DETAILED ACTION
Claim(s) 1-16, 19, and 20 are pending for consideration following applicant’s amendment filed 1/28/2026.
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
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 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 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 9 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Ceroke (US Patent 4,986,502).
Regarding Claim 1, Ceroke discloses a single-piece plug 1 for a fluid reservoir 11, the single-piece plug 1 comprising: a head 3; a shaft 2 extending from the head 3 including an unthreaded shaft 5 and a threaded shaft 4, wherein the unthreaded shaft 5 is positioned directly between the head 3 and the threaded shaft 4 (as best shown in Figure 2); a conduit (the portion of groove 18 within the unthreaded portion 5, including end portion 21, is readable on the recited “conduit”; it is noted that this limitation does not require the conduit to extend through the entire thickness of the shaft) positioned in the shaft between a last revolution of threading of the threaded shaft and the unthreaded shaft (as shown in Figure 2); and a channel (the portion of groove 18 defined within the threaded portion 4 is readable on the recited channel), the channel extending transversely through each thread of the threading of the threaded shaft (as shown in Figure 2) to the conduit (the groove 18 extending through the threads to the conduit at 21), wherein while the threading is coupled to the fluid reservoir 11 at an opening 10 of the fluid reservoir, fluid exits the opening 10 by flowing along the channel before flowing past the conduit (as shown in Figure 5).
Regarding Claim 9, Ceroke discloses a fluid reservoir system (including reservoir 11), comprising: a fluid reservoir 11, including an opening 10 with a threadable attachment point (threads of threaded hole 10), a single-piece plug 1 for the fluid reservoir, the single-piece plug comprising: a shaft 2, including a threaded shaft 4, wherein the threaded shaft includes a threading extending across a length of the threaded shaft (i.e. along an axial length of the threaded shaft 4); a conduit (the portion of groove 18 within the unthreaded portion 5, including end portion 21, is readable on the recited “conduit”; it is noted that this limitation does not require the conduit to extend through the entire thickness of the shaft); and a channel (the portion of groove 18 defined within the threaded portion 4 is readable on the recited channel), the channel extending along an entire length of the threaded shaft (as shown in Figure 2) and extending transversely through each thread of the threading to the conduit (as shown in Figure 2), wherein while the threading is coupled to the threadable attachment point (as shown in Figure 5), fluid exits the opening by flowing along the channel before flowing past the conduit (as shown in Figure 5).
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 103
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.
This application currently names joint inventors. In considering patentability of the claims the examiner presumes that the subject matter of the various claims was commonly owned as of the effective filing date of the claimed invention(s) absent any evidence to the contrary. Applicant is advised of the obligation under 37 CFR 1.56 to point out the inventor and effective filing dates of each claim that was not commonly owned as of the effective filing date of the later invention in order for the examiner to consider the applicability of 35 U.S.C. 102(b)(2)(C) for any potential 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(2) prior art against the later invention.
Claims 2, 3, and 10 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Ceroke (US Patent 4,986,502) in view of Wilkins (US Patent 7,510,053).
Regarding Claims 2 and 10, Ceroke further discloses a radius portion 6 (the shaft comprising the radius portion 6, analogous to a groove as required by claim 10), wherein while the threading is coupled to the fluid reservoir 11 at the opening and a seal 15 is placed at the radius portion 6, the opening is unsealed when the single-piece plug 1 is unthreaded (to a first position; claim 10, the first position including when) until the placed seal 15 is disengaged from the fluid reservoir (this is shown in Figure 5).
Ceroke does not disclose the radius portion is a plurality of grooves and a seal is placed at each of the plurality of grooves.
Wilkins teaches a plug device and further teaches (Figure 3) a plurality of grooves 144, 146 and a seal 166, 168 is placed at each of the plurality of grooves.
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the application was effectively filed to modify the device of Ceroke such that the seal is provided as two separate seals in separate grooves as taught by Wilkins for the purpose of providing a redundant seal to thereby prevent leakage in the event that one seal becomes defective. It is noted that such a modification provides the grooves and seals such that the seals engage the surface of the drain hole 10 of Ceroke in the manner taught by Wilkins near the head 3 as disclosed by Ceroke with respect to seal 15.
Regarding Claim 3, Ceroke in view of Wilkins further discloses the conduit (portion 21 of Ceroke in the unthreaded portion) is positioned between the plurality of grooves (plurality of grooves in place of the singular radius 6 of Ceroke in the manner taught by Wilkins as described above) and the threading (the conduit is between the grooves and the threading in the manner disclosed by Ceroke).
Claim(s) 11, 12, and 15 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Ceroke (US Patent 4,986,502) in view of Wilkins (US Patent 7,510,053) as applied to claim 10 above, and further in view of Arneson et al. (US Patent 5,299,774).
Regarding Claim 11, Ceroke does not disclose the threading further includes a detent, wherein the first position further includes when the detent makes face-sharing contact with the threadable attachment point.
Arneson teaches a threaded valve member 60 includes a detent 110, wherein a first position (an opened position allow for communication through bores 70 and 71) includes when the detent 110 makes face-sharing contact with a threadable attachment point (abutting the wall of opening 80; col. 3, lines 44-51).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the application was effectively filed to modify the device of Ceroke to include a detent as taught by Arneson for the purpose of preventing the plug from being fully removed, thereby reducing the possibility that a user loses the plug.
Regarding Claim 12, Ceroke in view of Arneson further discloses, wherein while the detent (110 as taught by Arneson as described above) makes face-sharing contact with the threadable attachment point (in the manner taught by Arneson as described above), the single-piece plug is unthreadable from the threadable attachment point (the detent prevents the removal of the plug as described above).
Regarding Claim 15, Ceroke in view of Wilkins further discloses, wherein while the threading (4 of Ceroke) is coupled to the fluid reservoir at the opening (10 of Ceroke), the opening is sealed when the single-piece plug is threaded to a sealed position (i.e. the fully advanced position of the plug), the sealed position including when the seals placed at each of the plurality of grooves is engaged with the fluid reservoir (this is achieved in the manner taught by Wilkins as described above).
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 16, 19, and 20 are allowed.
Claims 4-8, 13, and 14 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.
Response to Arguments
Applicant’s arguments with respect to claim(s) 1 and 9 have been considered but are moot because the new ground of rejection does not rely on any reference applied in the prior rejection of record for any teaching or matter specifically challenged in the argument. Specifically, applicant argues that Miyazono fails to teach the new limitations of claim 1 requiring a conduit between the last revolution of the threading of the threaded shaft and the unthreaded shaft. However, newly applied Ceroke teaches a conduit 21 between a last revolution of the threading (at 4) and the unthreaded shaft 5. Applicant argues that Miyazono fails to teach the channel extending along an entire length of the threaded shaft as required by amended claim 9. However, newly applied Ceroke teaches a channel 18 extending along an entire length of threaded shaft 4.
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 KEVIN MURPHY whose telephone number is (571)270-5243. The examiner can normally be reached Monday - Friday 8am-4pm.
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/KEVIN F MURPHY/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3753