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 .
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 final rejection. 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and the fee set forth in 37 CFR 1.17(e) has been timely paid, the finality of the previous Office action has been withdrawn pursuant to 37 CFR 1.114. Applicant's submission filed on 09/24/2026 has been entered. Claims 1-19 are pending in the application and are examined.
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.
Claims 1-4, 6, 9-10, and 12 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Lindveit (US PN 4,381,019).
Regarding claim 1, Lindveit discloses a method of using a gas-filled resilient hollow body (item 11, figure 2, column 2, lines 4-15), comprising: using the gas-filled resilient hollow body as a valve member or a spring (column 1, lines 67-67), wherein the gas-filled resilient hollow body is sealed at its outside after having been filled with pressurized gas (the body 11 is made of hollow plastic tubing and sealed at its end after naturally being filled with air at atmospheric pressure, column 2, lines 5-8 and abstract).
Regarding claim 2, Lindveit discloses that the gas-filled resilient hollow body is part of a normally closed valve (item 4, figures 1, 4, and 5) which opens upon deformation of the gas-filled hollow resilient body (column 2, lines 17-27, the valve 4 is closed by cell body 11 which covers the orifice 10a and fluid flow from this orifice compresses cell body 11 and thus opening the valve for fluid to flow around the cell body 11 and flow towards passage 6d, figures 3 and 4).
Regarding claim 3, Lindveit discloses that the gas-filled resilient hollow body is fittingly arranged in a valve housing (item 6a, figure 4) and deformation of the gas-filled resilient hollow body (item 11, figure 4) unblocks a flow path between an inflow opening (item 10a, figure 1) and an outflow opening (item 6d, figure 1) of the valve housing.
Regarding claim 4, Lindveit discloses that the gas-filled resilient hollow body is deformed by an increase in pressure of a fluid to be dispensed through the valve (column 2, lines 17-27).
Regarding claim 6, Lindveit discloses that the gas-filled resilient hollow body is configured to have a predetermined spring characteristic (column 2, lines 17-27, the air-filled body 11 returns to its original pressure when fluid pressure is removed from it and thus acting as a spring).
Regarding claim 9, Lindveit discloses a valve (item 4, figure 1), comprising: a valve housing (item 6a, figure 4), and a gas-filled resilient hollow body (item 11, figure 4, column 2, lines 4-15) fittingly arranged in said valve housing, wherein the gas-filled resilient hollow body is sealed at its outside after having been filled with pressurized gas (the body 11 is made of hollow plastic tubing and sealed at its end after naturally being filled with air at atmospheric pressure, column 2, lines 5-8 and abstract).
Regarding claim 10, Lindveit discloses that the valve housing has an inflow opening (item 10a, figure 4) and an outflow opening (item 6d, figure 4), and the gas-filled resilient hollow body is arranged to close off a flow path between the inflow and outflow openings (column 2, lines 17-27, the valve 4 is closed by cell body 11 which covers the orifice 10a and fluid flow from this orifice compresses cell body 11 and thus opening the valve for fluid to flow around the cell body 11 and flow towards passage 6d, figures 3 and 4).
Regarding claim 12, Lindveit discloses that the valve housing has an internal volume that is variable so as to apply a predetermined pressure on the gas-filled resilient hollow body (valve housing 6a’s volume can be varied by axial movement of fitting 10 which can be loosened or tightened; also, the movement of the valve body 11 and spider 12 also changes the fluid volume of the valve housing, figures 4 and 5, column 2, lines 17-27).
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 5, 7-8, 11, and 13-19 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.
Response to Arguments
Applicant's arguments filed 09/24/2026 regarding the rejections of claim(s) 1-4, 6, 9-10, and 12 under Guilliams 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.
Applicant’s amendments to independent claims 1, 9, and 13 required further consideration which resulted in a new grounds for rejection. Prior art Lindveit is introduced which teaches all of the limitations of claims 1-4, 6, 9-10, and 12 as discussed in detail above. Therefore, those claims remain rejected.
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to VISHAL J PANCHOLI whose telephone number is (571)272-9324. The examiner can normally be reached Monday - Thursday (9 am - 7 pm).
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/Vishal Pancholi/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3754
