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 .
Election/Restrictions
Applicant’s election without traverse of Group I and Species (a) (FIGS. 8-9C), with claims 1-18 readable thereon, in the reply filed on 13 July 2026 is acknowledged.
Claims 19-20 are withdrawn from further consideration pursuant to 37 CFR 1.142(b) as being drawn to a nonelected invention, there being no allowable generic or linking claim. Election was made without traverse in the reply filed on 13 July 2026.
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 (i.e., changing from AIA to pre-AIA ) 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.
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.
Claim(s) 1-14 and 17-18 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over CN 117145300 A to Cui (machine translation provided by Examiner) in view of CN 212389149 U to Wu et al. (“Wu”; machine translation provided by Examiner).
Regarding claim 1, Cui (in Figs. 1-9, 22-45, and associated text discloses a household appliance (see p. 2, ¶ 1 of translation) comprising a chamber (within the body of the appliance), a door (door body 101) including a front face and configured to open and close the chamber, a handle (handle groove 4001, see Fig. 41) that is disposed at the door, that is disposed at a rear of the opening, and that has a space connected to the opening, a handle cover (door panel 102) disposed at the opening and configured to close and open the space of the handle, the handle cover being configured to open the space of the handle based on rotating in a first direction and moving into the space of the handle (see Figs. 41-42), and a driving system configured to rotate the handle cover, the driving system including a motor (901). While Cui discloses the genus of the door use in a household appliance, the primary embodiment of Cui is a refrigerator. Cui does not expressly disclose the driving system configuration as claimed.
Wu teaches an art related door handle on a household appliance, which may be a refrigerator or dishwasher (see p. 1 of translation of Wu; note dishwashers inherently include a tub with washing chamber). However, modifying the driving gear (902) of Cui to which an output shaft of the motor (901) is fixedly connected is included; and a drive lever (402) is rotatably connected to a fixed support (401) through a rotating shaft (903) so as to rotate the panel (102) (see paragraphs [0136]-[0139], and figures 1-9 and 22-35), with the features of Wu wherein both ends of driving links (31,32), which comprise an actuator, and driven links (35, 36) are hinge-connected to a door (10) and a handle (20) would produce the same and predictable results of rotating the handle cover with the actuator (see figures 1-3 and associated text of Wu).
Regarding claims 2-3, Wu further discloses wherein the connector has a space that extends in a second direction opposite to the first direction, from the lever part with respect to a center of rotation of the actuator, and is not restrained by the actuator when the handle cover rotates in the first direction and wherein the connector includes: a body having the lever part; and a recess extending in a second direction opposite to the first direction from the lever part with respect to a center of rotation of the actuator, into which the actuator is inserted (note the driving links (31, 32) in Wu comprising the actuator are mounted on the door (10) body and connected to a driving rotating shaft (33) (see figures 1-3 and associated text, which read on the claimed configuration).
Regarding claim 4, Cui further discloses wherein the driving system further includes a pinion that is coupled to a motor shaft of the motor and rotates integrally with the motor shaft, and wherein the actuator includes: a gear part that meshes with the pinion; an arm that rotates integrally with the gear part and extends outward of the gear part along a radius of rotation of the actuator; and a finger that protrudes from the arm and is inserted into the recess of the connector (note the driving gear/pinion (902) of Cui is fixedly connected to the output shaft of the motor (901), and the driving gear (902) rotates in engagement with a driven gear (904), which reads on the claimed configuration (see figure 9 and associated text)).
Regarding claim 5, Cui further discloses wherein the driving system further includes a driving unit shaft that penetrates the connector and the actuator and defines a center of rotation of the connector and the center of rotation of the actuator (note Figure 9 and text of Cui, which discloses the rotating shaft (903) is fixed to the end of the drive lever (402) through the driving gear (904), which reads on the claimed configuration (see figure 9 and associated text)).
Regarding claims 6-10, Wu further discloses a support ( 40) is mounted on the inner surface of the door (10); a link groove (401) for accommodating the driving links (31, 32) and the driven links (35, 36) is formed in the support (40); and a mounting seat (41) is mounted on a mounting surface (21) of the handle (20) such that the driving links (31, 32) and the driven links (35, 36) are rotatably connected, which reads on the claimed configuration (see figures 1-3 and associated text).
Regarding claims 11-12, Wu further discloses the rotation angles of the handle (20), the driving links (31, 32), and the driven links (35, 36) of D2 (see figures 1-3), which reads on the claimed configuration.
Regarding claim 13, see claim 4 above.
Regarding claim 14, Cui further discloses a first torsion spring (3001) for inducing a force to rotate counterclockwise so as to fix the panel (102) to an opening (4002), which reads on the claimed spring configuration (see figures 31-34).
Regarding claims 17-18, Cui further discloses wherein: the handle groove ( 4001) comprises a catch groove portion ( 4003) and a moving groove portion ( 4004 ); and the first torsion spring (3001) is installed such that the lever ( 402) rotates clockwise, which reads on the claimed configuration (see figures 31-34 and 41-45, and associated text).
Claim(s) 15-16 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Cui in view of Wu, as applied to claims 1-14 above, and further in view of US 2016/0290018 to Hamacher et al. (“Hamacher”).
Cui and Wu, supra, disclose the claimed invention with the exception of the second gear and rotary damper configuration of claims 15-16. However, Hamacher teaches that it is known to provide a door handle with a damper (48) with a damper gear (50) engaged with a toothed gear (52) of a second cam (34) so as to suppress rotation (see Figs. 1-4 and associated text).
Therefore, the position is taken that it would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art at the time of effective filing to provide the door handle of the combination of Cui and Wu with the damper configuration taught by Hamacher to yield the same and predictable damper suppression results.
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure. US 2020/0221921 to Ham et al, which discloses a dishwasher with automatic door handle configuration.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to JOSEPH L PERRIN whose telephone number is (571)272-1305. The examiner can normally be reached M-F 7:30-4:00.
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, Michael E. Barr can be reached at 571-272-1414. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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Joseph L. Perrin, Ph.D.
Primary Examiner
Art Unit 1711
/Joseph L. Perrin/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 1711
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