DETAILED ACTION
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 112
The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 112(b):
(b) CONCLUSION.—The specification shall conclude with one or more claims particularly pointing out and distinctly claiming the subject matter which the inventor or a joint inventor regards as the invention.
The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), second paragraph:
The specification shall conclude with one or more claims particularly pointing out and distinctly claiming the subject matter which the applicant regards as his invention.
Claim 20 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 112(b) or 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), second paragraph, as being indefinite for failing to particularly point out and distinctly claim the subject matter which the inventor or a joint inventor (or for applications subject to pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, the applicant), regards as the invention.
Claim 20 recites the limitation "a guide post". The antecedent basis is confusing as it is unclear if this is the same guide post as recited in claim 16.
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)(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) 16-20 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(2) as being anticipated by He et al. (CN 219538062).
Claim 16, He discloses a housing (1; FIG 1-4) having a front opening (2 covers opening in 1) and comprising a front cover plate (2), the front cover plate being detachably disposed at the front opening to cover the front opening (FIG 2);
a water outlet device (3-4; [0005]- [0006]; FIG 2) at least partially disposed in the housing and facing towards the front opening, wherein the water outlet device has a water supply opening and a guide post (11), the guide post being provided at an upper surface of the water outlet device, the guide post extending in an up-down direction, and wherein the front cover plate has an avoidance opening (8) and a guide hole (12), the avoidance opening facing towards the water supply opening and being in communication with the water supply opening, and the guide post being engaged into the guide hole; and
a tap (3), a part of the tap being located at a front side of the front cover plate and extending into the avoidance opening to be connected to the water supply opening.
Claim 17, He discloses wherein the front cover plate (2) is provided with a guide plate (15) at a side of the front cover plate facing towards the water outlet device (FIG 1-2), the guide hole (FIG 3-4; 13; hole in 17 and hole in 15) being formed at the guide plate and extending through the guide plate in the up-down direction.
Claim 18, He discloses wherein the housing comprises two side plates (FIG 1, 3-4) located at two sides of the water dispenser in a left-right direction of the water dispenser, the water outlet device being disposed between the two side plates, the front opening being located between the two side plates, and the front cover plate being detachably connected to the two side plates.
Claim 19, He discloses wherein: the two side plates are each provided with a flange (FIG 4) at a front end of each of the two side plates, the two flanges extending towards each other, and the flange having a positioning hole; and the front cover plate is provided with a connection hook engaged into the positioning hole.
Claim 20, He discloses wherein: the water outlet device has a plurality of guide posts (11) arranged at intervals; and the front cover plate has a plurality of guide holes (12), the plurality of guide holes and the plurality of guide posts being in one-to-one correspondence.
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.
This application currently names joint inventors. In considering patentability of the claims the examiner presumes that the subject matter of the various claims was commonly owned as of the effective filing date of the claimed invention(s) absent any evidence to the contrary. Applicant is advised of the obligation under 37 CFR 1.56 to point out the inventor and effective filing dates of each claim that was not commonly owned as of the effective filing date of the later invention in order for the examiner to consider the applicability of 35 U.S.C. 102(b)(2)(C) for any potential 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(2) prior art against the later invention.
Claim(s) 1-11 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Zhou et al. (CN 209733550) in view of He et al. (CN 219538062).
Claim 1, Zhou discloses a housing (10); and
a functional module (20) disposed in the housing, the functional module comprising a mounting support (210), a heating tank component (220), a cooling tank component (280), a water manifold component (260), the heating tank component, the cooling tank component, the water manifold component, and the electronic control component being disposed at the mounting support (FIG 1-3).
But is silent on an electronic control component.
He teaches electronic control component (16).
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 device of Zhou with control component as taught by, He in order to provide a control interface to electrically connect all the related elements.
Claim 2, Zhou discloses wherein the mounting support (210) is detachably connected to the housing.
Claim 3, Zhou discloses wherein the housing has a mounting chamber (100) for receiving the functional module, wherein the mounting chamber has a mounting opening upwards, and the functional module being adapted to be placed in the mounting chamber through the mounting opening (FIG 1).
Claim 4, Zhou discloses wherein the housing comprises a support frame (10), the functional module (20) being disposed at the support frame, wherein: the support frame comprises: a base (FIG 1) located at a lower side of the mounting chamber; and two side plates (FIG 1) opposite to each other and spaced apart from each other in a left-right direction, the two side plates being located at a left side and a right side of the mounting chamber, respectively, lower ends of the two side plates being connected to the base (FIG 1), and the mounting opening being defined between upper ends of the two side plates (top of 10).
Zhou discloses the claimed invention except for angle of the side plates. It would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art at the time the invention was made to set the side plates at an angle to provide greater space, since such a modification would have involved a mere change in the size of a component. A change in size is generally recognized as being within the level of ordinary skill in the art. MPEP 2144.04
Claim 5, Zhou discloses the claimed invention except for angle of the side plates. It would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art at the time the invention was made to set the side plates at an angle of 10 to 20 degrees to provide greater space, since such a modification would have involved a mere change in the size of a component. A change in size is generally recognized as being within the level of ordinary skill in the art. MPEP 2144.04
Claim 6, Zhou discloses wherein: a first positioning structure is formed at the housing (20, 10, 101; FIG 1); and
a second positioning structure (20, 10, 101; FIG 1) is formed at the mounting support, wherein the first positioning structure is engaged with the second positioning structure when placing the functional module into the mounting chamber from top to bottom to limit a position of the functional module; and wherein the first positioning structure is disengaged from the second positioning structure when moving the functional module relative to the housing from bottom to top.
Claim 7, Zhou discloses wherein: one of the first positioning structure and the second positioning structure is formed as a hooking slot (not shown in drawings but is inherent as hooks are shown in FIG 3); and another one of the first positioning structure and the second positioning structure is formed as a hook (210; FIG 3).
Claim 8, Zhou discloses wherein the housing (10) comprises two side plates opposite to each other in a left-right direction (FIG 1), wherein: the two side plates are located at two opposite sides of the mounting chamber, respectively; and each of the two side plates comprises a body and two flanges respectively disposed at a front end and a rear end of the body, the mounting support being located between the two flanges of the two side plates, the two flanges of one of the two side plates being bent and extending towards the two flanges of another one of the two side plates, and the first positioning structure being disposed at each of the two flanges ([0065]).
Claim 9, Zhou discloses wherein the mounting support comprises: a bottom plate (FIG 1); and two support side plates (10; FIG 1; [0065]) disposed at a left side and a right side of the bottom plate, respectively, each of the two support side plates being located between the two flanges at a same side as the support side plate, and the second positioning structure being disposed at each of front sides and rear sides of the two support side plates.
Claims 10-11, Zhou discloses the claimed invention (10; FIG 1) except for type of connector. It would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art at the time the invention was made to select an appropriate type of connector, since it has been held to be within the general skill of a worker in the art to select a known material on the basis of its suitability for the intended use as a matter of obvious engineering choice. The selection of a known material based on its suitability for its intended use supported a prima facie obviousness determination (MPEP 2144.07).
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 12-15 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 JEREMY W CARROLL whose telephone number is (571)272-4988. The examiner can normally be reached M-F 8 AM - 5 PM.
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JEREMY W. CARROLL
Primary Examiner
Art Unit 3754
/Jeremy Carroll/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3754
Prosecution Insights