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 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.
Claim(s) 1-11 and 15-20 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102a1/a2 as being anticipated by Meister (US 4,531,540), which discloses:
1. A flow-through hydraulic valve slide (4a), comprising at least one integrated hydraulic link valve (10, 11, which are functionally integrated with the rest of Meister’s system; note that Applicant’s was previously mapped to both 12a and 12b) for influencing a flow-through of the valve slide (4a), wherein the integrated hydraulic link valve comprises at least one first control port (15, 25; Applicant’s previously mapped to 16a and 16b), at least one second control port (16, 26; Applicant’s previously mapped to 18a and 18b), at least one entry (where fluid enters the each of 10, 11; Applicant previously mapped as 20a b, 36a b) and at least one exit (17, 27; Applicant’s previously mapped as 22a b, 40b) which can be opened in an interchangeable manner at least towards the entry (valves 10, 11 each open communication between their respective outlet and one of their inlets).
2. The flow-through hydraulic valve slide according to claim 1, characterized by comprising a sealing surface (where 4a contacts 5a; FIG 2) that is configured to tightly sit on a valve seat (5) of the control valve, wherein the at least one first control port (15, 25) is hydraulically connected to a first side (A) of the valve slide, wherein the at least one second control port (16, 26) is hydraulically connected to a second side (B) of the valve slide, and wherein the two sides to which the at least one first control port and at least one second control port are hydraulically connected are arranged on the valve slide in such a way that the first side (A) and the second side (B) can be sealed relative to each other by the sealing surface (when the valve closes, A is isolated from B).
3. The flow-through hydraulic valve slide (14a b) according to claim 2, wherein the exit (17, 27) is hydraulically connected to a third side (20, 21; and/or 28) of the valve slide, which is arranged opposite the sealing surface (see FIG 2) as viewed in a designated movement direction (vertically, as arranged in FIG 2) of the valve slide.
4. The flow-through hydraulic valve slide (14a) according to claim 1, wherein the at least one integrated hydraulic link valve is realized as a two-pressure valve (11), which is configured to open and/or keep open the entry to which the control port of the at least one first control port and the at least one second control port having the lower pressure is assigned towards the exit (the higher pressure of the two inlet ports 25 or 26 closes the valve 29 to that inlet port, thereby opening the valve to the lower pressure inlet port; see FIG 2).
5. The flow-through hydraulic valve slide according to claim 4, characterized in that wherein the exit (27) of the two-pressure valve is hydraulically connected to a region (28) of the valve slide (14a) that at least partially delimits a pressure fluid reservoir of the control valve (pressure can build inside of 28), the pressure fluid reservoir being configured to be filled and/or emptied during a movement of the valve slide via a flow-through path (the conduit inside of 30, between 27 and 28) that is controlled at least by the two-pressure valve (11).
6. The flow-through hydraulic valve slide according to claim 1, wherein the at least one integrated hydraulic link valve is realized as a shuttle valve (10), which is configured to open and/or keep open the entry to which the control port of the at least one first control port and the at least one second control port having the higher pressure is assigned towards the exit (due to the connections of shuttle valve 10, see FIG 2; e.g., col. 3 lines 57-62).
7. The flow-through hydraulic valve slide according to claim 6, characterized in that wherein the exit (17) of the shuttle valve is hydraulically connected to a hydraulic effective surface (21), which is situated opposite a further hydraulic effective surface (the top of 4A) that is realized on the side of the valve slide towards which the shuttle valve is currently open (by way of flowpath 12, 15, 17).
8. The flow-through hydraulic valve slide according to claim 7, characterized in that wherein the opposite-situated hydraulic effective surfaces have different dimensions (see FIG 2).
9. The flow-through hydraulic valve slide according to claim 1 comprising at least one integrated further hydraulic link valve (10), which differs from the at least one integrated hydraulic link valve (11) in a functional principle, for influencing a flow-through of the valve slide (11 admits the lower pressure; 10 admits the high pressure), the at least one integrated further hydraulic link valve comprising at least one first control port (15) and at least one second control port (16).
10. The flow-through hydraulic valve slide according to claim 9, wherein the at least one integrated hydraulic link valve (11) is realized as a two-pressure valve and that the at least on integrated further hydraulic link valve (10) is realized as a shuttle valve (see FIG 2).
