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
This application makes reference to or appears to claim subject matter disclosed in Application No. 17/449,366, filed September 29, 2021. If applicant desires to claim the benefit of a prior-filed application under 35 U.S.C. 119(e), 120, 121, 365(c) or 386(c), the instant application must contain, or be amended to contain, a specific reference to the prior-filed application in compliance with 37 CFR 1.78. If the application was filed before September 16, 2012, the specific reference must be included in the first sentence(s) of the specification following the title or in an application data sheet (ADS) in compliance with pre-AIA 37 CFR 1.76; if the application was filed on or after September 16, 2012, the specific reference must be included in an ADS in compliance with 37 CFR 1.76. For benefit claims under 35 U.S.C. 120, 121, 365(c), or 386(c), the reference must include the relationship (i.e., continuation, divisional, or continuation-in-part) of the applications.
If the instant application is a utility or plant application filed under 35 U.S.C. 111(a), the specific reference must be submitted during the pendency of the application and within the later of four months from the actual filing date of the application or sixteen months from the filing date of the prior application. If the application is a national stage application under 35 U.S.C. 371, the specific reference must be submitted during the pendency of the application and within the later of four months from the date on which the national stage commenced under 35 U.S.C. 371(b) or (f), four months from the date of the initial submission under 35 U.S.C. 371 to enter the national stage, or sixteen months from the filing date of the prior application. See 37 CFR 1.78(a)(4) for benefit claims under 35 U.S.C. 119(e) and 37 CFR 1.78(d)(3) for benefit claims under 35 U.S.C. 120, 121, 365(c), or 386(c). This time period is not extendable and a failure to submit the reference required by 35 U.S.C. 119(e) and/or 120, where applicable, within this time period is considered a waiver of any benefit of such prior application(s) under 35 U.S.C. 119(e), 120, 121, 365(c), and 386(c). A benefit claim filed after the required time period may be accepted if it is accompanied by a grantable petition to accept an unintentionally delayed benefit claim under 35 U.S.C. 119(e) (see 37 CFR 1.78(c)) or under 35 U.S.C. 120, 121, 365(c), or 386(c) (see 37 CFR 1.78(e)). The petition must be accompanied by (1) the reference required by 35 U.S.C. 120 or 119(e) and by 37 CFR 1.78 to the prior application (unless previously submitted), (2) the applicable petition fee under 37 CFR 1.17(m)(1) or (2), and (3) a statement that the entire delay between the date the benefit claim was due under 37 CFR 1.78 and the date the claim was filed was unintentional. The presentation of a benefit claim may result in an additional fee under 37 CFR 1.17(w)(1) or (2) being required, if the earliest filing date for which benefit is claimed under 35 U.S.C. 120, 121, 365(c), or 386(c) and 1.78(d) in the application is more than six years before the actual filing date of the application. The Director may require additional information where there is a question whether the delay was unintentional. The petition should be addressed to: Mail Stop Petition, Commissioner for Patents, P.O. Box 1450, Alexandria, Virginia 22313-1450.
If the reference to the prior application was previously submitted within the time period set forth in 37 CFR 1.78 but was not included in the location in the application required by the rule (e.g., if the reference was submitted in an oath or declaration or the application transmittal letter), and the information concerning the benefit claim was recognized by the Office as shown by its inclusion on the first filing receipt, the petition under 37 CFR 1.78 and the petition fee under 37 CFR 1.17(m)(1) or (2) are not required. Applicant is still required to submit the reference in compliance with 37 CFR 1.78 by filing an ADS in compliance with 37 CFR 1.76 with the reference (or, if the application was filed before September 16, 2012, by filing either an amendment to the first sentence(s) of the specification or an ADS in compliance with pre-AIA 37 CFR 1.76). See MPEP § 211.02.
Drawings
The drawings are objected to under 37 CFR 1.83(a). The drawings must show every feature of the invention specified in the claims. Therefore, the “a service brake chamber including a diaphragm located within said service brake chamber and a service brake pushrod connected to said diaphragm….a foundation brake” must be shown or the feature(s) canceled from Claim 1. No new matter should be entered.
