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 20 is objected to because the phrase “at least one axial outflow channel that forms of an axial flow path” includes the typographical error “of an.” Appropriate correction is required.
Drawings
The drawings are objected to under 37 CFR 1.83(a). The drawings must show every feature of the invention specified in the claims. Therefore, the “rounding” as recited in claim 23 must be shown or the feature(s) canceled from the claim(s). No new matter should be entered.
Corrected drawing sheets in compliance with 37 CFR 1.121(d) are required in reply to the Office action to avoid abandonment of the application. Any amended replacement drawing sheet should include all of the figures appearing on the immediate prior version of the sheet, even if only one figure is being amended. The figure or figure number of an amended drawing should not be labeled as “amended.” If a drawing figure is to be canceled, the appropriate figure must be removed from the replacement sheet, and where necessary, the remaining figures must be renumbered and appropriate changes made to the brief description of the several views of the drawings for consistency. Additional replacement sheets may be necessary to show the renumbering of the remaining figures. Each drawing sheet submitted after the filing date of an application must be labeled in the top margin as either “Replacement Sheet” or “New Sheet” pursuant to 37 CFR 1.121(d). If the changes are not accepted by the examiner, the applicant will be notified and informed of any required corrective action in the next Office action. The objection to the drawings will not be held in abeyance.
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.
The factual inquiries for establishing a background for determining obviousness under 35 U.S.C. 103 are summarized as follows:
1. Determining the scope and contents of the prior art.
2. Ascertaining the differences between the prior art and the claims at issue.
3. Resolving the level of ordinary skill in the pertinent art.
4. Considering objective evidence present in the application indicating obviousness or nonobviousness.
Claims 16-22 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Eichenmuller et al. (US 2015/0276002) in view of Yu (US 2013/0333993).
Regarding claim 16, Eichenmuller discloses a valve assembly for a vibration damper (see Abstract, FIGS. 1, 2), comprising: a main valve (2, 9), having: a main valve body (2); and at least one main valve disk (9) for influencing a flow resistance of a main volumetric flow (see ¶ 0024, FIG. 1); a tension-side auxiliary valve (3, 10), having: a tension-side auxiliary valve body (3); and at least one tension-side valve disk (10) for influencing a secondary flow resistance of a secondary volumetric flow on a tension side (see ¶ 0024; FIG. 1); and a compression-side auxiliary valve (4, 11) having: a compression-side auxiliary valve body (4); and at least one compression-side valve disk (11) for influencing the secondary flow resistance of the secondary volumetric flow on a compression side (see ¶ 0024; FIG. 1); a support section (12) for axially securing the main valve and the tension-side auxiliary valve and the compression-side auxiliary valve (see ¶ 0025; FIG. 1), wherein the main valve body is arranged on the support section axially between the tension-side auxiliary valve body and the compression-side auxiliary valve body (see FIG. 1) and defines a tension-side and a compression-side working space (see FIG. 1).
Eichenmuller does not disclose that the compression-side auxiliary valve opens into a pressure chamber, which is chambered off relative to the compression-side working space, wherein the pressure chamber is bounded in an axial direction by a further valve disk for influencing the flow resistance of the secondary volumetric flow.
Yu teaches a valve assembly for a vibration damper (see Abstract, FIG. 1), comprising: a main valve (100) and a compression-side auxiliary valve (500), the compression-side auxiliary valve comprising a compression-side auxiliary valve body (500), at least one compression-side valve disk (511), wherein the compression-side auxiliary valve opens into a pressure chamber (see FIG. 1, space bounded between disk (511) and disk (522)), which is chambered off relative to the compression-side working space (via (522)), wherein the pressure chamber is bounded in an axial direction by a further valve disk (522) for influencing the flow resistance of the secondary volumetric flow (see ¶ 0054).
It would have been obvious to configure the valve assembly of Eichenmuller to have the compression-side auxiliary valve open into a pressure chamber bounded by a further valve disk to provide a further blowoff point that generates a soft and smooth transition between differing damping force characteristics at differing speeds (see e.g. Yu, ¶¶ 0008, 0012-0016).
