DETAILED ACTION
Claims 1,4-11 are pending and claims 7,8,10 and 11 are withdrawn, while claims 2,3 and 12-19 have been cancelled.
This action is in response to the amendment filed 10/15/2025.
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 .
Response to Arguments
Applicant’s arguments with respect to claim(s) 1,4 and 9 have been considered but are moot because the new ground of rejection does not rely on any reference applied in the prior rejection of record for any teaching or matter specifically challenged in the argument. Since applicant’s amendments necessitated the new grounds for rejection, this action has been made Final.
Election/Restrictions
Claims 7,8, and 10-11 are withdrawn from further consideration pursuant to 37 CFR 1.142(b) as being drawn to a nonelected invention, there being no allowable generic or linking claim. Election was made without traverse in the reply filed on 7/20/2025. Applicant’s election without traverse of Group I, Species 1 in the reply filed on 7/30/2025 was acknowledged.
Drawings
The drawings were received on 10/15/2025. These drawings are accepted.
Specification
The amendment to the specification filed 10/15/2025 has been entered.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 102
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 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 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, 4, and 9 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102a1 as being anticipated by Py (US 8746278).
Regarding claim 1, Py discloses a connector assembly (see Fig. 1C), comprising:
a first connector (12) comprising a first housing (16) and one or more first pipes (the inherent pipe connected to 18) to flow fluid;
a second connector (22) comprising a second housing (26) and one or more second pipes (the inherent pipe connected to 28) to flow the fluid; and
a blocker (15) disposed between the one or more first pipes and the one or more second pipes, wherein the blocker has one or more openings (the opening as shown in 3A in line and on the same plane with 15), wherein the first and second housings comprise first and second pipe connectors (18,28) and first and second shells (14 and the front part of 24 surrounding 26 to the outer most part of 24), respectively, wherein the first and second pipe connectors are to connect between (i) the first and second shells, and (ii) the one or more first and second pipes, respectively, and wherein the first and second shells are to fit over the first and second pipe connectors (as seen in the figures below, 14 fits over sections of the outer part of 18, and the outermost left end part of 24 fits over the inner part of 28), respectively, and wherein: in a first position, the one or more first pipes are facing the one or more second pipes (as shown in Fig. 1C), respectively, but the blocker is to block flowing of the fluid between the one or more first pipes and the one or more second pipes, and in a second position (as shown in Fig 3A), in response to a rotation of the first and second shells from the first position, relative to the first and second pipe connectors and the one or more first and second pipes, about a longitudinal axis (the inherent horizontal centerline axis through the assembly) of the connector assembly, the blocker is to enable the flowing by aligning the one or more openings with the one or more first pipes, and with the one or more second pipes, respectively (as shown in Fig. 3A).
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Regarding claim 4, Py discloses wherein the first and second shells are to rotate about the longitudinal axis, relative to the first and second pipe connectors, respectively, so as to switch a position of the connector assembly between the first position and the second position (c.6,lns.33-52).
Regarding claim 9, Py discloses the one or more first pipes and the one or more second pipes do not overlap the longitudinal axis of the connector assembly (as shown in Fig. 3A, since the inherent pipes are one either side of the assembly they do not overlap).
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 5-6 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.
None of the prior art of record discloses or renders as obvious, “wherein (i) the first and second pipe connectors, and (ii) the one or more first and second pipes are static while the first and second shells are to rotate about the longitudinal axis”, in claim 5, and, “wherein the first and second shells are static while (i) the first and second pipe connectors, and (ii) the one or more first and second pipes are to rotate about the longitudinal axis.” in claim 6, each respectively in combination with the claims from which they depend.
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure.
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 Craig Price, whose telephone number is (571)272-2712 or via facsimile (571)273-2712. The examiner can normally be reached on Monday-Friday (8:00AM-4:30PM EST).
If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Craig Schneider, can be reached at telephone number 571-272-3607, Kenneth Rinehart can be reached at 571-272-4881. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/CRAIG J PRICE/ Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3753
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