Corrected drawing sheets in compliance with 37 CFR 1.121(d) are required in reply to the Office action to avoid abandonment of the application. Any amended replacement drawing sheet should include all of the figures appearing on the immediate prior version of the sheet, even if only one figure is being amended. The figure or figure number of an amended drawing should not be labeled as “amended.” If a drawing figure is to be canceled, the appropriate figure must be removed from the replacement sheet, and where necessary, the remaining figures must be renumbered and appropriate changes made to the brief description of the several views of the drawings for consistency. Additional replacement sheets may be necessary to show the renumbering of the remaining figures. Each drawing sheet submitted after the filing date of an application must be labeled in the top margin as either “Replacement Sheet” or “New Sheet” pursuant to 37 CFR 1.121(d). If the changes are not accepted by the examiner, the applicant will be notified and informed of any required corrective action in the next Office action. The objection to the drawings will not be held in abeyance.
Claim Objections
Claim 1 is objected to because of the following informalities: Several instances of the limitation “pressurized fluid source” are immediately followed by an additional “pressurized fluid source.” Appropriate correction is required.
Applicant is advised that should Claims 10-13 be found allowable, Claims 16-19 will be objected to under 37 CFR 1.75 as being a substantial duplicate thereof. When two claims in an application are duplicates or else are so close in content that they both cover the same thing, despite a slight difference in wording, it is proper after allowing one claim to object to the other as being a substantial duplicate of the allowed claim. See MPEP § 608.01(m).
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.
Claims 2-4, 6-8, 10-15, 16-19 are 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.
Claims 2, 6, 11, and 17 recite the limitation "said air in tank." There is insufficient antecedent basis for this limitation in the claim or independent claims these are dependent on. Additionally, Claims 3, 7, 12, 18 are also rejected for insufficient antecedent basis for this limitation, as they depend on a rejected Claim 2, Claim 6, or Claim 11 respectively.
Claims 3, 4, 7, 8, 12, 13, 18, 19 recite the limitation, “said compressor." There is insufficient antecedent basis for this limitation in the claim or independent claims these are dependent on.
Claims 2, 6, 11, and 17 recite the limitation, “said vehicle." There is insufficient antecedent basis for this limitation in the claim. Additionally, Claims 3, 7, 12, 18 are also rejected for insufficient antecedent basis for this limitation, as they depend on a rejected Claim 2, Claim 6, or Claim 11 respectively.
Claims 2-4, 6-8, 11-13, 17-19 recite the limitation, "said towing vehicle." There is insufficient antecedent basis for this limitation in the claim. Additionally, it is unclear if the limitation “said towing vehicle” is meant to be referring to the same structure “said vehicle” is. For purposes of examination, “said towing vehicle” and “said vehicle” will be interpreted as the same.
Claim 15 recites the limitation, “said modulation valve.” Two modulation valves, “a first modulation valve” and “a second modulation valve,” have been identified in the Claim, thus it is unclear whether “said modulation valve” is meant to refer to “a first modulation valve” or “a second modulation valve.” For purposes of examination, “said modulation valve” will be interpreted as referring to “a first modulation valve” in Claim 15.
Claims 1, 5, 9, 15 recite the limitation, "said trailer." There is insufficient antecedent basis for this limitation in the claims. It should be noted the function language “for controlling a braking force applied to a trailer” does not establish the structure of a trailer being a part of the claimed system. The first “said trailer” to appear in each independent claim should instead read “a trailer.”
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.
Claims 1-19 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Shelton (US 20220105915 A1), in view of Kaisers (US 6206481 B1).
