DETAILED ACTION
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 § 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.
Claims 1-2 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Muraoka (US 2007/0138718 A1) in view of Kim et al. (US 2021/0260980 A1).
Re claim 1, Muraoka teaches a vibration-damping system comprising a fluid-filled vibration-damping device comprising: a first mounting member (18); a second mounting member (22); a main rubber elastic body (16) connecting the first mounting member and the second mounting member; a fluid chamber (116) formed inside; a membrane (88) constituting a portion of a wall of the fluid chamber; an action air chamber (100) formed on an opposite side of the membrane to the fluid chamber; and a switching valve (128) including a first port and a second port and communicating either the first port or the second port with the action air chamber by alternative switching, wherein for any of the fluid-filled vibration-damping devices, the first port has a structure open to an air, and for each of the fluid-filled vibration-damping devices, the second port alternatively has an obstruction structure of being sealed by a cap being attached, or a suction structure of being connected to a negative pressure source to exert a negative pressure on the action air chamber. (Fig. 1) As written and interpreted by the Examiner “alternatively” requires only one of the structural limitations. In the case of Muraoka, the “negative pressure source” is disclosed.
Muraoka does not teach a plurality of fluid-filled vibration-damping devices. Kim et al. teach a vibration-damping system comprising a plurality of fluid-filled vibration-damping devices (3,4). (Fig. 1) It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date to provide a plurality of vibration-damping devices based on the desired damping characteristics.
Re claim 2, Muraoka teaches a switch control device ([0101]) controlling switching of the switching valve (128). Muraoka does not teach wherein in any of the fluid-filled vibration-damping devices, the switch control device switches the switching valve by a same control. Kim et al. teach a control device (13) wherein in any of the fluid-filled vibration-damping devices, the switch control device switches the switching valve by a same control. ([0044]) It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date to provide a single control device in order to reduce vibration based on specific driving conditions.
Allowable Subject Matter
Claim 4 is 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 3 and 5 are allowed.
The following is a statement of reasons for the indication of allowable subject matter: The prior art of record does not teach an obstruction tube is attached to the second port, and an end opening of the obstruction tube opposite to the second port is obstructed, and for each of the fluid-filled vibration-damping devices, a length of the obstruction tube is individually adjusted depending on required spring characteristics of the action air chamber.
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure.
Yamada et al., Takeo et al., Ichikawa et al., Maeno et al., Schisler et al., Nakamura et al., Gennesseaux, Asano et al., Heitzig, Durand et al., and KR ‘105 teach similar vibration damping devices.
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/MELANIE TORRES WILLIAMS/
Primary Examiner
Art Unit 3616
MTWAugust 18, 2026
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