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 .
Claim Objections
Claim 10 is objected to because of the following informalities: Line 12 reads “the at one” and should be “the at least at one.” Appropriate correction is required.
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 18–19 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.
Claim 18 includes the language “The injection assembly according to claim” which indicates that the claim is meant to be dependent from another claim. It will be assumed from henceforward that dependent claim 18 will depend from independent claim 10.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 102
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.
Claim(s) 1–18 and 20 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Liu et al. (CN 212439789 U).
Regarding Claim(s) 1, the structural limitation of the apparatus described in the Claim 1 is recited in claim(s) 10.
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Figure 1 - Liu Annotated Fig. 3
Regarding Claim 10, Liu discloses an injection assembly for containers (1) of a fire suppression system, the injection assembly comprising: an injection adapter (Liu Annotated Fig. 3) having a body (9) adapted to be coaxially coupled to an opening of a container (1), the body (9) comprising a discharge passage (Liu Annotated Fig. 3) and at least one injecting passage (17) adapted to be in fluid communication with an ullage space (23) of the container (1), as described in Para. 36, wherein the discharge passage (Liu Annotated Fig. 3) is adapted to receive a flow of fire suppression agent from the container (1); and at least one check valve adapter (12, Para. 8, where the valve can be a check valve) coupled to the body (9) of the injection adapter (Liu Annotated Fig. 3), the at least one check valve adapter (12) comprising at least one connecting passage (Liu Annotated Fig. 3) adapted to be aligned with the at least one injecting passage (17) of the body to facilitate a fluid communication between the injection adapter (Liu Annotated Fig. 3) and the at least one check valve adapter (12), as described in Para. 36, wherein the at least one connecting passage (Liu Annotated Fig. 3) allows a flow of pressurized gas within the ullage space (23) of the container (1) through the at least one injecting passage of the injection adapter (17).
Regarding Claims 2 and 11, Liu discloses the body (2) comprises an outer surface and an inner surface distal to the outer surface (Liu Annotated Fig. 3), the inner surface defines the discharge passage (Liu Annotated Fig. 3) adapted to be in fluid communication with a discharge valve assembly (12) and a siphon tube (6) inserted within the container (1) as described in Para. 36.
Regarding Claims 3 and 12, Liu discloses the at least one injecting passage (17) is defined between the outer surface and the inner surface of the body (2), as seen in Fig. 5.
Regarding Claims 4 and 13, Liu discloses the body comprises: a first engaging end (Liu Annotated Fig. 3) adapted to be coaxially coupled with the discharge valve assembly (12); and a second engaging end (Liu Annotated Fig. 3) coaxial with respect to the first engaging end (Liu Annotated Fig. 3) and adapted to be coaxially coupled with the siphon tube (6), wherein the first engaging end and the second engaging end define an outlet and an inlet, respectively, of the discharge passage (Liu Annotated Fig. 3).
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Figure 2 - Liu Annotated Fig. 6
Regarding Claims 5 and 14, Liu discloses the second engaging end (Liu Annotated Fig. 3) is adapted to be externally fastened (where 9 is external to the container) to a neck portion (Liu Annotated Fig. 6) of the container (1), wherein the neck portion (Liu Annotated Fig. 6) defines the opening, of the container (1), extending along a length of the neck portion (Liu Annotated Fig. 6).
Regarding Claims 6 and 15, Liu discloses the second engaging end (Liu Annotated Fig. 3) is adapted to be coaxially positioned within the neck portion (Liu Annotated Fig. 6) of the container (1).
Regarding Claims 7 and 16, Liu discloses the second engaging end (Liu Annotated Fig. 3) is adapted to be internally fastened to the siphon tube (6).
Regarding Claims 8 and 17, Liu discloses an injection inlet (Liu Annotated Fig. 3) is formed on the outer surface of the body (2) of the injection adapter (Liu Annotated Fig. 3) and an injection outlet (Liu Annotated Fig. 3) is formed on a circumferential wall, of the body (2), surrounding the outlet of the discharge passage, wherein the at least one injecting passage (17) extends between the injection inlet and the injection outlet (Liu Annotated Fig. 3).
Regarding Claim(s) 9, the structural limitation of the apparatus described in the Claim 9 is recited in claim(s) 10.
Regarding Claim 18, Liu discloses the at least one connecting passage (Liu Annotated Fig. 3) comprises an inlet (Liu Annotated Fig. 3) and an outlet (Liu Annotated Fig. 3) adapted to be aligned with an injection inlet of the at least one injecting passage (17).
Regarding Claim 20, Liu discloses a fire suppression system comprising: at least one canister (Para. 18) containing a pressurized gas; at least one storage container (2) in fluid communication with the at least one canister (Para. 18) and containing a fire suppression agent; an injection assembly (Liu Annotated Fig. 3) coupled to an opening of the at least one storage container (2), the injection assembly (Liu Annotated Fig. 3) comprising an injection adapter (Liu Annotated Fig. 3) having a discharge passage (Liu Annotated Fig. 3) in fluid communication with the at least one storage container (2) and at least one injecting passage (17) in fluid communication with at least one canister (Para. 18) and the at least one storage container (2), where this must be so in order to transfer the fire suppression fluid from the canister into the storage container (2); a discharge valve assembly (12) coaxially coupled to an outlet of the discharge passage (Liu Annotated Fig. 3) and adapted to discharge the fire suppression agent from the at least one storage container (2), where this must be true in order for the invention to function as intended; and a siphon tube (6) having a first end coaxially coupled to an inlet of the discharge passage (Liu Annotated Fig. 3) and a second end positioned within the at least one storage container (2), as seen in Fig. 6, wherein the discharge passage (Liu Annotated Fig. 3) allows a flow of the fire suppression agent from the siphon tube (6) to the discharge valve assembly (12), as discussed in Para. 36, and the at least one injecting passage (17) supplies the pressurized gas from the at least one canister to an ullage space (23) within the at least one storage container (2), as described in Para. 18.
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.
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.
Claim(s) 19 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Liu et al. (CN 212439789 U) in view of Reilly (US PGPub 20050087233 A1).
Regarding Claim 19, Liu discloses the injection inlet and the outlet of the at least one connecting passage (Liu Annotated Fig. 3); and at least one check valve (Para. 8, where the one-way valve is the check valve) coupled to the inlet of the at least one connecting passage (Liu Annotated Fig. 3) but does not disclose an orifice.
Reilly teaches at least one orifice plate (62) disposed between an inlet (46) and an outlet (48) in order to adjust fluid flow (Para. 17).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify the injection inlet of Liu with an orifice plate as taught by Reilly in order to adjust fluid flow without having to disassemble the valve or completely change the valve.
Per the Liu–Reilly combination Reilly’s orifice plate is threaded into Liu’s inlet of the of the at least one check valve.
The Liu–Reilly combination teaches at least one orifice plate (Reilly 62) disposed between the injection inlet and the outlet of the at least one connecting passage (Liu Annotated Fig. 3).
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure. Sundholm (USPN 5806601) discloses a fire extinguisher.
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/Angelisa L. Hicks/
Primary Examiner
Art Unit 3753
Prosecution Insights