FIRST NON-FINAL REJECTION
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 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 4-6 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.
With respect to claims 4-6, the claim limitations “a method for simultaneous testing dynamic characteristics and injection law of a gas needle valve realized by the device of claim 1, wherein the method comprises: obtaining the displacement data collected by the eddy current displacement sensor; the eddy current displacement sensor is arranged at the lower part of the gas needle valve of the tested injector; obtaining the pressure data collected by the pressure sensor; the pressure sensor and the temperature sensor are inserted into the constant volume cavity of the constant volume sealed container; and the nozzle of the tested injector is inserted into the constant volume cavity of the constant volume sealed container; calculating the injection law of the tested injector based on the pressure data and the temperature data” and “wherein calculating the injection law of the tested injector based on the pressure data and the temperature data specifically comprising: determining temperature changes in the constant volume cavity based on the temperature data; determining a calculation method of a injection volume of the tested injector based on the temperature changes; determining the injection law based on the determined calculation method of the injection volume” describe method steps as part of the apparatus claim. A single claim which claims both an apparatus and the method steps of using the apparatus is indefinite under 35 U.S.C. 112(b) or pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, second paragraph (MPEP 2173.05p).
Allowable Subject Matter
The following is an examiner’s statement of reasons for allowance:
With regard to claim 1, the closest found prior art, Dong et al. CN108301951 and Chen et al. CN102588179, discloses the closest found prior art of record. However, Dong fails to teach fails to encompass all the limitations of the claimed subject matter. Further, the claimed subject matter is not obvious when looking at the closest found prior art of record separately or in combination with each other.
Dong and Chen fail to teach a non-invasive device for simultaneous testing dynamic characteristics and injection law of a gas needle valve, comprising: a tested injector, a pressure sensor, a temperature sensor, an eddy current displacement sensor, a constant volume sealed container, and a controller; the eddy current displacement sensor is arranged at a lower part of a gas needle valve of the tested injector; and the controller is configured to receive displacement data collected by the eddy current displacement sensor, pressure data collected by the pressure sensor, and temperature data collected by the temperature sensor, and calculate the injection law of the tested injector based on the pressure data and the temperature data.
Thereby, the claims are found allowable over the found prior art of record as the examiner can find no teaches of above claimed subject matter, nor reasons within the found prior art of record on its own or in combination with each other to combine the elements of the references to fully encompass the claimed subject matter.
Any comments considered necessary by applicant must be submitted no later than the payment of the issue fee and, to avoid processing delays, should preferably accompany the issue fee. Such submissions should be clearly labeled “Comments on Statement of Reasons for Allowance.”
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to FREDDIE KIRKLAND III whose telephone number is (571)272-2232. The examiner can normally be reached 9am-5pm.
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FREDDIE KIRKLAND III
Primary Examiner
Art Unit 2855
/Freddie Kirkland III/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2855 5/28/2026
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