DETAILED ACTION
The Response filed 5 November 2025 has been entered. Claims 1-2 and 4-17 remain pending. Claim 3 has 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 with respect to the prior art rejections have been considered but are moot because of a new ground of rejection. Specifically, the applicant asserts on pg. 9 of the Response that the application is in condition for allowance, however, in view of a new interpretation the claimed “busbar” a new grounds of rejection is made in view of Zhejiang (CN 102200191). See the prior art rejections below.
Drawings
The drawings were received on 5 November 2025. These drawings are accepted.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 112
The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 112(b):
(b) CONCLUSION.—The specification shall conclude with one or more claims particularly pointing out and distinctly claiming the subject matter which the inventor or a joint inventor regards as the invention.
The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), second paragraph:
The specification shall conclude with one or more claims particularly pointing out and distinctly claiming the subject matter which the applicant regards as his invention.
Claims 1-2 and 4-17 are rejected (wherein claims 2, 4-6, and 8-17 inherit their rejections due to their dependencies) under 35 U.S.C. 112(b) or 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), second paragraph, as being indefinite for failing to particularly point out and distinctly claim the subject matter which the inventor or a joint inventor (or for applications subject to pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, the applicant), regards as the invention.
In claim 1, line 10, it is unclear how a groove fills a solder, as recited in the recitation, “the groove is used for filling a solder.” Furthermore, it is unclear whether connecting end of the valve body is welded to the end cover, or soldered, because welding and soldering are understood as being two different methods of joining metal pieces, but both are recited (lines 8 and 10). Note that claim 7 also recites “welding” between the end cover and connecting end. As understood, the recitation is meant to recite that the groove is for being filled by a solder, like the “Background” discusses and the last paragraph of the “Summary,” or melted metal, like a typical weld, and the applicant is referring to welding and soldering, or welds and solders, as synonyms.
In claim 1, line 15, it unclear what the busbar 24 is in the applicant’s device. A busbar is conventionally known as a metallic strip for distributing electrical power/current, but there is no such description of the busbar in the applicant’s disclosure, and in fact, the disclosure discloses little about the structure and function regarding the busbar. As understood by the lack of description in the disclosure, including the amendments in the specification and drawings referring to busbar 24 in the amended drawings, the applicant’s busbar is simply a portion of the cone. See also claim 4 regarding the relative length of the busbar to the length of the first groove section.
In claim 7, as discussed with regard to claim 1, it is unclear whether the end cover is welded to the connecting end, as claimed in claim 7, or soldered, as suggested by the recitation of the “solder” in claim 1. As understood, the applicant is using welding and soldering as synonyms.
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, 4-5, and 7-17 (as understood: all) 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 filling a solder (i.e. “so that the molten solder easily enters the first wielding seam groove 231,” pg. 4 of the English translation, which is the same manner as the applicant’s device), the groove 231 comprises a first groove section (along the cone) and a second groove section (along the cylinder) 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 the portion of the cone that forms one of the side walls of the first groove section formed in the cone, like the applicant’s busbar 24 is only disclosed as a wall of the cone 22 delimiting a side of the first groove section 31) on the outer wall of the cone, and the second groove section extends along an axis of the cylinder.
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 4, Zhejiang discloses in Figs. 1-7 that a length of the first groove section (in the cone of the end cover 13) is equal to a length of the busbar on the outer surface of the cone (because the busbar is the sidewall of the first groove section formed by the cone that joins with the cylinder portion of the end cover 13), or the length of the first groove section is less than the length of the busbar on the outer surface of the cone.
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 (as understood) 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
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