DETAILED ACTION
Notice of Pre-AIA or AIA Status
The present application is being examined under the pre-AIA first to invent provisions.
Responses to Amendments
Applicant’s amendments and arguments are persuasive to overcome all rejections as set forth in the most recent office action mailed 03/17/2026.
Responses to Arguments
Applicant’s arguments have been considered but are moot in view of the new ground(s) of rejection. See new ground(s) of rejection below.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 103
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 35 U.S.C. 103 which forms the basis for all obviousness rejections set forth in this Office action:
A patent for a claimed invention may not be obtained, notwithstanding that the claimed invention is not identically disclosed as set forth in section 102, if the differences between the claimed invention and the prior art are such that the claimed invention as a whole would have been obvious before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to a person having ordinary skill in the art to which the claimed invention pertains. Patentability shall not be negated by the manner in which the invention was made.
Claims 1, 2, 10, and 17 are rejected under pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable by Franconi – US 20110217157 in view of Mcintosh – US 20130153239 and Griffin – US 20030183426, and further in view of Pozzati - US 20080029726.
As to claim 1, Franconi teaches a relief valve 115 ([0037]: control valve acts as a relief valve because the control valve 115 to be configured to remain closed until the inlet pressure exceeds a very high threshold) comprising:
a first engagement component 202 coupled with a valve spring 204;
a second engagement component 226 axially aligned with the first engagement component 202 and configured to engage with the first engagement component 202 during an operation cycle to translate the first engagement component 202 along an axis in response to a pressure of a fluid within the relief valve 115 being above a predetermined threshold such that, when the second engagement component 226 engages with first engagement component 202, a fluid path is defined from an inlet 209 of the relief valve 115 to an outlet 210 of the relief valve 115 (fig.3 and [0037, 0041, 0056]); and
the first engagement component 202 comprises a valve stem ([0037, 0041, 0056]: poppet 202 corresponds to “a valve stem”),
the second engagement component 226 comprises a valve seat 226;
a top surface of the second engagement component; a bottom surface of the first engagement component (see described fig.2; in a direction of fluid flow, surface 226 corresponds to “a top surface of the second engagement component”; bottom surface of the first engagement component as shown in described fig.2).
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Franconi does not explicitly teach a carbide substrate disposed between the first engagement component and the second engagement component when the second engagement component engages the first engagement component, wherein:
having the carbide substrate disposed thereon and coated with diamond particles to form polycrystalline diamond (PCD),
the valve stem is comprised of a tungsten alloy, and
a top surface of the second engagement component having the carbide substrate disposed thereon contacting a bottom surface of the first engagement component when the second engagement component engages with the first engagement component.
Mcintosh teaches a relief valve 10 (figs.1-6 and [0017]: valve also allows fluid to flow in the reverse direction to relieve any pressure that may be contained in the tank, vessel, or tubular; thus “a relief valve”) comprising: a top surface 34 of second engagement component 11 having carbide substrate disposed thereon contacting a bottom surface 33 of first engagement component 12 when the second engagement component 11 engages with the first engagement component 12 ([0042]: surface 34 of closure element or second engagement component 11 may also be coated with a wear resistant material or may have a wear resistant material such as carbide imbedded in or mounted to this surface).
Mcintosh further teaches sampling relief valve is inserted into pipe or any fluid flow transportation system or device ([0039]).
Mcintosh further teaches a relief valve 10 in a hydrocarbon site (figs.1-6 and [0017-0018]: valve also allows fluid to flow in the reverse direction to relieve any pressure that may be contained in the tank, vessel, or tubular; provide a valve to be used below a top drive to permit forward and reverse fluid flow into or out of a well bore; thus “a relief valve in a hydrocarbon site”), the relief valve (figs.1-4 and [0017-0018]) comprising: an inlet port 61 configured to receive a fluid from a pipeline ([0039]: sampling relief valve is inserted into pipe or any fluid flow transportation system or device; thus “an inlet port configured to receive a fluid from a pipeline”).
Mcintosh teaches the relief valve is a sampling relief valve configured to obtain a sample of the fluid flowing through a pipeline ([0039]: sampling relief valve is inserted into pipe or any fluid flow transportation system or device).
