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 .
Status of Claims
The Office Action is in response to the remarks and amendments filed on 7/30/2026. The objections to the Drawings have been withdrawn in light of the amendments filed. The objections to the Specification have been withdrawn in light of the amendments filed. The rejections pursuant to 35 U.S.C. 112(b) have been withdrawn in light of the amendments filed Accordingly, claims 1-20 are pending for consideration in this Office Action.
This Office Action contains a New Grounds of Rejection. Since these new grounds of rejection did not result from an amendment to the claims, this Office Action is being made non- final to afford the applicant the opportunity to respond to the new grounds of rejection.
Specification
The specification is objected to as failing to provide proper antecedent basis for the claimed subject matter. See 37 CFR 1.75(d)(1) and MPEP § 608.01(o). Correction of the following is required: the first driving gear and the second driving gear, see at least claims 9 and 10.
Drawings
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 first driving gear and the second driving gear in at least claims 9 and 10 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 Rejections - 35 USC § 112
§ 112(a)
The following is a quotation of the first paragraph of 35 U.S.C. 112(a):
(a) IN GENERAL.—The specification shall contain a written description of the invention, and of the manner and process of making and using it, in such full, clear, concise, and exact terms as to enable any person skilled in the art to which it pertains, or with which it is most nearly connected, to make and use the same, and shall set forth the best mode contemplated by the inventor or joint inventor of carrying out the invention.
The following is a quotation of the first paragraph of pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112:
The specification shall contain a written description of the invention, and of the manner and process of making and using it, in such full, clear, concise, and exact terms as to enable any person skilled in the art to which it pertains, or with which it is most nearly connected, to make and use the same, and shall set forth the best mode contemplated by the inventor of carrying out his invention.
Regarding amended claims 9 and 10, applicant has added the limitations “a first driving gear configured to provide rotational force to the tray supporter, and a second driving gear configured to provide rotational force to the full ice detection member” in claim 9 and “first driving gear is located above the second driving gear” in claim 10. On page 14, para 1, the originally filed specification says the motor unit 70 is comprised of a combination of a plurality of gears and motors and may rotate the lower tray 50 forward and backward at a set angle. On page 15, para 2, the originally filed specification says the motor unit 70 may include a first driving part 701 for rotating the lower tray 50 and a second driving part 702 for rotating the full ice detection member 71. The motor unit generally includes a plurality of motors and gears. The original specification does not disclose the first driving part and the second driving part as gears or identify a first gear and a second gear performing the functions as claimed. There is nothing in the originally filed claims, specification or drawings to support the newly added limitations. Thus, the newly added limitation is deemed to be NEW MATTER.
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.
(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.
Claims 1-18 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Yonghyun (KR20210005485A).
Regarding Claim 1, Yonghyun teaches a refrigerator [refrigerator 1, Figure 1] comprising:
a cabinet [cabinet 2, Figure 2] having a storage space [refrigerator room 3 and freezer room 6, Figure 2];
a door [refrigerator room door 5 and freezer door 6, Figure 2] configured to open and close the storage space [Figure 2, 0046] and including an ice-making chamber [ice maker room 8 , Figure 2];
an ice maker [ice maker 100, Figure 10] provided in the ice-making chamber [where an ice-making room 8 in which a main ice maker 81 is accommodated may be formed in one of the refrigerator doors 5 on both sides, Figure 1; 0049; where ice maker 100 may be provided in ice making room 8 instead of ice maker 81; 0056] and configured to make spherical ice [where ice maker 100 can produce spherical ice; 0051]; and
an ice bank [ice bin 102, Figure 2] provided below the ice maker [where the ice bin may be provided below ice maker 100 to store ice; 0053] and configured to store ice separated from the ice maker [0053],wherein the ice maker includes:
an upper tray [upper tray 150, Figure 10] including an upper cell [upper chambers 152, Figure 10] having a hemispherical shape [where the upper chamber scan be formed in a hemispherical shape, Figure 20; 0248]a lower tray [lower tray 250, Figure 10] provided below the upper tray [Figure 10] and including a lower cell [where the lower chamber (252) may be formed in a hemispherical shape or a shape similar to a hemisphere; 0372, Figure 29] which contacts the upper cell to form an ice chamber having a spherical shape [where the upper assembly 110 and the lower assembly 200 form an ice chamber 111 for generating spherical ice; 0096];
a tray supporter [lower supporter 270, Figure 10] configured to support the lower tray and provided to be rotatable [where the lower supporter 270 is rotatably connected; 0408, Figure 47];
a motor unit [drive unit 180 including a driving motor, Figure 10; 0100] configured to rotate the tray supporter [where the rotating arm (351, 352) can be connected to the driving unit (180) together with the lower supporter (270) and rotated together;0108];
and a full ice detection member [ice detection lever 700 with sensing body 710, Figure 10] connected to the motor unit [where one side of the ice detection lever (700) is connected to the driving unit (180); 0122], and including a detector [sensing body 710, Figure 10] configured to rotate in a same direction as the tray supporter [where bidirectional rotation of the lower assembly (200) and the ice detection lever (700) is made possible by the motor; 0101] and detect whether the ice bank is full of ice [where even when the ice detection lever (700) is rotated as in FIG. 57 to detect ice, the ice detection lever (700) can effectively detect whether the ice stored in the ice bin (102); 0537], wherein the detector is configured to reciprocate between a first wall [annotated Figure 56] at the rear of the ice bank [leftmost side of annotated Figure 56] and a second wall [annotated Figure 56] at the front of the ice bank [annotated Figure 56], and wherein a minimum distance between the detector and the first wall [annotated Figure 56, where the leftmost end of the detection lever 700 is about perpendicular with the first wall] is smaller than a diameter of the ice chamber [annotated Figure 56, where the diameter of the ice I represents the size of the inside of the ice chamber].
