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.
Claim(s) 1, 2, 5, 8-14 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102 (a)(1) as being anticipated by Kohler (US Patent Publication 2024/0309624).
Regarding Claim 1, Kohler shows a toilet including: a frame (103); a flush engine (15,16); a base (17) configured to support the frame and the flush engine (Fig.2); a cowling (13) supported by the flush engine and frame; and a skirt (101, 102) configured to overlap at least one side panel or the base (Fig.2).
Regarding Claim 2, Kohler shows the toilet of claim 1, further comprising: a front shell (102) configured to couple to the frame (103).
Regarding Claim 5, Kohler shows the toilet of claim 1, further comprising: an angle limit hook (103) configured to hold the at least one side panel to the base at a predetermined angle range.
Regarding Claim 8, Kohler shows the toilet of claim 1, wherein the at least one side panel (101) is configured to attach to the frame (paragraph 27).
Regarding Claim 9, Kohler shows the toilet of claim 1, further comprising: a lateral brace (19) coupled to the frame, wherein the lateral brace at least partially supports the flush engine.
Regarding Claim 10, Kohler shows the toilet of claim 1, further comprising: a skin (12) mounted on the cowling, wherein a seal is provided between the seal and a bowl of the flush engine.
Regarding Claim 11, Kohler shows the toilet of claim 1, further comprising: a wiper (24) configured to seal a space between the flush engine and cowling.
Regarding Claim 12, Kohler shows the toilet of claim 1, wherein the skirt includes a groove (above 18) that aligns with the base
Regarding Claim 13, Kohler shows the toilet of claim 1, further comprising: a jet attached to the flush engine and configured to supply water to the flush engine (Paragraph 35).
Regarding Claim 14, Kohler shows a toilet comprising: a frame (103); a toilet bowl (15) coupled to the frame (Fig.2); a base (17) configured to support the frame (Fig.2); a cowling (13) supported by the frame; at least one removable side panel (101); and a skirt (102) configured to overlap at least one side panel or the base.
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.
Claim(s) 6 and 7 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Kohler (US Patent Publication 2024/0309624) in view of Schottenstein et al (US Patent Publication 20140130244 herein after Schottenstein). Kohler shows the toilet of claim 1, but fails to show a storage compartment between the flush engine and the at least one side panel. Schottenstein teaches a storage compartment (280) between the flush engine (114) and the at least one side panel (260). The storage compartment (280) is coupled to the at least one side panel.
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 3, 4, 15, 16, 17-20 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
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/LAUREN A CRANE/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3754
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