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
The amendment filed on 6/16/2026 has been entered. All previous objections and 112 rejections have been withdrawn.
Claim Objections
Claim 1 and its dependents are objected to because of the following informalities: Examiner suggests the following for claim 11 in an effort to improve clarity and avoid potential 112 issues
11. A hydraulic accumulator having an accumulator housing which is closed at least on a free end face by a cover part which can be fixed in the accumulator housing via a threaded section; wherein, as part of the threaded section on the accumulator housing, an internal thread in the form of a round thread having a crest side rounding and a root side rounding is present, individual thread flanks of which together enclose, in a notional extension, a flank angle (α) of 60˚ and wherein a radius (R2) of the crest side rounding is larger than a radius (R1) in the root-side rounding.
Similar edits might be helpful in the dependent claims to clarify language. For example, in claim 18, further clarification in lines 2-3 could be made as the thread turns language and rounding language (i.e., the root side rounding or crest side rounding) seem to overlap.
Appropriate correction using Examiner suggestion or any suitable equivalent is required.
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.
Claim(s) 11-12 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Sugimura (GB2215429A) in view of Carrois (US 9,816,646).
Claim 11: Sugimura discloses a hydraulic accumulator (Figs. 1-11) having an accumulator housing (10) which is closed at least on a free end face by a cover part (16) which can be fixed in the accumulator housing via a threaded section (S). Sugimura is not explicit about utilizing, as part of the threaded section on the accumulator housing, an internal thread in the form of a round thread is present whose individual thread flanks of which together enclose, in a notional extension, a flank angle of 60° and wherein the radius of the rounding is larger in the crest-side region than the radius in the root-side region of the round thread. However, Carrois teaches using an internal thread in the form of a round thread is present (see Figs. 2-5) whose individual thread flanks of which together enclose, in a notional extension, a flank angle of 60° (col. 2, lines 63-65 and col. 3, lines 1-4, Examiner noting that the respective angles could be chosen as 30 degrees which add to 60 degrees) and wherein the radius of the rounding is larger in the crest-side region (note crest rounding of 4 at crest 46) than the radius in the root-side region of the round thread (note root rounding of 4 at 45 which is smaller than that of 46). It would have been obvious before the effective filing date of the invention to a skilled artisan to substitute the threads as taught by Carrois for that of Sugimura as it amounts to a simple substitution of one kind of threading for another with a predictable expectation of success; moreover, this kind of threading will increase the contact surface between the flanks of the threads, which can improving the seal between the respective surfaces and better prevent leaks.
Claim 12: Sugimura and Verdillon teach the previous limitations. Carrois (Figs. 2-5) further teaches a further part of the threaded section on the cover part, an external thread in the form of a round thread is present, the individual thread flanks of which together enclose, in a notional extension, a flank angle of 60° (col. 2, lines 63-65 and col. 3, lines 1-4, Examiner noting that the respective angles could be chosen as 30 degrees which add to 60 degrees) and wherein the radius of the rounding is smaller in the root-side region (note smaller crest of 3 at 36) than the radius in the crest-side region of the external thread (note larger root radius of 3 at 35).
Claim(s) 11, 17-20 and 31-33 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Sugimura (GB2215429A) in view of Aiki (JP2001317518A).
Claim 11: Sugimura discloses a hydraulic accumulator (Figs. 1-11) having an accumulator housing (10) which is closed at least on a free end face by a cover part (16) which can be fixed in the accumulator housing via a threaded section (S). Sugimura is not explicit about utilizing, as part of the threaded section on the accumulator housing, an internal thread in the form of a round thread is present whose individual thread flanks of which together enclose, in a notional extension, a flank angle of 60° and wherein the radius of the rounding is larger in the crest-side region than the radius in the root-side region of the round thread. However, Aiki teaches using an internal thread in the form of a round thread is present (see Figs. 2 and 11) whose individual thread flanks of which together enclose, in a notional extension, a flank angle of 60° (paragraphs 3 and 20) and wherein the radius of the rounding is larger in the crest-side region (note crest rounding of 12 at crest 14/15 in Fig. 2; note also crest rounding of 2 in Fig. 11) than the radius in the root-side region of the round thread (note root rounding of at 16 which has a smaller radius than that of 14/15 in Fig. 2; note also root of 6 in Fig. 11). It would have been obvious before the effective filing date of the invention to a skilled artisan to substitute the threads as taught by Aiki for that of Sugimura as it amounts to a simple substitution of one kind of threading for another with a predictable expectation of success; moreover, this kind of threading will increase the strength of a crease of a thread to prevent cracks (see Abstract).
