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 .
Response to Amendment
Claim amendments submitted on 09/15/2026 have been considered and entered. Claim 1 has been amended and claims 6-8 have been canceled. Claims 1-5, 9 and 10 are pending in the present application.
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, 9 and 10 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Bainard et al. (US 4,053,030).
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Regarding claims 1 and 9, Bainard et al. discloses a seal assembly (10 in fig. 1) for a brake piston (16) of a vehicle wheel brake, the brake piston being displaceably received in a housing (note the piston 16 within the caliper housing14 shown in fig. 1) and the seal assembly being configured to fluidically seal the brake piston with respect to the housing;
the seal assembly (10) comprising:
- an elastically deformable seal member (20) having a first portion that is configured to contact a radial outer surface of the brake piston (16);
- a stiffening member (30) arranged at at least a second portion of the seal member,
wherein the stiffening member (30) is secured at the seal member,
wherein the stiffening member (30) comprises a plurality of projections (note the figure shown above) that protrude into seal member (20), and
wherein the plurality of projections are spaced apart from each other along a radial direction relative to the radial outer surface of the brake piston (note the figure shown above).
Re-claim 2, Bainard et al. discloses the stiffening member (30) is configured to remain undeformed in reaction to a displacement of the brake piston.
Re-claim 3, Bainard et al. discloses the stiffening member (30; col. 2, line 20 ) comprises a metal material or a rigid plastic material.
Re-claim 4, Bainard et al. discloses stiffening member (30) and/or the seal member (20) are ring-shaped.
Re-claim 5, Bainard et al. discloses the stiffening member (30) is configured to contact the housing (14).
Re-claim 10, Bainard et al. discloses the housing (14) comprises a ring-shaped groove (11), the seal assembly (10, 20, 30) being received in said ring-shaped groove (11).
Response to Arguments
Applicant’s arguments with respect to claims have been considered but are moot because the new ground of rejection does not rely on some reference applied in the prior rejection of record for any teaching or matter specifically challenged in the argument.
Conclusion
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 MAHBUBUR RASHID whose telephone number is (571)272-7218. The examiner can normally be reached Monday - Friday 9am to 10pm EST.
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If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, ROBERT SICONOLFI can be reached at 5712727124. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/MAHBUBUR RASHID/Examiner, Art Unit 3616
/Robert A. Siconolfi/Supervisory Patent Examiner, Art Unit 3616