Regarding Claim 1, Shelton discloses A system for controlling a braking force applied to a trailer, said system (8) comprising: said trailer (14) having an air brake (22) located on an axle (28), said air brake (22) including a service brake chamber including a diaphragm located within said service brake chamber and a service brake pushrod connected to said diaphragm so that said diaphragm extends said service brake pushrod to an extended position when pressurized air is introduced into said service brake chamber and said service brake chamber including a return spring to retract said service brake pushrod to a retracted position when air is removed from said service brake chamber, said air brake including a spring brake chamber including a spring brake diaphragm located within said spring brake chamber and a spring brake pushrod adjacent said spring brake diaphragm so that when pressurized air is introduced into said spring brake chamber, said spring brake pushrod is retracted to a retracted position and said spring brake diaphragm compresses a spring brake spring, when air is removed from said spring brake chamber, said spring brake spring moves said spring brake pushrod to an extended position and movement of said spring brake pushrod to said extended position causing movement of said service brake pushrod to its said extended position; movement of said service brake pushrod to its said extended position actuating a foundation brake (see [0012]); said trailer including a pressurized fluid source pressurized fluid source (54); an electrically actuated valve (84) in fluid communication with said pressurized fluid source (54) pressurized fluid source and in fluid communication said service brake chamber (22), said electrically actuated valve (84) for releasing air from said pressurized fluid source (54) at a controlled rate (see Fig. 1-5); a controller (90) for receiving a proportional braking signal, an air line (64) connecting said pressurized fluid source (54) pressurized fluid source and said spring brake chamber (22) in fluid communication; a release valve (89) in fluid communication with said pressurized fluid source (54) pressurized fluid source and having an energized state corresponding to said release valve (89) receiving electrical current and a non-energized state in the absence of electrical current, said release valve (89) being open in said non-energized state and releasing said pressurized air from said pressurized fluid source (54) pressurized fluid source in said non-energized state (see Fig. 5, [0014]).
Shelton does not explicitly disclose the specific structure of the electrically actuated valve.
Kaisers teaches a electrically actuated valve having a housing (80), an inlet port (1) within said housing (80), an inlet chamber (92) within said housing in fluid communication with said inlet port (1), said inlet chamber (92) having an inlet seat (A) (see Annotated Fig. 2 below), an inlet valve (91) within said inlet chamber (92) and said inlet chamber (92) surrounding said inlet valve (91), said inlet valve (91) having a bore therethrough and an inlet valve seat (B) (see Annotated Fig. 2 below) circumscribing said bore, said inlet valve (91) being movable in an axial direction between a closed position wherein said inlet valve seat (B) contacts said inlet seat (A), and an open position wherein said inlet valve seat (B) is spaced from said inlet seat (A), a spring (D) (see Annotated Fig. 2 below) biasing said inlet valve (91) into said closed position, a control piston (90) slidably retained in a modulation chamber (89), said control piston (90) sealingly mated with a sidewall of said modulation chamber to divide said modulation chamber (89) into a dispensing side (93) and a control side (89), said control piston (90) having a control piston seat (C) (see Annotated Fig. 2 below) for contacting said inlet valve seat (B), said control piston (90) movable between an open position wherein said control piston seat (C) is spaced from said inlet valve seat (B), a holding position wherein said control piston seat (C) contacts said inlet valve seat (B) while said inlet valve seat (B) is in contact with said inlet seat (A), and a cracked position in which said control piston (C) seat contacts said inlet valve seat (B) and said inlet valve seat (B) is spaced from said inlet seat (A) thereby locating said inlet valve (91) into its open position, said open position of said inlet valve (91) providing fluid communication between said inlet chamber (92) and said dispensing side (93) and said closed position of said inlet valve (91) sealing said inlet chamber (92) from fluid communication with said dispensing side (93), an outlet port (22) within said housing, said outlet port (22) in fluid communication with said dispensing side (93), a modulation passage (64) (see Fig. 1, 4:1-6, 5:47-52) in fluid communication with said inlet chamber (92), a first modulation valve (48) for selectively connecting said modulation passage (64) to said control side (89) to facilitate a flow of fluid from said inlet chamber (92) into said control side (89), a second modulation valve (47) for relieving pressure from said control side (89) (see Annotated Fig. 2 below, Fig. 1, Fig. 2), a controller (45) for receiving a proportional braking signal, said controller (45) processing said proportional braking signal and operating said first and second modulation valves (48, 47) to control fluid pressure on said control side (89) and thereby moving said control piston (90) to release air from said pressurized fluid source at a controlled rate (see Fig. 1, Fig. 2);
It would have been obvious to combine the electrically actuated valve of Kaisers with the System for controlling a braking force applied to a trailer of Shelton in order to reduce costs and simplify structure (see US 6206481 B1 [Kaisers]; 2:10-36).
