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 .
Election/Restrictions
Applicant’s election without traverse of claims 10-15 in the reply filed on 05 December 2025 is acknowledged.
Applicant cancelled claims 1-9.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 112
The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 112(b):
(b) CONCLUSION.—The specification shall conclude with one or more claims particularly pointing out and distinctly claiming the subject matter which the inventor or a joint inventor regards as the invention.
The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), second paragraph:
The specification shall conclude with one or more claims particularly pointing out and distinctly claiming the subject matter which the applicant regards as his invention.
Claim 14 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 112(b) or 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), second paragraph, as being indefinite for failing to particularly point out and distinctly claim the subject matter which the inventor or a joint inventor (or for applications subject to pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, the applicant), regards as the invention.
Claim 14 recites the limitation "the end of the cylinder" in line 1. There is insufficient antecedent basis for this limitation in the claim.
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.
The factual inquiries for establishing a background for determining obviousness under 35 U.S.C. 103 are summarized as follows:
1. Determining the scope and contents of the prior art.
2. Ascertaining the differences between the prior art and the claims at issue.
3. Resolving the level of ordinary skill in the pertinent art.
4. Considering objective evidence present in the application indicating obviousness or nonobviousness.
This application currently names joint inventors. In considering patentability of the claims the examiner presumes that the subject matter of the various claims was commonly owned as of the effective filing date of the claimed invention(s) absent any evidence to the contrary. Applicant is advised of the obligation under 37 CFR 1.56 to point out the inventor and effective filing dates of each claim that was not commonly owned as of the effective filing date of the later invention in order for the examiner to consider the applicability of 35 U.S.C. 102(b)(2)(C) for any potential 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(2) prior art against the later invention.
Claims 10 and 15 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 20150090913 to Buehner et al. (Buehner) in view of U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 20030189183 to Noller et al. (Noller).
Regarding claims 10 and 15, Buehner discloses a fluid control valve (see Fig. 1 and 2, generally; paragraph 14) comprising: a valve body (11) comprising an inlet (10), an outlet (12, 14), and a tubular body extending between said inlet and said outlet (11), said inlet constructed of magnetic metal (magnetic core 21) and defining an axial fluid flow passage (29), said inlet including an integral inlet coupling at an inlet first end for connecting the valve to a fluid conduit (see at part 10), an inlet second end facing an armature (22); said outlet defining an axial flow passage and including an integral outlet coupling (12) at an outlet second end for connecting to a fluid conduit, said outlet first end facing said inlet second end, said outlet including a valve seat (15) surrounding said axial flow passage; said tubular body constructed of non-magnetic metal (thus requiring the magnets 21 and 22), said armature (22) arranged within a space surrounded by said tubular body and axially between said inlet second end and said outlet first end, said armature having a stop face adjacent said inlet second end and supporting a valve member (16) facing said valve seat (15), said armature biased away from said inlet second end and into a closed position with said valve member engaged with said valve seat by an armature return spring (16), said armature (22) defining a fluid flow path from the stop face to an area surrounding the valve member and adjacent the valve seat; and a solenoid assembly (18) including a coil (20) surrounding the tubular body and an axial gap between the inlet second end and the armature stop face, said solenoid assembly comprising magnetic components completing a flux path for magnetic flux generated by the coil when power is applied to the coil, said flux path extending through the inlet second end and the armature (22), wherein the inlet forms a magnetic pole of a solenoid and includes the inlet coupling, and the outlet (12) defines the valve seat (15) and includes the outlet coupling. Buehner further discloses a method of assembling the fluid control valve of claim 10, comprising: placing the armature (22) and connected valve member (16) into a space surrounded by the tubular body (11) with the valve member against the valve seat (15); arranging the armature return spring (17) in a recess defined in the stop face of the armature; inserting the inlet second end into the tubular body (11) so that the armature return spring (17) is received in a recess defined in the inlet second end; advancing the inlet second end into the tubular body (11) until the axial gap between the armature stop face and the inlet second end is a predetermined axial distance. Buehner does not disclose or make obvious an inlet second end connected to the tubular body and said tubular body extending from a first end welded to the inlet second end to a second end welded to said outlet first end.
Noller discloses a fluid control valve with a magnet coil (Fig. 1, generally) comprising a tubular body located between an inlet part (45) and an outlet part (8) wherein said tubular body extending from a first end welded to the inlet second end to a second end welded to said outlet first end (see paragraph 15) all in order to join the components together.
