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.
Claims 1-11, 14, and 20 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Ruch et al. (2020/0130313).
Regarding claim 1, Jorg et al. discloses a molding apparatus, comprising a hydraulic pump 27 for conveying a hydraulic fluid 70, an electric motor 20 for driving the hydraulic pump 27, a working cylinder 25 which is hydraulically connected to an outlet of the hydraulic pump to transfer a hydraulic fluid 70 causing the hydraulic pressure in the working cylinder 25 to rise and pushing a driving piston 28, a pressure-relief valve 50 which is hydraulically connected to the outlet of the hydraulic pump 27 and which opens at a certain predefined pressure of the hydraulic fluid 70, an electronic control 40 for controlling the electric motor 20 and a sensor 60 which monitors the state of the pressure-relief valve 50 and emits a signal which describes the state of the pressure-relief valve to the electronic control 40.
Regarding claims 2-8, opening of the pressure-relief valve 50 when the predefined pressure is reached is detected by a sensor 60 which is associated with the control 40 by signaling technology, wherein the opening of the pressure-relief valve 50 is signaled to the control 40, so that it may stop the electric motor 20, [0054]; and that the pressure-relief valve 50 opens by the valve piston 52 being shifted to the right against the force of the spring 56. During this process, hydraulic fluid 70 may leak from the annular gap between the valve piston 52 and the valve seat 51 as illustrated by means of the reference number 72. This causes the pressure at the side of the outlet of the hydraulic pump 27 and/or the pressure acting upon the working cylinder 25 to drop, and the driving piston 28 may return to its initial position [0056].
Regarding claims 9, 11, wherein the sensor 60 includes a magnetic sensor which is attached to a stationary housing component 62 and is electrically connected to the control 40 and the sensor 60 may also emit a different signal when the pressure-relief valve 50 is closed or when the pressure-relief valve 50 switches from the closed state to the opened state or from the opened state to the closed state [0061].
Regarding claims 14 and 20, wherein the sensor 60 can monitors the state of the pressure-relief valve of the hydraulic pump [0008], or sensor 60 can be magnetic sensors [0018], wherein the control analyze the signals for the magnetic sensors in an idle mode and compare them to those after the start to filter out interfering signals from the outside, or sensor 60 may comprise an inductive sensor with an induction coil which generates an induced voltage that may be analyzed when the magnetic field 55 changes, the control 40 may integrate the induced voltage in order to detect a relative change of the signal [0063]; the sensor 60 may comprise a reed switch which opens or closes an electrical contact at a certain strength of the magnetic field 55, i.e. at a certain distance between the permanent magnet 54 and the sensor 60. The switching of the reed switch may be recognized by the control 40, [0065]; or the sensor 60 may also comprise an optical sensor (not shown) which senses the change of an optical property, [0066] and that the sensor 60 emits a signal which describes the state of the pressure-relief valve to the electronic control.
Claims 1-9, 11, 14, 16, 18, 20 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Jorg et al. (2020/0398468).
Jorg et al. discloses a flow control of an injection molding system, comprising an actuator system 100 comprising an electrically controllable flow control valve 20 which is introduced between the pressure line L1 and L3, which is connected to the cylinder space 12 of the piston drive 10 via which a nozzle is closed when pressurizing medium is fed to the cylinder space 12. The flow control valve 20 consists of an adjustable throttle valve and a check valve 22 whose direction of passage is toward the piston-cylinder drive 10, flow sensors P1, P2, P3 are sensing the flow in the first, second and/or third pressure line L1, L2, L3, usable of controlling an operation of the injection molding system, by the help of the controller C. The controller controls in a possible embodiment only the adjustable flow control valve, prior to a cycle, during a cycle and/or at the end of a cycle on the basis of the information of flow sensors [0053]-[0057], wherein control signal of timer, pressure, and/or flow information allows precise determination of the situation of the piston drive and the needle of the injection apparatus [0064].
