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 § 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, 2, 5-8, 13, 15, and 17-19 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Huang Gan (CN 208464304) in further view of Wright (US 20130333764) and Shikh et al (WO 2023187804).
Regarding claim 1, Huang Gan discloses a powered personal care system, comprising:
a battery-powered oral care device (figure 1), comprising: a handle portion (item 1 in figure 1), comprising:
a rechargeable battery (item 101 in figure 2), the rechargeable battery configured to be detachably connected to the handle portion (last paragraph of page 3 of the included translation, battery is connected using screw thread); and
a motor (item 5 in figure 2), the motor configured to be energized by the rechargeable battery (last paragraph of page 3 of the included translation, battery is connected to the motor by a conducting wire);
a head portion (item 4 in figure 2), comprising: a plurality of brush bristles (items 9 and 11 in figure 2).
However, Huang Gan fails to disclose:
a hydraulically powered battery charging device, comprising:
a housing;
a hydraulic inlet port disposed in the housing, the hydraulic inlet port configured to be connected to a hydraulic fluid source; a magnetic core disposed within the housing; at least one turbine blade in mechanical communication with the magnetic core such that a rotation of the at least one turbine blade causes a rotation of the magnetic core, the at least one turbine blade configured to be motivated into rotation by a flow of the hydraulic fluid across the at least one turbine blade; and
a battery port configured to insertably receive the rechargeable battery.
Wright, which is concerned with conserving water usage in a shower, teaches a hydraulically powered battery charging device, comprising:
a housing (items 280 and 290 in figure 6 and items 400 and 410 in figure 15 form the housing paragraphs [0209] and [0211]);
a hydraulic inlet port (item 188 in annotated figure 8, below) disposed in the housing, the hydraulic inlet port configured to be connected to a hydraulic fluid source (paragraph [0199]); a magnetic core (item 360 in annotated figure 7 below, paragraph [0201] describes the magnet) disposed within the housing; at least one turbine blade (item 370 in annotated figure 7 below is an impeller with blades) in mechanical communication with the magnetic core such that a rotation of the at least one turbine blade causes a rotation of the magnetic core (paragraph [0201] describes the operation of the hydroelectric power generator), the at least one turbine blade configured to be motivated into rotation by a flow of the hydraulic fluid across the at least one turbine blade (figure 9 arrow 200 shows the flow of water into and out of the device);
It would have been prima facie obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have modified Huang Gan with the battery charging means of Wright to utilize water flow in a shower to aid general conservation and environmental responsibility (Wright, paragraph [0258]).
Shikh teaches a battery charger with a battery port (item 302 in figure 3A) configured to insertably receive the rechargeable battery (paragraph [00022], motion shown in figure 3b).
PNG
media_image1.png
720
593
media_image1.png
Greyscale
It would have been prima facie obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have modified the combination of Huang Gan and Wright with the battery lock and port structure of Shikh to allow a battery pack with a lock mechanism to be conveniently swapped by a user (paragraph [0001]).
PNG
media_image2.png
513
505
media_image2.png
Greyscale
Regarding claim 2, the combination of Huang Gan, Wright, and Shikh disclose the system of claim 1. Wright further teaches wherein the at least one turbine blade is a first turbine blade (the blade at item label 370, shown in annotated figure 7 above), the charging device further comprising:
a second turbine blade, the second turbine blade disposed opposite the first turbine blade (the blade opposite the blade at the label for item 370, shown in annotated figure 7 above), the second turbine blade in mechanical communication with the magnetic core such that a rotation of the second turbine blade causes a rotation of the magnetic core (paragraph [0201] describes the operation of the hydroelectric power generator), the second turbine blade configured to be motivated into rotation by the flow of the hydraulic fluid across the second turbine blade (figure 9 arrow 200 shows the flow of water into and out of the device, paragraph [0199]), wherein the rotation of the magnetic core creates a magnetic field (paragraph [0201]).
Regarding claim 5, the combination of Huang Gan, Wright, and Shikh disclose the system of claim 2. Wright further describes a top surface (as shown in annotated figure 7 above) and a bottom surface (as shown in annotated figure 8 above), and the charging device is further configured such that the hydraulic inlet port (item 188 in annotated figure 8 above) is disposed in the bottom surface, the charging device further comprising: a hydraulic outlet port (item 184 in annotated figure 7 above) disposed opposite of the hydraulic inlet port in the top surface, the outlet port configured to be connected to a hydraulic discharge channel (paragraph [0199] describes the outlet having threads to connect to the shower head, shown in annotated figure 7 above).