Regarding claim 17, Eichenmuller discloses at least one secondary flow channel (2) that connects the tension-side auxiliary valve and the compression-side auxiliary valve to one another fluidically (see FIG. 1); wherein, when there is a movement of the valve assembly in a tension direction, the secondary volumetric flow runs from the tension-side working space, via the tension-side auxiliary valve, the secondary flow channel, via the compression-side auxiliary valve (see FIG. 1). Yu teaches that fluid flows from the auxiliary valve into the pressure chamber and from the pressure chamber into the compression-side working space (see FIG. 2); and wherein a flow rate of the secondary volumetric flow from the pressure chamber into the compression-side working space is limited by the further valve disk (see FIG. 2; ¶ 0024).
Regarding claim 18, Eichenmuller discloses that the compression-side auxiliary valve body and/or the compression-side auxiliary valve disk have/has at least one radial outflow channel (21) for formation of a radial flow path for the secondary volumetric flow (see ¶ 0031), wherein the secondary volumetric flow runs at least partially in a radial direction via the radial outflow channel (see ¶ 0031; FIG. 1). Yu teaches that fluid flows from the auxiliary valve into the pressure chamber (see FIG. 2).
Regarding claim 19, Yu teaches that the pressure chamber is bounded in a radial direction by a cylindrical shell section (520), wherein the cylindrical shell section has on its axial end an encircling valve seat surface for the further valve disk (see FIG. 1).
Regarding claim 20, Eichenmuller discloses at least one axial outflow channel (16c) (see FIG. 6) that forms an axial flow path for the secondary volumetric flow that fluidically connects to the compression-side working space (see FIG. 6; ¶ 0036, 0037). It would have been obvious to configure the further valve disk (combined from Yu) to have an axial flow passage because Eichenmuller discloses that all of the disks in the assembly have an axial flow passage, and further teaches that the axial flow passages connecting the chambers defines the amount of choking of fluid passing through the opening (e.g. little resistance at slow speeds, and increased resistance at higher speeds when the fluid is choked).
Regarding claim 21, Yu teaches that the pressure chamber is connected fluidically to the compression-side working space via at least one further radial outflow channel for formation of a radial flow path for the secondary volumetric flow (see FIG. 2).
Regarding claim 22, Yu discloses that an encircling annular trough is formed within the pressure chamber between the compression-side auxiliary valve body and a cylindrical shell section (520) (see FIG. 1), and wherein a flow direction of the secondary volumetric flow within the pressure chamber is deflected by the annular trough (see FIG. 2).
Regarding claim 23, Yu discloses that at least an inner edge of the cylindrical shell section has a rounding (see e.g. FIG. 1, shell section is annular, thereby having a “rounding”).
Regarding claim 24, Yu discloses that the valve assembly has a cylinder pot (520) for the formation of the pressure chamber (see FIGS. 1, 2), and wherein the compression-side auxiliary valve body is accommodated in the cylinder pot (see FIGS. 1, 2), and the cylinder pot has the cylindrical shell section (see FIGS. 1, 2).
Regarding claim 25, Yu discloses that the pressure chamber is partially formed by the compression-side auxiliary valve body (520), and wherein the compression-side auxiliary valve body has the cylindrical shell section (see FIGS. 1, 2).
Regarding claim 26, Eichenmuller discloses that the main valve body has a receiving space on the compression side (see FIG. 1), and wherein the main valve opens on the compression side into the receiving space and wherein the receiving space is bounded by a bottom section of the compression-side auxiliary valve in order to influence a flow resistance of the main volumetric flow in the axial direction (see FIG. 1).
Regarding claim 27, Eichenmuller discloses that either the compression-side auxiliary valve body or a cylinder pot has the bottom section (see FIG. 1).
