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
The response filed on April 13, 2026 is acknowledged.
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 (i.e., changing from AIA to pre-AIA ) 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) 1-14 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Hohl (US6796511).
With respect to claim 1, Hohl discloses an electromagnetic fuel injector (Figs. 1 and 2) comprising: a tubular support body (3, 4); an injection nozzle (13, 16) arranged at an (lower) end of the support body; an injection valve (at 22) coupled to the injection nozzle; a plunger (13, 18), which is movable, so as to adjust the fuel flow through the injection nozzle, between a closed position (Fig. 1) and an open (lower and upper switch) position (Col. 3, lines 16-38. Fig. 2) of the injection valve; an electromagnetic actuator (1 and supply of current to the solenoid coils. Col. 1, line 59) provided with a main electromagnet (5, 9) configured (capable of), when it is activated, to apply a force to the plunger, which pushes the plunger towards the open position of the injection valve and provided with a secondary electromagnet (6, 10) configured (capable of), when it is activated, to apply a force to the plunger, which pushes the plunger towards the closed position of the injection valve; a closing spring (11, 12) configured to (capable of) push the plunger towards the closed position of the injection valve; and a control unit (supply of current to the solenoid coils. Col. 1, line 59) configured (capable of), so as to open the injection valve, to activate the main electromagnet so that the main electromagnet generates a magnetic force moving the plunger towards the open position, overcoming the elastic force of the closing spring; wherein the control unit is configured to (capable of) activate the secondary electromagnet (Fig. 2 with additional annotations below), during the opening of the injection valve and when the plunger is close to the open position, so that the secondary electromagnet generates a magnetic force (during partial stroke of valve stroke h in Fig. 2) slowing down the movement of the plunger towards the open position.
With respect to claim 2, Hohl discloses the electromagnetic injector according to claim 1, wherein the electromagnetic actuator comprises one single movable armature (12), which is movable, is integral (as one unit) with the plunger and is shared by both electromagnets (12 movement is controlled by 9 and 18), since it is subjected to the magnetic forces generated by both electromagnets.
With respect to claim 3, Hohl discloses the electromagnetic injector according to claim 2, wherein: the main electromagnet comprises a main pole piece (9), which is integral (as one unit) with the support body, and a main coil (5), which is arranged in the area of the main pole piece; the secondary electromagnet comprises a secondary pole piece (10), which is integral (as one unit) with the support body, and a secondary coil (6), which is arranged in the area of the secondary pole piece; and the movable armature is arranged between the main pole piece and the secondary pole piece (Fig. 1).
With respect to claim 4, Hohl discloses the electromagnetic injector according to claim 3, wherein: the closed position of the injection valve is determined by a contact of a shutter (14) of the plunger against a valve seat (15) of the injection valve; and the open position of the injection valve is determined by a contact of (12 and 9) the movable armature against the main pole piece.
With respect to claim 5, Hohl discloses the electromagnetic injector according to claim 3, wherein: the two coils of the two electromagnets are not connected to each other in series or in parallel; and the control unit is configured to (capable of) electrically power the two coils of the two electromagnets independently of each other (Fig. 2).
With respect to claim 6, Hohl discloses the electromagnetic injector according to claim 3, wherein the control unit is configured (capable of), so as to open the injection valve, to: activate the main electromagnet so that the main electromagnet generates a magnetic force (at 5) attracting the movable armature towards the main pole piece, overcoming the elastic force of the closing spring, thus moving the movable armature towards the open position; and also activate, when the movable armature is close to the open position, the secondary electromagnet, so that the secondary electromagnet generates a magnetic force (during partial stroke of valve stroke h in Fig. 2) attracting the movable armature towards the secondary pole piece, consequently slowing down the movement of the movable armature towards the open position.
With respect to claim 7, Hohl discloses the electromagnetic injector according to claim 6, wherein the control unit is configured to (capable of) deactivate the secondary electromagnet before the movable armature reaches the open position (Fig. 2).
With respect to claim 8, Hohl discloses the electromagnetic injector according to claim 6, wherein the control unit is configured (capable of), so as to close the injection valve, to: turn the main electromagnet off, so that the movable armature is pushed towards the closed position by the elastic force generated by the closing spring; and activate, when the movable armature is close to the closed position, the main electromagnet, so that the main electromagnet generates a magnetic force (during partial stroke of valve stroke h in Fig. 2) attracting the movable armature towards the main pole piece, consequently slowing down the movement of the movable armature towards the closed position.
