DETAILED ACTION
Continued Examination Under 37 CFR 1.114
A request for continued examination under 37 CFR 1.114, including the fee set forth in 37 CFR 1.17(e), was filed in this application after allowance or after an Office action under Ex Parte Quayle, 25 USPQ 74, 453 O.G. 213 (Comm'r Pat. 1935). Since this application is eligible for continued examination under 37 CFR 1.114, and the fee set forth in 37 CFR 1.17(e) has been timely paid, prosecution in this application has been reopened pursuant to 37 CFR 1.114. Applicant's submission filed on 9/18/2025 has been entered.
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, 3-4, 8-10, and 12-15 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated Asano (WO 2013186949).
Regarding claims 1, 8-10, and 12-15, Asano teaches (claim 1 and 11-15) a cylindrical body 10 (fig. 11); provided with a shaft portion 42; and a first valve body 45 that is in close contact with the shaft portion to close an opening portion of the cylindrical body, and is separated from the shaft portion when pressure in the cylindrical body rises to a threshold or higher by gas that has entered the cylindrical body 10, to release the gas from the cylindrical body to outside; wherein the first valve body 45 includes a closing portion (nearest openings 43) that receives the pressure of the gas in the cylindrical body, and the pressure received by the closing portion serves as a valve opening force for the first valve body; wherein the first valve body 45 includes a cylindrical portion that covers a part or a whole of the peripheral surface of the shaft portion together with the closing portion (central portion of the first valve body covers a part of the shaft), and the closing portion and the cylindrical portion are separated from the shaft portion depending on a state of the pressure in the cylindrical body (closing portion separates from the shaft to release gas) to release the gas to outside; a ventilation portion 43 that allows the gas to flow on either or both of the shaft portion and the first valve body (first valve body via the cylindrical body) in a at least a joint range between the shaft portion and the first valve body (between the first valve body central portion and the shaft); the first valve body incudes a concave portion in at least a joint range between the shaft portion and the first valve body (joint range understood to be the an area of the assembly that includes both claimed elements); the method steps including forming an opening portion (sealing member) 3T; forming a cylindrical body provided with a shaft portion 10, 42; installing on the cylindrical body 10 a first valve body 45 that is in close contact with the shat portion to close an opening portion 43 of the cylindrical body; fixing the cylindrical body 10 and the fist valve body 45 between a stop portion in the opening portion of the opening sealing member 3T (the opening of 3T that receives the cylindrical member 10 and valve body 45 is considered a singular step).
Regarding claims 3 and 4, Asano teaches the closing piece (portion of valve body that surrounds the shaft) is deformed by the pressure in the cylindrical body, and is separated from the shaft portion, and the closing piece is in a state where the closing piece is pressed by the shaft portion that is in contact with the closing piece (closing piece opens up nearest 46 and releases the gas); wherein the closing piece is in contact with the shaft portion and elastically deformed in a gas discharge direction (a gas direction to the extent of applicant’s being multiple directions of travel).
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 5-7 and 11 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.
The following is a statement of reasons for the indication of allowable subject matter: Asano is silent to an inclined surface; wherein the threshold for the pressure at which the closing piece deforms is set by one value or both values of a protrusion length of the shaft portion from the opening portion and an inclination angle of the inclined surface portion.
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to P. MACADE NICHOLS whose telephone number is (571)270-5428. The examiner can normally be reached Mon-Fri 9:00-5:00 P.M..
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/P. MACADE NICHOLS/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3753