Claim 17: Sugimura and Aiki teach the previous limitations. Aiki further discloses that the notional contour of a standard thread corresponding to the round thread of the cover part envelops the round thread (as can be appreciated from Figs. 2 and 11).
Claim 18: Sugimura and Aiki teach the previous limitations. Aiki further teaches that the threaded section the thread flanks of the internal and external threads are in contact with each other and the thread turns (see corresponding flanks and turns in Figs. 2 and 11); Rsub2, R’1; Rsub1, R’sub2 adjacent to each other are spaced apart from each other (see corresponding elements of Figs. 2 and 11).
Claim 19: Sugimura and Aiki teach the previous limitations. Sugimura further teaches that the threaded section extends along a free end region of the accumulator housing in which the wall thickness of the accumulator housing is reduced in such a manner that the threaded section comes to lie within a notional extension of the other cylindrical inner wall region of the accumulator housing (see Figs. 1-2).
Claim 20: Sugimura and Aiki teach the previous limitations. Sugimura further teaches that the threaded section, consisting of an internal and an external thread, opens at its opposing ends in each case into an annular recess which is formed by wall parts of the accumulator housing and the cover part (see Fig. 2).
Claim 31: Sugimura and Aiki teach the previous limitations. Aiki further teaches that a substantial portion of a surface of the thread flanks follows a straight line (Figs. 2 and 11).
Claim 32: Sugimura and Aiki teach the previous limitations. Aiki further teaches that each thread flank has a flat surface section (Figs. 2 and 11).
Claim 33: Sugimura and Aiki teach the previous limitations. Aiki further teaches that the threaded section comprises at least one thread that is symmetrical (Figs. 2 and 11).
Response to Arguments
Applicant's arguments have been fully considered and they are persuasive in part. Examiner has withdrawn his reliance upon Verdillon. Examiner, however, believes that Carrois can reasonably be relied upon. On page 11 of Applicant’s rejection, a core argument is not intelligible and cannot be understood. Applicant does challenge that Carrois does not disclose a flank angle of 60 degrees. However, the claim specifically requires that the flanks, plural, enclose a flank angle of 60 degrees. Carrois does in fact establish this in col. 3, lines 1-4. In light of new claim limitations, Examiner has also included and relied upon the Aiki reference.
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 13-16 and 21-26, 30 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.
The following is a statement of reasons for the indication of allowable subject matter: regarding claim 13, the prior art of record does not further disclose or reasonably teach in combination the root-side rounding (Rsub1, R’sub1) of the internal and the external thread is Rsub1, R’sub1 = 1/6*H and the crest-side rounding (Rsub2, R’sub2) of the internal and external thread is Rsub2, R’sub2 = 1/5*P, where H = root((3/2)*P)m and where P is the pitch of the round thread.
Regarding claim 14, the prior art of record does not further disclose or reasonably teach in combination the notional extension of two adjacent thread flanks of the internal thread of the accumulator housing terminate in an acute angle, the angular apex of which is at a distance AusbF = (1/6*H) from the root-side rounding at the lowest point.
Regarding claim 16 (and claim 27), the prior art of record does not further disclose or reasonably teach in combination the nominal diameter of the threaded section is approximately one hundred times the pitch P of the respective round thread.
Regarding claim 21, the prior art of record does not further disclose or reasonably teach in combination the root-side rounding (Rsub1, R’sub1) of the internal and the external thread is Rsub1, R’sub1 = 1/6*H and the crest-side rounding (Rsub2, R’sub2) of the internal and external thread is Rsub2, R’sub2 = 1/5*P, where H = root((3/2)*P)m and where P is the pitch of the round thread.
Regarding claim 22, the prior art of record does not further disclose or reasonably teach in combination the notional extension of two adjacent thread flanks of the internal thread of the accumulator housing terminate in an acute angle, the angular apex of which is at a distance AusbF = (1/6*H) from the root-side rounding at the lowest point.
Regarding claim 24, the prior art of record does not further disclose or reasonably teach in combination that the notional extensions of two adjacent thread flanks terminate in a further acute angle, the angular apex of which extends at a distance AK= H from a secant, which runs along the free crest side of a standard thread with the same pitch as the pitch determined for the round thread of the internal thread and passes through the crest-side rounding of the internal thread.
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
THIS ACTION IS MADE FINAL. 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 NATHAN C ZOLLINGER whose telephone number is (571)270-7815. The examiner can normally be reached Generally M-F 9-4 EST.
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/NATHAN C ZOLLINGER/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3746
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