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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 .
Claim Objections
Claim 4 is objected to because of the following informalities:
-In claim 4, line 3, “a streamline shape” should be changed to --- a streamline shape. --- Appropriate correction is required.
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.
(a)(2) the claimed invention was described in a patent issued under section 151, or in an application for patent published or deemed published under section 122(b), in which the patent or application, as the case may be, names another inventor and was effectively filed before the effective filing date of the claimed invention.
Claims 1 and 4 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Kojima et al. (Kojima) (Patent/Publication Number EP2405109 A2).
Regarding claim 1, Kojima discloses an exhaust pipe (2, 11) having a bifurcated shape (Figures 2 and 4-5) in which a pipe portion (13, 15) having a tubular shape and an attachment portion (20, 23, 22) having a columnar shape are integrated (e.g. See Paragraphs [0035]), the attachment portion having a leading end portion (20b, 30, 31) protruding into the pipe portion at an intermediate position of the pipe portion and a terminal end portion (20c) protruding to an outside of the pipe portion (e.g. See Paragraphs [0042]), the attachment portion including an attachment hole into which an injection valve (7) is inserted from a terminal end toward the leading end portion (e.g. See Paragraphs [0036-0037]), and a recess (located at 7a) that is recessed from a leading end toward the terminal end portion and whose bottom is disposed with a leading end of the injection valve (7) (e.g. See Paragraphs [0036] The in-pipe fuel injection valve 7 is placed right above the oxidation catalyst 4 on an outer circumferential side of the bend portion 13 for the purpose of supplying the oxidation catalyst 4 with the fuel required for catalytic reaction. The in-pipe fuel injection valve 7 is provided at its end with a fuel injecting portion 7a that injects fuel. The in-pipe fuel injection valve 7 is fixed at the end of a cylindrical channel portion 20 diverging from an outer circumferential face of the exhaust pipe portion 11 and extending outwardly upward on the downstream side of the bend portion 13, by using a fixing flange 21 and a seat 22. The fuel injecting portion 7a located in the end of the in-pipe fuel injection valve 7 faces a fuel injection path 20a formed in an interior space of the channel portion 20.) (e.g. See Paragraphs [0036-0037]), an injection axis of the injection valve intersecting with a pipe axis of the pipe portion at an acute angle (θ1) (e.g. See Paragraphs [0037] …. To be specific, as shown in FIG. 2, the fuel is injected from a direction intersecting with a flowing direction of an exhaust flow β at an acute angle θ1 toward a downstream direction, that is, toward a mixing chamber 14 formed in front of the inlet end face of the oxidation catalyst 4. In this way, a downstream portion in which a spray penetration of an injection flow α is low collides with exhaust gas at a point immediately upstream from the oxidation catalyst 4.), and a liquid being injected in a conical shape (α) increasing in diameter along the injection axis from the injection valve (e.g. See Paragraphs [0038]), wherein the recess has a truncated cone shape (as such, fan-like shape, trumpet-like shape, bellmouth shape) having an apex angle greater than the conical shape of the liquid, and an outer end on an outermost side of the recess and an outer end of an inner wall surface of the pipe portion continuous from the recess are linear (e.g. See Paragraphs [0038] Of the exhaust pipe portion 11 located upstream from the oxidation catalyst 4, an exhaust guiding portion 15, which is a part of the exhaust pipe portion 11 located upstream from a point at which the exhaust pipe portion 11 intersects with the injection flow α of the fuel injected from the in-pipe fuel injection valve 7, has a flow passage section in a shape similar to an injection zone of the injection flow α as a point at which the injection flow α meets and intersects with the exhaust flow β is viewed from the side (exhaust upstream side), as shown in FIG. 3. More specifically, the flow passage section has a fan-like shape that is substantially the same as a downstream-side shape as the injection flow α is viewed from the side. .....) (e.g. See Figures 2 and 4-5; Paragraphs [0038-0040]).
Regarding claim 4, Kojima further discloses wherein an outer peripheral surface of a portion of the leading end portion of the attachment portion protruding into the pipe portion has a streamline shape (as such, fan-like shape, trumpet-like shape, bellmouth shape) (e.g. See Paragraphs [0038] ....... More specifically, the flow passage section has a fan-like shape that is substantially the same as a downstream-side shape as the injection flow α is viewed from the side. The exhaust guiding portion 15 has a flow passage sectional shape that is narrow in a part corresponding to an upstream portion of the injection flow α, and is wide in an opposite part corresponding to a downstream portion, to coincide with the shape of the injection flow α splaying towards the end. Reference mark 15a in FIG. 3 represents a part having the narrow flow passage section, and 15b a part having the wide flow passage section. The exhaust guiding portion 15 evenly distributes the exhaust gas on the injection flow of the additive, and makes the additive fully contact the exhaust gas.) (e.g. See Figures 2 and 4-5; Paragraphs [0038-0039, 0042]).
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 2-3 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; and also to overcome the claim objections set forth in this Office action, such as to overcome the rejection(s) under 35 U.S.C. 101, and 112 2nd paragraph.
Since allowable subject matter has been indicated, applicant is encouraged to submit Final Formal Drawings (If Needed) in response to this Office action. The early submission of formal drawings will permit the Office to review the drawings for acceptability and to resolve any informalities remaining therein before the application is passed to issue. This will avoid possible delays in the issue process.
Prior Art
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure and consists of eight patents:
Kimura et al. (Pat./Pub. No. US 2009/0158717), Birkhold et al. (Pat./Pub. No. DE 102008041486A1), Levin et al. (Pat./Pub. No. US 2010/0107614), Shinoda et al. (Pat./Pub. No. US 2013/0180232), Bays et al. (Pat./Pub. No. US 2014/0260202), Pramas et al. (Pat./Pub. No. US 2016/0061083), Schellin et al. (Pat./Pub. No. US 2016/0312679), and Weigl et al. (Pat./Pub. No. US 6513323), all discloses an exhaust gas purification for use with an internal combustion engine.
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to Primary Examiner Binh Tran whose telephone number is (571) 272-4865. The examiner can normally be reached on Monday-Friday from 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.
If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisors, Mark Laurenzi, can be reach on (571) 270-7878. The fax phone numbers for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned are (571) 273-8300 for regular communications and for After Final communications.
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Binh Q. Tran
/BINH Q TRAN/
Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3748
January 09, 2026