DETAILED ACTION
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 § 112
The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 112(b):
(b) CONCLUSION.—The specification shall conclude with one or more claims particularly pointing out and distinctly claiming the subject matter which the inventor or a joint inventor regards as the invention.
The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), second paragraph:
The specification shall conclude with one or more claims particularly pointing out and distinctly claiming the subject matter which the applicant regards as his invention.
Claims 11 and 14 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 112(b) or 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), second paragraph, as being indefinite for failing to particularly point out and distinctly claim the subject matter which the inventor or a joint inventor (or for applications subject to pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, the applicant), regards as the invention.
Re claim 11, Applicant recites “preferably a pole core” in line 3. It is unclear whether or not the limitation is positively recited.
Claim 14 recites the limitation "the conical seat" in line 5. There is insufficient antecedent basis for this limitation in the claim.
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, 3-11, 14 and 15 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Chen et al. (CN 112815033 A).
[AltContent: textbox (pilot stage module component)]Re claims 1 and 15, Chen et al. disclose a shock absorber comprising a pressure regulation valve comprising a multiplicity of pre-mounted function modules comprising with a pilot stage module (6, 12, 13, 14 in addition to the unnumbered component indicated below) and an actuator module (1, 3, 4, 5) which are firmly interconnected immediately and exclusively via one first connection, further comprising a main stage module (7, 8, 11) as a further function module which is firmly connected to the actuator module immediately and exclusively via one second press connection. (Translation – Pg. 5, 1st Par.)
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Chen et al. do not teach wherein the pilot stage module and the actuator module are firmly interconnected via a press connection. Fig. 1 and 2 illustrate wherein the pilot stage module (6, 12, 13 and 14) is firmly interconnected with the actuator module (at 4). It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date to interconnect the components via press fitting since it is a well-known means for connecting components.
Re claim 3, Chen et al. as modified teach wherein the pressure regulation valve exclusively consists of or is constructed from function modules and/or at least or exactly of/from the actuator module (1, 3, 4, 5), the pilot stage module (6, 12, 13, 14), and the main stage module (7, 8, 11).
Re claim 4, Chen et al. as modified teach wherein the actuator module (1, 3, 4, 5), has an actuator (5) with an actuator axis, wherein the actuator is formed as a linear actuator and/or the actuator module has a cylindrical press area, which is arranged coaxially to the actuator axis.
Re claim 5, Chen et al. as modified teach wherein the pilot stage module (6, 12, 13, 14) has a pilot stage valve (12, 14) which can be operated preferably along a valve axis and/or has a cylindrical press area which is arranged coaxially to the valve axis.
Re claim 6, Chen et al. as modified teach wherein the actuator axis and the valve axis of the pilot stage valve (12, 14) form a common central axis of the pressure regulation valve. (Fig. 1)
Re claim 7, Chen et al. as modified teach wherein an operation member (5) of the actuator module (1, 3, 4, 5) abuts on a valve body (14) of the pilot stage module (6) for operating the pilot stage valve. (Translation – Pg. 7, 4th Par. – Pg. 8, 1st Par, Fig. 1, 14)
Re claim 8, Chen et al. as modified teach wherein the press connection between the main stage module (7, 8, 11) and the actuator module (1, 3, 4, 5) or the pilot stage module (6) is created by corresponding cylindrical press areas, which are arranged coaxially to the central axis. (Fig. 1
Re claim 9, Chen et al. teach wherein the actuator module (1, 3, 4, 5) comprises a coil module (3), a magnetic drive module (5) and a coil lid module (1), wherein the coil module and the magnetic drive module are firmly connected to the coil lid module created by respectively two corresponding cylindrical press areas, which are arranged coaxially to the central axis, and/or wherein no firm connection is provided between the coil module (3) and the magnetic drive module (5).
Chen et al. do not explicitly teach wherein the coil module and the coil lid module are firmly connected to the coil lid module via a press connection. It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date to use press fitting to connect the coil module and the coil lid module since press fitting is a well known means for providing a firm connection.
Re claim 10, Chen et al. as modified teach wherein the coil lid module (1) is arranged centrally in the pressure regulation valve and/or the coil lid module is firmly connected to the pilot stage module (6 12, 13, 14), the main stage module (7, 11), the coil module (3) and the magnetic drive module (5) via respectively one press connection and the pilot stage module (6), the main stage module (1, 3, 4, 5), the coil module (3) and the magnetic drive module (5) do not have a firm connection among each other.
Re claim 11, Chen et al. as modified teach wherein the magnetic drive module (5) has a movably borne operation member or a movably borne magnetic armature and a pole core.
Re claim 14, Chen et al. as modified teach wherein the pilot stage module (6, 12, 13, 14) has a receiving section for receiving a fluid component, including a throttle which has a thread, and/or the pilot stage module has a failsafe valve seat at the end of the guide section located opposite the conical seat, and a spring member, which biases the ball valve body into the failsafe valve seat, and/or the main stage module (7, 8, 11) has a main stage valve (8) which is formed as a piston slide valve or as a seat valve. (Fig.1-2)
9. Claims 12 and 13 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Chen et al. (CN 112815033 A) in view of Bill et al. (US 20110297856 A1).
Re claim 12, Chen et al. do not teach wherein the pilot stage module has a ball valve body and a conical seat. Bill et al. teach wherein the pilot stage module (22) has a ball valve body (40) and a conical seat (13). It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date to provide the ball valve arrangement of Bill et al. since ball valves are well known alternative means for providing pressure control.
Re claim 13, Chen et al. as modified teach wherein the pilot stage module has a guide section (42) for the ball valve body, and has a single-piece module body (42) which has the conical seat (13) and the guide section.
Response to Arguments
Applicant's arguments filed September 9, 2025 have been fully considered but they are not persuasive.
Applicant’s amendments require a modified interpretation of the references but are still believed to be obvious in light of the newly recited limitations. See above. Regarding the recitation of modules or pre-mounted function modules, the components within the assembly are capable of being grouped as modules.
Conclusion
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/MELANIE TORRES WILLIAMS/
Primary Examiner
Art Unit 3616
MTW, March 13, 2026