Office Action 2: Notice of Allowance (2025-10-09)

CLAIMS:
IN THE CLAIMS:

Please CANCEL claim 2 without prejudice or disclaimer, and AMEND claim 1, in accordance with the following:

1\. (Currently Amended) A clothes treating apparatus comprising:
a housing;
a tub inside the housing;
a drum configured to be rotated inside the tub;
a spin-drying shaft connected to the drum;
a motor assembly including a rotor configured to be rotated;
a coupler;
a first element; and
a second element inside the coupler,
wherein the coupler is positionable in a first position in which the coupler is coupled to the spin-drying shaft and the rotor,the coupler is positionable in a second position in which the coupler is coupled to the spin-drying shaft and disengaged from the rotor, with the coupler being positioned in the second position, the first element and the second element are configured to interact to move the second element away from the first element and thereby move the coupler from the second position to the first SVG {EMBED HERE} 0.1370.563 the first element includes a coil configured to form a magnetic field in response to application of a current to the coil, and
the second element is movable to be close to or away from the first element by the magnetic field formed by the coil.

2\. (Cancelled)

3.(Original)The clothes treating apparatus of claim 1,wherein the rotor is located on a first side of the coupler in a direction in which the coupler is moved to the first position, and

in order to prevent interference between the coupler and the rotor, the first element is positioned between the coupler and the tub so that the first element is positioned on a second side of the coupler opposite to the first side of the coupler.

4.(Original)The clothes treating apparatus of claim 1,wherein the rotor has a mounting space inside the rotor,
the clothes treating apparatus further comprises:a stator arranged about the spin-drying shaft and configured so that least a portion of the stator is positioned in the mounting space,
the stator includes a stator space inside the stator,
at least a portion of the coupler is positioned in the stator space, and
the first element is positioned in the stator space.

5\. (Original)The clothes treating apparatus of claim 4, wherein the spin-drying shaft configured to passes through the stator space, and
the first element includes a coil wound in a circumferential direction with respect to the spin-drying shaft.

6.(Original)The clothes treating apparatus of claim 1,wherein the first element has a cross section having a horizontal length that is greater than a vertical length.

7.(Original)The clothes treating apparatus of claim 1,wherein the second element is in contact with the coupler, and is coupled to the coupler at a side of the coupler facing the first element.

8\. (Original)The clothes treating apparatus of claim 7,wherein the coupler includes a receiving space inside of the coupler, and
the second element is positioned in the receiving space.

9\. (Original)The clothes treating apparatus of claim 7, wherein the second element is positioned to correspond to the first element.

10.(Original) The clothes treating apparatus of claim 1,wherein the first element includes a plurality of coils, and
the plurality of coils are arranged in a circumferential direction with respect to the spin- drying shaft so that a magnetic field is formable at a position in which the plurality of coils is arranged.

11\. (Original) The clothes treating apparatus of claim 10, wherein the plurality of coils includes:a first coil layer spaced apart from the coupler by a first distance, and
a second coil layer spaced apart from the coupler by a second distance that is greater than the first distance,and
the second coil layer is independently controlled from the first coil layer.

12.(Original) The clothes treating apparatus of claim 1, wherein the first element includes a plurality of part elements arranged in a circumferential direction with respect to the spin-drying shaft, and connected to each other so that all of the plurality of part elements are controllable with a single control signal.

13.(Original) The clothes treating apparatus of claim 4.wherein the stator space includes:a central space through which the spin-drying shaft passes, and
a branch space communicated with the central space and disposed in a circumferential direction with respect to the central space, and
the first element includes:a first part element in the central space, and a second part element in the branch space.

14.(Original) The clothes treating apparatus of claim 1,wherein the first element includes a coil wound around the spin-drying shaft to form a magnetic field corresponding to the spin-drying shaft.

15\. (Original) The clothes treating apparatus of claim 1,further comprising:
a pulsator configured to be rotated inside the drum;

a reduction gear module coupled to the rotor so that least a portion of the reduction gear module is rotatable at an angular velocity that is lower than an angular velocity of the rotor; and
a washing shaft coupled to the pulsator and the reduction gear module to allow the pulsator to be rotated at the angular velocity that is lower than the angular velocity of the rotor,
wherein the coupler is configured to be couplable to the spin-drying shaft and the rotor so that the spin-drying shaft is allowed to be rotated at the angular velocity of the rotor.

