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 with traverse of Species B in the reply filed on 01/15/2026 is acknowledged. The traversal is on the ground(s) that there is no search burden because all of the species are related to a pressure regulation valve including a control body movable based on pressure differentials. This is not found persuasive because each of the species and sub-species define a specific piston/control body that would require different search queries, different subclass searches, and prior art applicable to one species would not be applicable to another species.
The requirement is still deemed proper and is therefore made FINAL.
Claims 4-10 and 12-18 are withdrawn from further consideration pursuant to 37 CFR 1.142(b), as being drawn to a nonelected species / sub-species, there being no allowable generic or linking claim. Applicant timely traversed the restriction (election) requirement in the reply filed on 01/15/2026.
Please note that claim 20, the limitation of the control body being slidable reads on Species B and has been included in examination.
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, 2, 11, and 20 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Kamiya et al. (U.S. 2018/0348797).
Regarding claim 1, Kamiya discloses:
A pressure regulation valve (10) comprising:
a valve housing 11
a control body (12) positioned in the valve housing 11 (see Figure 1; see paragraph 0024)
the control body (12) movable between a first position and a second position based on (a) a first pressure differential between a first variable-pressure location (11o) and a second variable- pressure location (Rp) and (b) a second pressure differential between the second variable-pressure location (Rp) and a control volume (11d) of the valve housing 11 (see paragraphs 0027-0029)
the control body (12) in the first position to fluidly couple the first variable-pressure location (11o) to the control volume 11d (see Figure 1)
the control body (12) in the second position to restrict fluid flow between the first variable- pressure location (11o) and the control volume 11d (see Figure 2)
Regarding claim 2, Kamiya discloses:
wherein the control body (12) is movable to a third position (Figure 3) between the first (Figure 1) and second positions (Figure 2), the control body (12) in the third position (Figure 3) to restrict fluid flow between the first variable-pressure location (11o) and the control volume (11d) and between the second variable-pressure location (Rp) and the control volume 11d (see Figure 3)
Regarding claim 11, Kamiya discloses:
wherein the control body (12) includes:
a first cylindrical section (12a) and a second cylindrical section (12b), a first diameter of the first cylindrical section (12a) greater than a second diameter of the second cylindrical section 12b (see Figure 1; see paragraph 0029)
an aperture (12e) defined in a first surface of the first cylindrical section 12a (see Figure 1)
Regarding claim 20, Kamiya discloses:
wherein the control body (12) is at least one of slidable or rotatable between the first position (Figure 1) and the second position (Figure 2)
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 3 and 19 are objected to as being dependent upon a rejected base claim, but would be allowable if rewritten in independent form including all of the limitations of the base claim and any intervening claims.
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure. Scopesi (U.S. 2019/0271407) discloses a pressure regulation valve comprising a valve housing; a control body in the valve housing; the control body movable between two positions based on a pressure differential between three locations; the control body allowing fluid flow in a first position between two of the three locations and blocking fluid flow in the second position.
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/KELSEY E CARY/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3753