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 § 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.
Claim(s) 13-14 and 16 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Bortoli et al (US PGPub No. 2006/0096647) in view of Kim et al (US Patent No. 6,932,115).
Bortoli teaches:
limitations from claim 13, a compressor (paragraph 13), comprising: a valve plate (2) having a suction port (4) and a discharge port (3); a cylinder (1) forming a compression chamber (paragraph 20); a piston (paragraph 20) in the compression chamber, and which is movable in the compression chamber; a suction valve unit (6) coupled to the valve plate and having a suction valve (10) which is movable, based on movement of the piston, to open and close the suction port (paragraph 23), the suction valve unit including an elastic plate (6; paragraph 23) and a valve hole (3) therethrough which corresponds to the discharge port, the suction valve is formed in the elastic plate and is configured so such that movement to open the suction valve causes the suction valve to be elastically deformed from a side of the elastic plate (paragraph 23);
Bortoli does not teach a cushioning member integral to the valve;
Kim teaches:
a compressor (FIG. 1), comprising: a valve plate (20) having a suction port (C. 1 Lines 16-26; C. 9 Lines 9-14 teaching that the features may also be applied to a suction valve, the examiner will address the claim limitations using the discharge valve as in the FIG. 1-2 for the sake of conciseness) and a port (24); a cylinder (10) forming a compression chamber (12); a piston (14) in the compression chamber, and which is movable in the compression chamber; a valve unit (30) coupled to the valve plate and having a valve (36) which is movable, based on movement of the piston, to open and close the (C. 4 Lines 23-37); and
limitations from claim 13, a cushioning member (40) integrally formed with the valve (FIG. 1-2), the cushioning member including a portion of the suction valve that is bent toward the valve plate (see FIG. 1; C. 4 Lines 13-23), and configured such that, with the suction valve moved to close the suction port, the cushioning member is elastically deformed by contact with the valve plate (C. 4 Lines 38-63);
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art of compressors at the time the invention was filed to provide a cushioning member integral with the valve of Bortoli, as taught by Kim, in order to reduce striking forces during operation of the compressor (see C. 4 Lines 57-62 of Kim).
Bortoli further teaches:
limitations from claim 14, wherein the suction valve includes: a valve neck (12), and a valve head (14) extending from the valve neck and having a shape corresponding to the suction port (4; see FIG. 1);
limitations from claim 16, wherein the suction valve includes: a valve neck (12), a valve head (14) extending from the valve neck and having a shape corresponding to the suction port (4; see FIG. 1), and a cushioning member forming portion extending from the valve head, and the cushioning member is on the cushioning member forming portion (see FIG. 2 of Kim for example, the member 40, 42 extends from other portions of the valve including the head);
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 1-3, 5-12, and 17-18 are allowed.
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 CHRISTOPHER S BOBISH whose telephone number is (571)270-5289. The examiner can normally be reached Mon-Fri 9-5.
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/CHRISTOPHER S BOBISH/Examiner, Art Unit 3746
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