Regarding claim 6, the combination of Huang Gan, Wright, and Shikh disclose the system of claim 5. Wright further discloses that the charging device is further configured such that the hydraulic inlet port (item 188 in annotated figure 8 above) is connected to a water supply line in a residential bathroom shower hydraulic circuit (item 110 in figure 1, included below), and the hydraulic outlet port is connected to a residential bathroom shower nozzle (item 120 in figure 1 included below, paragraph [0197]).
PNG
media_image3.png
553
576
media_image3.png
Greyscale
Regarding claim 7, the combination of Huang Gan, Wright, and Shikh disclose the system of claim 6. Wright further discloses that the charging device is further configured such that an activation of the residential bathroom shower hydraulic circuit motivates water to flow: into the hydraulic inlet port (paragraph [0214]);
across at least one of: the first turbine blade, or the second turbine blade; and out of the hydraulic outlet port (figure 9 arrow 200 shows the flow of water into and out of the device, paragraph [0199]).
Regarding claim 8, the combination of Huang Gan, Wright, and Shikh disclose the system of claim 7. Wright further discloses that the charging device is further configured such that the activation of the residential bathroom shower hydraulic circuit motivates water (W in figure 1 included above) to flow through the residential bathroom shower nozzle (item 120 in figure 1 included above, paragraph [0199]).
Regarding claim 13, the combination of Huang Gan, Wright, and Shikh disclose the system of claim 1. Shikh further discloses that the charging device further comprises a push lock/release mechanism (item 105 in figure 4b) disposed in the housing coaxially with the battery port (shown in figure 4b), the push lock/release mechanism configured to at least one of: secure the rechargeable battery upon the rechargeable battery insertion into the battery port, release the rechargeable battery upon the rechargeable battery removal from the battery port (paragraph [00034] describes engaging and disengaging the battery).
Regarding claim 15, the combination of Huang Gan, Wright, and Shikh disclose the system of claim 2. Wright further discloses that the charging device is further configured such that the first turbine blade, the second turbine blade, (both on impeller 370 in annotated figure 7, above) and the magnetic core (item 360 in annotated figure 7, above) are disposed in a coaxial arrangement (as seen in annotated figure 7, above).
Regarding claim 17, the combination of Huang Gan, Wright, and Shikh disclose the system of claim 13. Shikh further discloses that the charging device is further configured such that the push lock/release mechanism (item 105 in figure 4b) further comprises a lock fitting disposed proximate to a rear of the battery port (shown in figure 4b), the lock fitting configured to secure the rechargeable battery upon the rechargeable battery insertion into the battery port (paragraph [00034] describes engaging and disengaging the battery).
Regarding claim 18, the combination of Huang Gan, Wright, and Shikh disclose the system of claim 5. Wright further discloses that the charging device is further configured such that the hydraulic inlet port (item 188 in annotated figure 8 above) is threadedly connected to the hydraulic fluid source (paragraph [0199] describes the inlet having threads, shown in annotated figure 8 above, to connect to the water pipe), and the hydraulic outlet port (item 184 in annotated figure 7 above) is threadedly connected to the hydraulic discharge channel (paragraph [0199] describes the outlet having threads, shown in annotated figure 7 above, to connect to the shower head).
Regarding claim 19, the combination of Huang Gan, Wright, and Shikh disclose the system of claim 1. Huang Gan further discloses that the oral care device is further configured such that the rechargeable battery is threadedly connected to the handle portion (last paragraph of page 3 of the included translation, battery is connected to the handle with screw thread).
Claim 3 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over the combination of Huang Gan, Wright, and Shikh as applied to claim 2 above, and further in view of Anderson et al (US 4720640).
Regarding claim 3, the combination of Huang Gan, Wright and Shikh disclose the system of claim 2. However, the combination of Huang Gan, Wright and Shikh fail to disclose that the charging device further comprises: a charging printed circuit board (PCB) disposed in the housing, the charging PCB configured to convert the magnetic field into a current.
Anderson, which is also concerned with a fluid powered electrical generator, teaches that the charging device further comprises: a charging printed circuit board (PCB) disposed in the housing, the charging PCB configured to convert the magnetic field into a current (column 7 line 66 - column 8 line 20, discloses utilizing a printed circuit board as the armature).