11. The flow-through hydraulic valve slide (14a) according to claim 9, wherein the at least one integrated hydraulic link valve (11) is assigned to a flow channel (28) realized at least partially by the valve slide (4a) and that the at least one integrated further hydraulic link valve (10) is assigned to a further flow channel (18) realized at least partially by the valve slide (part 20 of 4a), wherein the two flow channels are realized completely separate from each other (see FIG 2).
15. The flow-through hydraulic valve slide according to claim 1, characterized by an orifice-free configuration (there is no disclosure of an orifice).
16. A bidirectional control valve for regulating damping characteristics (Meister is capable of such use; alternatively the preamble is given limited patentable weight as its unnecessary to understand the body of the claim), with a flow-through hydraulic valve slide according to claim 1 (see the analysis of claim 1 above).
17. The bidirectional control valve according to claim 16, comprising achieving a capability for regulating a pressure drop at the valve slide, starting from a volume flow of less than 10 I/min (same as Applicant’s, as the device is disclosed to be pressure-dependent, not flowrate-dependent).
18. The bidirectional control valve (10a) according to claim 16, with a first tank (A, compare to Applicant’s 66a) and with a second tank (B, compare to Applicant’s 68a) that is separable from the first tank by the valve slide (when the valve closes, A is shut off from B), characterized by a pressure fluid reservoir (28) the volume of which is variable by a movement of the valve slide, which is realized separately from the tanks (A, B) and which is partially fillable and/or partially emptyable by a flow-through of the valve slide (flow through from A to B can then proceed to 13, 26, 27, 28), wherein the at least one integrated hydraulic link valve realized as a two- pressure valve (11) is configured to automatically and dynamically create a valve-slide flow-through connection between the pressure fluid reservoir (28) and only that one of the two tanks (A, B) which currently has a lower pressure load (it is so capable, due to operation of valve 11, which opens the outlet 27 to the lower of the two pressures from A or B).
19. A vehicle with a bidirectional control valve according to claim 16 (see the analysis of claim 16 above, note that the preamble “vehicle” is given limited patentable weight because it’s unnecessary to understand the body of the claim).
20. A method for an automatic adjustment of instantaneous flow-through directions by means of flow-through valve slides, with a flow-through hydraulic valve slide according to claim 1, wherein the instantaneous flow-through directions are automatically adjusted dynamically by a two-pressure valve (11), which is at least partially integrated in the valve slide (this limitation is given limited patentable weight because it is a structural limitation rather than a positively-recited method step), and by a shuttle valve (10), which is at least partially integrated in the valve slide (this limitation is given limited patentable weight because it is a structural limitation rather than a positively-recited method step)).
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 12-14 would be allowable if rewritten, without narrowing the claim scope, to overcome the rejection(s) under 35 U.S.C. 112(b) or 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), 2nd paragraph, set forth in this Office action and to include all of the limitations of the base claim and any intervening claims.
Response to Arguments
Applicant's arguments filed 2/5/26 have been fully considered but they are not persuasive. In response to applicant's argument that the references fail to show certain features of the invention, it is noted that the features upon which applicant relies (i.e., the hydraulic link valve “integrated into the main valve piston (4a)”) are not recited in the rejected claim(s). Although the claims are interpreted in light of the specification, limitations from the specification are not read into the claims. See In re Van Geuns, 988 F.2d 1181, 26 USPQ2d 1057 (Fed. Cir. 1993). Rather, the claims simply require “at least one integrated hydraulic link valve”. As explained above, the claimed feature is met at least n that the hydraulic link valve is functionally integrated with the rest of the prior art system.
Conclusion
Applicant's amendment necessitated the new ground(s) of rejection presented in this Office action. Accordingly, THIS ACTION IS MADE FINAL. See MPEP § 706.07(a). 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 WILLIAM M MCCALISTER whose telephone number is (571)270-1869. The examiner can normally be reached M-F from 7am to 6pm.
If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, CRAIG SCHNEIDER, can be reached at telephone number 571-272-3607, or Kenneth Rinehart can be reached at 571-272-4881. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/WILLIAM M MCCALISTER/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3753
5/14/26
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