OFFICE ACTION:
DETAILED ACTION
Reasons for Allowance
The following is an examiner’s statement of reasons for allowance: the allowable subject matter indicated in the non-final rejection has been added to claim 1. Song (US 2022/0064842) fails to teach or suggest the claimed invention.
Song figures 1-14 teach a clothes treating apparatus comprising:
a housing (10 case);
a tub (20) inside the housing;
a drum (30) configured to be rotated inside the tub;
a spin-drying shaft (120 dewatering shaft) connected to the drum;
a motor assembly (100 driver) including a rotor (190) configured to be rotated;
a coupler (150 coupler);
a first element (177 clutch lever); and
a second element (serration) inside the coupler.[0051, 0064-67, 0071, 0121-122]
Song teaches the clutch lever 177 moves downward, the coupler 150 is lowered due to weight thereof and pushing force of the compression spring. When the coupler 150 is completely lowered along the lower dewatering shaft 125, the connecting gear 155 formed at a lower portion of the coupler 150 is engaged with the engaging portion 198 of the rotor 190. When the coupler 150 is completely lowered, the coupler 150 is coupled to the rotor 190 and is in a state of being coupled to the lower dewatering shaft 125. In this case, since the coupler 150 simultaneously transfers rotational force generated by the rotor 190 to the lower washing shaft 115 and the lower dewatering shaft 125, the washing shaft 115 and the dewatering shaft 125 rotate at high speed, thereby performing dewatering thereby reading on the coupler is positionable in a first position in which the coupler is coupled to the spin-drying shaft and the rotor.[0127-128]
Song teaches as the clutch lever 177 moves upward, the clutch lever 177 pushes the coupler 150 upward, so that the coupler 150 rises along the lower dewatering shaft 125. Then, the coupler 150 is disengaged from the rotor 190 and is coupled to the lower dewatering shaft 125. In this case, the coupler 150 is released from the rotor 190 so that only the washing shaft 110 rotates when the rotor 190 rotates thereby reading on the coupler is positionable in a second position in which the coupler is coupled to the spin-drying shaft and disengaged from the rotor.[0120]
Song teaches  in the washing mode, since the serration formed on the inner circumferential surface of the coupler 150 is engaged only with the serration of the outer circumferential surface of the lower dewatering shaft 125 and is not engaged with the serration of the engaging portion 198 engaged with the lower washing shaft 115, rotational force of the rotor 190 is transferred only to the pulsator 50 through the washing shaft 110 thereby suggesting with the coupler being positioned in the second position, the first element and the second element are configured to interact to move the second element away from the first element and thereby move the coupler from the second position to the first position.[0121]
Song fails to teach or suggest the first element includes a coil configured to form a magnetic field in response to application of a current to the coil, and the second element is movable to be close to or away from the first element by the magnetic field formed by the coil.
Conclusion
Any comments considered necessary by applicant must be submitted no later than the payment of the issue fee and, to avoid processing delays, should preferably accompany the issue fee.  Such submissions should be clearly labeled “Comments on Statement of Reasons for Allowance.”

APPLICANT REBUTTAL: Serial No.: 18/229,895
REMARKS
The Office Action Summary acknowledged that claims 1-15 were pending in the application, that claims 1, 3-10, and 12-15 were rejected, and that claims 2 and 11 were objected to.
By this Amendment, claim 2 has been cancelled without prejudice or disclaimer, and claim 1 has been amended. No new matter has been presented. Thus, claims 1 and 3-15 remain pending in the application.
Applicant respectfully requests reconsideration of the pending claims.
Claim Objections
The Office Action objected to claims 2 and 11 as being dependent upon a rejected base claim, but stated that these claims would be allowable if rewritten in independent form including all of the limitations of the base claim and any intervening claims.
By this Amendment, claim 2 has been cancelled without prejudice or disclaimer, and claim 1 has been amended to recite the features previously recited in original claim 2. Therefore, it is respectfully submitted that claim 1 is in condition for allowance.
Claim 11 depends from claim 1 and includes all of the features of that claim, and is therefore also in condition for allowance.
Claim Rejections Under 35 USC §102 and §103
The Office Action rejected claims 1, 3-5, 7-10, and 12-15 under 35 U.S.C. §102(a)(2) as being anticipated by Song (US 2022/0064842). The Office Action rejected claim 6 under 35 U.S.C. §103 as being unpatentable over Song.
As discussed herein, claim 1 has been amended to include the features previously
recited in original claim 2. Therefore, it is respectfully submitted that claim 1 is in condition for allowance.
Claims 3-10 and 12-15 depend from claim 1, and therefore are in condition for allowance at least due to their dependency on claim 1.
Serial No.: 18/229,895 Conclusion


