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 .
Response to Arguments
Applicant's arguments filed 26 August 2025 have been fully considered but they are not persuasive. The new limitation of “gas without passing through any other units” is treated in this Action, below.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 103
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.
Claim(s) 1-3, 7, 9-13, 16 and 17 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Conner, et al. (“Conner”) (U.S. Pub. 2010/0176161) in view of des Jardins, et al. (“des Jardins”) (U.S. Pub. 2016/0193619).
Regarding claim 1, Conner discloses (Fig. 2) a fast glue replenishment device by using a dispensing cartridge (20’), comprising:
a power unit (12), having an air outlet, configured to provide a gas;
a regulation unit (14), communicative to the air outlet of the power unit, configured to control the power unit to output the gas having a gas pressure value;
a timing control unit (16) which controls an on/off period/times (¶ [0011]: “pulses”) of a switch (“selector”) to control the gas which enters the dispensing cartridge or not, the control unit is a solenoid valve in a known manner (¶ [0011]) which is an electromagnetic valve, as evidenced by Hassler, Jr. (U.S. Pub. 2009/0101669: ¶ [0040]);
the dispensing cartridge, having an accommodating space (34) communicative to an air inlet (60) and a feed port (42), wherein the air inlet is communicative to the control unit;
wherein the regulation unit regulates the gas pressure value of the gas output, according to actual requirements, from the power unit to be equal to a necessary gas pressure value, according to actual requirements, which the dispensing cartridge pushes a supply material for dispensing, when the dispensing cartridge pushes the supply material for dispensing, such that the dispensing cartridge is maintained to have the necessary gas pressure value which the dispensing cartridge pushes the supply material for dispensing.
Conner is silent in regards to a gas container. des Jardins discloses a similar apparatus with a gas container (50), communicative to a regulation unit (30), configured to store the gas after it has passed the regulation unit and having a gas pressure value, the gas container communicative to a control unit (70, 120), wherein the gas pressure value of the gas stored by the gas container is the same as the gas pressure value of the gas within the accommodating space of a dispensing cartridge (14); wherein the gas container is further configured to pre-store the gas having the gas pressure value so as to refill the gas required when pushing the supply material for dispensing.
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one with ordinary skill in the art, prior to the effective filing date of the claimed invention, to modify Conner with the teaching of des Jardins’ air expansion tank, located downstream of Conner’s regulator and upstream of Conner’s controller (16) and dispensing cartridge (20’), the gas container continuously provides the gas having the gas pressure value into Conner’s dispensing cartridge by using the Conner’s control unit, without passing through any other units, which will help ensure that the control unit and dispensing cartridge do not experience fast occurring transients or changes in air pressure. (des Jardins: ¶ [0026])
Regarding claim 2, Conner discloses that the power unit is a gas pressure source.
Regarding claim 3, Conner discloses that the regulation unit is a pressure regulator valve.
Regarding claim 7, Conner is silent in regards to a gas pressure monitor. des Jardins discloses a gas pressure monitor (128a) wherein the gas pressure monitor monitors the gas pressure value of a gas in an accommodating space (14a).
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one with ordinary skill in the art, prior to the effective filing date of the claimed invention, to borrow the teaching of des Jardins’ gas pressure monitor to provide stability to the air flow leading to the cartridge thereby ensuring that the measurements taken and the subsequent calculations and determinations are as accurate as possible. (¶ [0027])
Regarding claim 9, Conner discloses (Fig. 2) a fast glue replenishment device by using a dispensing cartridge (20’) capable of performing the following steps during normal use:
Outputting a gas from a power unit (12), having an air outlet, configured to provide a gas;
Regulating the gas with a regulation unit (14), communicative to the air outlet of the power unit, configured to control the power unit to output the gas having a gas pressure value;
Controlling the gas with a a timing control unit (16) which controls an on/off period/times (¶ [0011]: “pulses”) of a switch (“selector”) to control the gas which enters the dispensing cartridge or not, the control unit is a solenoid valve in a known manner (¶ [0011]) which is an electromagnetic valve, as evidenced by Hassler, Jr. (U.S. Pub. 2009/0101669: ¶ [0040]); and
Outputting the gas having the gas pressure value into the dispensing cartridge;
wherein the regulation unit regulates the gas pressure value of the gas output, according to actual requirements, from the power unit to be equal to a necessary gas pressure value, according to actual requirements, when the dispensing cartridge pushes the supply material for dispensing, the gas having the gas pressure value is continuously provided into the dispensing cartridge, such that the dispensing cartridge is maintained to the necessary gas pressure value which the dispensing cartridge pushes the supply material for dispensing.