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Annotated Fig. 2
Regarding Claim 2, Shelton discloses wherein said release valve (89) is connected to a power source (46) from said vehicle through a connector connectable with said vehicle, disconnection of said connector from said towing vehicle disconnecting said power source (46) and thereby releasing said air in tank wherein said connector is disconnected from said towing vehicle (see Fig. 5, [0017], Claims 2-3).
Regarding Claim 3, Shelton discloses wherein said connector provides power to a relay (120) when connected to said power source (46) on said towing vehicle and on receipt of said power, said relay (120) activates said compressor (40) (see Fig. 5, [0017], Claim 3).
Regarding Claim 4, Shelton discloses wherein said trailer (14) includes a battery (46) said battery (46) connected to a connector connectable to said towing vehicle and said connector providing power to said battery (46) from said towing vehicle, said battery (46) powering said compressor (40) (see Fig. 5, [0017], Claim 4).
Regarding Claim 5, Shelton discloses a system for controlling a braking force applied to a trailer, said system (8) comprising: said trailer (14) having an air brake (22) located on an axle (28); said trailer (14) including a pressurized fluid source (54); an electrically actuated valve (84) in fluid communication with said pressurized fluid source (54) and in fluid communication said air brake (22), an air line connecting said pressurized fluid source (54) and a spring brake (22), said spring brake being in a released state when compressed air is applied thereto; a release valve (89) in fluid communication with said pressurized fluid source and having an energized state corresponding to said release valve receiving electrical current and a non-energized state in the absence of electrical current, said release valve being open in said non-energized state and releasing said pressurized air from said pressurized fluid source in said non-energized state (see Fig. 5, [0014]).
Shelton does not explicitly disclose the specific structure of the electrically actuated valve.
Kaisers teaches an electrically actuated valve (84) in fluid communication with said pressurized fluid source (54) and in fluid communication said air brake (22), said electrically actuated valve (84) for releasing air from said pressurized fluid source (54) at a controlled rate (see Fig. 1-5); said electrically actuated valve having a housing (80), an inlet port (1) within said housing (80), an inlet chamber (92) within said housing (80) in fluid communication with said inlet port (1), said inlet chamber (92) having an inlet seat (A), an inlet valve (91) within said inlet chamber (92) and said inlet chamber (92) surrounding said inlet valve (91), said inlet valve (91) having a bore therethrough and an inlet valve seat (B) circumscribing said bore, said inlet valve (91) being movable in an axial direction between a closed position wherein said inlet valve seat (B) contacts said inlet seat (A), and an open position wherein said inlet valve seat (B) is spaced from said inlet seat (A), a spring (D) biasing said inlet valve (91) into said closed position, a control piston (90) slidably retained in a modulation chamber (89), said control piston (90) sealingly mated with a sidewall of said modulation chamber (89) to divide said modulation chamber into a dispensing side (93) and a control side (90), said control piston (90) having a control piston seat (C) for contacting said inlet valve seat (B), said control piston (90) movable between an open position wherein said control piston seat (C) is spaced from said inlet valve seat (B), a holding position wherein said control piston seat (C) contacts said inlet valve seat (B) while said inlet valve seat (B) is in contact with said inlet seat (A), and a cracked position in which said control piston seat (C) contacts said inlet valve seat (B) and said inlet valve seat (B) is spaced from said inlet seat (A) thereby locating said inlet valve (91) into its open position, said open position of said inlet valve (91) providing fluid communication between said inlet chamber (92) and said dispensing side (93) and said closed position of said inlet valve (91)sealing said inlet chamber (92) from fluid communication with said dispensing side (93), an outlet port (22) within said housing (80), said outlet port (22) in fluid communication with said dispensing side (93), a modulation passage (64) in fluid communication with said inlet chamber (92), a first modulation valve (48) to selectively facilitate a flow of pressurized fluid from said pressurized fluid (36) source into said control side (89), a second modulation valve (47) for relieving pressure from said control side (89), a controller (45) for receiving a proportional braking signal, said controller processing said proportional braking signal and operating said first and second modulation valves (47, 48) to control fluid pressure on said control side (89) and thereby moving said control piston (90) to release air from said pressurized fluid source at a controlled rate (see Annotated Fig. 2 above, Fig. 1, Fig. 2).