CITED REFERENCE SUMMARIES: Ref US20220064842: Claims:
1. A laundry treatment apparatus comprising:
a case; a tub disposed inside the case and configured to accommodate washing water; a drum rotatably disposed inside the tub and configured to accommodate laundry; a pulsator disposed inside the drum and configured to rotate based on receiving driving force; and a driver configured to supply the driving force for rotating the drum and the pulsator, wherein the driver comprises:
a driving motor comprising a stator and a rotor,
a bearing housing disposed at a lower portion of the tub,
a dewatering shaft having a lower end disposed adjacent to the rotor and an upper end connected to the drum, the dewatering shaft defining a through-hole therein,
a coupler configured to selectively connect the dewatering shaft to the rotor based on moving upward and downward along an outer circumferential surface of the dewatering shaft,
a washing shaft disposed inside the through-hole of the dewatering shaft and configured to rotate the pulsator, the washing shaft having a lower end connected to the rotor and an upper end connected to the pulsator, and
an anti-friction member disposed between the dewatering shaft and the washing shaft,
 wherein the washing shaft defines a fixing groove that is recessed inward from an outer circumferential surface of the washing shaft and extends along a circumferential direction, and wherein the driver further comprises:
a fixing ring disposed in the fixing groove, wherein an outer circumferential surface of the fixing ring radially protrudes outward relative to the outer circumferential surface of the washing shaft,
a washer housing disposed between the anti-friction member and the fixing ring, and
a wave washer accommodated inside the washer housing.
2. The laundry treatment apparatus of claim 1, wherein the washer housing covers an outer circumferential surface of the wave washer.
3. The laundry treatment apparatus of claim 1, wherein the washer housing comprises:
a first portion in contact with the anti-friction member, a second portion in contact with the fixing ring, and a connecting portion that connects the first portion to the second portion and covers an outer circumferential surface of the wave washer.
4. The laundry treatment apparatus of claim 3, wherein the wave washer is in contact with an inner surface of each of the first portion, the second portion, and the connecting portion of the washer housing.
5. The laundry treatment apparatus of claim 3, wherein the first portion of the washer housing covers at a least a portion of a first surface of the wave washer facing the anti-friction member, and
wherein the second portion of the washer housing covers at least a portion of a second surface of the wave washer facing the fixing ring.
6. The laundry treatment apparatus of claim 5, wherein the first portion of the washer housing defines a first opening that exposes a portion of the first surface of the wave washer to the anti-friction member, and
wherein the second portion of the washer housing defines a second opening that exposes a portion of the second surface of the wave washer to the fixing ring.
7. The laundry treatment apparatus of claim 6, wherein the first opening is one of a plurality of first openings defined at the first portion of the washer housing, and
wherein the second opening is one of a plurality of second openings defined at the second portion of the washer housing.
8. The laundry treatment apparatus of claim 7, wherein a number of the plurality of first openings is equal to a number of the plurality of second openings, and
wherein a position of each of the plurality of first openings corresponds to a position of one of the plurality of second openings.
9. The laundry treatment apparatus of claim 3, wherein the washer housing further defines a washer exposing space at an inner circumferential surface of the washer housing, and
wherein an inner circumferential surface of the wave washer is exposed to the washing shaft through the washer exposing space of the washer housing.
10. The laundry treatment apparatus of claim 1, wherein the wave washer and the washer housing are made of different materials from each other.
11. The laundry treatment apparatus of claim 1, wherein the anti-friction member comprises a bearing.
12. The laundry treatment apparatus of claim 1, wherein the washing shaft comprises an upper washing shaft and a lower washing shaft that are arranged along an axial direction, the lower washing shaft being disposed vertically below the upper washing shaft, and
wherein the anti-friction member is disposed between an outer circumferential surface of the lower washing shaft and an inner circumferential surface of the dewatering shaft.
13. The laundry treatment apparatus of claim 1, wherein the washer housing is disposed at the lower end of the dewatering shaft, and the fixing ring is disposed vertically below the washer housing.
14. The laundry treatment apparatus of claim 1, wherein the wave washer has a circular shape surrounding the washing shaft.
15. The laundry treatment apparatus of claim 14, wherein at least one of a top surface of the wave washer or a bottom surface of the wave washer defines a waveform that protrudes upward or downward.
16. The laundry treatment apparatus of claim 15, wherein the washer housing has a shape corresponding to the waveform of the wave washer.
17. The laundry treatment apparatus of claim 15, wherein an upper surface of the washer housing is in contact with the anti-friction member, and
wherein a lower surface of the washer housing is in contact with the fixing ring.
18. The laundry treatment apparatus of claim 17, wherein the upper surface of the washer housing defines a plurality of first openings that are arranged along the circumferential direction, each of the plurality of first openings having an elongated shape in the circumferential direction,
wherein the lower surface of the washer housing defines a plurality of second openings that are arranged along the circumferential direction, each of the plurality of second openings having the elongated shape in the circumferential direction, and wherein the wave washer is exposed to an outside of the washer housing through the plurality of first openings and the plurality of second openings.
19. The laundry treatment apparatus of claim 18, wherein a number of the plurality of first openings is equal to a number of the plurality of second openings.
20. The laundry treatment apparatus of claim 18, wherein the washer housing further defines a washer exposing space at an inner circumferential surface of the washer housing, and
wherein an inner circumferential surface of the wave washer is exposed to the washing shaft through the washer exposing space of the washer housing.