DETAILED ACTION
The communication dated 2/28/2025 has been entered and fully considered.
Claims 16-24 were canceled. Claims 1, 4-5, and 9-10 were amended. Claims 25-29 were added. Claims 1-15 and 25-29 are currently pending.
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 .
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.
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, 7, 10-15, and 25 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Kim et al. U.S. Publication 2012/0056827 (henceforth referred to as Kim).
As for claim 1, Kim teaches a laundry treating apparatus (Fig. 1: part 1) comprising: a cabinet (Fig. 1: part 10); a drum disposed inside the cabinet and constructed to accommodate laundry therein (paragraph [0112]; the structure into which the laundry is inserted); and a screen outputter (Fig. 2: part 34) disposed on the cabinet and configured to output a screen (Fig. 1: part 30) thereon, wherein the screen outputter is configured to output a screen including a course name area where a name of a course for treating the laundry is displayed and a suggestion area where a suggested course different from the course currently displayed in the course name area is presented, wherein a name of the suggested course is displayed in the course name area based on the suggestion area is selected (Figs. 3-9).
As for claim 2, Kim further teaches that the name of the suggested course disappears from the suggestion area when the suggested course is displayed in the course name area (paragraphs [0130]-[0131] and [0141]-[0142]; Figs. 3-9).
As for claim 3, Kim further teaches that a description of the suggested course is displayed in the suggestion area when the name of the suggested course is displayed in the course name area (paragraphs [0130]-[0131] and [0141]-[0142]; Figs. 3-9).
As for claim 4, Kim further teaches that the suggested course is displayed in the suggestion area based on a suggestion condition for the suggested course is satisfied (paragraphs [0130]-[0131] and [0141]-[0142]; Figs. 3-9).
As for claim 7, Kim further teaches that the screen outputter is configured to display suggestion content including the name of the suggested course or a phrase suggesting the suggested course in the suggestion area (paragraphs [0130]-[0131] and [0141]-[0142]; Figs. 3-9).
As for claim 10, Kim further teaches that a suggestion indicator indicating the suggestion course and a suggestion phrase for suggesting the suggestion course are configured to be displayed in the suggestion area (paragraphs [0130]-[0131] and [0141]-[0142]; Figs. 3-9).
As for claim 11, Kim further teaches that the suggestion indicator is defined to include at least a portion of the suggestion phrase in the suggestion area (paragraphs [0130]-[0131] and [0141]-[0142]; Figs. 3-9).
As for claim 12, Kim further teaches that the suggestion indicator includes a border for distinguishing the at least a portion from a rest of the suggestion phrase (paragraphs [0130]-[0131] and [0141]-[0142]; Figs. 3-9).
As for claim 13, Kim further teaches that the screen outputter is configured to sense a touch signal of a user for the screen, wherein when the touch signal is generated in at least a portion of the suggestion area, the suggested course is displayed in the course name area (paragraphs [0130]-[0131] and [0141]-[0142]; Figs. 3-9).
As for claim 14, Kim further teaches that the course includes a plurality of courses, wherein an order for the plurality of courses to be displayed in the course name area is determined, wherein the screen outputter is configured to display the plurality of courses in the course name area based on the order when the touch signal is generated in a sliding manner on the screen (paragraphs [0130]-[0131] and [0141]-[0142]; Figs. 3-9).
As for claim 15, Kim further teaches that when the touch signal is generated in the sliding manner while the suggested course is displayed in the course name area as the suggestion area is selected, the screen outputter is configured to display a course ranked first in the order among the plurality of courses in the course name area (paragraphs [0130]-[0131] and [0141]-[0142]; Figs. 3-9).
As for claim 25, Kim further teaches a button assembly (Fig. 1: part 40) disposed on the cabinet and manipulated by a user to generate an input signal, wherein the suggestion area is selected based on the input signal of the button assembly (Examiner notes that these claimed conditions are enabled by the laundry treating apparatus being turned on).
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 5-6 and 8-9 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.
Claims 26-29 are allowed.
The following is a statement of reasons for the indication of allowable subject matter:
As for claims 5-6 and 8-9, Kim et al. U.S. Publication 2012/0056827, the closest prior art, differs from the instant claims in failing to teach that the suggested course is displayed in the suggestion area based on the suggested condition is satisfied in a specific time range. Furthermore, it would not have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify the laundry treating apparatus taught by Kim as claimed.
As for claims 26-29, Kim et al. U.S. Publication 2012/0056827, the closest prior art, differs from the instant claims in failing to teach a suggestion application operation of displaying a name of the suggested course instead of the name of the one in the course name area when the suggestion area is selected. Furthermore, it would not have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify the method taught by Kim as claimed.
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to LEVON J SHAHINIAN whose telephone number is (571)270-1384. The examiner can normally be reached M-F: 9:30am-6:00pm.
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/LEVON J SHAHINIAN/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 1711
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