It would have been obvious to combine the electrically actuated valve of Kaisers with the System for controlling a braking force applied to a trailer of Shelton in order to reduce costs and simplify structure (see US 6206481 B1 [Kaisers]; 2:10-36).
Regarding Claim 6, Shelton discloses wherein said release valve (89) is connected to a power source (46) from said vehicle through a connector connectable with said vehicle, disconnection of said connector from said towing vehicle disconnecting said power source (46) and thereby releasing said air in tank wherein said connector is disconnected from said towing vehicle (see Fig. 5, [0017], Claims 2-3).
Regarding Claim 7, Shelton discloses wherein said connector provides power to a relay (120) when connected to said power source (46) on said towing vehicle and on receipt of said power, said relay (120) activates said compressor (40) (see Fig. 5, [0017], Claim 3).
Regarding Claim 8, Shelton discloses wherein said trailer includes a battery (46) said battery (46) connected to a connector connectable to said towing vehicle and said connector providing power to said battery (46) from said towing vehicle, said battery powering said compressor (see Fig. 5, [0017], Claim 4).
Regarding Claim 9, Shelton discloses A system for controlling a braking force applied to a trailer, said system (8) comprising: said trailer (14) having an air brake (22) located on an axle (28); said trailer (14) including a pressurized fluid source (54); an electrically actuated valve (84) in fluid communication with said pressurized fluid source (54), said electrically actuated valve (84) for releasing air from said pressurized fluid source (54) at a controlled rate (see Fig. 1-5); an air line (64) connecting said pressurized fluid source (54) and a spring brake (22), said spring brake (22) being in a released state when compressed air is applied thereto; and a release valve (89) in fluid communication with said pressurized fluid source (54) and having an energized state corresponding to said release valve (89) receiving electrical current and a non-energized state in the absence of electrical current, said release valve (89) being open in said non-energized state and releasing said pressurized air from said pressurized fluid source (54) in said non-energized state (see Fig. 5, [0014]).
Shelton does not explicitly disclose the specific structure of the electrically actuated valve.
Kaisers teaches an electrically actuated valve having a housing (80), an inlet port (1) within said housing (80) for receiving pressurized fluid (36) from said pressurized fluid source (36), an inlet chamber (92) within said housing (80) in fluid communication with said inlet port (1), said inlet chamber (92) having an inlet seat (A), an inlet valve (91) within said inlet chamber (92) and said inlet chamber (92) surrounding said inlet valve (91), said inlet valve (91) having a bore therethrough and an inlet valve seat (A) circumscribing said bore, said inlet valve (91) being movable in an axial direction between a closed position wherein said inlet valve seat (B) contacts said inlet seat (A), and an open position wherein said inlet valve seat (B) is spaced from said inlet seat (A), a spring (D) biasing said inlet valve (91) into said closed position, a control piston (90) slidably retained in a modulation chamber (89), said control piston (90) sealingly mated with a sidewall of said modulation chamber (89) to divide said modulation chamber (89) into a dispensing side (93) and a control side (89), said control piston (90) having a control piston seat (C) for contacting said inlet valve seat (B), said control piston (90) movable between an open position wherein said control piston seat (C) is spaced from said inlet valve seat (B), a holding position wherein said control piston seat (C) contacts said inlet valve seat (B) while said inlet valve seat (B) is in contact with said inlet seat (A), and a cracked position in which said control piston seat (C) contacts said inlet valve seat (B) and said inlet valve seat (B) is spaced from said inlet seat (A) thereby locating said inlet valve (91) into its open position, said open position of said inlet valve (91) providing fluid communication between said inlet chamber (92) and said dispensing side (93) and said closed position of said inlet valve (91) sealing said inlet chamber (92) from fluid communication with said dispensing side (93), an outlet port (22) within said housing (80), said outlet port (22) in fluid communication with said dispensing side (93), a modulation valve (48) for selectively connecting a modulation passage (64) to said control side (89) to facilitate a flow of fluid into said control side (89) and for selectively releasing pressurized fluid from said control side (89), a controller (45) for receiving a proportional braking signal, said controller processing said proportional braking signal and operating said modulation valve (48) to control fluid pressure on said control side (93) and thereby moving said control piston (90) to control air flow at said outlet port (22) (see Fig. 1, Annotated Fig. 2 above, Fig. 2).
