HAIR STRAIGHTENERS

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 § 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) 1-7 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Beaumont et al. (US 12,127,656). Beaumont discloses a hair straightener, comprising a main body (Fig. 1), the main body being provided with a main clamping member (14) and an auxiliary clamping member (12) capable of being clamped to each other (Fig. 1; col. 4, lines 60-65), wherein when the main clamping member (14) and the auxiliary clamping member (12) are clamped to each other (Fig. 1), the main clamping member (14) and the auxiliary clamping member (12) are pressed against each other to clamp hair (Fig. 7C), the main clamping member includes a first edge and a second edge (Fig. 7c), the auxiliary clamping member includes a third edge and a fourth edge (Fig. 7C), at least one airflow discharge port (40, 42) is disposed between the first edge and the second edge (Fig. 8A), or between the third edge and the fourth edge (Fig. 8A), and airflow generated inside the main body flows out through the at least one airflow discharge port (see Figures 7c-8d). Regarding claim 2, the airflow flowing out from the at least one airflow discharge port (40, 42) travels along an extending direction of the clamped hair (Fig. 8a). Regarding claim 3, the at least one airflow discharge port (4, 42) is located on a side of the main clamping member facing the auxiliary clamping member, or on a side of the auxiliary clamping member facing the main clamping member (Fig. 8a). Regarding claim 4, the main clamping member (14) is provided with a first clamping block (70), the auxiliary clamping member (12) is provided with a second clamping block (68) arranged corresponding to the first clamping block, when the main clamping member and the auxiliary clamping member are clamped together (Fig. 7c), the first clamping block (70) and the second clamping block (68) are pressed against each other to clamp the hair (Fig. 7c), and the at least one airflow discharge port is disposed on a side of the first clamping block (Fig. 7C and 8a). Regarding claim 5, the first clamping block (70) is disposed on an inner side surface of the main clamping member (14), and the second clamping block (68) is disposed on an inner side surface of the auxiliary clamping member (12) (Fig. 8a). Regarding claim 6, when the first clamping block (70) and the second clamping block (70) are pressed against each other, at least one air-guiding gap for the airflow to pass through is formed between the inner side surface of the main clamping member and the inner side surface of the auxiliary clamping member, and the at least one air-guiding gap is arranged on a front side of the at least one airflow discharge port (Fig. 7c and 8a). Regarding claim 7, a first air outlet lip (edge near 42) is connected to a side of the main clamping member, a second air outlet lip (edge near 40) is connected to a side of the auxiliary clamping member, and when the first clamping block and the second clamping block are pressed against each other, the first air outlet lip and the second air outlet lip together define an air guide outlet (Fig. 8a). Allowable Subject Matter Claims 8-11 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 Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to RACHEL RUNNING STEITZ whose telephone number is (571)272-1917. The examiner can normally be reached Monday-Friday 8:00am-4:30pm EST. Examiner interviews are available via telephone, in-person, and video conferencing using a USPTO supplied web-based collaboration tool. To schedule an interview, applicant is encouraged to use the USPTO Automated Interview Request (AIR) at http://www.uspto.gov/interviewpractice. If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Eric Rosen can be reached at 571-270-7855. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300. Information regarding the status of published or unpublished applications may be obtained from Patent Center. Unpublished application information in Patent Center is available to registered users. To file and manage patent submissions in Patent Center, visit: https://patentcenter.uspto.gov. Visit https://www.uspto.gov/patents/apply/patent-center for more information about Patent Center and https://www.uspto.gov/patents/docx for information about filing in DOCX format. For additional questions, contact the Electronic Business Center (EBC) at 866-217-9197 (toll-free). If you would like assistance from a USPTO Customer Service Representative, call 800-786-9199 (IN USA OR CANADA) or 571-272-1000. /RACHEL R STEITZ/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3772 9/28/2026