Therefore, it would have been obvious at the time of filing to have modified the valve of Buehner with the configuration and joining through welding as in Noller all in order to achieve the predictable result of joining the components together.
Claims 16-18 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 20150090913 to Buehner et al. (Buehner) in view of U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 20030189183 to Noller et al. (Noller) further in view of U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 20190359178 to Hornby et al. (Hornby).
Regarding claims 16-18, Buehner in view of Noller are relied upon as above in claim 10. Buehner in view of Noller disclose the fluid control valve of claim 10.
Buehner in view of Noller do not disclose or make obvious the limitations of claims 16-18, claiming a fluid distribution manifold, wherein the fluid distribution manifold comprises: a body supporting an inlet and defining a fluid distribution channel connecting the inlet to a plurality of outlets, said body defining a plurality of pockets, each pocket having a bore in fluid communication with one of the plurality of outlets; a plurality of fluid control valves of claim 10, one fluid control valve arranged in each pocket, an inlet of the fluid control valve sealingly engaged with said bore, the outlet of each fluid control valve axially opposite from the inlet; and a manifold cap arranged to retain the fluid control valves in said pockets, said manifold cap defining outlet openings through which fluid leaves the manifold, wherein said fluid control valves open to fluidly connect the fluid distribution channel to one of the outlet openings in the manifold cap; wherein said manifold cap includes an outlet fitting in fluid communication with each of the outlet openings in the manifold cap and said manifold cap defines outlet bores facing said fluid control valves, the outlet of each said fluid control valve received in sealed relationship in each of said outlet bores; and wherein each said fluid control valve includes an integral outlet fitting extending through the outlet openings in the manifold cap.
Hornby discloses a manifold assembly of a system for washing cameras and/or sensors of a motor vehicle (Fig. 2 and 7; paragraph 2), comprising: a fluid distribution manifold (60), wherein the fluid distribution manifold comprises: a body supporting an inlet (62) and defining a fluid distribution channel connecting the inlet to a plurality of outlets (63), said body defining a plurality of pockets (72A), each pocket having a bore in fluid communication with one of the plurality of outlets (72A); a plurality of fluid control valves (10), one fluid control valve arranged in each pocket (10), an inlet of the fluid control valve sealingly engaged with said bore (10), the outlet of each fluid control valve axially opposite from the inlet (63); and a manifold cap arranged to retain the fluid control valves in said pockets (64), said manifold cap defining outlet openings through which fluid leaves the manifold (64), wherein said fluid control valves open to fluidly connect the fluid distribution channel to one of the outlet openings in the manifold cap (10); wherein said manifold cap includes an outlet fitting in fluid communication with each of the outlet openings in the manifold cap and said manifold cap defines outlet bores facing said fluid control valves (64), the outlet of each said fluid control valve received in sealed relationship in each of said outlet bores (10); and wherein each said fluid control valve includes an integral outlet fitting extending through the outlet openings in the manifold cap (10) all in order to achieve the predictable result of robustly providing a desired amount of fluid to the sensors and cameras of the vehicle thereof (paragraph 3).
Therefore, it would have been obvious at the time of filing to have paired the fluid control valves of Buehner in view of Noller with the fluid distribution manifold of Hornby all in order to achieve the predictable result of robustly providing a desired amount of fluid to the sensors and cameras of the vehicle thereof.
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 11-14 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. Furthermore, claim 14 is rejected under 35 USC 112, as above.
The closest prior art of record is that of U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 20150090913 to Buehner et al. (Buehner). Buehner does not disclose or make obvious the limitations of claim 11, claiming the fluid control valve of claim 10, comprising a non-metallic shock absorbing element between the inlet second end and the armature stop face, said shock absorbing element preventing direct contact between the armature stop face and the inlet second end.
The advantage of the current invention over that of the prior art Buehner is that of the configuration and placement of the shock absorbing element wherein this prevent direct contact between the armature and pole to thereby reduce sound emitted when the valve is operated.
Since claim 11 is allowable, as noted above, claims 12-14 are also allowable, as noted above.
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to BENJAMIN LEE OSTERHOUT whose telephone number is (571)270-7379. The examiner can normally be reached 9:00am-5:00pm.
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BENJAMIN LEE OSTERHOUT
Primary Examiner
Art Unit 1711
/BENJAMIN L OSTERHOUT/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 1711