DETAILED CORRESPONDENCE
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
Claims 4-12 are withdrawn from further consideration pursuant to 37 CFR 1.142(b) as being drawn to a nonelected species, there being no allowable generic or linking claim. Election was made without traverse in the reply filed on 5/6/2026.
Priority
Acknowledgment is made of applicant's claim for foreign priority based on an application filed in Japan on 8/1/2023 and 12/23/2022. It is noted, however, that applicant has not filed a certified copy of the JP2022-206591 or the JP2023-125234 application as required by 37 CFR 1.55. An attempt by the Office to electronically retrieve the documents under the priority document exchange program failed as of 5/23/2024. See the associated document in the file.
Information Disclosure Statement
The information disclosure statements (IDS) submitted as of 5/22/2026 have been considered.
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 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 1-3 and 13 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Baudendistel et al. (U.S. 6412761).
Regarding claim 1, Baudendistel discloses (fig. 1) An active vibration control device (10) comprising:
an outer hollow cylinder (30); an inner hollow cylinder (44, hollow due to hole 54 at least) arranged radially inside the outer hollow cylinder (as shown); a magnetic field generator (40) to generate a magnetic field; a magnetic material (50) to provide a magnetic circuit by the magnetic field; a first liquid chamber (72) filled with magneto-viscoelastic fluid (see col. 4 lines 20-42); and a second liquid chamber (one of 46,48) adjacent to the first liquid chamber and filled with liquid (see col. 5 lines 1-18, “fluid pressure”),
wherein the magnetic field generator, the magnetic material, the first liquid chamber, and the second liquid chamber are provided radially between the inner hollow cylinder and the outer hollow cylinder (as shown, and at least in part),
the first liquid chamber is separated from the second liquid chamber by a flexible member one of 56/58/60 and 64/66/68), and
a portion of the first liquid chamber works as a flow path of the magneto- viscoelastic fluid, through which the magnetic circuit is provided (see col. 4 lines 43-47).
Regarding claim 2, Baudendistel discloses (fig. 1) the first liquid chamber, the second liquid chamber, and the flexible member (“annular elastomeric containment walls… provided in the form of upper and lower skirts or collars 56, 64”) extend in a circumferential direction of the device (all chambers extend in a circumferential direction, at least in part, as shown).
Regarding claim 3, Baudendistel discloses (fig. 1) a first-liquid-chamber definer to define the first liquid chamber (e.g. radially inner surface of 30), a second- liquid-chamber definer to define the second liquid chamber (e.g. one of 20/22 and 32), and a magnetic field provider having the magnetic field generator (e.g. groove 38) are arranged so as to be aligned, in an axis direction of the device, with one another (as shown, each are arranged so as to be aligned in the axis direction, along 16 and 18, with one another).
Regarding claim 13, Baudendistel discloses (fig. 1) 13. A method of manufacturing the active vibration control device according to claim 1 (see rejection above, comprising: a sealing step of sealing the magneto-viscoelastic fluid in the first liquid chamber (as shown, MR fluid is sealed in chamber 72), wherein the sealing step is implemented by putting together the magnetic field generator, the magnetic material, and the flexible member (as shown, they are all put together), with all of these submerged in liquid of the magneto-viscoelastic fluid (as shown, each element is at least partially if not completely submerged in the fluid)..
Prior Art
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to Applicant's disclosure. The documents listed on the PTO-892 disclose various vibration control devices related to the present invention.
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to DAVID MORRIS whose telephone number is (571)270-3595. The examiner can normally be reached Monday thru Friday; 8:30 AM - 5:00 PM.
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/DAVID MORRIS/
Primary Examiner
Art Unit 3616
/DAVID R MORRIS/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3616
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