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 .
Response to Amendment
This office action responds to the amendment filed on 12/30/2025. Claims 1 and 3 are pending in the application. Claim 1 has been amended. Claim 2 is recently cancelled and claim 3 is added.
Response to Arguments
Applicant’s arguments, see pages 3-4, filed on 12/30/2025, with respect to the rejection of the amended claim 1 have been fully considered and are persuasive. Therefore, the rejection has been withdrawn. However, upon further consideration, a new ground(s) of rejection is made in view of Farwell et al. (US 2002/0112756) as indicated in the below rejection.
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.
Claim(s) 1 and 3 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Farwell et al. (US 2002/0112756).
With regards to claim 1:
Farwell et al. discloses (refer to Fig. 1 below) A rupture disk (20), comprising:
a flange portion (F); and
a reverse-buckling dome portion (D);
wherein the dome portion defines a line of weakness (22, 24); and
wherein the line of weakness comprises a first end (1), a central line portion (22), and a second end (2);
wherein at least one of the first end and second end extends outside of a plane defined by the central line portion;
wherein at least one of the first end (24, 1) and second end (24, 2) defines a curl, wherein the curl exhibits one or more of a non-constant radius of curvature, a compound shape having a plurality of radii of curvature, and a combination of curved and non- curved portions.
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Fig. 1
With regards to claim 3:
Farwell et al. discloses the rupture disk of claim 1, further comprising a hinge (23) positioned downstream from the dome portion, wherein the hinge has a first edge (24, 1) aligned with the first end (1) of the line of weakness and a second edge (24, 2) aligned with the second end (2) of the line of weakness (22, 24).
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure.
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 Minh Le, whose telephone number is 571-270-3805. The examiner can normally be reached on Monday-Friday (8:30AM-5:00PM 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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/MINH Q LE/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3753
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