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.
Claims 1-4, 8, 10, 15 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by FOR1 (KR1020090123329).
Regarding claim 1, FOR1 teaches a refrigerator (see Title) comprising:
a main body (see 1, Fig. 5, see Description);
a storage compartment inside the main body (see Abstract);
a thermoelectric module on an upper portion of the storage compartment (2, Fig. 4, see Description), and including:
a thermoelectric element including: a heating portion, and a cooling portion (see Description, thermoelectric elements are known to heat and cool as described by FOR1),
a dissipating sink in contact with the heating portion (201, Fig. 4, see Description), and
a cooling sink in contact with the cooling portion (203, Fig. 4, see Description);
a heat dissipation fan configured to generate a flow of air (3, Fig. 4, see Description);
a heat dissipation duct having an external air inlet (4, Fig. 4, Description) and an external air outlet (5, Fig. 4, Description), the heat dissipation duct on an upper surface of the main body and configured to guide the flow of air through the external air inlet to the dissipating sink to exchange heat with the dissipating sink, and then out of the external air outlet (see Description, see Fig. 4); and
a dust filter (6, Fig. 4, see Description) mountable on the external air inlet and configured so that, with the dust filter mounted on the external air inlet and the heat dissipation fan generating the flow of air, the dust filter prevents foreign substances in the flow of air from entering an inside of the heat dissipation duct through the external air inlet (see Description).
Regarding claim 2, FOR1 teaches the refrigerator of claim 1,further comprising a top cover couplable to the upper surface of the main body, wherein, with the top cover coupled to the upper surface, at least a portion of the top cover overlaps the heat dissipation duct (401, 501, Fig. 1, see Description).
Regarding claim 3, FOR1 teaches the refrigerator of claim 2, wherein the dust filter is mountable to the top cover and configured so that, with the top cover coupled to the upper surface, the dust filter mounted to the top cover, and the heat dissipation fan generating the flow of air, the dust filter prevents foreign substances in the flow of air from entering an inside of the heat dissipation duct through the top cover (see Description, “An air circulation unit is formed on the upper portion of the refrigerator main body 1 in a lateral direction, and an intake unit 4 and a discharge unit 5 provided with opening and closing covers 401 and 501 are formed on the front left and right sides of the air circulation unit, respectively. 4) The filter unit 6 is formed inside”).
Regarding claim 4, FOR1 teaches the refrigerator of claim 3, wherein the top cover includes a filter receiving space configured to receive the dust filter (see Description).
Regarding claim 8, FOR1 teaches the refrigerator of claim 4, wherein the top cover includes an intake grille portion on an upper side of the filter receiving space that includes a plurality of grille ribs spaced apart from each other (501, Fig. 1).
Regarding claim 10, FOR1 teaches the refrigerator of claim 6, wherein the dust filter includes: a filter member configured to filter foreign substances from the flow of air, and a filter frame configured to support the filter member (defined as the frame around 6 in Fig. 4).
Regarding claim 15, FOR1 teaches the refrigerator of claim 1, wherein the external air inlet is positioned closer to a front end of the upper surface of the main body than a central portion is to the front end (see Fig. 1).
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.
The factual inquiries for establishing a background for determining obviousness under 35 U.S.C. 103 are summarized as follows:
1. Determining the scope and contents of the prior art.
2. Ascertaining the differences between the prior art and the claims at issue.
3. Resolving the level of ordinary skill in the pertinent art.
4. Considering objective evidence present in the application indicating obviousness or nonobviousness.
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.
Claims 5-7 and 11 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over FOR1 in view of Yun (US 2017/0234598).
Regarding claim 5, FOR1 teaches the refrigerator of claim 4, but does not specifically teach the dust filter is slidable in a first direction in the filter receiving space to be received in the filter receiving space, and the dust filter is slidable in a second direction to be separated from the filter receiving space.
Yun teaches a refrigerator which features filter assemblies (Yun, 35, Fig. 4, paragraph [0080]) that are slidable to be inserted and withdrawn (Yun, paragraph [0080], see Fig. 4, the filters insertion is a first direction and withdrawing is a second direction). It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art, prior to the effective filing date, to provide FOR1 with the dust filter is slidable in a first direction in the filter receiving space to be received in the filter receiving space, and the dust filter is slidable in a second direction to be separated from the filter receiving space, as taught by Yun, in order to easily insert and withdraw the filter from the refrigerator.
