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 .
Priority
Receipt is acknowledged of certified copies of papers required by 37 CFR 1.55.
Information Disclosure Statement
The information disclosure statement (IDS) submitted on 04/28/2025 is acknowledged. The submission is in compliance with the provision of 37 CFR 1.97. Accordingly, the information disclosure statement is being considered by the examiner.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 102
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.
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 1-18 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Lai (US 2021/0277591).
Regarding claim 1, Lai teaches a double layer electric heating plate, comprising an electric heating plate body, wherein the electric heating plate body (fig. 9, assembly 44 and 46) has a first heating layer (fig. 11, para. [0069], first layer 80) and a second heating layer (fig. 11, para. [0069], second layer 82) facing away from each other, the first heating layer and the second heating layer are respectively provided with at least two channel units (figs. 17-18), the electric heating plate body is provided with a plurality of through openings (figs. 17-18, openings 90, 94, 98), the at least two channel units of the first heating layer and the at least two channel units of the second heating layer are in communication with each other end to end in a staggered manner through the plurality of through openings to obtain heating channels running back and forth between the first heating layer and the second heating layer (figs. 17-18, para. [0071]), a head end of the heating channels is connected to a water inlet (fig. 14, para. [0071], a water inlet 72) on the electric heating plate body, and a tail end of the heating channels is connected to steam outlets (fig. 26, steam outlets 48) on the electric heating plate body.
Regarding claim 2, Lai teaches the at least two channel units of the first heating layer are two channel units, namely a first channel unit (fig. 17, para. [0071], zone 88) and a third channel unit (fig. 17, para. [0071], zone 96), the at least two channel units of the second heating layer are two channel units, namely a second channel unit (fig. 18, para. [0071], zone 92) and a fourth channel unit (fig. 18, para. [0071], zone 100), the plurality of through openings are three through openings, namely a first through opening (figs. 17-18, passageway 90), a second through opening (figs. 17-18, passageway 94) and a third through opening (figs. 17-18, passageway 98), a head end of the first channel unit is connected to the water inlet on the electric heating plate body (fig. 17, para. [0071]), the first through opening is in communication with a tail end of the first channel unit and a head end of the second channel unit, the second through opening is in communication with a tail end of the second channel unit and a head end of the third channel unit, the third through opening is in communication with a tail end of the third channel unit and a head end of the fourth channel unit, and the fourth channel unit is connected to the steam outlets as the tail end of the heating channels (figs. 17-18).
Regarding claim 3, Lai teaches the electric heating plate body comprises an upper cover plate (fig. 9, element 56), a heating shell (fig. 9, element 62), an ironing soleplate (figs. 5 and 9, elements 46, 66, 64) and a heater (fig. 9, elements 58, 60), the upper cover plate covers an upper surface of the heating shell and forms the first heating layer together with the upper surface of the heating shell (figs. 9 and 11), the water inlet (72) is provided on the upper cover plate (fig. 10), the ironing soleplate covers a lower surface of the heating shell and forms the second heating layer together with the lower surface of the heating shell (fig. 11), the steam outlets are provided on the ironing soleplate (fig. 26), and the heater is arranged in the heating shell (fig. 12).
Regarding claim 4, Lai teaches the heater is a U-shaped heating tube (fig. 9, tube 58/60) formed by two opposite straight heating sections and a curved heating section connecting the two opposite straight heating sections (fig. 9), the curved heating section of the U-shaped heating tube corresponds to a front side of the heating shell, the two opposite straight heating sections of the U-shaped heating tube correspond to a left side and a right side of the heating shell, and two ends of the U-shaped heating tube are exposed at a rear side of the heating shell for external wiring (figs. 9-10).
Regarding claim 5, Lai teaches the water inlet (fig. 10, inlet 72) is provided corresponding to the curved heating section of the heater (fig. 10), and at least a channel unit (fig. 17, zone 88) of the at least two channel units of at least one of the first heating layer or the second heating layer connected to the water inlet is extended and arranged along an arrangement direction of the heater (fig. 17, para. [0071]).
Regarding claim 6, Lai teaches the plurality of through openings are away from the water inlet on the electric heating plate body (figs. 9, 12).
Regarding claim 7, Lai teaches channel side walls of each of the at least two channel units of the first heating layer and the second heating layer extend to an inside of a channel to form blocking walls without partitioning (figs. 13-14).