It would have been obvious to combine the electrically actuated valve of Kaisers with the System for controlling a braking force applied to a trailer of Shelton in order to reduce costs and simplify structure (see US 6206481 B1 [Kaisers]; 2:10-36).
Regarding Claim 10, Kaisers teaches wherein said modulation valve (48) is a first modulation valve for selectively allowing said modulation passage of pressurized fluid into said control side (89), and further comprising a second modulation valve (47) operated by said controller (45) for releasing pressurized fluid from said control side (89) (see Fig. 1, Fig. 2).
Regarding Claim 11, Shelton discloses wherein said release valve (89) is connected to a power source (46) from said vehicle through a connector connectable with said vehicle, disconnection of said connector from said towing vehicle disconnecting said power source (46) and thereby releasing said air in tank wherein said connector is disconnected from said towing vehicle (see Fig. 5, [0017], Claims 2-3).
Regarding Claim 12, Shelton discloses wherein said connector provides power to a relay (120) when connected to said power source (46) on said towing vehicle and on receipt of said power, said relay activates said compressor (40) (see Fig. 5, [0017], Claim 3).
Regarding Claim 13, Shelton discloses wherein said trailer (14) includes a battery (46) said battery (46) connected to a connector connectable to said towing vehicle and said connector providing power to said battery (46) from said towing vehicle, said battery (46) powering said compressor (40) (see Fig. 5, [0017], Claim 4).
Regarding Claim 14, Kasiers teaches wherein said modulation passage (64) connects said inlet chamber (92) to said control side (89) (see Fig. 1, Fig. 2, 4:1-6, 5:47-52).
Regarding Claim 15, Shelton discloses A system for controlling a braking force applied to a trailer, said system (8) comprising: said trailer (14) having an air brake (22) located on an axle (28); said trailer (14) including an air compressor (40) in fluid communication with a pressurized fluid source (54) said air compressor (40) providing pressurized air to said supply tank (54) (see [0004]); an electrically actuated valve (84) in fluid communication with said pressurized fluid source (54) and in fluid communication said air brake (22), said electrically actuated valve for releasing air from said pressurized fluid source at a controlled rate (see Fig. 1-5); an air line (64) connecting said pressurized fluid source (54) and a spring brake (22), said spring brake (22) being in a released state when compressed air is applied thereto; and a release valve (89) in fluid communication with said pressurized fluid source (54) and having an energized state corresponding to said release valve (89) receiving electrical current and a non-energized state in the absence of electrical current, said release valve (89) being open in said non-energized state and releasing said pressurized air from said pressurized fluid source (54) in said non-energized state (see Fig. 5, [0014]).
Shelton does not explicitly disclose the specific structure of the electrically actuated valve.
