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 .
Election/Restrictions
Applicant’s election without traverse of Group I, Claims 1 - 5 in the reply filed on 10/30/2025 is acknowledged.
Response to Arguments
Applicant’s arguments with respect to claims 1 – 5 and 15 have been considered but are moot because the new ground of rejection does not rely on any combination of the references applied in the prior rejection of record for any teaching or matter specifically challenged in the argument.
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.
Claims 1 – 5 and 15 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Dilmaghanian et al. (U.S. PG Pub # 20180112778), in view of Hunter (U.S. PG Pub # 20130161553).
Regarding Claim 1, Dilmaghanian discloses a sealing system (fig 17), comprising: a lip seal comprising an inner lip portion ( as seen in examiner annotated fig 17 below) and an outer lip portion ( as seen in examiner annotated fig 17 below); a toroidal tensioning element (116) positioned between the inner lip portion and the outer lip portion for keeping the lip seal under tension (fig 17); and an annular thruster element (310) partially inserted into the lip seal between one of said inner and outer lip portions and the toroidal tensioning element ( as seen in examiner annotated fig 17 below).
Dilmaghanian does not disclose a register member.
However, Hunter teaches a register member (115, fig 2).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the invention to combine the register member of Hunter with the sealing system of Dilmaghanian so that the register member acts as a load ring and the lip seal is positioned within the recess of the housing (Hunter Para 0037).
The combination of Dilmaghanian and Hunter discloses the annular thruster element forming an outer end portion axially protruding from the lip seal ( as seen in examiner annotated Dilmaghanian fig 17 below) to be engageable by a register member (Hunter 115) so as to cause an adjustable and controlled axial translation of the annular thruster element towards an inside of the lip seal (structure of Dilmaghanian configured to cause an adjustable and controlled axial translation of the annular thruster element towards an inside of the lip seal), the annular thruster element having a wedge shape so that said axial translation of the annular thruster element along a translational axis causes said wedge shape to exert a radial force on said one of said lip portions, thereby causing a radial divarication of the lip seal to adjust a pre-load on the lip seal (structure configured so that said axial translation of the annular thruster element causes a radial divarication of the lip seal).
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Regarding Claim 2, the combination of Dilmaghanian and Hunter discloses the sealing system, wherein the toroidal tensioning element is made with a helical spring (Dilmaghanian Para 0083- 116 is a canted coil spring).
Regarding Claim 3, the combination of Dilmaghanian and Hunter discloses the sealing system, wherein a distal end portion of one between the inner and outer lip portions has a concave shape (Dilmaghanian - distal end portion of outer lip portion 120 has a concave shape), and wherein the toroidal tensioning element is partially accommodated by shape coupling in said distal end portion (Dilmaghanian - 116 shape coupled in distal end portion of 120).
Regarding Claim 4, the combination of Dilmaghanian and Hunter discloses the sealing system, wherein the annular thruster element forms a radially external wall that is substantially flat ( Dilmaghanian - radially external wall which is radially external to the radially innermost wall of 310 as seen in examiner annotated fig 17 above), on which the toroidal tensioning element rests (Dilmaghanian - 116 rests on flat surface as seen in examiner annotated fig 17 above), and a radially internal wall which that is at least partially inclined ( as seen in examiner annotated Dilmaghanian fig 17 above).
Regarding Claim 5, the combination of Dilmaghanian and Hunter discloses the sealing system, wherein the inner and outer lip portions form, on respective radially outer sides, convex distal surfaces (Dilmaghanian - convex distal surfaces of 122 and 120) suitable to make respective points of contact with respective seal surfaces (Dilmaghanian fig 17).
Regarding Claim 15, the combination of Dilmaghanian and Hunter discloses the sealing system, further comprising said register member (Hunter 115).
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to L. Susmitha Koneru whose telephone number is 571.270.5333. The examiner can normally be reached from Monday-Friday, 9:00 AM-4:00 PM.
If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Christine Mills can be reached on 571.272.8322. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571.273.8300.
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/L. SUSMITHA KONERU/Examiner, Art Unit 3675
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