or suggest the cooking apparatus wherein the claimed pusher includes a plurality of contact portions, or a slider guide.
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure: US 4,927,996.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to KRISTEN C HAYES whose telephone number is (571)272-7881. The examiner can normally be reached M-F 8am-6pm.
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/KRISTEN C HAYES/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3642
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