Kaisers teaches an electrically actuated valve having a housing (80), an inlet port (1) within said housing (80) for receiving pressurized fluid from a pressurized fluid source (36), an inlet chamber (92) within said housing (80) in fluid communication with said inlet port (1), said inlet chamber (92) having an inlet seat (A), an inlet valve (91) within said inlet chamber (92) and said inlet chamber (92) surrounding said inlet valve (91), said inlet valve (91) having a bore therethrough and an inlet valve seat (B) circumscribing said bore, said inlet valve (91) being movable in an axial direction between a closed position wherein said inlet valve seat (B) contacts said inlet seat (A), and an open position wherein said inlet valve seat (B) is spaced from said inlet seat (A), a spring (D) biasing said inlet valve (91) into said closed position, a control piston (90) slidably retained in a modulation chamber (89), said control piston (90) sealingly mated with a sidewall of said modulation chamber (89) to divide said modulation chamber (89) into a dispensing side (93) and a control side (89), said control piston (90) having a control piston seat (C) for contacting said inlet valve seat (B), said control piston (90) movable between an open position wherein said control piston seat (C) is spaced from said inlet valve seat (B), a holding position wherein said control piston seat (C) contacts said inlet valve seat (B) while said inlet valve seat (B) is in contact with said inlet seat (A), and a cracked position in which said control piston seat (C) contacts said inlet valve seat (b) and said inlet valve seat (B) is spaced from said inlet seat (A) thereby locating said inlet valve (91) into its open position, said open position of said inlet valve (91) providing fluid communication between said inlet chamber (92) and said dispensing side (93) and said closed position of said inlet valve (91) sealing said inlet chamber (92) from fluid communication with said dispensing side (93), an outlet port (22) within said housing (80), said outlet port (22) in fluid communication with said dispensing side (93), a modulation passage (64) in fluid communication with said inlet chamber (92), a first modulation valve (48) for selectively connecting said modulation passage (64) to said control side (89) to facilitate a flow of fluid from said inlet chamber (92) into said control side (89), a second modulation valve (47) for relieving pressure from said control side (89), a controller (45) for receiving a proportional braking signal, said controller processing said proportional braking signal and operating said modulation valve (48) to control fluid pressure on said control side (89) and thereby moving said control piston (90) to control air flow at said outlet port (22) (see Fig. 1, Fig. 2, Annotated Fig. 2 above, 4:1-6, 5:47-52).
It would have been obvious to combine the electrically actuated valve of Kaisers with the System for controlling a braking force applied to a trailer of Shelton in order to reduce costs and simplify structure (see US 6206481 B1 [Kaisers]; 2:10-36).
Regarding Claim 16, Kaisers teaches wherein said modulation valve (48) is a first modulation valve for selectively allowing said modulation passage of pressurized fluid into said control side (89), and further comprising a second modulation valve (47) operated by said controller (45) for releasing pressurized fluid from said control side (89) (see Fig. 1, Fig. 2).
Regarding Claim 17, Shelton discloses wherein said release valve (89) is connected to a power source (46) from said vehicle through a connector connectable with said vehicle, disconnection of said connector from said towing vehicle disconnecting said power source (46) and thereby releasing said air in tank wherein said connector is disconnected from said towing vehicle (see Fig. 5, [0017], Claims 2-3).
Regarding Claim 18, Shelton discloses wherein said connector provides power to a relay (120) when connected to said power source (46) on said towing vehicle and on receipt of said power, said relay activates said compressor (40) (see Fig. 5, [0017], Claim 3).
Regarding Claim 19, Shelton discloses wherein said trailer (14) includes a battery (46) said battery (46) connected to a connector connectable to said towing vehicle and said connector providing power to said battery (46) from said towing vehicle, said battery (46) powering said compressor (40) (see Fig. 5, [0017], Claim 4).
Prior Art
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure. Prescott (US 9242627 B2), Roether (US 20190193706 A1), and LI (US 20230016714 A1).
Prescott discloses a compressed air control valve utilizing two modulating valves.
Roether discloses a compressed air control valve where the inlet chamber is in direct fluid communication with a secondary control valve.
Li discloses an electropneumatic regulating valve and valve control method used in commercial vehicles.
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to Shea Irvin whose telephone number is (571)272-9952. The examiner can normally be reached Monday-Friday 7:30 - 17:00.
Examiner interviews are available via telephone, in-person, and video conferencing using a USPTO supplied web-based collaboration tool. To schedule an interview, applicant is encouraged to use the USPTO Automated Interview Request (AIR) at http://www.uspto.gov/interviewpractice.
If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Robert Siconolfi can be reached at (571) 272-7124. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/S.W.I./Examiner, Art Unit 3616
/Robert A. Siconolfi/Supervisory Patent Examiner, Art Unit 3616