DETAILED ACTION
The Response filed 28 April 2026 has been entered. Claims 1-2 and 5-17 remain pending. Claims 3-4 have been cancelled.
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
Applicant's arguments filed 28 April 2026 have been fully considered but they are not persuasive for the following reasons in view of Zhejiang (CN 102200191).
The applicant argues on pg. 6 of the Response that, in Zhejiang, “the first weld groove 231 is a straight axial groove extending parallel to the valve body axis, and the path of the first weld groove 231 along the conical portion is not aligned with the conical generator line, rather, it is oriented perpendicular to the busbar direction, i.e., the first weld groove 231 is an axial cross-section along the circumferential direction, effectively cutting across the conical surface at a 90o angle to the busbar.” However, first, as discussed in the previous office action, the first weld groove is the portion of groove 231 that extends along the conical surface, similar to the applicant’s first weld groove being a part of a larger groove that includes the second weld groove. Second, the first weld groove may be interpreted as being a groove extending along an axis that extends along the conical surface from the apex of the conical surface to the base circumference of the conical surface, wherein the bottom of the groove becomes more shallow in the direction toward the apex of the conical surface. The applicant states that the term “busbar” “specifically refers to the straight generator line on the conical surface which extends from the apex to the base circumference,” which is understood as referring to an arbitrary line/axis on the conical surface extending from the apex of the cone to the base of the cone. Therefore, the first weld groove 231 is seen as extending along a busbar on the outer wall of the cone. See also the annotation of Fig. 3 below.
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The applicant argues on pg. 7 of the Response that “Zhejiang explicitly discloses that the second weld groove 232 extends circumferentially around the outer wall of the cylinder, i.e., it is an annular groove whose direction is perpendicular to the cylinder axis, not aligned with the axial direction.” However, first, as discussed in the previous office action, the second weld groove is interpreted as the portion of groove 231 on the cylindrical section, rather than groove 232, and said second weld groove extends along an axis of the cylinder/cylindrical section.
The applicant argues on pg. 7 of the Response that “[t]here is no concept of busbar length in Zhejiang. Because the first weld groove 231 is an axial groove oriented perpendicular to the busbar, its length is determined solely by the axial length of the valve body and is entirely unrelated to the geometric length of the conical generator line.” However, as discussed above, a busbar is seen an arbitrary length/axis/material extending along the conical surface from the apex of the conical surface to the base circumference of the conical surface, which Zhejiang has, the first weld groove of groove 231 may be interpreted as extending along said busbar, and the length of said first weld groove is less than the length of said busbar.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 102
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 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.
Claims 1-2, 5, and 7-17 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Zhejiang (CN 102200191).
Regarding claim 1, Zhejiang discloses in Figs. 1-7 a reversing valve, wherein the reversing valve comprises:
a valve body 12, wherein the valve body 12 is a tubular structure, and an end portion of the valve body 12 is a connecting end (with end cover 13);
an end cover 13, wherein the end cover 13 comprises a cover body (comprising the closed end, like the applicant’s cover body 21), a cone (comprising the beveled-edge section, like the applicant’s cone 22), and a cylinder (comprising the cylindrical opened end, like the applicant’s cylinder 23), an end of the end cover 13 with a small outer diameter of the cone is connected with the cover body, an end of the end cover with a large outer diameter of the cone is connected with the cylinder, both the cone and the cylinder are inserted into the connecting end, and an outer wall of the cone and an outer wall of the cylinder are both welded with an inner wall of the connecting end (as evident by the groove 231, which is intended for the weld to flow into, as disclosed on pg. 4 of the English translation, extending through both of the cone and cylinder, and the intersecting circumferential groove 232 extend along the cylinder); and
a groove 231, wherein the groove 231 is used for being filled by a weld (because Zhejiang discloses on pg. 4 of the English translation “that the molten solder easily enters the first wielding seam groove 231,” which is the same manner as the applicant’s device, wherein solder is interpreted as being synonymous with a weld, and the specific process of making the claimed device isn’t seen as defining over the structure of the claimed device per MPEP 2113), the groove 231 comprises a first groove section (along the cone, as shown in the annotation of Fig. 3 below) and a second groove section (along the cylinder, as shown in the annotation of Fig. 3 below) that are mutually communicated, the first groove section is located between the outer wall of the cone and the inner wall of the connecting end, and the second groove section is located between the outer wall of the cylinder and the inner wall of the connecting end;
wherein the first groove section extends along a busbar (comprising an arbitrary line/axis on the conical surface extending from the apex of the cone to the base of the cone) on the outer wall of the cone, and the second groove section extends along an axis of the cylinder
wherein a length of the first groove section is equal to a length of the busbar S on the outer surface of the cone, or the length of the first groove section is less than the length of the busbar S on the outer surface of the cone (as shown in the annotation of Fig. 3 below).
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Regarding claim 2, Zhejiang discloses in Figs. 1-7 that the first groove section (along the cone of the end cover 13) is located on the outer wall of the cone; or the second groove section (along the cylinder) is located on the outer wall of the cylinder; or the first groove section is located on the outer wall of the cone and the second groove section is located on the outer wall of the cylinder.
Regarding claim 5, Zhejiang discloses in Figs. 1-7 that a length of the second groove section (along the cylinder) is equal to an axial length of the cylinder, or the length of the second groove section is less than an axial length of the cylinder.
Regarding claim 7, Zhejiang discloses in Figs. 1-7 that the inner wall of the connecting end comprises a cylindrical wall (around the cylinder portion of the end cover 13) and a conical wall (comprising the beveled opened end of the connecting end) that are mutually connected, wherein the cylindrical wall is welded with the cylinder, and the conical wall is welded with the cone (given that the welding groove 231 extends through the cone and cylinder, which are radially aligned with the conical wall and cylindrical wall, respectively).
