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.
Claim(s) 1-3 and 11 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by CN-107074213 (CN’213).
Re: claims 1 and 11. CN’213 shows in figures 1 and 2 a system for controlling a parking brake, the system comprising: an air compressor 4 that generates compressed air, an air dryer 5 that transmits the compressed air, and a pressure protection valve RV1 within element 12 that supplies the compressed air from the air dryer 4 to a service brake flow path, as labeled, connected to a spring brake chamber 7a, 7b of a brake 7 via intervening elements, a
[AltContent: arrow][AltContent: textbox (First parking brake flow path)][AltContent: arrow][AltContent: textbox (Parking brake flow path)][AltContent: textbox (Service brake flow path)][AltContent: arrow]
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parking brake flow path, as labeled, and a first parking brake flow path, as labeled, connected between the air dryer 5 and the pressure protection valve RV1 within element 12; a double check valve SV within element 12 including first P1 and second P2 inputs connected to the additional parking brake flow path, as labeled, and the parking brake flow path, as labeled, respectively, via intervening elements within or surrounding element 12 and transmitting a higher pressure among a first flow path pressure of the first input and a second flow path pressure of the second input through an output port P3 of the double check valve; and a parking valve PV which is provided on a flow path connected from the output port of the double check valve as shown to a parking port entering element 7b of the spring brake chamber 7a, 7b and is configured to control a parking brake operation of the brake. With regard to claim 11, CN’213 shows the limitation wherein the brake 7 is a brake rear WR.
Re: claim 2. CN’213 shows in figures 1 and 2 the system further including: a solenoid valve TPV provided on the additional parking brake flow path by way of being positioned within element 12 which is attached to the additional parking brake flow path as shown in figure 1; and controlling a supply of the compressed air through the additional parking brake flow path by controlling the solenoid valve.
Re: claim 3. CN’213 shows in figures 1 and 2 the system further including a parking switch PU with positive pressure detection representing an on state and zero pressure detection representing an off state provided on the flow path connected from output port P3 of the double check valve to parking port connected to element 7b to detect a parking brake operation state of the brake 7.
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.
Claim(s) 4 and 5 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over CN’213 in view of WO-2020228963 (WO’963).
Re: claim 4. CN’213 shows in figure 2 the use of a pressure sensor PU to detect a flow path pressure, but is silent with regard to the pressure sensor being an additional parking flow path pressure sensor provided on the additional parking brake flow path and a service flow path pressure sensor provided on the service brake flow path.
WO’963 teaches in figure 1 the use of a parking flow path pressure sensor 71 provided on a parking brake flow path and a service flow path pressure sensor 72 provided on a service brake flow path.
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the invention to have modified the pressure sensor arrangement of CN’213 to have included a parking flow path pressure sensor on the additional parking brake flow path and a service flow path pressure sensor on the service brake flow path of CN’213, in view of the teachings of WO’963, in order to provide a means of actively knowing the pressure state of the parking and service brakes in order to monitor for anomalies in park and service brake function and better maintain safe operating conditions of the vehicle.
Re: claim 5. CN’213, as modified, teaches in figure 2 of CN’213 the use of a controller 11. Examiner notes that CN’213, as modified by the teachings of WO’963 to include the parking flow path pressure sensor and the service flow path pressure sensor, would result in the controller being configured to control those sensors just as the controller 11 controls sensor PU in order to provide active control of the pressure within the system to maintain desired and safe vehicle operating brake conditions.
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 6-10 and 12-15 are objected to as being dependent upon a rejected base claim, but would be allowable if rewritten in independent form including all of the limitations of the base claim and any intervening claims.
Response to Arguments
Applicant's arguments filed 5/4/26 have been fully considered but they are not persuasive. Applicant argues that CN’213 fails to show or disclose the limitation of a parking brake flow path and a first parking brake flow path connected between an air dryer and a pressure protection valve. Examiner notes that CN’213 shows the parking brake flow path, as labeled, and the first parking brake flow path, as labeled, as amended. As broadly recited, the path may be a portion of a common line. There is nothing in the claim language that precludes such an interpretation. Applicant next argues that CN’213 fails to show or disclose the limitation of a double check valve including first and second inputs connected to the first parking brake flow path and the parking brake flow path, respectively. Examiner notes that line A designated by Applicant in the remarks corresponds to the first parking brake flow path, as amended, and is connected to input P1 of the double check valve SV and the line extending from P2 represents the parking brake flow path which is shown to be connected to input P2 of the double check valve SV.
Conclusion
THIS ACTION IS MADE FINAL. 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 MELODY M BURCH whose telephone number is (571)272-7114. The examiner can normally be reached Monday - Friday 6:30AM-3PM, generally.
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If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Robert Siconolfi can be reached at 571-272-7124. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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mmb
July 16, 2026
/MELODY M BURCH/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3616
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