With respect to claim 9, Hohl discloses the electromagnetic injector according to claim 8, wherein the control unit is configured to (capable of) deactivate the main electromagnet before the movable armature reaches the closed position (Fig. 2).
With respect to claim 10, Hohl discloses the electromagnetic injector according to claim 1, wherein the control unit is configured to (capable of) deactivate the secondary electromagnet before the plunger reaches the open position (Fig. 2).
With respect to claim 11, Hohl discloses the electromagnetic injector according to claim 1, wherein the control unit is configured (capable of), so as to close the injection valve, to turn the main electromagnet off, so that the plunger is pushed towards the closed position by the elastic force generated by the closing spring; and activate, when the plunger is close to the closed position, the main electromagnet, so that the main electromagnet slows down the movement of the plunger towards the closed position (Fig. 2).
With respect to claim 12, Hohl discloses the electromagnetic injector according to claim 11, wherein the control unit is configured to (capable of) deactivate the main electromagnet before the plunger reaches the closed position.
With respect to claim 13, Hohl discloses a control method (Figs. 1 and 2) to control an electromagnetic fuel injector (1) comprising: a tubular support body; an injection nozzle arranged at an end of the support body (3, 4); an injection valve (at 22) coupled to the injection nozzle; a plunger (13, 18), which is movable, so as to adjust the fuel flow through the injection nozzle, between a closed position (Fig. 1) and an open (lower and upper switch) position (Col. 3, lines 16-38. Fig. 2) of the injection valve; an electromagnetic actuator (1 and supply of current to the solenoid coils. Col. 1, line 59) provided with a main electromagnet (5, 9) configured (capable of), when it is activated, to apply a force to the plunger, which pushes the plunger towards the open position of the injection valve and provided with a secondary electromagnet (6, 10) configured (capable of), when it is activated, to apply a force to the plunger, which pushes the plunger towards the closed position of the injection valve; and a closing spring (11, 12) configured to (capable of) push the plunger towards the closed position of the injection valve; the control method, so as to open the injection valve, comprises the steps of: activating the main electromagnet so that the main electromagnet generates a magnetic force moving the plunger towards the open position, overcoming the elastic force of the closing spring; and activating activate the secondary electromagnet (Fig. 2 with additional annotations below) during the opening of the injection valve and when the plunger is close to the open position, so that the secondary electromagnet generates a magnetic force (during partial stroke of valve stroke h in Fig. 2) slowing down the movement of the plunger towards the open position.
With respect to claim 14, Hohl discloses the control method according 13 comprising the steps of: turning the main electromagnet off (of I1), so that the plunger is pushed towards the closed position by the elastic force generated by the spring; and activating, when the armature is close to the closed position, the main electromagnet, so that the main electromagnet slows down the movement of the plunger towards the losed position (during partial stroke of valve stroke h in Fig. 2).
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Response to Arguments
Applicant's arguments filed on April 13, 2026 have been fully considered but they are not persuasive. The Applicant argues that Hohl fails to disclose “activating activate the secondary electromagnet during the opening of the injection valve and when the plunger is close to the open position, so that the secondary electromagnet generates a magnetic force slowing down the movement of the plunger towards the open position,” as amended in claims 1 and 13. The Examiner respectfully disagrees. As shown in Fig. 2 with additional annotations above, in “Section A,” where secondary electromagnet is activated causing the plunger to slow down opening compared to section B. In “Section B,” secondary electromagnet is not activated causing the plunger to opening up faster compare to Section A. This interpretation is similar, if not identical, to the Applicant’s graft shown in Fig. 3. The terms “slowing down” have been properly interpreted relative to another position (at Section B) of Hohl’s device.
Conclusion
THIS ACTION IS MADE FINAL. 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 CHEE-CHONG LEE whose telephone number is (571)270-1916. The examiner can normally be reached Monday-Friday 8am -5pm.
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If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Arthur O. Hall can be reached at (571)270-1814. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/CHEE-CHONG LEE/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3752 May 12, 2026
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