Regarding claim 2, wherein the machine control system – Fig. 2, C – is configured to generate and output an actuation signal for the actuator of the hydraulic valve from a correcting variable resulting from the valve regulation so that the actuator can be actuated by the actuation signal transmitted via the signal connection, [0016], [0064].
Regarding claim 3, wherein the sensor signal can be digital or analog [0015].
Regarding claim 4, wherein the hydraulic system has at least one further comprising a fluid pump and a drive coupled to the fluid pump- wherein the drive and/or the at least one fluid pump is preferably signal-connected to the machine control system with a further signal connection – see abstract, [0056].
Regarding claims 5-7, wherein the controller is configured to dynamically adjust the flow control valve during the injection phase and control the position and the speed of the change of the position of the piston and thus the position of the molding nozzle, wherein the controlling can be performed based on timers and/or based on sensor information, wherein preferably also information of at least one timer are used together with a fluid volume and the direction of the flow of the fluid to determine the point of time and the speed of the dynamical adjustment of the flow control valve [0032]-[0038].
Regarding claims 8-9, wherein the machine control system is formed configured to generate and output an actuation signal for the actuator of the at least one hydraulic valve taking into account based on a displacement volume of the at least one fluid pump and/or an operating state of the drive of the fluid pump, [0065].
Regarding claim 11, wherein injection molding system further comprises needle valve nozzles D1 to D3 for closing and opening of the feed orifices of the nozzles is accomplished via valve rods 11, each of which is driven by its piston-cylinder drive 10 is controlled by a respective change-over valve, [0058].
Regarding claims 14, wherein the controller is configured to allow an interactive programming of the dynamical adjustment of the flow control valve, by using an interactive user interface or by providing any other interface which allows a configuration or programming of the controller based on timer and/or pressure values and/or flow signals [0033]-[0034].
Regarding claim 16, wherein the hydraulic actuator is a piston-cylinder unit connected in a fluid-carrying manner to the hydraulic valve, [0053].
Regarding claim 18, wherein the apparatus is an injection molding machine [0005]-[0006].
Regarding claim 20, wherein at least one sensor is connected to the control system for each of the first, second and third signal connection, wherein the machine control system is configured to directly regulate an operation of the hydraulic valve based at least in part on the measured values obtained from the sensor – claim 1.
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.
Claims 15 and 17 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Ruch et al. (2020/0130313) or over Jorg et al. (2020/0398468) as applied to claims 1-11, 14, 16, 18 and 20 above, and further in view of Choi (2005/0258795).
Ruch et al. or Jorg et al disclose a hydraulic system for a molding machine as described above, but fails to disclose that the fluid pump is an axial piston pump with an adjustable swivel angle with a swivel angle sensor.
Choi discloses a pump-controlled drive controllable by changing the swivel angle of a variable displacement pump and that the pump/motor efficiency depends on variables such as displacement, pressure difference, and rotational speed; wherein he hydraulic states (namely volume, flow, and pressure) can be controlled as usual through the adjustment of the swivel angle of the pump together with the adjustment of the drive speed. This two-degree-of-freedom regulation helps to improve the pump/motor efficiency at small displacements while minimizing the supply of energy to an injection molding machine [0002], [0006], wherein a position sensor such as an encoder or speed sensor for detecting an angular position of the rotor of a drive system of an injection molding machine [0034].
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art to improve Ruth or Jorg et al. by providing an angular position monitor sensor for adjustment of the swivel angle of the pump together with the adjustment of the drive speed of the hydraulic system as taught by Choi in order to improve the performance of the hydraulic pumping assembly for a molding machine.
Response to Arguments
Applicant’s arguments with respect to claims 1-9, 11, 14-16, 18 and 20 have been considered but are moot because the new ground of rejection does not rely on any reference applied in the prior rejection of record for any teaching or matter specifically challenged in the argument.
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 Thu-Khanh T. Nguyen whose telephone number is (571)272-1136. The examiner can normally be reached 7:30-4:30.
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/Thu Khanh T. Nguyen/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 1743
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