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 .
Status of Claims
Currently claims 1-21 are cancelled and claims 22-41 are pending and new.
Drawings
The drawings are objected to under 37 CFR 1.83(a). The drawings must show every feature of the invention specified in the claims. Therefore, the grooves being linear and extending from the inlet end to the outlet length must be shown or the feature(s) canceled from the claim(s). No new matter should be entered. Currently the linear grooves are not shown extending from the inlet to the outlet end, but rather from the outlet to a portion that is extended away from the inlet end.
Corrected drawing sheets in compliance with 37 CFR 1.121(d) are required in reply to the Office action to avoid abandonment of the application. Any amended replacement drawing sheet should include all of the figures appearing on the immediate prior version of the sheet, even if only one figure is being amended. The figure or figure number of an amended drawing should not be labeled as “amended.” If a drawing figure is to be canceled, the appropriate figure must be removed from the replacement sheet, and where necessary, the remaining figures must be renumbered and appropriate changes made to the brief description of the several views of the drawings for consistency. Additional replacement sheets may be necessary to show the renumbering of the remaining figures. Each drawing sheet submitted after the filing date of an application must be labeled in the top margin as either “Replacement Sheet” or “New Sheet” pursuant to 37 CFR 1.121(d). If the changes are not accepted by the examiner, the applicant will be notified and informed of any required corrective action in the next Office action. The objection to the drawings will not be held in abeyance.
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) 22-41 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Wetzel (DE 102015007621A1).
With respect to claims 22, 29, and 37 Wetzel discloses a method of forming a portion of a nozzle for an injector of a fuel system (figure 1, fuel injection nozzle shown)/an injector for a fuel system, the method comprising:
forming at least one spray hole within the nozzle (spray hole of 24 coming from 16, figure 3a), the at least one spray hole having a length extending from an inlet end (inlet at the bottom of 18 going into 16) located within the nozzle to an outlet end (outlet at the end of 24, spraying to outside the nozzle) located on an outer surface of the nozzle (as the outlet end is at the outer surface of the nozzle body), and the at least one spray hole having an inner surface defining a channel (figure 3a, the fuel injection hole 24 being a channel from the inlet to the outlet) extending along the length from the inlet end to the outlet end (as shown in figure 3a); and forming a plurality of grooves (grooves figure 3c, shows grooves being 56, being called depressions, paragraph 0040) in the inner surface of the at least one spray hole (as shown in figure 3a) so that each of the plurality of grooves defines a recessed portion of the channel that extends in a linear configuration (as shown in figures 3a and 3c), each of the plurality of grooves being formed in the inner surface to extend in the linear configuration from a first end to a second end (as the grooves 56 extend from a first end adjacent 16 to a second end at the outlet of the spray hole) of a corresponding one of the plurality of grooves (as shown in figure 3c, a plurality of grooves), the plurality of grooves being formed to be separated from one another by a plurality of lands (lands at 34, figure 3c) that form non-recessed portions of the channel (as shown in figure 3c), wherein the linear configuration of each of the plurality of grooves is configured to interrupt laminar flow of fluid flowing through the at least one spray hole to mix the fluid with air (being a function of the grooves, allowing for fluid flow within them which would in turn add turbulence, paragraphs 0002 and 0020). With respect to claim 29, the grooves extend along at least a majority of the length of the at least one spray hole (as shown in figure 3a).
With respect to claims 23, Wetzel discloses each of the plurality of grooves is formed in the inner surface to extend in the linear configuration from the first end to the second end thereof (as shown in figure 3a) so that each of the plurality of grooves extends along only a portion of the length of the at least one spray hole (taking 16 as part of the spray hole, being the inlet potion of the spray hole the grooves extend only a portion of the length of 16 and 24 combined).
With respect to claim 24, Wetzel discloses wherein each of the plurality of grooves extends along a majority of the length of the at least one spray hole (as shown in figure 3a).
With respect to claims 25, 32, and 39 Wetzel discloses each of the plurality of grooves is formed in the inner surface (being the inner surface of 24) to extend in the linear configuration from the first end (end at 16) to the second end (end at the outlet) thereof so that each of the plurality of grooves extends along the length of the at least one spray hole from the inlet end to the outlet end (as shown in figure 3a).
With respect to claims 26, 33, and 38 Wetzel discloses each of the plurality of lands extending in a linear configuration from a first end thereof at the first ends of adjacent ones of the plurality of grooves to a second end thereof at the second ends of the adjacent ones of the plurality of grooves (as shown in figure 3c, where the lands are adjacent the grooves and extend from the first end to a second end being the ends of the inlets and outlets along which the grooves 56 extend).
With respect to claim 27, Wetzel discloses forming the plurality of grooves includes forming at least six grooves (figure 3c discloses at least six grooves).
With respect to claim 28, Wetzel discloses the plurality of grooves are formed with a laser that applies heat to the inner surface of the at least one spray hole (paragraphs 0037-0038, being the laser 40 shown in figure 4).
With respect to claim 30, Wetzel discloses the plurality of grooves extends along less than the length of the at least one spray hole from the inlet end to the outlet end (taking 16 as part of the at least one spray hole, the grooves extend along less than the whole length of 16 and 24).
With respect to claim 31, Wetzel discloses the first ends of each of the plurality of grooves is spaced apart from the inlet end of the at least one spray hole (spaced apart by the distance of 16) and the second ends of each of the plurality of grooves is coplanar with the outlet end of the at least one spray hole (as shown I figure 3a).
With respect to claim 34, Wetzel discloses the plurality of grooves includes six to twenty-four grooves (figure 3c discloses between 6 and 24 grooves).
With respect to claims 35 and 40, Wetzel discloses each of the plurality of grooves extends to the outlet end of the at least one spray hole (as shown in figure 3a).
With respect to claims 36 and 41, Wetzel discloses the plurality of grooves in the linear configuration interrupt a laminar flow of the fluid through the at least one spray hole to improve the mixing with air (paragraphs 0002, 0004, 0042, and 0020).
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to JOSEPH A GREENLUND whose telephone number is (571)272-0397. The examiner can normally be reached M-F 9am-5pm EST.
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/JOSEPH A GREENLUND/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3752