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 .
Drawings
The drawings are objected to as failing to comply with 37 CFR 1.84(p)(5) because they include the following reference character(s) not mentioned in the description: 2C (Fig. 1), 311 (Fig. 5). Corrected drawing sheets in compliance with 37 CFR 1.121(d), or amendment to the specification to add the reference character(s) in the description in compliance with 37 CFR 1.121(b) 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. 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 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.
Claims 1-3 and 17 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Innes (US 2020/0345196) in view of Paulla (US 2022/0287528).
As to claim 1, Innes includes a cleaning device, comprising a cleaning device main body (1400) and a base station (1402), wherein the cleaning device main body comprises a body assembly (1406), a fan assembly (1414) and a dust cup assembly (1510, 1512; para 56), and
wherein, when the cleaning device is in a first state (The state illustrated in Fig. 15), the cleaning device main body is separated from the base station, and the fan assembly and the dust cup assembly form a dust suction duct (Fig. 15); and
when the cleaning device is in a second state (The state illustrated in Fig. 16), the cleaning device main body is placed on the base station, and the fan assembly, the dust cup assembly and the dust bag assembly form a dust collection duct (Fig. 16 illustrates air flow path 1600).
Innes does not include the base station having a dust bag assembly.
Paulla includes a cleaning device having a cleaning device main body (104) and a base station (108), and the base station having a dust bag assembly (188) [para 32 and Fig. 2].
It would have been obvious to modify the base station to have a dust bag assembly, as taught by Paulla, in order to provide an alternative way of collecting dust within the base station, the dust bag assembly allowing additional filtration of the air passing through the base station, making the air around the base station more clean, and removal of the dust bag for its replacement keeps the interior of the base station more clean as well.
As to claim 2, wherein the body assembly is provided with a first air duct (The inlet going into 1512) and a dust-suction outlet (The outlet at the most downstream section of flow path 1500), the fan assembly is provided with a first air inlet (The inlet of 1414), a second air duct (The duct within 1414) and a first air outlet (The outlet of 1414), the dust cup assembly is provided with a third air duct (1504), and the first air duct, the third air duct, the first air inlet, the second air duct and the first air outlet form the dust suction duct (Fig. 15 illustrates air flow path 1500 goes through these elements).
As to claim 3, wherein the body assembly is provided with a dust-blowing inlet (The same element as the first air duct), the fan assembly is further provided with a second air inlet, a fourth air duct and a second air outlet (The inlet, outlet, and duct of 1414, shown in claim 2, are these), the dust cup assembly is provided with a fifth air duct (The same element as the third air duct), and the dust-blowing inlet, the second air inlet, the fourth air duct, the second air outlet, the fifth air duct and the dust bag assembly form the dust collection duct (Fig. 16 proves that air flow path 1600 goes through these elements).
As to claim 17, wherein the dust cup assembly is provided with an air vent (The opening at the bottom of 1512), the dust-blowing inlet, the second air inlet, the fourth air duct, the second air outlet, the fifth air duct and the dust bag assembly form a first dust collection duct, the dust-blowing inlet, the second air inlet, the fourth air duct, the second air outlet, the air vent and the dust bag assembly form a second dust collection duct (The air flows along both of air paths 1500 and 1600, and therefore the ducts describes are present), and the first dust collection duct and the second dust collection duct are combined to form the dust collection duct (The first and second dust collection duct are both part of one air flow section along air flow path 1600).
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 4-16 and 18-20 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
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to ANDREW A. HORTON whose telephone number is (571)270-5039. The examiner can normally be reached Monday - Friday 8:30 AM - 5:00 PM.
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If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Monica S. Carter can be reached at (571) 272-4475. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/ANDREW A HORTON/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3723
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