Regarding claim 6, FOR1 as modified teaches the refrigerator of claim 5, wherein the top cover includes a pair of fixed rail portions configured to support the dust filter when the dust filter is slid in the first direction and the second direction (Yun, 333, Fig. 4, paragraph [0059]).
Regarding claim 7, FOR1 as modified teaches the refrigerator of claim 6, wherein a first fixed rail portion of the pair of fixed rail portions is on one side of the filter receiving space, and a second fixed rail portion of the pair of fixed rail portions is on an other side of the filter receiving space opposite the one side (see Yun, Fig. 4).
Regarding claim 11, FOR1 teaches the refrigerator of claim 10, but does not teach the filter frame includes a pair of movable rail portions including:
a first movable rail portion on a first end of the filter frame, and configured to be slidably supported on a first fixed rail portion of the pair of fixed rail portions, and
a second movable rail portion on a second end of the filter frame, and configured to be slidably supported on a second fixed rail portion of the pair of fixed rail portions.
Yun teaches a refrigerator which features filter assemblies (Yun, 35, Fig. 4, paragraph [0080]) that are slidable to be inserted and withdrawn (Yun, paragraph [0080], see Fig. 4) which feature a frame (Yun, 39, Fig. 10) that includes a pair of rail portions (Yun, defined as the edges 382 in Fig. 10, see paragraph [0096]).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art, prior to the effective filing date, to provide FOR1 with a pair of movable fail portions, as taught by Yun, in order to for smooth insertion of the filter into its position.
Claim 12 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over FOR1 in view of Yun, further in view of Macosko (US 5,901,566).
Regarding claim 12, FOR1 as modified teaches the refrigerator of claim 11, but does not teach each fixed rail portion of the pair of fixed rail portions includes: a horizontal fixed rail portion extending in a horizontal direction, and a vertical fixed rail portion extending downwardly from the horizontal fixed rail portion, and each movable rail portion of the pair of movable rail portions includes: a horizontal movable rail portion configured to be supported on the horizontal fixed rail portion, and a vertical movable rail portion configured to be supported on the vertical fixed rail portion.
Macosko teaches a heat pump (Macosko, Title) with a frame that with filter rails (Macosko, 18, 18’, Fig. 9, see col. 6, lines 5-15) wherein the filter rails include a horizontal fixed rail portion extending in a horizontal direction, and a vertical fixed rail portion extending downwardly from the horizontal fixed rail portion (see the horizontal base of 18, 18’ with the perpendicular lip that suffices as a vertical rail portion and a horizontal rail portion, Fig. 9), and each movable rail portion of the pair of movable rail portions includes: a horizontal movable rail portion configured to be supported on the horizontal fixed rail portion, and a vertical movable rail portion configured to be supported on the vertical fixed rail portion (see the horizontal base of 18, 18’ with the perpendicular lip that suffices as a vertical rail portion and a horizontal rail portion, Fig. 9).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art, prior to the effective filing date, to provide FOR1 as modified with the rial portions having a horizontal rail portion and a vertical rail portion, as taught by Macosko, in order to effectively secure the filter frame.
Claims 13-14 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over FOR1 in view of Krause (US 2011/0036109).
Regarding claim 13, FOR1 teaches the refrigerator of claim 2, but does not teach a filter sensor on the top cover and configured to detect whether the dust filter is mounted.
Krause teaches a refrigerator with a filter sensor including a reed switch (Krause, paragraph [0028], 217, Fig. 3). It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art, prior to the effective filing date, to provide FOR1 with a filter sensor, as taught by Krause, in order to ensure the filter is properly mounted.
Regarding claim 14, FOR1 teaches the refrigerator of claim 13, wherein the dust filter includes a magnet, and the filter sensor includes a reed switch configured to change between an on state and an off state based on a separation distance between the reed switch and the magnet (Krause, paragraph [0033]).
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to NAEL N BABAA whose telephone number is (571)270-3272. The examiner can normally be reached M-F, 9-5 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 (571)-270-5054. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/NAEL N BABAA/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3763
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