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 Arguments
Applicants’ argument that Sturm does not teach a barrier or coating on the recess 6 (female locking end 4)…for example” is not persuasive as stated in rejection below the barrier or coating is placed on two surfaces and the surfaces are as shown below and stated in the references. The barrier or coating are placed on radial overlap of recess and axial overlap of recess.
Furthermore it is noted that the reference of Sturm teaches coating 20 in figure 5, figure 15 teaches 31 in figure on the tongue or protrusion.
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) 14-17, 19-21, 23 and 25-29 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Sturm et al (EP3889471A1). See figure below
Sturm discloses a compression ring (e.g. ring 1 in figure 1), comprising a ring running surface (e.g. see 1st butt end region with running surface, figure below) on a first butt end region (e.g. figures 2-3), a ring running surface (e.g. see 2nd butt end region with running surface) on a second butt end region (e.g. figures 2-3), a ring inner surface (e.g. inner diameter of the ring shown in figure 1 or inner surface in figure below), a top ring flank surface (e.g. top surface of the ring or top ring flank surface shown in figure below) and a bottom ring flank surface (e.g. bottom surface of the ring or bottom ring flank surface shown in figure below), wherein the ring has overlapping butt end regions (e.g. overlapping of 5 and 6), wherein the first butt end region has a protrusion (e.g. tongue 5 pr protrusion 5) in the circumferential direction, and the second butt end region has a recess (e.g. recess 6) in the circumferential direction, wherein the recess lies radially inward of the protrusion (e.g. see figure below and figure 1), wherein the protrusion (e.g. the tongue 5) forms an axial overlap surface (e.g. see figure below) and a radial overlap surface (e.g. radial overlap shown in figure 4), and the recess (e.g. the recess 6 and figure below) forms an axial overlap surface (e.g. see figure below) and a radial overlap surface which lies at least partially opposite and parallel to and radially inward of the radial overlap surface (e.g. see figure 4 below radial overlap) in order to shift parallel to one another in response to a change of the butt play (e.g. radial overlap in figure 4 below), wherein the axial recess surface is provided with an axial wear element and the radial recess surface is provided with a radial wear element (e.g. see figure below and when 31 is applied to recess instead of the protrusion as stated in the reference, “A gas barrier is arranged on at least one of the locking ends, preferably on the tongue, more preferably on the radially inwardly facing sliding surface of the tongue and/or on the axial sliding surface of the tongue. The gas barrier at least partly bridges the radial and/or axial space which exists between the overlapping locking ends without any pressure.”), wherein the wear element (e.g. the wear element shown in figure 5) is made of a temperature-resistant metallic material (e.g. coating that is formed by electroplating), wherein the material of the wear element (e.g. the wear element shown in figures 5) has a lower wear resistance than the base material of the compression ring (e.g. direct quotes from reference, “Alternatively the protrusion may have a hardness which is lower than the hardness of the core of the piston ring.” and “The protrusion may comprise a soft metal, for example aluminum, bronze, non-ferrous metal, soft iron”). Direct quotes from reference: “Preferably the gas barrier has a hardness which is lower than the hardness of the core of the piston ring.” and “The surface of the gas barrier rubs flat when the diameter of the piston ring changes and the locking ends move relatively to each other”. Regarding claim 29, applicant should review barrier or coating or layer 31 in figure 15.
Regarding claim 15: Wherein the ring has the overlapping butt end regions in the nominal diameter (e.g. figures 1-5 show this).
Regarding claim 16: Wherein the surfaces, which can be shifted parallel to one another, lie at least partially opposite one another in the nominal diameter (e.g. figure 3 shows this).
Regarding claim 17: Wherein the wear element has a minimum thickness of 0.005 mm (e.g. document states this range, see description of protrusion 20).
Regarding claim 19: Wherein the wear element overlaps or covers, respectively, 10-100 of the surface, on which the wear element is arranged (e.g. see figures 5-6).
Regarding claim 20: Wherein the wear element is arranged in the axial direction and/or radial direction at a distance from an edge of the surface on which the wear element is arranged (e.g. figure 6 shows this, edge 28).
Regarding claim 21: Wherein the butt end regions are formed with a single step (e.g. figures 1-6 show this).
Regarding claim 23: Wherein the butt end regions are formed in a staircase-shaped manner (e.g. figures 1-6 show this).
Regarding claim 25: Wherein a strength of the wear element is in the range of 1-80% less than a strength of the compression ring (e.g. see material of the wear element which is softer metal than iron).
Regarding claim 26: Sturm discloses a method for counter-sinking a compression ring according to claim 14, wherein the method comprises the steps of applying a wear element by means of wire rolling into a groove, laser remelting, laser metal deposition, deposition welding, thermal spraying and/or galvanic or chemical deposition or sintering (e.g. see entire document and rejection of claim 14 above) and moving the butt end regions against one another in order to create a wear of the wear element, until the nominal size in the axial and/or radial direction of the compression ring is reached (e.g. this would occur during operation of a machine with a compression ring and the wear element is softer than the core element of the compression ring).
Regarding claim 27: Wherein the range is 0-40% (again the wear element is made of metal that is softer than the core material of the compression ring).
Regarding claim 28: Wherein the range is 1-20% (again the wear element is made of metal that is softer than the core material of the compression ring).
It is further noted that the reference teaches to have barrier or layer or coating on surface 6 and in other embodiment the coating is placed on plurality of surfaces as shown in figure 15. In conclusion to have coating formed on two of the surface of recess 6 would be well known in the art and considered to be art equivalent.
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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) 18 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Sturm in view of Examiners Official Notice.
Sturm discloses the invention as claimed above but fails to disclose the wear element has different wear layers arranged one on top of the other, which include different materials. Examiner takes official notice that to have a coating on a member, where the coating is formed by multiple layers where 1st layers is primer layer and 2nd layers is a metallic layers different than the primer layer is well known in the art. It would have been obvious to one skilled in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have the wear element of Sturm be formed of different wear layers as taught by Examiners Official Notice, with reasonable expectation of success to provide better bonding between the core element of the piston ring and the metallic layer (inherent to provide better bonding).
See evidence references provided on form 892.
Claim(s) 22 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Sturm in view of Dodd (US.1064300).
Sturm discloses the invention as claimed above but fails to disclose wherein the butt end regions are formed with two steps. Dodd teaches to have a piston ring with multiple steps at butt end regions (see figure 4, B or figures 1-3). It would have been obvious to one skilled in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to configure the butt end regions to have plurality of steps as taught by Dodd with reasonable expectation of success, to provide a compression with larger thickness (e.g. see thickness of ring taught by Dodd).
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to VISHAL A PATEL whose telephone number is (571)272-7060. The examiner can normally be reached 7:00 am to 4:00pm.
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/VISHAL A PATEL/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3675
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