Examination Note
The office notes that this Non-Final Rejection is duplicative of the Non-Final Rejection mailed 12/16/2024. This Non-Final Rejection is being re-sent because the originally mailed Non-Final Rejection was inadvertently associated with PTO-2300 “Notification of Reopening of Prosecution”. The Non-Final Rejection and PTO-2300 should have been submitted as two separate actions.
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 .
Information Disclosure Statement
The information disclosure statement(s) was/were filed in compliance with the provisions of 37 CFR 1.97. Accordingly, the information disclosure statement(s) was/were 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.
Claim(s) 1-10 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Saginomiya (CN 109139941) as cited in applicants IDS received 12/06/2024.
In regards to claim 1, Saginomiya discloses a flow regulating valve, wherein the flow regulating valve comprises: a valve body (20), wherein the valve body (20) has a valve port (VP), an inner wall of the valve port (VP) has a first conical surface (211) and a second conical surface (212), an included angle between a generatrix line of the first conical surface (211) and a radial plane of the valve body is b, and an included angle between a generatrix line of the second conical surface (212) and the radial plane of the valve body is c; the generatix line is a line segment between an apex of a conical surface and a point on a bottom circumference of the conical surface; and a valve head (10), wherein the valve head (10) is movably disposed in the valve body (20) to close or open the valve port (VP), the valve head (20) has a chamfer (111), and an included angle between the chamfer (111) and the radial plane of the valve body (20) is a; wherein, b<a<c. See amended Figs. 1 and 2 below.
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In regards to claim 2, the valve body (20) has an accommodating cavity (AC), the valve port (VP) is communicated with the accommodating cavity (AC), the valve head (10) is movably disposed in the accommodating cavity (AC), and the first conical surface (211) is closer to the accommodating cavity (AC) with respect to the second conical surface (212).
In regards to claim 3, when the valve port (VP) is in a closed state, a contact surface between the valve head (10) and the second conical surface (212) is a plugging surface, a distance between the plugging surface and a transition edge being of the first conical surface and the second conical surface and the plugging surface is H1 (Ya), and a distance between the valve head and the plugging surface is H2 (The office notes that H2 is not measured when the valve port is in a closed state, but rather is measurement which varies dependent on the position of the valve head); the chamfer (112) has a first peripheral edge (PE1) and a second peripheral edge (PE2) along an axial direction of the valve port (VP), and a diameter of the first periphery (PE1) is less than a diameter of the second periphery (PE2) ;when H2<H1 (Ya), a minimum distance between the valve head (10) and the inner wall of the valve port is a distance between the second periphery (PE2) and the second conical surface (212); and when H2>H1, the minimum distance between the valve head (10) and the inner wall of the valve port is a distance between the first periphery (PE1) and the first conical surface (211).
In regards to claim 4, the accommodating cavity (AC) has a bottom surface, the bottom surface is connected with the first conical surface (211), and a distance between the bottom surface and the plugging surface is H3; and when the valve port is in an open state, H2<H3.
In regards to claim 5, when the valve port is in the open state, H3-H2<H2-H1.
In regards to claim 6, the inner wall of the valve port also has a cylindrical surface (213), and the cylindrical surface (213) of the valve port is located on a side, far away from the first conical surface (211), of the second conical surface (212), the cylindrical surface (213) of the valve port is far away from the first conical surface (211) with respect to the second conical surface (213).
In regards to claim 7, an outer wall surface of the valve head (10) is a cylindrical surface.
In regards to claim 8, a side wall of the valve body (20) is provided with a circulation port (2), and when the valve port is opened, the valve port is communicated with the circulation port.
In regards to claim 9, the flow regulating valve further comprises: a guide sleeve, wherein the guide sleeve (40) is disposed in the valve body (20), and the valve head (10) is movably disposed in the guide sleeve; and a driving part(30), wherein the driving part (30) is in driving connection with the valve head (10) to drive the valve head to move.
In regards to claim 10, the flow regulating valve is an electronic expansion valve.
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to R.K. Arundale whose telephone number is 571-270-3453. The examiner can normally be reached on Monday-Friday (9:30AM-6:00PM EST).
If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisors can be reached by phone. Kenneth Rinehart can be reached at 571-272-4881, and Craig Schneider can be reached at 571-272-3607. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/ROBERT K ARUNDALE/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3753