It would have been prima facie obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have modified the combination of Huang Gan, Wright and Shikh with the use of printed circuit boards in Anderson to provide the desired electrical output (Anderson column 8 lines 10-20).
Claim 4 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over the combination of Huang Gan, Wright, Shikh, and Anderson as applied to claim 3 above, and further in view of Rohde (US 5959433).
Regarding claim 4, the combination of Huang Gan, Wright, Shikh, and Anderson disclose the system of claim 3. Shikh further discloses the charging device is further configured to electrically charge the rechargeable battery via the current (paragraph [00036]). However, the combination of Huang Gan, Wright, Shikh, and Anderson fail to disclose that the charging device further comprises an electromagnetic induction coil configured to convert the current into a magnetic charging field, the magnetic charging field configured to magnetically charge the rechargeable battery in the battery port.
Rohde, which is also concerned with transferring power to recharge batteries, teaches that the charging device further comprises an electromagnetic induction coil (item 44 in figure 2) configured to convert the current into a magnetic charging field, the magnetic charging field configured to magnetically charge the rechargeable battery in the battery port (column 1 lines 28-44, describes using the coil to charge a battery).
It would have been prima facie obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have modified the combination of Huang Gan, Wright, Shikh, and Anderson with the induction charger of Rohde to charge the battery without direct electrical contact (Rhode column 1 lines 28-44).
Claim 12 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over the combination of Huang Gan, Wright, Shikh, and Anderson as applied to claim 3 above, and further in view of Hochstrasser (US 5043592).
Regarding claim 12, the combination of Huang Gan, Wright, Shikh, and Anderson disclose the system of claim 3. Anderson previously discloses that an effect of the rotation of the magnet on the charging (PCB) generates the current (column 7 line 66 - column 8 line 20, discloses utilizing a printed circuit board as the armature).
Hochstrasser, which is also concerned with a generator in a flow line, teaches that the charging device further comprises: a magnetic wheel (item 30 in the figure, with item 62 being a magnet) disposed in the housing (item 12 in the figure), the magnetic wheel being in magnetic communication with the magnetic core (item 28 in the figure), the magnetic wheel configured such that the rotation of the magnetic core causes a rotation of the magnetic wheel (column 2 lines 42-65, describes the magnetic coupling between items 28 and 30).
It would have been prima facie obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have modified the combination of Huang Gan, Wright, Shikh, and Anderson with the magnetic coupling of Hochstrasser to provide a coupling that allows for the generator to be reliably sealed (Hochstrasser column 1 lines 48-52).
Claims 9-11 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over the combination of Huang Gan, Wright, and Shikh as applied to claim 1 above, and further in view of Wang Xin (CN 211381915).
Regarding claim 9, the combination of Huang Gan, Wright, and Shikh disclose the system of claim 1. However, they fail to disclose that the oral care device is further configured such that the head portion is removably connected to the handle portion in at least two states: a decoupled state in which the head portion is separated from the handle portion, and a coupled state in which the head portion is connected to the handle portion.
Wang Xin, which is also concerned with a battery powered toothbrush, teaches that the oral care device is further configured such that the head portion is removably connected to the handle portion in at least two states: a decoupled state in which the head portion is separated from the handle portion, and a coupled state in which the head portion is connected to the handle portion (the paragraph at the top of page 4 of the included translation describes the threaded connection for disconnecting the brush head).
It would have been prima facie obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have modified the combination of Huang Gan, Wright and Shikh with the toothbrush structure of Wang Xin to provide an easily replaceable brush head for a toothbrush (Wang Xin background and summary of invention, page 2 of the included translation).
Regarding claim 10, the combination of Huang Gan, Wright, Shikh, and Wang Xin disclose the system of claim 9. Wang Xin further discloses that the oral care device further comprises a motor shaft (item 42 in figure 3), and the motor (item 41 in figure 3) is configured to provide at least some amount of oscillation energy (the motor is described as a vibration motor in the paragraph at the top of page 4 of the included translation) via the motor shaft to the head portion (item 5 in figure 1) in the coupled state, and the oscillation energy places the plurality of brush bristles into a condition of at least one of: vibrational motion (the paragraph at the top of page 4 of the included translation describes the transmitting the vibration to the brush head).
Regarding claim 11, the combination of Huang Gan, Wright and Shikh disclose the system of claim 1. However, they fail to disclose that the rechargeable battery is further configured as a base of the oral care device.
