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 .
Priority
Receipt is acknowledged of certified copies of papers required by 37 CFR 1.55.
Information Disclosure Statement
The information disclosure statement submitted on 3/20/2024 has been considered by the examiner.
Claim Objections
Claim 1 is objected to because of the following informalities:
Claim 1 recites the limitation "the other end" in lines 18-19. There is insufficient antecedent basis for this limitation in the claim. 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 4-8 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 4 recites that the sealing ring is sleeved on the plugging base, and the back support ring and the oil seal are accommodated in the plugging base. Claim 4 depends on claim 3, which recites that the sealing ring abuts against an end surface, facing away from the diaphragm, of the plugging base, and in the axial direction, the sealing ring blocks and limits the back support ring and the oil seal. Thus, claim 4 appears to recite, among other things, a sealing ring that is sleeved on the plugging base and that abuts against an end surface of the plugging base. However, the specification discloses that a sealing ring that is sleeved on the plugging base and a sealing ring that abuts an end surface of the plugging base are two mutually exclusive embodiments. Therefore, there is a conflict between the specification and the claim. It has been held that a claim, although clear on its face, may also be indefinite when a conflict or inconsistency between the claimed subject matter and the specification disclosure renders the scope of the claim uncertain as inconsistency with the specification disclosure or prior art teachings may make an otherwise definite claim take on an unreasonable degree of uncertainty. See MPEP 2173.03 and In re Moore, 439 F.2d 1232, 1235-36, 169 USPQ 236, 239 (CCPA 1971); In re Cohn, 438 F.2d 989, 169 USPQ 95 (CCPA 1971); In re Hammack, 427 F.2d 1378, 166 USPQ 204 (CCPA 1970). The examiner respectfully suggests amending claim 4 to depend on claim 2 rather than claim 3.
Claims 5-8 depend on claim 4 and are rejected for inheriting the same problem.
Claim 8 recites that “the plugging base is buried in the first channel and does not protrude from the base; at least one assembly hole is recessed on a side, facing the diaphragm, of the plugging base, and the at least one assembly hole is to be inserted by a tool, to drive the plugging base to rotate; when the push rod does not push against the force equalized plate, at least a part of the force equalized plate is accommodated in the first channel” in lines 1-6. However, claims 5-7, on which claim 8 depends, already recites these limitations. Therefore, it is unclear whether or not these limitations in claim 8 are the same as those recited in claims 5-7. The examiner respectfully suggests deleting these limitations from claim 8.
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 1 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over U.S. Patent 7,100,436 issued to Chou (“Chou”) in view of U.S. Patent 11,262,260 issued to Chou (“Chou ‘260”) and U.S. Paten 9,581,509 issued to Huang (“Huang”).
As for claim 1, Chou discloses a pressure gauge (Fig. 2), comprising:
a housing (11, 18), defined with an axial direction (horizontal direction in Fig. 2) and a radial direction (vertical direction in Fig. 2), and comprising internal space (inside 11), an opening (covered by 112), and a through hole (for 182), wherein the opening communicates with the internal space along the axial direction (see Fig. 2), and the through hole communicates with the internal space along the radial direction (see Fig. 2);
a base (12), accommodated in the internal space and comprising a second channel (to connect through 18), the second channel extends along the radial direction and faces the through hole (see Fig. 2), and the second channel is connected to and communicates with an assembly pipe (812) that penetrates the through hole (see Fig. 2);
an arched frame (15), covering the base along the axial direction (see Fig. 2), to jointly define an accommodating chamber;
a pressure sensing unit (13), comprising a diaphragm (13), and the diaphragm is accommodated in the accommodating chamber and is sandwiched between the arched frame and the base (see Fig. 2); and
a gauge core unit, comprising a pointer (141), and a gauge panel (17), wherein the gauge panel is disposed on a side, facing away from the base, of the arched frame (see Figs. 1 and 2).
Chou dose not disclose a gauge core comprising the structures as recited along with a pressure sensing unit comprising a connecting base and a force equalized plate.
