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 .
Status of the Claims
In the reply of 4/14/26, the following has occurred:
Claim(s) 1, 4-5, and 7-9 is/are amended
Claim(s) 10 is/are new
Claim(s) 1-10 is/are pending
Response to Arguments
Applicant’s arguments, see Remarks, filed 4/14/26, with respect to the previous rejection have been fully considered and are persuasive. The rejection of the claims has been withdrawn.
New claim 10 is rejected using substantially the same rationale as previously applied to claim 4, see rejection below.
Claim Interpretation
Regarding claim 1. The claim has been amended to recite, “… the equivalent diameter of the air jet port.” The equivalent diameter is being interpreted as the diameter in which the air jet port is arranged around the fuel supply pipe, e.g. “The diameter of a virtual circle (indicated by a chain line in FIG. 3) connecting the centers of the air jet ports 40 to each other” see para. 32 of the PGPUB. This interpretation is distinct from interpreting the claimed equivalent diameter as corresponding to the diameter of a singular port 40 of a plurality; see for example the embodiment of figs. 2-3. In that embodiment, a plurality of individual air jet ports 40 are arranged around the fuel supply pipe; however, the claim as recited does not require a plurality of air jet ports, per se, see dependent claim 7.
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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) 10 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by KR 200448947 Y1 to Lee.
Note: Reference is made to the attached translation of Lee.
Regarding claim 10. The claim is rejected using substantially the same rationale as previously applied to claim 4, see Non-Final Rejection mailed on 2/20/26, where the annular sealing plate “in a middle of the fuel supply pipe” would also be “on the upstream side of the fuel outlet ports”.
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 1-9 are allowed.
The following is an examiner’s statement of reasons for allowance:
Regarding claim 1. Lee, previously applied to claim 1, represents the closest prior art of record to the claimed invention. The prior art fails to teach, “wherein a distance of the outflow nozzle from the air jet port in the combustion air jet direction is three time or more and 15 times or less as long as the equivalent diameter of the air jet port.”, in addition to the rest of the claim.
Instead, the device of Lee has the outflow nozzles immediately downstream of the air jet port. Furthermore, it would not have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art to modify the prior art, as claimed. See Remarks filed 4/14/26 and claim interpretation section above.
Any comments considered necessary by applicant must be submitted no later than the payment of the issue fee and, to avoid processing delays, should preferably accompany the issue fee. Such submissions should be clearly labeled “Comments on Statement of Reasons for Allowance.”
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.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to Kurt J Wolford whose telephone number is (571)272-9945. The examiner can normally be reached 7:00 AM - 4:00 PM.
Examiner interviews are available via telephone, in-person, and video conferencing using a USPTO supplied web-based collaboration tool. To schedule an interview, applicant is encouraged to use the USPTO Automated Interview Request (AIR) at http://www.uspto.gov/interviewpractice.
If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Michael G Hoang can be reached at (571)272-6460. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/KURT J WOLFORD/Examiner, Art Unit 3762 /MICHAEL G HOANG/Supervisory Patent Examiner, Art Unit 3762
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