Wang Xin, which is also concerned with a battery powered toothbrush, teaches that the rechargeable battery (item 32 in figure 2) is further configured as a base of the oral care device (item 3 in figures 1 and 2 is the battery cover and is disclosed as base of the toothbrush as being at the end of the handle, third paragraph from the bottom of page 3 of the included translation).
It would have been prima facie obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have modified the combination of Huang Gan, Wright and Shikh with the toothbrush handle structure of Wang Xin to provide means to easily replace the battery (Wang Xin background and summary of invention, page 2 of the included translation).
Claim 14 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over the combination of Huang Gan, Wright, and Shikh as applied to claim 1 above, and further in view of Suzuki et al (US 20170070067).
Regarding claim 14, the combination of Huang Gan, Wright and Shikh disclose the system of claim 1. However, they fail to disclose that the rechargeable battery comprises a light emitting diode (LED) indicator, the LED indicator configured to: indicate a charged state of the rechargeable battery via a first color of light emitted by the LED indicator; and
indicate a less-than-full charged state of the rechargeable battery via a second color of light emitted by the LED indicator.
Suzuki, which is also concerned with battery charging, teaches that the rechargeable battery comprises a light emitting diode (LED) indicator (item 26 in figure 16A), the LED indicator configured to: indicate a charged state of the rechargeable battery via a first color of light emitted by the LED indicator (paragraph [0126], using green to indicate a charged state); and
indicate a less-than-full charged state of the rechargeable battery via a second color of light emitted by the LED indicator (paragraph [0126], using red to indicate a charging state).
It would have been prima facie obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have modified the combination of Huang Gan, Wright and Shikh with the indicator structure of Suzuki to provide charging status to the user (paragraph [0126]).
Claim 16 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over the combination of Huang Gan, Wright, and Shikh as applied to claim 1 above, and further in view of Yuan (CN 106401842).
Regarding claim 16, the combination of Huang Gan, Wright, and Shikh disclose the system of claim 1. Shikh further discloses that the housing (item 300 in figure 3a) further comprises a front surface (near label 302 in figure 3a) and a rear surface (near label 303 in figure 3a), and the charging device is further configured such that the battery port is disposed in the front surface (as seen in figure 3a). However, the combination of Huang Gan, Wright, and Shikh fail to disclose the charging device is further configured such that an optical panel is disposed in the front surface of the housing, the optical panel configured to provide at least some visibility of at least one of: the first turbine blade, the second turbine blade, or the magnetic core.
Yuan, which is also concerned with using fluid flow to generate electricity, teaches that the charging device is further configured such that an optical panel (item 6 in figure 1) is disposed in the front surface of the housing (the surface in which item 11 is being indicated in figure 1), the optical panel configured to provide at least some visibility of at least one of: the first turbine blade, the second turbine blade, or the magnetic core (comparing figures 1 and 2 the window is over the roller 7 in figure 2, which is the part that transfers the fluid energy to the microgenerator, paragraph 6 on page 3 of the included translation describes observing the workings of the device).
It would have been prima facie obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have modified the combination of Huang Gan, Wright, and Shikh with the window of Yuan to allow for observation of the workings of the device (paragraph 6 of page 3 of the included translation).
Claim 20 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Huang Gan (CN 208464304) in further view of Wright (US 20130333764), Shikh et al (WO 2023187804), and Wang Xin (CN 211381915).
Regarding claim 20, A method performed using a powered personal care system, Huang Gan discloses a powered personal care system, comprising:
a battery-powered oral care device (figure 1), comprising: a handle portion (item 1 in figure 1), comprising:
a rechargeable battery (item 101 in figure 2), the rechargeable battery configured to be detachably connected to the handle portion (last paragraph of page 3 of the included translation, battery is connected using screw thread); and
a motor (item 5 in figure 2), the motor configured to be energized by the rechargeable battery (last paragraph of page 3 of the included translation, battery is connected to the motor by a conducting wire);
a head portion (item 4 in figure 2), comprising: a plurality of brush bristles (items 9 and 11 in figure 2).
