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 .
DETAILED ACTION
Information Disclosure Statement
The information disclosure statements (IDS) submitted on 18 March 2024 and 07 July 2025 were filed. The submission is in compliance with the provisions of 37 CFR 1.97. Accordingly, the information disclosure statements are being considered by the examiner.
Specification
The lengthy specification has not been checked to the extent necessary to determine the presence of all possible minor errors. Applicant’s cooperation is requested in correcting any errors of which applicant may become aware in the specification.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 102
In the event the determination of the status of the application as subject to AIA 35 U.S.C. 102 and 103 (or as subject to pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 102 and 103) is incorrect, any correction of the statutory basis (i.e., changing from AIA to pre-AIA ) for the rejection will not be considered a new ground of rejection if the prior art relied upon, and the rationale supporting the rejection, would be the same under either status.
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) 1-7 and 13-16 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Takahashi et al (US 11,466,707).
Takahashi et al disclose the following claimed features:
Regarding claim 1, a pump system (Figures 1-3, element 101), comprising: a cylinder (1); a piston (4) disposed within the cylinder (1) to define a first chamber portion (2a) and a second chamber portion (2b) within the cylinder (1), wherein the piston is configured to move in a first direction within the cylinder to draw a working fluid into the first chamber portion, and the piston (4) is configured to move in a second direction within the cylinder to pressurize the working fluid and discharge the working fluid from the first chamber portion; and a conduit system (Figure 2) fluidly coupled to the second chamber portion, wherein the conduit system is configured to receive fluid discharged from the second chamber portion due to movement of the piston in the first direction within the cylinder, and the conduit system comprises a sensor (30) configured to monitor a parameter of fluid flow through the conduit system, the parameter being indicative of leakage of the working fluid from the first chamber portion to the second chamber portion (Abstract; column 3, lines 29-38).
Regarding claim 2, wherein the parameter monitored by the sensor (30) comprises a flow rate of fluid flow through the conduit system (column 7, lines 39-61).
Regarding claim 3, wherein the parameter monitored by the sensor (30) comprises a temperature of fluid flow through the conduit system (column 7, lines 39-61).
Regarding claim 4, comprising a control system (60) configured to output a signal based on the parameter monitored by the sensor (Figure 3).
Regarding claim 5, wherein the control system (60) is configured to: compare the parameter to a threshold; and output the signal in response to determining the parameter exceeds the threshold and indicates that excessive working fluid is leaking from the first chamber portion to the second chamber portion (Figure 3; column 7, line 62 to column 8, line 47).
Regarding claim 6, wherein the control system (60) is configured to operate in a calibration mode to establish the threshold, and the control system, in the calibration mode, is configured to: operate at a plurality of operating conditions having a first plurality of values; determine a second plurality of values of the parameter indicative of excessive leakage of the working fluid from the first chamber portion to the second chamber portion at each operating condition of the plurality of operating conditions; determine a relationship between the first plurality of values and the second plurality of values; and establish the threshold based on the relationship between the first plurality of values and the second plurality of values (Figures 4 and 5; column 9, lines 1-42).
Regarding claim 7, wherein the relationship associates respective first values of the parameter indicative of excessive leakage of the working fluid from the first chamber portion to the second chamber portion with corresponding second values of the plurality of operating conditions, and the control system is configured to: determine a current operating condition having one or more current values; determine a respective first value of the parameter associated with the one or more current values of the current operating condition based on the relationship; and establish the respective first value as the threshold (column 9, line 51 to column 10, line 25).
Regarding claim 13, a conduit system for a pump system (Figures 1-3) comprising a cylinder (1) and a piston (4) disposed within the cylinder to define a rod-side chamber (2a) and a piston-side chamber (2b), opposite the rod-side chamber, wherein the conduit system (101) comprises: a conduit (Figure 2) that is fluidly couplable to the rod-side chamber of the pump system, wherein the piston is configured to move in a first direction within the cylinder to draw a first fluid into the piston-side chamber and discharge a second fluid from the rod-side chamber, the piston (4) is configured to move in a second direction within the cylinder to pressurize the first fluid and discharge the first fluid from the piston-side chamber, and the conduit is configured to receive the second fluid discharged from the rod-side chamber via movement of the piston in the first direction within the cylinder; and a sensor (30) configured to monitor a parameter of the second fluid flowing through the conduit from the rod-side chamber, wherein the parameter is indicative of flow of the first fluid from the piston-side chamber to the rod-side chamber (Abstract; column 3, lines 29-38).
