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.
(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.
Claims 1-2, 6-7, 10 and 13-15 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by CN 102478341 (“LU et al.”).
Regarding Claims 1-2, 6-7,10 and 13-15, LU et al. discloses Claim 1- a refrigerator comprising: an inner case (30) forming a storage compartment therein; an outer case coupled to an outer side of the inner case (30) and forming an exterior of the refrigerator; a partition (200) disposed on an inner side of the inner case (30) and dividing the storage compartment into more than one storage compartments; and a fixer (600; 700) penetrating the inner case (30) and configured to attach the partition (200) to the inner case (30); Claim 2- wherein the fixer (600, 700) comprises: a fixer coupler portion (601; 701) configured to be arranged on the inner side of the inner case (30) and configured to be attached to the partition (200), and a fixer outer holding portion (603, 703) connected to the fixer coupling portion (601; 701) and configured to be arranged on the outer side of the inner case (30); Claim 6-wherein the fixer (600, 700) further comprises a fixer inner holding portion (800) configured to be arranged on the inner side of the inner case (30) and contacting an inner wall of the inner case (30) facing the inner side of the inner case (30); Claim 7-wherein the fixer inner holding portion (800) extends from the fixer coupling portion (601; 701) toward the inner wall of the inner case (30); Claim 10, the combination discloses wherein the partition (200) comprises a coupling protrusion (800), and wherein the fixer coupling portion (601, 701) comprises a fixer coupling groove (602, 702) into which the coupling protrusion (800 is inserted; Claim 13 wherein the partition comprises a side surface (at each of 203) configured to contact the inner case (30), the side surface comprising a first side surface and a second side surface positioned opposite the first side surface, and wherein the coupling protrusion (800) comprises a first coupling protrusion (800) arranged on the first side surface and a second coupling protrusion (800)arranged on the second side surface; Claim 14-wherein the inner case (30) comprises a first side wall (left end of 203) facing the first side surface of the partition (at each side ,as seen in Fig. 5) and a second side wall (right end of 203) facing the second side surface of the partition, and wherein the fixer comprises a first fixer (600; 700) configured to penetrate the first side wall (left end) and a second fixer (600, 700configured to penetrate the second side wall (right end).
Claim 15-wherein the fixer coupling portion (601; 701) and the fixer outer holding portion (603, 703) are integrally formed.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 103
In the event the determination of the status of the application as subject to AIA 35 U.S.C. 102 and 103 (or as subject to pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 102 and 103) is incorrect, any correction of the statutory basis for the rejection will not be considered a new ground of rejection if the prior art relied upon, and the rationale supporting the rejection, would be the same under either status.
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 1-5 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over WO 2015043488 (“HU et al.”) and CN 102478341 (“LU et al.”).
Regarding Claims 1-5 HU et al. discloses Claim 1- a refrigerator comprising: an inner case (10) forming a storage compartment therein; a partition (20) disposed on an inner side of the inner case (10) and dividing the storage compartment into more than one storage compartments; and a fixer (21, 40) penetrating the inner case (10) and configured to attach the partition (20) to the inner case (10);
Hu et al. discloses the claimed the claimed invention but does not expressly disclose an outer case (not shown) coupled to an outer side of the inner case (10).
It would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have an outer case (not shown) coupled to an outer side of the inner case and forming an exterior of the refrigerator, to maintain structural integrity of the inner case and for insulation containment between the outer case and inner case, as is well known in the art to one having ordinary skill.
Regarding Claim 2, the combination disclose (HU et al.) wherein the fixer (21, 40) comprises: a fixer coupling portion (21) configured to be arranged on the inner side of the inner case (10) and configured to be attached to the partition (20), and a fixer outer holding portion (40) connected to the fixer coupling portion (21) and configured to be arranged on the outer side of the inner case (10).
Regarding Claim 3, the combination discloses (HU et al.) wherein the fixer outer holding portion (40) contacts an outer wall of the inner case (10) facing the outer side of the inner case (10).
Regarding Claim 4, the combination discloses (HU et al.) wherein the fixer outer holding portion (40) comprises a plate (along 42), and wherein one surface of the plate contacts the outer wall of the inner case (10).
Regarding Claim 5, the combination discloses (HU et al.) wherein the one surface of the plate is a curved surface (as seen in Figs. 4-6).
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 8-9 and 11-12 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. The prior art does not disclose the structure as set forth in the claims.
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to KIMBERLEY S WRIGHT whose telephone number is (571)270-3328. The examiner can normally be reached M-F 11:30-5:30.
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/KIMBERLEY S WRIGHT/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3637
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