DETAILED ACTION
The communication dated 3/11/2025 has been entered and fully considered.
Claims 10-27 were canceled. Claims 6-7 and 9 were amended. Claims 28-38 were added. Claims 1-9 and 28-38 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 1-5, 9, and 28 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 rotatably 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), wherein the screen outputter is configured to output a course setting screen including a suggestion area where an option changeable or additionally applicable in a course for treating the laundry is presented, wherein when the suggestion area is selected, a setting value of the option is changed or the option is additionally applied on the course setting screen (Figs. 3-9).
As for claim 2, Kim further teaches that the course setting screen further includes an indicator area where an indicator corresponding to the option appears when the option is additionally applied (paragraphs [0130]-[0131] and [0141]-[0142]; Figs. 3-9).
As for claim 3, Kim further teaches that the course setting screen further includes an option setting area where the setting value of the option changed as the suggestion area is selected is displayed (paragraphs [0130]-[0131] and [0141]-[0142]; Figs. 3-9).
As for claim 4, Kim further teaches that the screen outputter is configured to display a suggestion reflected state for the option in the suggestion area when the suggestion area is selected (paragraphs [0130]-[0131] and [0141]-[0142]; Figs. 3-9).
As for claim 5, Kim further teaches that the screen outputter is configured to display a suggestion non-reflected state for the option when the suggestion area is selected again while the suggestion reflected state is displayed (paragraphs [0130]-[0131] and [0141]-[0142]; Figs. 3-9).
As for claim 9, Kim further teaches that a suggestion indicator indicating the option and a suggestion phrase for suggesting the option are displayed in the suggestion area, wherein the suggestion indicator includes a border for distinguishing the at least part of the suggestion phrase and a rest thereof from each other (paragraphs [0130]-[0131] and [0141]-[0142]; Figs. 3-9).
As for claim 28, 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 setting value of the option is changed or the option is additionally applied and displayed (paragraphs [0130]-[0131] and [0141]-[0142]; Figs. 3-9).
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 6-8 and 29-33 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 34-38 are allowed.
The following is a statement of reasons for the indication of allowable subject matter:
As for claims 6-8 and 29-33, Kim et al. U.S. Publication 2012/0056827, the closest prior art, differs from the instant claims in failing to teach that a suggestion indicator indicating the option is displayed in the suggestion area, wherein the suggestion indicator is displayed in different images before and after the selection of the suggestion area. 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 34-38, 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 changing a setting value of the option or additionally applying the option on the course setting screen 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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