DETAILED ACTION
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.
Claims 1-3, 6-8, 10, 12-17, and 20 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over CN115517604A by Ren et al.
As to claim 1, Ren teaches a dishwasher comprising a tub defining a washing chamber (while Ren does not explicitly disclose a tub, a tub and a corresponding washing chamber opened to a front would be present in the dishwasher taught by Ren); a door 1 with a front face having an opening (fig. 2); a handle that defines a handle space (e.g. 118, 1141, fig. 4) connected to the opening and defined rearward; and a handle cover 2 at the opening to open and close the handle space (figs. 1 and 2) based on rotating about a center of rotation (at 5, fig. 6) relative to the front face of the door, the handle cover having an upper portion to move into the handle space (fig. 2).
Ren teaches that a center of rotation of the handle cover is generally disposed at the bottom of the opening of the door (see figs. 3 and 4) but does not specifically teach whether the center of rotation is below the opening. However, one of ordinary skill in the art would have recognized as obvious that the center of rotation may be below the opening since such variation to Ren’s schematic depictions would have been an obvious design choice of shape absent persuasive evidence that the particular shape and configuration of the opening and any bezel or trim commonly used in the art was significant (see MPEP 2144.04(IV)(B)). Here, one of ordinary skill in the art would have recognized that the shape of the opening having a higher lower portion, and/or any trim that may extend above the center of rotation taught by Ren, would result in the center of rotation below the opening.
Therefore, the claimed invention would have been obvious at its effective filing date.
As to claim 2, Ren teaches that the door has a door cover that defines the front of the door and that the center of rotation is rearward relative to the door cover (figs. 2 and 4).
As to claim 3, as discussed above, one of ordinary skill in the art would have recognized as obvious to have an opening with a rim that defines a lower edge, the lower edge being above the center of rotation.
As to claim 6, Ren teaches a driving unit to rotate the handle cover, the driving unit comprising a link 32 that is rotatably connected to the handle cover and spaced apart from the center of rotation (fig. 12).
As to claim 7, Ren teaches that the driving unit comprising a motor 31 and a connector (e.g. pivot shaft between 311 and 32) connected to the link 32 and configured to be rotated by the motor 31 (fig. 12).
As to claim 8, Ren teaches that the handle cover defines an angle between the cover and the link that is smaller than 90 degrees when the handle cover opens the handle space (see figs. 4 and 13).
As to claim 10, Ren teaches a driving unit 3 to rotate the handle cover, the driving unit comprising a motor 31 (fig. 12), wherein the handle cover extends in a width direction of the door (fig. 2), and wherein the handle cover extends toward the lateral ends of the door that are spaced apart from the lateral ends of the handle cover (fig. 2). While Ren does not teach that the motor is disposed below the handle cover, one of ordinary skill in the art would have recognized that the claimed position of the motor would have been an obvious design choice, particular in view of Ren’s teachings that the location may be installed at a lower position such as at the rotation shaft (para. 139).
As to claim 12, Ren teaches a spring 7 to cause the handle cover to close the handle space, wherein one of the lateral ends of the handle cover and one of the lateral ends of the door are spaced apart from each other and the spring is between the ends (figs. 2 and 18).
As to claim 13, Ren teaches a door cover that defines the front of the door (fig. 2), wherein the handle cover comprises a decoration at a front of the cover (external surface provides decorative effects), wherein the decoration and the door cover are coplanar when the handle cover closes the handle space (fig. 3). Ren teaches that the door cover is made of a metal material (para. 95) but is silent as to the material of the handle cover. However, one of ordinary skill in the art would have recognized as obvious to use a metal material for the handle cover as well, in particular to realize benefits of providing structural strength and rigidity (see para. 95).
As to claim 14, Ren teaches that the handle comprises a housing that is inside the door and defines the housing space and that the handle cover is rotatably attached to the housing (figs. 3 and 4).
As to claim 15, Ren teaches that the housing comprises a side wall and a guide 1131 that has an arc shape and is defined at the side wall (fig. 6), and the handle cover comprises a cover part that is disposed at the opening of the door when the handle cover closes the handle space and a slider 6 that is disposed at the cover part that moves along the guide (fig. 6).
As to claim 16, Ren teaches a dishwasher comprising a tub defining a washing chamber (while Ren does not explicitly disclose a tub, a tub and a corresponding washing chamber opened to a front would be present in the dishwasher taught by Ren); a door 1 with a front face having an opening (fig. 2); a handle that defines a handle space (e.g. 118, 1141, fig. 4) connected to the opening and defined rearward; a handle cover 2 at the opening to open and close the handle space (figs. 1 and 2) based on rotating relative to the front face of the door, the handle cover having an upper portion to move into the handle space (fig. 2); and a driving unit 3 to rotate the handle cover, the driving unit comprising a motor 31 (fig. 12).
While Ren does not teach that the motor is disposed below the handle cover, one of ordinary skill in the art would have recognized that the claimed position of the motor would have been an obvious design choice, particular in view of Ren’s teachings that the location may be installed at a lower position such as at the rotation shaft (para. 139).
Therefore, the claimed invention would have been obvious at its effective filing date.
As to claim 17, Ren teaches that the handle comprises a housing that is inside the door and defines the housing space (figs. 3 and 4). While Ren does not depict an embodiment in which the driving unit is disposed below the housing, Ren suggests that the driving unit may be on the back of the control device 2, on the outside of the mounting plate 113, or other suitable positions (para. 139). One of ordinary skill in the art would have recognized as obvious the suitability of disposing the driving unit below the housing, in particular when the unit is installed on the back of the handle cover, which necessitates at least a portion to be below the housing since the cover’s rotation axis is at a lower portion.
As to claim 20, Ren teaches a dishwasher comprising a tub defining a washing chamber (while Ren does not explicitly disclose a tub, a tub and a corresponding washing chamber opened to a front would be present in the dishwasher taught by Ren); a door 1 with a front face having an opening (fig. 2); a handle housing that defines a handle space (e.g. 118, 1141, fig. 4) connected to the opening and defined rearward; and a handle cover 2 at the opening to open and close the handle space (figs. 1 and 2) based on rotating in first and second directions relative to the front face of the door (figs. 3 and 4), the handle cover having an upper portion to move into the handle space (fig. 2); and a driving unit 3 to rotate the handle cover, the driving unit comprising a motor 31 (fig. 12) and a spring 7 on the outer side of the housing in a width direction to apply force to the handle cover in the second direction (figs. 2 and 18).
While Ren does not teach that the motor is disposed below the handle cover, one of ordinary skill in the art would have recognized that the claimed position of the motor would have been an obvious design choice, particular in view of Ren’s teachings that the location may be installed at a lower position such as at the rotation shaft (para. 139).
Therefore, the claimed invention would have been obvious at its effective filing date.
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 4, 5, 9, 11, 18, and 19 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 following is a statement of reasons for the indication of allowable subject matter: in the aforementioned claims, the prior art of record does not teach the totality of the limitations of each claim and the claim(s) from which they depend. The structures recited in the claims differ from the embodiments taught by Ren, and nothing in the present record presents obvious reason to modify the dishwasher taught by Ren to have the claimed structures.
Conclusion
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/SPENCER E. BELL/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 1711
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