Regarding claim 14, comprising a control system (60) communicatively coupled to the sensor (30), wherein the control system (60) is configured to: receive the parameter monitored by the sensor; and compare the parameter to a threshold that indicates the second fluid is comprised, at least in part, of the first fluid (Figure 3; column 7, line 62 to column 8, line 47).
Regarding claim 15, wherein the control system is configured to output a signal in response to determining the parameter exceeds the threshold (Figure 3; column 7, line 62 to column 8, line 47).
Regarding claim 16, wherein the control system (60) is configured to output the signal to provide a notification (Figure 3).
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 103
In the event the determination of the status of the application as subject to AIA 35 U.S.C. 102 and 103 (or as subject to pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 102 and 103) is incorrect, any correction of the statutory basis (i.e., changing from AIA to pre-AIA ) for the rejection will not be considered a new ground of rejection if the prior art relied upon, and the rationale supporting the rejection, would be the same under either status.
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) 8-12 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Takahashi et al (US 11,466,707).
Takahashi et al disclose the claimed invention except for reciting an additional cylinder, an additional piston, an additional sensor, and an additional conduit. It would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention was made to duplicate an additional cylinder, an additional piston, an additional sensor, and an additional conduit, since it has been held that a mere duplication of working parts of a device involves only routine skill in the art. In re Harza, 274 F.2d 669, 124 USPQ 378 (CCPA 1960). One would have been motivated to duplicate the cylinder, the piston, the sensor, and the conduit for the purpose of obtaining multiple fluid leak detections.
Claim(s) 17-20 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Takahashi et al (US 11,466,707) in view of Fogwill et al (US 11,473,998).
Regarding claim 17, Takahashi et al disclose a pump system (Figures 1-3) comprises a piston (4) disposed within a cylinder (1) to define a first chamber portion (2a) and a second chamber portion (2b) within the cylinder (1), the piston (4) is configured to move in a first direction within the cylinder to draw a working fluid into the first chamber portion (2a), the piston (1) is configured to move in a second direction within the cylinder (1) to pressurize the working fluid in the first chamber portion (2a), a conduit system (Figure 2) of the pump system is configured to receive fluid discharged from the second chamber portion (2b), and the parameter is associated with fluid flow through the conduit system and is indicative of working fluid flow between the first chamber portion (2a) and the second chamber portion (2b); compare the parameter to a threshold; and output a signal based on comparison of the parameter to the threshold (Figure 3; column 7, line 62 to column 8, line 47).
Takahashi et al disclose the claimed invention except for reciting a non-transitory computer-readable medium, comprising instructions that, when executed by one or more processors.
Fogwill et al teach a non-transitory computer-readable medium, comprising instructions that, when executed by one or more processors (Figure 4; column 8, lines 27-45).
It would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art at the time the invention was made to include a non-transitory computer-readable medium, comprising instructions that, when executed by one or more processors, as taught by Fogwill et al into Takahashi et al, for the purpose of obtaining software program instructions to control the pump system.
Regarding claim 18, Takahashi et al as modified by Fogwill et al disclose wherein the instructions, when executed by the one or more processors, are configured to cause the one or more processors to output the signal to suspend operation of the pump system in response to determining the parameter exceeds the threshold (Takahashi et al: Figure 3; column 7, line 62 to column 8, line 47).
Regarding claim 19, Takahashi et al as modified by Fogwill et al further disclose wherein the instructions, when executed by the one or more processors, are configured to cause the one or more processors to: determine a first plurality of values of a plurality of operating conditions; determine a second plurality of values of the parameter, wherein each value of the second plurality of values indicates excessive working fluid flow between the first chamber portion and the second chamber portion for a respective operating condition of the plurality of operating conditions; determine a relationship between the first plurality of values and the second plurality of values, wherein the relationship associates respective first values of the parameter indicative of excessive working fluid flow between the first chamber portion and the second chamber portion with corresponding second values of the plurality of operating conditions; and establish the threshold based on the relationship between the first plurality of values and the second plurality of values (Takahashi et al: column 9, line 51 to column 10, line 25).
Regarding claim 20, Takahashi et al as modified by Fogwill et al further disclose wherein the instructions, when executed by the one or more processors, are configured to cause the one or more processors to: determine a current value of a current operating condition; and establish the threshold as the respective first value of the parameter associated with the current value of the current operating condition based on the relationship (Takahashi et al: column 9, line 51 to column 10, line 25).
Contact Information
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to AN H DO whose telephone number is (571)272-2143. The examiner can normally be reached on M-F 7:00am-4:00pm.
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/AN H DO/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2853
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