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 § 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) 1-18 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Conover (US 4387902).
Regarding claim 1, Conover discloses a sealing ring 10 Fig. 1, comprising an annular base 11 comprising an inner annular side and an outer annular side; an inside sealing portion 16 protruding inwardly from the inner annular side wherein the inside sealing portion has a contour undulating in an axial direction of the annular base or inclined with respect to a radial direction of the annular base. However, Fig. 1 of Conover fails to explicitly disclose an outside sealing portion protruding outwardly from an outer annular side. Fig. 7 of Conover shows this to be well known in the art. Fig. 7 of Conover discloses the use of an outside sealing portion 16’ protruding outwardly from an outer annular side 20 wherein the outside sealing portion has a contour undulating in an axial direction of the annular base or inclined with respect to a radial direction of the annular base. Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of claimed invention to provide the outer side of Conover Fig. 1 with a sealing portion as taught by Conover Fig. 7 with a reasonable expectation for success providing sealing on either surface. Regarding claims 2 and 14, the combination discloses wherein the undulating contour 16 forms a wavy contour.
Regarding claim 3, the combination discloses wherein the inclined contour 16 comprises one highest point and one lowest point.
Regarding claim 4, the combination discloses wherein the undulating contour 16 comprises at least two highest points and at least two lowest points, wherein the at least two highest points are arranged rotationally symmetrically with respect to an axis of the annular base, and the at least two lowest points are arranged rotationally symmetrically with respect to the axis of the annular base Fig. 1.
Regarding claim 5, the combination discloses wherein each of the inside sealing portion 16 and the outside sealing portion 16’ has the contour undulating in the axial direction of the annular base 11 or inclined with respect to the radial direction of the annular base. Regarding claim 6, the combination discloses wherein the contour of the inside sealing portion 16 and the contour of the outside sealing portion 16’ undulate or are inclined synchronously with respect to the annular base 11.
Regarding claim 7, the combination discloses wherein the contour of the inside sealing portion 16 and the contour of the outside sealing portion 16’ undulate or are inclined asynchronously with respect to the annular base.
Regarding claim 8, the combination discloses wherein the inside sealing portion 16 and the outside sealing portion 16’ each have a sealing surface with arc-shaped cross-sections.
Regarding claim 9, the combination discloses wherein: the annular base 11 comprises a first end and a second end in the axial direction; and the contour 16’ Fig. 7 comprises a first portion which is closer to the first end and a second portion which is closer to the second end, and the contour is configured such that during deformation of the contour being pressed by a component in dynamic contact therewith, the first portion of the contour is pressed and deformed by the component before the second portion, and when the first portion of the contour is pressed and deformed by the component, the second portion of the contour has not been in contact with the component or is not pressed and deformed by the component.
Regarding claim 10, the combination discloses wherein: the annular base 11, the inside sealing portion 16 and the outside sealing portion 16’ are integrally formed. Regarding claim 11, the combination discloses a connector assembly Fig. 7, comprising: a female connector 23; a male connector 22 inserted into the female connector; and a sealing ring 20, wherein the sealing ring is arranged between an outer side of the male connector and an inner side of the female connector to achieve a sealing between the outer side of the male connector and the inner side of the female connector.
Regarding claim 12, the combination discloses wherein: the outer side of the male connector 22 Fig. 7 is provided with a male connector accommodation groove 21 in which the sealing ring 20 is at least partially retained; or the inner side of the female connector Fig. 6 is provided with a female connector accommodation groove 12 in which the sealing ring 10 is at least partially retained.
Regarding claim 13, the combination discloses a sealing ring 10 Fig. 1, comprising: an annular base 11 comprising an inner annular side and an outer annular side; an inside sealing portion 16 protruding inwardly from the inner annular side; and an outside sealing portion 16’ Fig. 7 protruding outwardly from the outer annular side, wherein each of the inside sealing portion and the outside sealing portion have an undulating contour that follows an identical direction with each other.
Regarding claim 15, the combination discloses wherein: each of the undulating contours 16, 16’ comprises at least two highest points and at least two lowest points, but fails to explicitly disclose wherein the at least two highest points are arranged rotationally symmetrically with respect to an axis of the annular base, and the at least two lowest points are arranged rotationally symmetrically with respect to the axis of the annular base. Nevertheless, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention in order to control sealing and since it has been held that rearranging parts of an invention involves only routine skill in the art. In re Japiske, 181 F.2d 1019, 86 USPQ 70 (CCPA 1950).
Regarding claim 16, the combination discloses wherein: the inside sealing portion 16 Fig. 1 and the outside sealing portion 16’ Fig. 7 each have a sealing surface with an arc-shaped cross-section.
Regarding claim 17, the combination discloses wherein: the cross-sections of the sealing surfaces of the inside sealing portion 16 Fig.1 and the outside sealing portion 16’ Fig. 7 form portions of a single circle.
Regarding claim 18, the combination discloses wherein: the annular base 11, the inside sealing portion 16 and the outside sealing portion 16’ are integrally formed.
Response to Arguments
Applicant's arguments filed 10/17/25 have been fully considered but they are not persuasive. Applicant argues that the Office action rejection is not a sufficient rationale for making an obviousness allegation. This is not persuasive. The Conover reference teaches two embodiment with sealing portions on an outer annular side and an inner annular side, it would however have been an obvious design choice or engineering expedient for one of ordinary skill in the art to provide sealing where ever it is needed. Moreover, the Conover reference does not in fact disclose “already providing sealing” with the groove anywhere in the specification as alleged by Applicant.
Applicant further alleges that the Conover reference rejects the type of modification proposed in the office action, stating ring 10 comprises a circumferentially continuous body 11 of uniform rectangular section having axially spaced sidewalls sized for substantially complete axially stabilized support by and between the spaced sidewalls of a retaining groove 12 (FIG. 6) in a frame or the like member 13, with respect to which (and within a bore 13' of which) another member such as a shaft 14 is relatively rotatable. The radial thickness of body 11 substantially matches the depth of groove 12, and the outer diameter DI of the ring body 11 is preferably selected for such slight interference with the groove-bottom diameter D2 as to assure circumferentially uniform resiliently stressed extensive sidewall and groove-bottom support of ring body 11. This is not persuasive, since the size sealing portions 16, 16’ (small fraction of the axial extent of the surface of the seal) of Conover can vary to be sized to match a diameter of the shafts’ diameter. The examiner recognizes that obviousness can only be established by combining or modifying the teachings of the prior art to produce the claimed invention where there is some teaching, suggestion, or motivation to do so found either in the references themselves or in the knowledge generally available to one of ordinary skill in the art. See In re Fine, 837 F. 2d 1071, 5 USPQ2d 1596 (Fed. Cir. 1988) and In re Jones, 958 F.2d 347, 21 USPQ2d 1941 (Fed. Cir. 1992).
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to EUGENE G BYRD whose telephone number is (571)270-1824. The examiner can normally be reached Monday-Friday 9am-5:30pm.
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If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Kristina Fulton can be reached on 5712727376. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/EUGENE G BYRD/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3675
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