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 .
Priority
Receipt is acknowledged of certified copies of papers required by 37 CFR 1.55.
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 (i.e., changing from AIA to pre-AIA ) 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 1 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102a1 as being anticipated by Kim (US-20200049220).
Regarding claim 1, Kim discloses a damping force variable valve assembly comprising: a piston valve (at least fig 4, 1400) for dividing an internal space of a fluid-filled cylinder into a compression chamber (1011a) and an extension chamber (1011b); an outer housing having an upper end to which a piston rod (1020) is coupled and a lower end to which the piston valve is coupled (at least figs 1 and 4), and moving reciprocally in the cylinder; a solenoid (1200) disposed in the outer housing; and a damping force adjustment unit (at least 1122/1300/1400) provided between the solenoid (1200) and the piston valve (1400) in the outer housing and actuated by the solenoid to adjust a damping force, wherein in the outer housing and the damping force adjustment unit, a main flow path (1400a) through which fluid flows during compression and extension strokes, a first auxiliary flow path (1122a/1110a) which allows fluid flow only in soft mode (fig 4) during the compression and extension strokes and is closed in hard mode (fig 3), and a second auxiliary flow path (1300a) which allows fluid flow for compression pressure adjustment only in the hard mode during the compression stroke are formed, and the damping force adjusting unit includes a check valve (at least the disc valve of 1300) unit that selectively opens the second auxiliary flow path (figs 3 and 4).
Claim 17 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102a1 as being anticipated by Park (US-20070227843).
Regarding claim 17, Park discloses a damping force variable valve assembly (70) provided in a cylinder to adjust a damping force during compression and extension strokes, wherein: in the damping force variable valve assembly, a main flow path (Qm) through which fluid flows during compression and extension strokes, a first auxiliary flow path (85a/89) which allows fluid flow only in soft mode (fig 4, soft mode) during the compression and extension strokes and is closed in hard mode (hard mode, fig 5), and a second auxiliary flow path (88) which allows fluid flow for compression pressure adjustment only in the hard mode during the compression stroke are formed, and the damping force variable valve assembly is provided with a check valve unit (at least 86 or 82) that selectively opens/closes the second auxiliary flow path (88).
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 2-16 and 18-20 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: As to claim 2, the prior art of record, taken alone or in combination, fails to disclose or render obvious wherein a pilot chamber through which fluid passes in the soft mode is formed in the damping force adjustment unit, an inlet side of the second auxiliary flow path is connected to the first auxiliary flow path and an outlet side of the second auxiliary flow path is connected to the pilot chamber, and the check valve unit is provided on the inlet side of the second auxiliary flow path.
As to claim 18, the prior art of record, taken alone or in combination, fails to disclose or render obvious wherein a pilot chamber through which fluid passes in the soft mode is formed in the damping force variable valve assembly, an inlet side of the second auxiliary flow path is connected to the first auxiliary flow path and an outlet side of the second auxiliary flow path is connected to the pilot chamber, and the check valve unit is provided on the inlet side of the second auxiliary flow path.
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to JAMES K HSIAO whose telephone number is (571)272-6259. The examiner can normally be reached 9-5, Monday-Friday.
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/JAMES K HSIAO/Examiner, Art Unit 3616
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