Regarding claim 28, Eichenmuller discloses that the receiving space is bounded in a radial direction by a piston skirt section (see FIG. 1), and wherein an encircling annular gap for fluidically connecting the receiving space to the compression- side working space is formed between the cylindrical shell section and the piston skirt section (see FIG. 1).
Regarding claim 29, Yu teaches that the bottom section is connected to the cylindrical shell section by an encircling run-in chamfer (see FIG. 1, top corners of (500) are chamfered), wherein the main volumetric flow runs into the annular gap via the run-in chamfer (see FIG. 1).
Regarding claim 30, Eichenmuller discloses a vibration damper comprising a valve assembly (see Abstract, FIGS. 1, 2), comprising: a main valve (2, 9), having: a main valve body (2); and at least one main valve disk (9) for influencing a flow resistance of a main volumetric flow (see ¶ 0024, FIG. 1); a tension-side auxiliary valve (3, 10), having: a tension-side auxiliary valve body (3); and at least one tension-side valve disk (10) for influencing a secondary flow resistance of a secondary volumetric flow on a tension side (see ¶ 0024; FIG. 1); and a compression-side auxiliary valve (4, 11) having: a compression-side auxiliary valve body (4); and at least one compression-side valve disk (11) for influencing the secondary flow resistance of the secondary volumetric flow on a compression side (see ¶ 0024; FIG. 1); a support section (12) for axially securing the main valve and the tension-side auxiliary valve and the compression-side auxiliary valve (see ¶ 0025; FIG. 1), wherein the main valve body is arranged on the support section axially between the tension-side auxiliary valve body and the compression-side auxiliary valve body (see FIG. 1) and defines a tension-side and a compression-side working space (see FIG. 1).
Eichenmuller does not disclose that the compression-side auxiliary valve opens into a pressure chamber, which is chambered off relative to the compression-side working space, wherein the pressure chamber is bounded in an axial direction by a further valve disk for influencing the flow resistance of the secondary volumetric flow.
Yu teaches a valve assembly for a vibration damper (see Abstract, FIG. 1), comprising: a main valve (100) and a compression-side auxiliary valve (500), the compression-side auxiliary valve comprising a compression-side auxiliary valve body (500), at least one compression-side valve disk (511), wherein the compression-side auxiliary valve opens into a pressure chamber (see FIG. 1, space bounded between disk (511) and disk (522)), which is chambered off relative to the compression-side working space (via (522)), wherein the pressure chamber is bounded in an axial direction by a further valve disk (522) for influencing the flow resistance of the secondary volumetric flow (see ¶ 0054).
It would have been obvious to configure the valve assembly of Eichenmuller to have the compression-side auxiliary valve open into a pressure chamber bounded by a further valve disk to provide a further blowoff point that generates a soft and smooth transition between differing damping force characteristics at differing speeds (see e.g. Yu, ¶¶ 0008, 0012-0016).
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to NICHOLAS J LANE whose telephone number is (571)270-5988. The examiner can normally be reached Monday-Friday, 8:30 AM - 5:00 PM.
Examiner interviews are available via telephone, in-person, and video conferencing using a USPTO supplied web-based collaboration tool. To schedule an interview, applicant is encouraged to use the USPTO Automated Interview Request (AIR) at http://www.uspto.gov/interviewpractice.
If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Robert Siconolfi can be reached at (571)272-7124. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
Information regarding the status of published or unpublished applications may be obtained from Patent Center. Unpublished application information in Patent Center is available to registered users. To file and manage patent submissions in Patent Center, visit: https://patentcenter.uspto.gov. Visit https://www.uspto.gov/patents/apply/patent-center for more information about Patent Center and https://www.uspto.gov/patents/docx for information about filing in DOCX format. For additional questions, contact the Electronic Business Center (EBC) at 866-217-9197 (toll-free). If you would like assistance from a USPTO Customer Service Representative, call 800-786-9199 (IN USA OR CANADA) or 571-272-1000.
/NICHOLAS J LANE/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3616
June 27, 2026
Prosecution Insights