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 .
DETAILED ACTION
This is responsive to the claims filed 7/18/2024. Claims 1 – 15 are pending in this application.
Information Disclosure Statement
The information disclosure statement filed 7/18/2024 is acknowledged by the examiner.
Specification
The title of the invention is not descriptive. A new title is required that is clearly indicative of the invention to which the claims are directed.
The following title is suggested: “Fuel Pump Shutoff Valve for Liquified Petroleum Injection Engine”.
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.
Claims 1, 13 – 15 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Korean Patent Document to Jeon et al. (KR 20230046458) in view of Weisgurt et al. (10,655,752).
Regarding claim 1, Jeon et al. disclose an operation valve (40, Fig. 1) disposed within a pump housing of a fuel pump (Fig. 1) and configured to control a flow of fuel from the fuel pump (abstract).
Jeon et al. disclose the manual valve (40, Fig. 1) is operable by a tool. Jeon et al. do not disclose an extension comprising a knob disposed outside the pump housing and connected to the operation valve by being extended into the pump housing, wherein the operation valve is operable by the knob.
However, having a tool to operate a manual valve is well known in the art as by Weisgurt et al.
Weisgurt et al. teach a valve handle with a knob (112, Fig. 4D) used to operate a valve.
Therefore, it would have been obvious to the person having ordinary skill in the art at a time prior to the effective filing date of the application to have adapted the tool taught by Weisgurt et al. to operate the valve disclosed by Jeon et al. as a combination of prior art elements according to known methods to yield predictable results.
In the combination of the prior art elements, one of ordinary skill in the art would have reasonably expected the elements to maintain their respective properties or functions.
Regarding claim 13, in the combination Weisgurt et al. teach the tool has an end that is designed to engage the valve operator (Col. 3, Lines 24 – 35).
Regarding claims 14 and 15, Jeon et al. disclose an operation valve (40, Fig. 1) disposed within a pump housing of a fuel pump (Fig. 1) and configured to control a flow of fuel from the fuel pump (abstract).
Jeon et al. disclose the manual valve (40, Fig. 1) is operable by a tool. Jeon et al. do not disclose an extension comprising a knob disposed outside the pump housing and connected to the operation valve by being extended into the pump housing, wherein the operation valve is operable by the knob.
However, having a tool to operate a manual valve is well known in the art as by Weisgurt et al.
Weisgurt et al. teach a valve handle with a knob (112, Fig. 4D) used to operate a valve.
Therefore, it would have been obvious to the person having ordinary skill in the art at a time prior to the effective filing date of the application to have adapted the tool taught by Weisgurt et al. to operate the valve disclosed by Jeon et al. as a combination of prior art elements according to known methods to yield predictable results.
In the combination Jeon et al. disclose valve is used in a liquified petroleum injection vehicle (abstract). LPI vehicle and inherently disclose a LPG fuel cylinder and fuel pump in the cylinder to pump the fuel.
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 2 – 12 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. US Patents to Kim et al. (8,714,194) and (11,639,702) disclosing fuel systems.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to UMASHANKAR VENKATESAN whose telephone number is (571)270-5602. The examiner can normally be reached Monday - Friday 9:30 AM - 6:00 PM.
If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner' s supervisors Craig Schneider can be reached at (571) 272-3607 or Ken Rinehart can be reached at (571) 272-4881. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/UMASHANKAR VENKATESAN/
Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3753