DETAILED ACTION
Claims 1,4,7-11, and 20-27 are pending and claims 7,8,10 and 11 are withdrawn, while claims 2,3,5,6 and 12-19 have been cancelled.
This action is in response to the Information Disclosure Statement filed 4/16/2026.
The indicated allowability of claims 1,4,7-11, and 20-27 is withdrawn in view of the newly discovered reference(s) to Townhill (US 2317827). Rejections based on the newly cited reference(s) follow.
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 .
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Claims 7,8, and 10-11 are withdrawn from further consideration pursuant to 37 CFR 1.142(b) as being drawn to a nonelected invention, there being no allowable generic or linking claim.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.
New claim 24 is withdrawn from further consideration pursuant to 37 CFR 1.142(b) as being drawn to a nonelected invention.
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) 1,4,20,21,23,25, and 26 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102a1 as being anticipated by Townhill (US 2317827).
Regarding claim 1, Townhill discloses a connector assembly (10-14), comprising:
a first connector (14,12) comprising a first housing (14,14a) and one or more first pipes (17 pipe connected to 12) to flow fluid;
a second connector (13,11) comprising a second housing (13,13a) and one or more second pipes (15 pipe connected to 11) to flow the fluid; and
a blocker (the front surface of 13a,14a) 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 31), wherein the first and second housings comprise first and second pipe connectors (12b,11b) and first and second shells (the outer diameter section of 13,14), 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 12b, and 13 fits over sections of the outer part of 11b), respectively,
wherein (I) (a) the first and second pipe connectors, and(b) the one or more first and second pipes are static while the first and second shells are to rotate about a longitudinal axis of the connector assembly (page 3, left column, lines 24-37), or (II) the first and second shells are static while (a) the first and second pipe connectors, and (b) the one or more first and second pipes are to rotate about the longitudinal axis
and wherein: in a first position (bottom view of Figure 4), the one or more first pipes are facing the one or more second pipes (as shown below), 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 the upper view of Fig 3), 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 the upper view of Fig. 3, page 3, left column, lines 28-37).
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Regarding claim 4, Townhill discloses the first and second shells (the outer diameter section of 13,14) are to rotate about the longitudinal axis (page 3, left column, lines 24-37), relative to the first and second pipe connectors, respectively, so as to switch a position (the “ports 31 will be moved into alignment”) of the connector assembly between the first position and the second position.
Regarding claim 20, Townhill discloses the first and second pipe connectors (12b,11b) have adapters (the female threads at 11a,12a) configured to fit in the one or more first and second pipes (15/16;17/18), respectively, and to couple between (i) the one or more first and second pipes, and (ii) the first and second pipe connectors, respectively.
Regarding claim 21, Townhill discloses first and second brackets (16,18) fitted over the one or more first and second pipes (15,17), respectively, wherein the first and second brackets are configured to prevent twisting of the one or more first and second pipes about the longitudinal axis.
Regarding claim 23, Townhill discloses the first and second pipe connectors have recesses (the recesses surrounding seal 24) configured to fit sealing rings 24 to prevent leaking while rotating the first and second shells relative to the first and second pipe connectors.
Regarding claim 25, Townhill discloses the blocker is disposed between the first and second housings when the first and second housings are mated, as shown in Figure 4 above.
Regarding claim 26, Townhill discloses the first and second shells are configured to rotate together about the longitudinal axis (page 3, left column, lines 24-37).
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 103
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 22 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Townhill ‘827 in view of Elliott (US 2727759).
Regarding claim 22, Townhill discloses all of the features of the claimed invention although are silent to having that the first and second shells have recesses configured to fit retaining rings to contain the first and second pipe connectors inside the first and second shells, respectively.
Elliott teaches the use of a shell (62) having a recess configured to fit a retaining ring to contain a pipe connector inside the shell.
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It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date the claimed invention was made to employ a recess and ring as taught by Elliott into the device of Townhill to have the first and second shells have recesses configured to fit retaining rings to contain the first and second pipe connectors inside the first and second shells, respectively, in order to retain the outer part to the inner part to provide protection from dust particles (Elliott, col.3, lns. 63-67).
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 9 and 27 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, “the one or more first pipes and the one or more second pipes do not overlap the longitudinal axis of the connector assembly”, in claim 9 that depends from claim 1.
None of the prior art of record discloses or renders as obvious, “the first and second shells are configured to rotate in a same direction about the longitudinal axis to switch from the first position to the second position”, in claim 27 that depends from claim 1.
Conclusion
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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