Regarding claim 8, Zhejiang discloses in Figs. 1-7 that the first groove section (along the cone of the end cover 13) is located on the conical wall (of the connecting end, as shown Fig. 5); or the second groove section (along the cylinder of the end cover 13) is located on the cylindrical wall (of the connecting end, as shown in Fig. 5); or the first groove section is located on the conical wall and the second groove section is located on the cylindrical wall.
Regarding claim 9, Zhejiang discloses in Figs. 1-7 that there is a plurality of the welding grooves 231, and the plurality of the welding grooves 231 is disposed along a circumferential direction of the end cover 13.
Regarding claim 10, Zhejiang discloses in Figs. 1-7 that a connection portion between the outer wall of the cone and the outer wall of the cylinder has a chamfer (i.e. the beveled outer edge of the end cover 13), and the plurality of the welding grooves 231 is formed by a knurling structure (because the plurality of groove 231 are aligned distributed evenly around the circumference of the end cover 13, like the applicant’s device, and may include more than the four shown, as disclosed on pg. 4 of the English translation). (Also “formed by a knurling structure” is a product by process limitation, determination of patentability is based on product itself, product of Zhejiang is the same. (MPEP 2113))
Regarding claim 11, Zhejiang discloses in Figs. 1-7 that a size of the cover body (of the end cover 13) is less than a size of the cone (of the end cover 13) in a radial direction of the valve body 12; and a length of the connecting end (of the valve body 12) is greater than a total length of the cone and the cylinder in an axial direction of the valve body 12 (as indicated by the connecting end extending beyond the cylinder and cone of the end cover 13, as shown in Fig. 2).
Regarding claim 12, Zhejiang discloses in Figs. 1-7 that one end of the first groove section (along the cone portion of the end cover 13) is communicated with an outside of the reversing valve (because an end of the first groove section faces the open end of the connecting end).
Regarding claim 13, Zhejiang discloses in Figs. 1-7 that a cross-section of the welding groove 231 is rectangular (Fig. 3) or semi-circular.
Regarding claim 14, Zhejiang discloses in Figs. 1-7 that the valve body 12 comprises a main body (excluding the thinner connecting end(s) that wrap(s) around the end cover(s) 13, as shown in Fig. 5) and the connecting end (that wraps around one of the connecting ends 13), a wall thickness of the connecting end is less than a wall thickness of the main body 12, the cylinder is abutted against the main body 12 (Fig. 5).
Regarding claim 15, Zhejiang discloses in Figs. 1-7 that the connecting end comprises an outer peripheral surface and a limiting surface (comprising the internal shoulder against which the end cover 13 abuts when fully inserted into the connecting end, as shown in Fig. 5), the limiting surface is stop matched with the end cover 13 (because the limiting surface provides a limit stop for the insertion of the end cover 13, like the applicant’s valve).
Regarding claim 16, Zhejiang discloses in Figs. 1-7 that there are two end covers and two connecting ends (Fig. 1).
Regarding claim 17, Zhejiang discloses in Figs. 1-7 that the reversing valve is a four-way valve (as disclosed in the description of Fig. 1 on pg. 3 of the English translation).
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.
This application currently names joint inventors. In considering patentability of the claims the examiner presumes that the subject matter of the various claims was commonly owned as of the effective filing date of the claimed invention(s) absent any evidence to the contrary. Applicant is advised of the obligation under 37 CFR 1.56 to point out the inventor and effective filing dates of each claim that was not commonly owned as of the effective filing date of the later invention in order for the examiner to consider the applicability of 35 U.S.C. 102(b)(2)(C) for any potential 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(2) prior art against the later invention.
Claim 6 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Zhejiang in view of Hahn et al. (US 2018/0023462).
Regarding claim 6, Zhejiang discloses in Figs. 1-7 that there is a groove depth of the welding groove 231 on a radial section of the welding groove 231, but is silent with regard to the dimension of said groove depth, including that said groove depth is 0.02 mm to 0.1 mm.
Hahn teaches in Fig. 14 a groove depth of a welding groove is 0.1 mm (paragraph 114).
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have the groove depth of the welding groove be 0.1 mm, as Hahn teaches, because Zhejiang is silent with regard to the dimensions of the welding groove, and Hahn teaches that 0.1 mm is an sufficient depth for a weld.
Conclusion
THIS ACTION IS MADE FINAL. Applicant is reminded of the extension of time policy as set forth in 37 CFR 1.136(a).
A shortened statutory period for reply to this final action is set to expire THREE MONTHS from the mailing date of this action. In the event a first reply is filed within TWO MONTHS of the mailing date of this final action and the advisory action is not mailed until after the end of the THREE-MONTH shortened statutory period, then the shortened statutory period will expire on the date the advisory action is mailed, and any nonprovisional extension fee (37 CFR 1.17(a)) pursuant to 37 CFR 1.136(a) will be calculated from the mailing date of the advisory action. In no event, however, will the statutory period for reply expire later than SIX MONTHS from the mailing date of this final action.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to Examiner Jonathan Waddy, whose telephone number is 571-270-3146. The examiner can normally be reached on Monday-Friday (10:00AM-6:00PM EST).
If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisors can be reached by phone. Kenneth Rinehart can be reached at 571-272-4881 or Craig Schneider can be reached at 571-272-3607. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/J. W./
Examiner, Art Unit 3753
/KENNETH RINEHART/Supervisory Patent Examiner, Art Unit 3753