Regarding claim 8, Lai teaches a temperature sensor (fig. 9, sensor 70) is further disposed in the electric heating plate body, and the temperature sensor is arranged upstream of a channel unit of at least one of the first heating layer or the second heating layer connected to the water inlet (figs. 12, 17).
Regarding claim 9, Lai teaches the electric heating plate body is provided with a mounting recess at a middle position of the first heating layer, and the temperature sensor is potted in the mounting recess (figs. 11-12).
Regarding claim 10, Lai teaches a steam brush, comprising at least the double layer electric heating plate according to claim 1 (figs. 1, 36).
Regarding claim 11, Lai teaches the at least two channel units of the first heating layer are two channel units, namely a first channel unit (fig. 17, para. [0071], zone 88) and a third channel unit (fig. 17, para. [0071], zone 96), the at least two channel units of the second heating layer are two channel units, namely a second channel unit (fig. 18, para. [0071], zone 92) and a fourth channel unit (fig. 18, para. [0071], zone 100), the plurality of through openings are three through openings, namely a first through opening (figs. 17-18, passageway 90), a second through opening (figs. 17-18, passageway 94) and a third through opening (figs. 17-18, passageway 98), a head end of the first channel unit is connected to the water inlet on the electric heating plate body (fig. 17, para. [0071]), the first through opening is in communication with a tail end of the first channel unit and a head end of the second channel unit, the second through opening is in communication with a tail end of the second channel unit and a head end of the third channel unit, the third through opening is in communication with a tail end of the third channel unit and a head end of the fourth channel unit, and the fourth channel unit is connected to the steam outlets as the tail end of the heating channels (figs. 17-18).
Regarding claim 12, Lai teaches the electric heating plate body comprises an upper cover plate (fig. 9, element 56), a heating shell (fig. 9, element 62), an ironing soleplate (figs. 5 and 9, elements 46, 66, 64) and a heater (fig. 9, elements 58, 60), the upper cover plate covers an upper surface of the heating shell and forms the first heating layer together with the upper surface of the heating shell (figs. 9 and 11), the water inlet (72) is provided on the upper cover plate (fig. 10), the ironing soleplate covers a lower surface of the heating shell and forms the second heating layer together with the lower surface of the heating shell (fig. 11), the steam outlets are provided on the ironing soleplate (fig. 26), and the heater is arranged in the heating shell (fig. 12).
Regarding claim 13, Lai teaches the heater is a U-shaped heating tube (fig. 9, tube 58/60) formed by two opposite straight heating sections and a curved heating section connecting the two opposite straight heating sections (fig. 9), the curved heating section of the U-shaped heating tube corresponds to a front side of the heating shell, the two opposite straight heating sections of the U-shaped heating tube correspond to a left side and a right side of the heating shell, and two ends of the U-shaped heating tube are exposed at a rear side of the heating shell for external wiring (figs. 9-10).
Regarding claim 14, Lai teaches the water inlet (fig. 10, inlet 72) is provided corresponding to the curved heating section of the heater (fig. 10), and at least a channel unit (fig. 17, zone 88) of the at least two channel units of at least one of the first heating layer or the second heating layer connected to the water inlet is extended and arranged along an arrangement direction of the heater (fig. 17, para. [0071]).
Regarding claim 15, Lai teaches the plurality of through openings are away from the water inlet on the electric heating plate body (figs. 9, 12).
Regarding claim 16, Lai teaches channel side walls of each of the at least two channel units of the first heating layer and the second heating layer extend to an inside of a channel to form blocking walls without partitioning (figs. 13-14).
Regarding claim 17, Lai teaches a temperature sensor (fig. 9, sensor 70) is further disposed in the electric heating plate body, and the temperature sensor is arranged upstream of a channel unit of at least one of the first heating layer or the second heating layer connected to the water inlet (figs. 12, 17).
Regarding claim 18, Lai teaches the electric heating plate body is provided with a mounting recess at a middle position of the first heating layer, and the temperature sensor is potted in the mounting recess (figs. 11-12).
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure. See form PTO-892.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to UYEN THI THAO NGUYEN whose telephone number is (571)272-8370. The examiner can normally be reached Monday-Friday 9 AM-6 PM EST.
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/UYEN T NGUYEN/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3732
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