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 .
Priority
Acknowledgment is made of applicant's claim for foreign priority based on an application filed in France on 06 September 2022. It is noted, however, that applicant has not filed a certified copy of the FR2208885 application as 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.
Claims 1-5 and 7-10 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Wood et al. (US, 5,735,579).
In Re claim 1, Wood et al. disclose an electronic device (see universal unit 100; local controller 230; and Solenoid driver 250 in fig. 3) for a pneumatic brake system of a railway rolling stock (col. 1, lines 15-17) including an upper pressure increasing solenoid valve (420) and a lower pressure reducing solenoid valve (430), configured to: compare a first signal representative of the pressure measured at the brake (feedback pressure) with a second signal representative of a reference pressure (control pressure) (see col. 11, lines 35+); and controlling the opening of: the upper pressure increasing solenoid valve when the value of the first signal is lower than the valve of the second signal (see col. 11, line 48+ and col. 13, line 41+); and the opening of the lower pressure reducing solenoid valve when the value of the first signal is higher than the valve of the second signal see col. 11, line 48+ and col. 13, line 41+), wherein in the presence of an emergency signal (block 1, fig. 4A) the second signal is representative of a reference (control) pressure required for emergency braking see col. 11, line 48+ and col. 13, line 41+), and in the absence of an emergency signal (normal service braking) the second signal is representative of a reference (control) pressure required for service braking (see col. 11, line 48+ and col. 13, line 41+).
In Re claim 2, Wood et al. disclose a control pressure transducer (BCCT); brake pressure transducer (BCT); and a controller (230). The crake control system inherently and necessarily includes memory for storing values and control logic.
In Re claim 3, see integrated unit shown in fig. 3.
In Re claim 4, see col. 19, lines 45+.
In Re claim 5, see Abstract and cols. 3 line 55 – col 4, line 33.
In Re claim 7, see col. 5 lines 54 – col. 6, line 60.
In Re claim 8, see controller (230); upper pressure increasing solenoid valve (420); and a lower pressure reducing solenoid valve (430).
In Re claim 9, see relay valve (VLRV 601).
In Re claim 10, see col. 1, lines 15-17.
Allowable Subject Matter
Claim 6 is 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.
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to THOMAS W IRVIN whose telephone number is (571)270-3095. The examiner can normally be reached Monday - Friday 9am - 5pm.
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/THOMAS W IRVIN/ Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3616