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.
Claim(s) 1-2, 5-13, 16-18 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Tincher et al. (20190079543).
Regarding claim 1, Tincher discloses a chemical dispensing system comprising: an eductor (48) having a diluent inlet (50), a chemical pickup port (54), a discharge port (52), and a venturi fluidly coupled between the diluent inlet and the discharge port (par. 0003); a selector valve (46) fluidly coupled to the diluent inlet and configured to control a flow of diluent into the diluent inlet; a sensor (66) configured to measure a flow characteristic of the flow of diluent; a controller (12) operatively coupled to the selector valve, the controller comprising at least one processor and memory storing instructions that, when executed, cause the at least one processor to perform operations comprising: opening the selector valve to allow the flow of diluent into the diluent inlet (par. 0061); determining a dispense duration based on the measured flow characteristic and an amount of a chemical to be dispensed; and in response to determining that the dispense duration has elapsed, closing the selector valve (par. 0071).
Regarding claim 2, the sensor comprises a pressure sensor (66) coupled to the system upstream of the diluent inlet and the flow characteristic comprises a pressure of the flow of diluent.
Regarding claim 5, the memory of the controller stores dispense duration calibration data, and wherein the calibration data comprises a plurality of curves of chemical flow rates based on the measured flow characteristic, each curve corresponding with a particular chemical (par. 0072).
Regarding claim 6, the calibration data further comprises a plurality of curves of chemical flow rates based on an installation configuration of the chemical dispensing system, each curve corresponding to a particular installation configuration and a particular chemical (par. 0072).
Regarding claim 7, determining the dispense duration comprises determining an expected flow rate of the particular chemical to be dispensed based on the measured flow characteristic; and determining the dispense duration based on the flow rate and the amount of the chemical to be dispensed (par. 0013).
Regarding claim 8, the discharge port is fluidly coupled to one or more laundry machines (par. 0055).
Regarding claim 9, the selector valve is a first selector valve and the eductor is a first eductor, and the system further comprises: a second eductor having a diluent inlet, a chemical pickup port, a discharge port, and a venturi fluidly coupled between the diluent inlet and the discharge port; a second selector valve fluidly coupled to the diluent inlet of the second eductor an inlet manifold fluidly coupled to the first and second selector valves and configured to be coupled to a source of diluent; and a flush manifold fluidly coupled to the discharge ports of the first and second eductors (Fig. 1; par. 0003).
Regarding claim 10, the chemical pick up ports of the first and second eductors are fluidly coupled to different chemical reservoirs (Fig. 1).
Regarding claim 11, the second eductor is a flush eductor, and wherein the operations further comprise: opening the second selector valve for a flush duration to flush the flush manifold with diluent (Fig. 1; par. 0012).
Regarding claim 12, the operations further comprise: determining a second dispense duration to dispense a second chemical fluidly coupled to the pickup port of the second eductor; opening the second selector valve for the second dispense duration; and in response to determining that the second dispense duration has elapsed, closing the second selector valve (par. 0006, 0061).
Regarding claim 13, Tincher discloses a method for dispensing a fluid, the method comprising: opening a selector valve fluidly coupled to a diluent inlet of an eductor to allow the flow of diluent into the diluent inlet, the eductor comprising the diluent inlet, a chemical pickup port, a discharge port and a venturi fluidly coupled between the diluent inlet and the discharge port (par. 0003 and 0071; Fig. 1); measuring a flow characteristic of a diluent flow using a sensor (66); determining a dispense duration based on the measured flow characteristic and an amount of a chemical to be dispensed (par. 0071); and in response to determining that the dispense duration has elapsed, closing the selector valve (par. 0071).
Regarding claim 16, determining the dispense duration comprises determining a flow rate of the chemical to be dispensed based on the measured flow characteristic; and determining the dispense duration based on the flow rate and the amount of the chemical to be dispensed (par. 0071-0072).
Regarding claim 17, further comprising: opening a second selector valve to flush a flush manifold with diluent; and in response to determining that a flush duration has elapsed, closing the second selector valve (par. 0070).
Regarding claim 18, further comprising: determining a second dispense duration to dispense a second chemical fluidly coupled to the pickup port of a second eductor, the second dispense duration being based on the measured flow characteristic and an amount of the second chemical to be dispensed; opening a second selector valve; and in response to determining that the second dispense duration has elapsed, closing the second selector valve (par. 0006, 0061).
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.
Claim(s) 3-4 and 14 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Tincher et al. in view of Dyer (20210053018).
Regarding claim 3, Tincher DIFFERS in that it does not disclose the system further comprising: a flow meter coupled to the system upstream of the diluent inlet and configured to measure a flow rate of the flow of diluent. Attention, however, is directed to the Dyer reference, which discloses a flow meter coupled to a system upstream of a diluent inlet and configured to measure a flow rate of the flow of diluent (par. 0096, 0105, 0107, and 0109).
It would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify the Tincher reference in view of the teachings of the Dyer reference by employing a flow meter for the purpose of enabling a specified volume of liquid to be delivered.
Regarding claim 4, Tincher DIFFERS in that it does not disclose the sensor comprises a flow meter coupled to the system upstream of the diluent inlet and the flow characteristic comprises a flow rate of the flow of diluent. Attention, however, is directed to the Dyer reference, which discloses a sensor comprises a flow meter coupled to the system upstream of a diluent inlet and a flow characteristic comprises a flow rate of the flow of diluent (par. 0096, 0105, 0107, and 0109).
It would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify the Tincher reference in view of the teachings of the Dyer reference by employing a flow meter for the purpose of enabling a specified volume of liquid to be delivered.
Regarding claim 14, the sensor comprises a pressure sensor (66) and measuring the flow characteristic comprises measuring a pressure of the flow of diluent (par. 0071).
Tincher DIFFERS in that it does not disclose measuring a flow rate of the flow of diluent using a flow meter fluidly coupled to the diluent inlet. Attention, however, is directed to the Dyer reference, which discloses measuring a flow rate of a flow of diluent using a flow meter fluidly coupled to a diluent inlet (par. 0096, 0105, 0107, and 0109).
It would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify the Tincher reference in view of the teachings of the Dyer reference by employing a flow meter for the purpose of enabling a specified volume of liquid to be delivered.
Allowable Subject Matter
Claim 15 is 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.
Claims 19-20 are allowed.
The following is a statement of reasons for the indication of allowable subject matter: The closest prior art to the claimed invention is Tincher et al. Tincher fails to teach or suggest determining an average value of the measured flow characteristic; and recording a flow rate of the chemical dispensed at the average value of the measured flow characteristic based on the amount of chemical dispensed and the amount of time.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to DONNELL ALAN LONG whose telephone number is (571)270-5610. The examiner can normally be reached Mon - Fri 8AM-5PM.
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/DONNELL A LONG/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3754
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