Regarding Claim 2, Yonghyun teaches the invention of claim 1 and further teaches where, in a process of a rotation of the full ice detection member and the tray supporter [as shown in Figures 66-68], a minimum distance between an end portion of the tray supporter [at the point of rotation of lower supporter 270, Figure 57, where an end portion is interpreted generically as a portion at an end of the lower supporter] and the detector [lowest end of detection lever 700, Figure 57] is larger than the diameter of the ice chamber [L5, where ice I represents the size of the inside of the ice chamber, annotated Figure 57].
Regarding Claim 3, Yonghyun teaches the invention of claim 2 and further teaches where in the process of the rotation of the full ice detection member and the tray supporter [as shown in Figures 66-68], the minimum distance between the end portion of the tray supporter [annotated Figure 57, where an end portion is interpreted generically as a portion at an end of the lower supporter] and the detector [lowest end of detection lever 700, Figure 57] is smaller than twice the diameter of the ice chamber [where ice I represents the inner diameter of the ice chamber, and where the minimum distance is less than twice L5, annotated Figure 57].
Regarding Claim 4, Yonghyun teaches the invention of claim 3 and further teaches where, in the process of the rotation of the full ice detection member and the tray supporter [as shown in Figures 66-68], the minimum distance [annotated Figure 57] between the end portion of the tray supporter [where the end portion is the end nearest the point of rotation of lower supporter 270, annotated Figure 57] and the detector [lowest end of detection lever 700, Figure 57] is formed when the tray supporter and the full ice detection member intersect [as shown Figure 57 where the dashed outline of lower supporter 270 intersects with detection lever 700].
Regarding Claim 5, The refrigerator of claim 1, wherein a central axis of rotation of the full ice detection member is located behind a central axis of rotation of the tray supporter.
Regarding Claim 6, Yonghyun teaches the invention of claim 1 wherein the central axis of rotation of the full ice detection member [the uppermost end of detection lever 700, C2, annotated Figure 57] is located below the central axis of rotation of the tray supporter [C1, annotated Figure 57].
Regarding Claim 7, Yonghyun teaches the invention of claim 1 and further teach where, in a process of a rotation of the full ice detection member [as shown in Figures 66-68], a minimum distance between the detector and the second wall [annotated Figure 57] is greater than a minimum distance between the detector and the first wall [annotated Figure 56].
Regarding Claim 8, Yonghyun teaches the invention of claim 7 and further teaches where the tray supporter [lower supporter, 270] is configured to rotate to open rearward [where the tray supporter 270 rotates to open toward the front, annotated Figure 57 and Figures 65-68].
Regarding Claim 9, Yonghyun teaches the invention of claim 1 and further teaches where the motor unit [drive unit 180, Figure 10] includes: a first driving gear configured to provide rotational force to the tray supporter [where the above driving unit (180) may include a driving motor and a power transmission unit for transmitting the power of the driving motor to the lower assembly (200), where the above power transmission unit may include one or more gears and may provide appropriate torque for rotation of the lower assembly (200) by a combination of multiple gears; 0100], and a second driving gear configured to provide rotational force to the full ice detection member [where the first gear of the plurality of gears of the drive unit (180) is coupled to the ice detection lever; 0125], and wherein the first driving gear is located in front of the second driving gear [where the rotational center C1 of the tray supporter 270 is in front of the rotational center C2 of detection lever 700, annotated Figure 57].
Regarding Claim 10, Yonghyun teaches the invention of claim 9, wherein the first driving gear is located above the second driving gear [where the rotational center C1 of the tray supporter 270 is above the rotational center C2 of the detection lever 700, annotated Figure 57].
