DETAILED ACTION
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 water feed channel (claim 1-3, 11-12) 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 § 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) 1-2 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Hung et al (US 20130047631 A1) in view of Yu et al (US 20190308865 A1).
Claim 1, Hung discloses a water feeding channel (1100; FIG 1), a first water dispensing channel (line 1800 connecting 1100 to 1520), a second water dispensing channel (line 1800 connecting 1100 to 1510), and a third water dispensing channel (line 1800 connecting 1100 to 1530);
wherein each of the first water dispensing channel, the second water dispensing channel and the third water dispensing channel is connected to a water dispensing component (1500), and connection and disconnection (1900) between each of the first water dispensing channel, the second water dispensing channel and the third water dispensing channel and the water feeding channel are controlled; and
wherein the second water dispensing channel is provided with a heat storage tank (1430) and a hot water flow regulator (1510), and the third water dispensing channel is provided with a cold water flow regulator (1530); and
the hot water flow regulator and the cold water flow regulator are electrically connected to regulate a feeding ratio of cold water to hot water, to regulate a temperature of mixed water (1500 can dispense a variety of temperature water depending on the settings of water control valves 1510, 1520, 1530).
But is silent on a controller component.
Yu teaches a controller component (200; 450; FIR 4-5).
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 Hung with controller as taught by Yu in order to provide control for each valve and element in accordance with a control algorithm that is already input.
Claim 2, the modified apparatus of Hung discloses wherein each of the first water dispensing channel, the second water dispensing channel and the third water dispensing channel is provided with a solenoid valve (Yu: 220, 240, 230) and the solenoid valve is electrically connected to the control component (Yu: FIG 4-5);
when the solenoid valve (Yu: 240) on the first water dispensing channel is opened, the water feeding channel is communicated with the first water dispensing channel, and the cold water is discharged from the water dispensing component;
when the solenoid valve (Yu: 230) on the second water dispensing channel is opened, the second water dispensing channel is communicated with the water feeding channel, and the hot water is discharged from the water dispensing component; and
when both the solenoid valve on the second water dispensing channel (Yu: 230) and the solenoid valve on the third water dispensing channel (Yu: 220) are opened, the second water dispensing channel and the third water dispensing channel are communicated with the water feeding channel, and the mixed water is discharged from the water dispensing component (Hung: 1500).
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 3-16 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.
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, Paul Durand can be reached at (571) 272-4459. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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JEREMY W. CARROLL
Primary Examiner
Art Unit 3754
/Jeremy Carroll/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3754
Prosecution Insights