Since Franconi teaches the control or relief valve 115 may be implemented in connection with any number of other types of devices and/or systems ([0063]), it would thus have been obvious for one having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify a top surface of the second engagement component of Franconi with concept teachings of carbide substrate of Mcintosh to include a carbide substrate disposed between the first engagement component and the second engagement component when the second engagement component engages the first engagement component, wherein: having the carbide substrate disposed thereon and a top surface of the second engagement component having the carbide substrate disposed thereon contacting a bottom surface of the first engagement component when the second engagement component engages with the first engagement component (as recited in claim 1); the operation cycle comprises: engaging, in response to an increase in the pressure, a top surface of the second engagement component with a bottom surface of the first engagement component; permitting a fluid path from a pipeline to an outlet of the relief valve; disengaging, in response to a decrease in the pressure, the top surface of the second engagement component with the bottom surface of the first engagement component; and restricting the fluid path from the pipeline to the outlet of the relief valve (as recited in claim 3); the relief valve is a sampling relief valve configured to obtain a sample of the fluid flowing through a pipeline (as recited in claim 6); a relief valve in a hydrocarbon site, the relief valve comprising: an inlet port configured to receive a fluid from a pipeline (as recited in claim 9), for wear resistance aspect for surfaces ([0042]).
Franconi and Mcintosh do not explicitly teach carbide substrate coated with diamond particles to form polycrystalline diamond (PCD), the valve stem is comprised of a tungsten alloy.
Griffin teaches a concept of: a known two-layer or multi-layer PCD element where polycrystalline diamond is bonded to a carbide substrate, wherein the known two-layer or multi-layer PCD element is used in almost any application where a hard wear and erosion resistant material is required ([0006]).
It would thus have been obvious for one having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify carbide substrate of modified Franconi with concept teachings of Griffin to include carbide substrate coated with diamond particles to form polycrystalline diamond (PCD), for a hard wear and erosion resistant purposes ([0006]).
Franconi and Mcintosh and Griffin don’t explicitly teach the valve stem is comprised of a tungsten alloy.
Pozzati teaches a concept of: valve stem is preferably coated with an alloy selected from the group of alloys comprising tungsten carbides ([0032]).
It would thus have been obvious for one having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify valve stem of modified Franconi with concept teachings of Pozzati to include the valve stem is comprised of a tungsten alloy, because of its extreme resistance to abrasion and galling ([0035]).
As to claims 2-3, 6, 10-11, 14, and 17-18, claims 2-3, 6, 10-11, 14, and 17-18 are rejected as reasons stated in the rejection of claim 1.
As to claims 9 and 16, claims 9 and 16 are rejected as reasons stated in the rejection of claim 1.
Claims 4, 7, 12, and 15 are rejected under pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable by Franconi, Mcintosh, Griffin, and Pozzati and further in view of Padfield – US 9376011 B1 and Machado – US 20150226051.
As to claims 4, 7, 12, and 15, modified Franconi does not explicitly teach the relief valve is fluidly coupled with an analytics system, the analytics system configured to: receive the sample from the relief valve in response to a completion of the operation cycle; and analyze one or more properties of the sample to determine an amount of sediment within the sample.
Padfield teaches a concept of: a hydrocarbon analyzer is capable of measuring hydrocarbons in fluid communication with an outlet of the pressure relief valve (col.5, lines 21-25).
It would thus have been obvious for one having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify relief valve of modified Franconi with concept teachings of Padfield to include relief valve is fluidly coupled with an analytics system, the analytics system configured to: receive the sample from the relief valve in response to a completion of the operation cycle; and analyze one or more properties of the sample, for measuring hydrocarbons in fluid communication with an outlet of the pressure relief valve (col.5, lines 21-25).
Modified Franconi and Padfield do not explicitly teach determine an amount of sediment within the sample.
Machado teaches a concept of: monitoring system 26 serves as a net oil computer that may be used during a well test. The net oil computer may determine a net amount of hydrocarbons (e.g., oil), a net amount of water, a net amount of basic sediment and water (BS&W) of production of selected well ([0092]).
