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 .
Response to Amendment
Applicant’s arguments, filed 01/20/2026, with respect to the rejection of claims 1-3, 5-8, 13, and 15 over Ikushima have been fully considered and are persuasive. The rejection of these claims over Ikushima have been withdrawn.
Applicant's amendments and arguments filed 01/20/2026 have been fully considered but they are not persuasive.
Applicant argues that Felber does not teach the claim amendments of using several springs for tensioning the plunger device. However, the claim only requires several springs to be involved with tensioning the plunger device with no particular location or relative force claimed. In this case, Felber clearly depicts and recites several springs (42, 44, 78) for tensioning the plunger device or operation as depicted across figures 2-4. Further, Felber states in paragraph 40 that springs (42, 44) tension the plunger the device via the lever, and spring 78 tensions at the plunger device. Further delineation is needed to adequately define the prior art from the rejection of record (please see the objected dependent claims below providing allowable delineations).
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 4, 9, 13, 14, 16-18 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.
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) 1-3, 5-8, 10-12, and 15 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Felber et al. (US 2021/0245188 A1).
Re: Claim 1, Felber et al discloses the claimed invention including a metering system (1) with
a housing (18) (Fig. 1),
a piezo actuator (26) located therein (Fig. 2, Para. 32, piezo actuator),
a fluidic unit (90) with a valve (22) (Fig. 2),
a plunger device (68, 76) for closing the valve (Fig. 2));
and a transmission lever (24) for coupling the piezo actuator to the plunger device (Fig. 2),
wherein the piezo actuator is arranged substantially parallel next to the plunger device in the housing (Fig. 2, wherein the piezo actuator (10) extends away from the transmission lever substantially in the direction of a side facing the valve (Depicted in Fig. 2);
wherein the piezo actuator is tensioned relative to the housing via the transmission lever (68a) with the plunger device (40) by means of a spring arrangement (42, 44, 78), and wherein the spring arrangement comprises several springs (42, 44, 78) for the sprung tensioning of the plunger device (Figs 2-4, Para. 40, springs (42, 44) tension the plunger the device via the lever, and spring 78 tensions at the plunger device itself).
Re: Claim 2, Felber discloses the claimed invention including the transmission lever extends transversely to an extent direction of the piezo actuator and an extent direction of the plunger device (Fig. 2) and/or wherein the piezo actuator is tensioned relative to the housing (18) via the transmission lever (20) with the plunger device by means of a spring arrangement (78) (Fig. 2, Para. 40, tensioned by spring).
Re: Claim 3, Felber discloses the claimed invention including the plunger device is formed from at least two rod elements (68, 76), which are tensioned with respect to one another, wherein preferably the plunger device comprises on the lever side a transmission element (68a) as a first rod element (68), and on the lever side a closure element (76a) as a second rod element (76) (Fig. 2).
Re: Claim 5, Felber discloses the claimed invention including the opening spring arrangement (54) fits the closure element (53) resiliently in the housing (100) such that a force acts on the closure element (Depicted in Fig. 7), in order to bring the closure element in the direction of an opened valve position, and wherein the closure spring arrangement tensions the transmission element resiliently in the housing such that a contrary force acts on the transmission element, in order to bring the transmission element against the closure element and thus to bring the closure element in the direction of a closed valve position (Depicted in Fig. 7, Para. 40, tensioned by spring).
Re: Claim 6, Felber discloses the claimed invention including the transmission element has two parts (68a, 70) which are able to be coupled to one another, preferably a rod part (76) and a head sleeve part (82), and/or the head sleeve part (45) has a flange (47), at which the transmission lever (20) stands on the valve side (Fig. 2 stands on via rod part).
Re: Claim 7, Felber discloses the claimed invention including the rod part (68) of the transmission element is guided axially on the valve side parallel to the piezo actuator in a first housing sleeve portion (74) of a housing sleeve of the housing with relatively close radial surrounding play, whereas the head sleeve part (76a) of the transmission element facing away from the valve is guided with relatively wide radial surrounding play (Figs. 1-2).
Re: Claim 8, Felber discloses the claimed invention including one of the closure springs (78) of the spring arrangement stands at the head sleeve part (82) on a flange surface of the flange facing away from the valve (Fig. 2).
Re: Claim 10, Felber discloses the claimed invention including a first permanent magnet (69) is fastened on the plunger device, and wherein in the housing (2) a Hall sensor (71) is arranged lying opposite, spaced apart by a gap with respect to this permanent magnet (Depicted in Fig. 2, Para. 39, magnet for a hall sensor).
Re: Claim 11, Felber discloses the claimed invention including a surrounding region around the Hall sensor (71), is magnetically shielded at least on the sides facing away from the first permanent magnet (69) by means of a shield (71) (Fig. 2, depicts a housing around the sensor providing some shielding and further, Para. 39, a hall effect sensor inherently utilize utilizes some shielding for isolating the magnetic field).
Re: Claim 12, Felber discloses the claimed invention including a housing sleeve (6) is mounted adjustably in position relative to the surrounding housing (2) of the metering system (1) for adjusting a distance between valve (16) and closure element (51).
Re: Claim 15, Felber discloses the claimed invention including the closure element is installed detachably in the metering system (Depicted in Fig. 2).
Conclusion
Applicant's amendment necessitated the new ground(s) of rejection presented in this Office action. Accordingly, THIS ACTION IS MADE FINAL. See MPEP § 706.07(a). Applicant is reminded of the extension of time policy as set forth in 37 CFR 1.136(a).
A shortened statutory period for reply to this final action is set to expire THREE MONTHS from the mailing date of this action. In the event a first reply is filed within TWO MONTHS of the mailing date of this final action and the advisory action is not mailed until after the end of the THREE-MONTH shortened statutory period, then the shortened statutory period will expire on the date the advisory action is mailed, and any nonprovisional extension fee (37 CFR 1.17(a)) pursuant to 37 CFR 1.136(a) will be calculated from the mailing date of the advisory action. In no event, however, will the statutory period for reply expire later than SIX MONTHS from the mailing date of this final action.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to CHARLES P. CHEYNEY whose telephone number is (571)272-9971. The examiner can normally be reached Monday - Friday, 8:00 am - 4:30 pm.
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/CHARLES P. CHEYNEY/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3754
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