However, Chou ‘260 discloses a pressure sensing unit (7, 8, 9) comprising a connecting base (9); and
a gauge core unit, comprising a rotating shaft (see Fig. 6), a torsion spring (see Fig. 6), a spiral base (see Fig. 6), a pointer (52), and a gauge panel (3), wherein, one end of the rotating shaft is plugged into the connecting base (see Fig. 6), and another end of the rotating shaft penetrates the gauge panel (see Fig. 6), the pointer is disposed at the other end of the rotating shaft for synchronous rotation with the rotating shaft (see Fig. 6), the torsion spring is sleeved on the rotating shaft (see Fig. 6), and the spiral base is positioned on the connecting base and abuts against the torsion spring (see Fig. 6); and
wherein the pressure sensing unit (7, 8, 9) comprises a force equalized plate (7).
It would have been obvious for one having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the present application to modify the pressure sensing unit and gauge core unit of Chou to include the additional structures as disclosed by Chou ‘260 in order to provide a connection structure which obtains protection and decreases alignment time, size, and fabrication cost to the diaphragm pressure gauge (Chou ‘260: col. 1, lines 31-38).
Chou as modified by Chou ‘260 does not disclose a first channel and a push rod as recited.
However, Huang discloses a base (1) comprising a first channel (space in 1 around 18), the first channel extending along an axial direction (vertical direction in Fig. 1) and facing an opening (top opening of 8), the first channel communicating with a second channel (see Fig. 2);
a push rod (18), movably accommodated in the first channel (see Fig. 1), and driven by fluid from the assembly pipe to push against a pressure sensing unit (col. 3, lines 41-49).
It would have been obvious for one having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the present application to modify the pressure gauge of Chou and Chou ‘260 to include the first channel and push rod as disclosed by Huang in order to transmit medium pressure in a non-contact manner to prevent corrosion and allow pressure detection as high as 1000 kg/cm2 (Huang: col. 3,lines 49-59).
Chou as modified by Chou ‘260 and Huang discloses that the force equalized plate (Chou ‘260: 7 and Huang: 2) is between the diaphragm (Chou: 13 and Chou ‘260: 8 and Huang: 6) and the push rod (Huang: 18), when the push rod is approaching the pressure sensing unit, the push rod drives the force equalized plate to push against the diaphragm to deform (Huang: col. 3, lines 41-49), an accommodating hole (Chou ‘260: see Fig. 6, just below the center hole in diaphragm 8) is recessed on a side, facing the diaphragm, of the force equalized plate (Chou ‘260: 7), and when the force equalized plate pushes against the diaphragm, the connecting base (Chou ‘260: 9) extends into the accommodating hole (Chou ‘260: see Fig. 6).
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 2 and 3 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.
Claims 4-8 would be allowable if rewritten to overcome the rejection(s) under 35 U.S.C. 112(b) or 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), 2nd paragraph, set forth in this Office action and to include 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 2, the prior art of record and the examiner’s knowledge does not disclose or suggest pressure gauge that comprises an oil seal, a back support ring, a sealing ring, and a plugging base, the plugging base is screw-locked on a first channel, the plugging base and an inner wall of the first channel jointly define assembly space, the sealing ring is located in the assembly space and is sandwiched between the plugging base and the inner wall of the first channel, the back support ring and the oil seal are located in the assembly space and abut against each other in an axial direction, and a push rod movably penetrates the back support ring, the oil seal, the sealing ring, and the plugging base.
Claims 3-8 depend on claim 2 and inherit the same allowable subject matter.
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure.
U.S. Patent 9,829,403 issued to Wang (“Wang”) is cited for all that it discloses including a pressure gauge with a housing, a base with a radial channel and an arch frame.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to JUSTIN N OLAMIT whose telephone number is (571)270-1969. The examiner can normally be reached M-F, 8 am - 5 pm (Pacific).
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/JUSTIN N OLAMIT/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2853