Regarding Claim 11 , Yonghyun teaches the invention of claim 1 and further teaches where, when forming the minimum distance between the detector and the first wall of the ice bank [annotated Figure 56], the full ice detection member forms a maximum rear rotation angle [annotated Figure 56], and wherein the maximum rear rotation angle and a maximum front rotation angle [annotated Figure 57] are measured from a vertically downward line passing through a rotation axis of the full ice detection member [where a vertical line is drawn from C2 in annotated Figure 56 and Figure 57].
Regarding Claim 12, Yonghyun teaches the invention of claim 11 and further teaches where when forming a minimum distance between the detector and the second wall of the ice bank [annotated Figure 57], the full ice detection member forms the maximum front rotation angle [measured from the vertical through C2, annotated Figure 57], and the maximum rear rotation angle is greater than the maximum front rotation angle [where the ice detection lever (700) rotates together with the lower assembly (200) when the ice is rotated for ice removal, so as to detect whether the ice inside the ice bin (102) is full; 0056; where may have a length to reach just above L5, Figure 57; 0544; where the full ice detection member is configured to have a greater maximum front rotation angle than the maximum rear rotation angle when the ice bin is full such as a second layer of ice I is present;].
Regarding Claim 13, Yonghyun teaches the invention of claim 1 and further teaches a cover [upper case 120, Figure 10] mounted on the upper tray [upper tray 150, Figure 10] and configured to guide a flow of cold air passing through the upper tray [where cold air passes through cool air hole 134, Figure 17; 0218], wherein a first end portion of the full ice detection member is connected to the motor unit [where detection lever 700 connects to driver 180 via first coupler 740, Figure 9 and Figure 10], and wherein a second end portion of the full ice detection member is connected to the cover [via second coupler 750, Figure 9 and Figure 10; 0140].
Regarding Claim 14, Yonghyun teaches the invention of claim 1 and further teaches wherein the detector [sensing body 710, Figure 10] includes: a first position forming the minimum distance from the first wall [annotated Figure 56]; and a second position forming a minimum distance from the second wall [annotated Figure 57], and wherein the second position is located lower than the first position [where the second position extends lower, reaching height L6 of Figure 57, than the first position in Figure 56].
Regarding Claim 15, Yonghyun teaches the invention of claim 14 and further teaches where, in the first position [annotated Figure 56], the full ice detection member forms a maximum rear rotation angle [annotated Figure 56 measured from the horizontal of C2 to detection lever 700], wherein, in the second position [annotated Figure 57], the full ice detection member forms a maximum front rotation angle [when measured from the horizontal through C2, annotated Figure 57], and wherein the maximum rear rotation angle is greater than the maximum front rotation angle [where the maximum rear rotation angle of Figure 56 is greater than the max front rotation angle relative to the horizontal line through C2].
Regarding Claim 16, Yonghyun teaches the invention of claim 1 and further teaches where a distance from the first wall [F1, annotated Figure 56] to a rotation axis of the full ice detection member [C2] is smaller than a distance from the first wall to a rotation axis of the tray supporter [C1, where C1 is further from the first wall than C2 along the horizontal, annotated Figure 56].
Regarding Claim 17, Yonghyun teaches the invention of claim 1 and further teaches where a trace of an end portion of the tray supporter [the trace formed by the motion of lower supporter 270, annotated Figure 57] is located above a trace of the detector [detection lever 700, Figure 57] of the full ice detection member [where the length L1 of the ice detection lever 700 can be formed to be longer than the distance L2 of the lower branch of the lower assembly 200;0538, where lower assembly 200, including lower support 270, rotates above detection lever 700, as seen in Figures 65-68].
Regarding Claim 18, Yonghyun teaches the invention of claim 17 and further teaches where the trace of the detector of the full ice detection member is located inside a front and rear of the trace of the end portion of the tray supporter [where the length L1 of the ice detection lever 700 can be formed to be longer than the distance L2 of the lower branch of the lower assembly 200, annotated Figure 57;0538, where lower assembly 200, including lower support 270, rotates above and rearward of detection lever 700, as seen in Figures 65-6].
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Response to Arguments
Applicant’s arguments on pages 12-17 of the remarks filed 7/30/2026 have been considered but are moot because the new ground of rejection does not rely on any reference applied in the prior rejection of record for any teaching or matter specifically challenged in the argument.
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure
Linstromberg (US3964269A) discusses a sensing arm 20a adapted to swing an end through the upper portion of a space 21 of collecting bin 18, Figure 4 and Figure 8.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to KEONA LAUREN BANKS whose telephone number is (571)270-0426. The examiner can normally be reached Mon-Fri 8:30- 5:00 EST.
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If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Jerry-Daryl Fletcher can be reached at 5712705054. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/KEONA LAUREN BANKS/Examiner, Art Unit 3763
/ELIZABETH J MARTIN/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3763
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