Machado further teaches hydrocarbon site 10 may be an area in which hydrocarbons, such as crude oil ([0031]); the extracted hydrocarbon is transported via pipelines 24 to refineries ([0034]).
It would thus have been obvious for one having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify modified Franconi with concept teachings of Machado to include analyze one or more properties of the sample to determine an amount of sediment within the sample (as recited in claims 7 and 15); the pipeline is an unrefined oil pipeline configured to provide the fluid to a refining process, and the fluid is crude oil (as recited in claims 4 and 12), to determine a net amount of basic sediment and water (BS&W) of production of selected well ([0092]).
Claim 8 is rejected under pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable by Franconi, Mcintosh, Griffin, and Pozzati, and further in view of Oh – US 20030097904.
As to claim 8, while Franconi teach second engagement component (or valve seat 226),
Franconi does not explicitly teach at least one of the first engagement component or the second engagement component is manufactured from a Tungsten Cobalt alloy of between 5 percent and 40 percent Cobalt with respect to Tungsten by atomic weight.
Oh teaches a concept of: sintered alloy material for valve seat manufactured from Tungsten Cobalt alloy, which includes 10-25% by weight of cobalt ([0015]).
It would thus have been obvious for one having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify modified Mcintosh with concept teachings of Oh to include at least one of the first engagement component or the second engagement component is manufactured from a Tungsten Cobalt alloy of between 5 percent and 40 percent Cobalt with respect to Tungsten by atomic weight, for enhancing wear resistance ([0015]).
Claim 19-20 are rejected under pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable by Franconi, Mcintosh, Griffin, and Pozzati, and further in view of Padfield – US 9376011 B1 and Machado – US 20150226051.
As to claims 19-20, claims 19-20 are rejected as reasons stated in the rejection of claims 4 and 7.
Claims 5 and 13 are rejected under pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable by Franconi, Mcintosh, Padfield, Machado, and further in view of Kim – Translate_KR 20210061798 A and Baer – US 20190120397.
As to claims 5 and 13, modified Franconi does not explicitly teach the operation cycle of the relief valve is performed more than one thousand times per day.
Kim teaches a concept of: forward/backward operation of relief valve is repeated 1000 times (page 6).
It would thus have been obvious for one having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify relief valve 10 of modified Mcintosh with concept teachings of Kim to include the operation cycle of the relief valve is performed more than one thousand times, to test number of operation cycle of the relief valve to see if it can handle various demand of sampling and testing of crude oil to ensure continuous operation.
Modified Mcintosh and Kim does not teach one thousand times per day.
Baer teaches a concept of: some check valves, particularly those used in oil production flow-lines, pumps, may be subjected to continuous operation with the opening/closing sequence occurring thousands of times in a single day ([0006]).
It would thus have been obvious for one having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify relief valve 10 of modified Mcintosh with concept teachings of Baer to include the operation cycle of the relief valve is performed more than one thousand times per day, to increase reliability of the valve over multiple opening/closings for continuous operation in oil production flow-lines ([0006]).
Conclusion
Applicant's amendment necessitated the new ground(s) of rejection presented in this Office action. Accordingly, THIS ACTION IS MADE FINAL. See MPEP § 706.07(a). Applicant is reminded of the extension of time policy as set forth in 37 CFR 1.136(a).
A shortened statutory period for reply to this final action is set to expire THREE MONTHS from the mailing date of this action. In the event a first reply is filed within TWO MONTHS of the mailing date of this final action and the advisory action is not mailed until after the end of the THREE-MONTH shortened statutory period, then the shortened statutory period will expire on the date the advisory action is mailed, and any nonprovisional extension fee (37 CFR 1.17(a)) pursuant to 37 CFR 1.136(a) will be calculated from the mailing date of the advisory action. In no event, however, will the statutory period for reply expire later than SIX MONTHS from the mailing date of this final action.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to TRUONG D PHAN whose telephone number is (571)272-8883. The examiner can normally be reached Monday-Friday.
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/TRUONG D PHAN/ Examiner, Art Unit 2855
/JOHN E BREENE/ Supervisory Patent Examiner, Art Unit 2855
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