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 .
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 112
Claim 7 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 112(b) as being indefinite for failing to particularly point out and distinctly claim the subject matter which the inventor or a joint inventor regards as the invention.
Regarding claim 7, “the seal portion” lacks antecedent basis in the claim. For examination purposes, the examiner is considering this term to refer to the same component(s) as “an outer seal portion” in claim 1.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 102
Claim(s) 1-5 & 7 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Okada (20210123664).
Regarding claim 1, Okada teaches a gasket (10) having an annular shape sandwiched between a box (2) and a door (3) that closes an opening of the box making up a refrigeration apparatus (par. 37), the gasket comprising: a main body (10) that is fixed (via 3 & 6) to the box so as to surround the opening, wherein the main body includes a plurality of seal portions (10c-10g) each of which has an annular shape along the opening (implied by Figs. 2-3), the plurality of seal portions being disposed side by side to make contact with a door side receiver (30) provided in the door in a state where the door is closed (Fig. 3), and wherein a height of an outer seal portion (10c) is greater than other seal portions among the plurality of seal portions, the outer seal portion being an outermost seal portion of the plurality of seal portions (Fig. 3).
Regarding claim 2, Okada teaches a plurality of seal portions (10c-10g) and the door side receiver (30) make contact with each other in a front-rear direction in the state where the door (3) is closed (Fig. 3).
Regarding claim 3, Okada teaches a structure wherein heights of the other seal portions (10d-10g) are equal to each other (Fig. 4).
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Regarding claim 4, Okada teaches an outer seal portion (10c) that is tilted outward (at A in Fig. 3 Annotated) toward a tip end portion (30b), and wherein the outer seal portion includes, at an inner surface, a frost suppressing wall (B) that functions as a barrier against frost that moves in a direction from inside to outside (Fig. 3).
Regarding claim 5, Okada teaches a refrigeration apparatus (1) comprising a box (2) including a storage chamber (22); a door (3) closes an opening (22a) of the storage chamber in an openable and closable manner (Figs. 1-2); and a gasket (10) that is fixed (via 3 & 6) to the box.
Regarding claim 7, Okada teaches a door side receiver (30) that that makes contact with the outer seal portion (10c) of the gasket (10) in the state where the door is closed (Fig. 3), the door side receiver being fixed (par. 47) to the door (3), wherein the door side receiver includes: a frame shaped flat surface (30a) that makes contact with the other seal portions in the state where the door is closed (Fig. 3), and a frame shaped recess (C) that makes contact with the outer seal portion (10c), the frame shaped recess being disposed at a position remote from the box than the frame shaped flat surface in the state where the door is closed (Fig. 3).
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 103
Claim 6 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Okada (20210123664) in view of Lee (WO2008120894). Okada teaches the structure substantially as claimed, including a gasket (10) having an outer seal portion (10c); but fail(s) to teach a heater. However, Lee teaches a heater (20) that that heats an outer seal portion (51) of a gasket (50), the heater being provided at a box (Fig. 3). It would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art, before the effective filing date of the claimed invention, to add a heater, as taught by Lee, to the box of Okada, with a reasonable expectation of success, in order to prevent condensation thereupon (as suggested by par. 41 of Lee).
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to MATTHEW ING whose telephone number is (571)272-6536. The examiner can normally be reached M-F 8:30 a.m. - 5 p.m.. If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Daniel Troy can be reached at (571) 270-3742. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
/MATTHEW W ING/
Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3637
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