Conner is silent in regards to a gas container. des Jardins discloses a similar apparatus with a gas container (50), communicative to a regulation unit (30), configured to store the gas after it has passed the regulation unit and having a gas pressure value, the gas container communicative to a control unit (70, 120), wherein the gas pressure value of the gas stored by the gas container is the same as the gas pressure value of the gas within the accommodating space of a dispensing cartridge (14); wherein the gas container is further configured to pre-store the gas having the gas pressure value so as to refill the gas required when pushing the supply material for dispensing.
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one with ordinary skill in the art, prior to the effective filing date of the claimed invention, to modify Conner with the teaching of des Jardins’ air expansion tank, located downstream of Conner’s regulator and upstream of Conner’s controller (16) and dispensing cartridge (20’), the gas container continuously provides the gas having the gas pressure value into Conner’s dispensing cartridge by using the Conner’s control unit, without passing through any other units, which will help ensure that the control unit and dispensing cartridge do not experience fast occurring transients or changes in air pressure. (des Jardins: ¶ [0026])
Regarding claim 10, Conner discloses that the power unit is a gas pressure source.
Regarding claim 11, Conner discloses that the regulation unit is a pressure regulator valve.
Regarding claim 12, Conner, as modified by des Jardins, discloses that the gas having the gas pressure value is stored in a gas container.
Regarding claim 13, Conner discloses that the gas having the gas pressure value is controlled to be output by a switch (“selector”) of a control unit.
Regarding claim 16, Conner discloses that the step of outputting the gas having the gas pressure value into the dispensing cartridge, the dispensing cartridge has an accommodating space (34) communicative to an air inlet (60) and a feed port (42), and the air inlet is communicative to the control unit.
Regarding claim 17, Conner is silent in regards to a gas pressure monitor. des Jardins discloses a gas pressure monitor (128a) wherein the gas pressure monitor monitors the gas pressure value of a gas in an accommodating space (14a).
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one with ordinary skill in the art, prior to the effective filing date of the claimed invention, to borrow the teaching of des Jardins’ gas pressure monitor to provide stability to the air flow leading to the cartridge thereby ensuring that the measurements taken and the subsequent calculations and determinations are as accurate as possible. (¶ [0027])
Claim(s) 8 and 18 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Conner and des Jardins as applied to claims 1 and 16, respectively, above, and further in view of Ennis, III, et al. (“Ennis, III”) (U.S. Pat. 5,887,764).
Regarding claims 8 and 18, Conner discloses that the dispensing cartridge further comprises a push piston part (50 (correcting a prior error which identified 22)), and the push rubber piston part is slidably disposed in the accommodating space.
Conner is silent regarding the material of manufacture of the piston part. Ennis, III disclose a dispensing cartridge (12) with a rubber piston part (61) which is slidably disposed in an accommodating space. Therefore, it would have been obvious matter of design choice to one with ordinary skill in the art, prior to the effective filing date of the claimed invention, to borrow the teachings of Ennis, III to manufacture the piston part of known materials, such as rubber, on the basis of their suitability for the intended use. In re Leshin, 277 F.2d 197, 125 USPQ 416 (CCPA 1960) MPEP 2144.07
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.
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/MJM/Examiner, Art Unit 3754
/PAUL R DURAND/Supervisory Patent Examiner, Art Unit 3754 September 17, 2025