However, Huang Gan fails to disclose:
a hydraulically powered battery charging device, comprising:
a housing;
a hydraulic inlet port disposed in the housing, the hydraulic inlet port configured to be connected to a hydraulic fluid source; a magnetic core disposed within the housing; at least one turbine blade in mechanical communication with the magnetic core such that a rotation of the at least one turbine blade causes a rotation of the magnetic core, the at least one turbine blade configured to be motivated into rotation by a flow of the hydraulic fluid across the at least one turbine blade; and
a battery port configured to insertably receive the rechargeable battery, the method comprising:
detaching the rechargeable battery from the handle portion;
inserting the rechargeable battery into the battery port;
activating the residential bathroom shower hydraulic circuit;
charging the rechargeable battery;
removing the rechargeable battery from the battery port; and
attaching the rechargeable battery to the handle portion.
Wright, which is concerned with conserving water usage in a shower, teaches a hydraulically powered battery charging device, comprising:
a housing (items 280 and 290 in figure 6 and items 400 and 410 in figure 15 form the housing paragraphs [0209] and [0211]);
a hydraulic inlet port (item 188 in annotated figure 8, above) disposed in the housing, the hydraulic inlet port configured to be connected to a hydraulic fluid source (paragraph [0199]); a magnetic core (item 360 in annotated figure 7 above, paragraph [0201] describes the magnet) disposed within the housing; at least one turbine blade (item 370 in annotated figure 7 above is an impeller with blades) in mechanical communication with the magnetic core such that a rotation of the at least one turbine blade causes a rotation of the magnetic core (paragraph [0201] describes the operation of the hydroelectric power generator), the at least one turbine blade configured to be motivated into rotation by a flow of the hydraulic fluid across the at least one turbine blade (figure 9 arrow 200 shows the flow of water into and out of the device, paragraph [0199]).
Wright also teaches the method comprising:
activating the residential bathroom shower hydraulic circuit (paragraph [0134] the process having a shower stage);
charging the rechargeable battery (paragraph [0144] the process including recharging the battery);
It would have been prima facie obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have modified Huang Gan with the battery charging means of Wright to utilize water flow in a shower to aid general conservation and environmental responsibility (Wright, paragraph [0258]).
Shikh teaches a battery charger with a battery port (item 302 in figure 3A) configured to insertably receive the rechargeable battery (paragraph [00022], motion shown in figure 3b).
Shikl also teaches the method comprising:
inserting the rechargeable battery into the battery port (paragraph [00022] describes utilizing structure to aid in the inserting and removal of the battery);
removing the rechargeable battery from the battery port.
It would have been prima facie obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have modified the combination of Huang Gan and Wright with the battery lock and port structure of Shikh to allow a battery pack with a lock mechanism to be conveniently swapped by a user (paragraph [0001]).
Wang Xin teaches the method comprising:
detaching the rechargeable battery from the handle portion (the last paragraph on page 3, describes the working principle includes rotating the battery cover and dismantlement);
attaching the rechargeable battery to the handle portion (first paragraph of page 4, includes battery installation).
It would have been prima facie obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have modified the combination of Huang Gan, Wright, and Shikh with the toothbrush handle structure of Wang Xin to provide means to easily replace the battery (Wang Xin background and summary of invention, page 2 of the included translation).
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure.
US 20220316191 describes utilizing residential water to do several things including charging a battery.
US 20190024350 describes a smart house with water conservation, including using a water turbine to charge a battery.
US 12237701 describes a portable means to use running water to recharge batteries.
US 6011334 describes using two turbines in a fluid driven electric power generator.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to FREDERICK A HINDMAN whose telephone number is (571)270-5928. The examiner can normally be reached Monday - Friday, 730-5.
Examiner interviews are available via telephone, in-person, and video conferencing using a USPTO supplied web-based collaboration tool. To schedule an interview, applicant is encouraged to use the USPTO Automated Interview Request (AIR) at http://www.uspto.gov/interviewpractice.
If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Brian Keller can be reached at (571) 272-8548. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
Information regarding the status of published or unpublished applications may be obtained from Patent Center. Unpublished application information in Patent Center is available to registered users. To file and manage patent submissions in Patent Center, visit: https://patentcenter.uspto.gov. Visit https://www.uspto.gov/patents/apply/patent-center for more information about Patent Center and https://www.uspto.gov/patents/docx for information about filing in DOCX format. For additional questions, contact the Electronic Business Center (EBC) at 866-217-9197 (toll-free). If you would like assistance from a USPTO Customer Service Representative, call 800-786-9199 (IN USA OR CANADA) or 571-272-1000.
/FREDERICK A. HINDMAN JR/Examiner, Art Unit 3723
/LAURA C GUIDOTTI/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3723
Prosecution Insights