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 .
Drawings
The drawings are objected to as failing to comply with 37 CFR 1.84(p)(5) because they do not include the following reference sign(s) mentioned in the description: element 222 defined as an elastic deformation region on page 13 of the specification is not illustrated. 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. 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) 1-9 and 11-20 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by PG Publication No. 2017/0219042 to Callies et al.
Regarding Claim 1, Callies et al disclose a damping force adjustment device 10 (see Figure 1) having all the features of the instant invention including: a pilot poppet 17 raised and lowered by a magnetic force (see Figure 1) and a main poppet 28 in which at least a portion of the pilot poppet 17 is accommodated (see Figure 1), the damping force adjustment device 10 comprising: an elastic unit (see Figure 1 and the spring within chamber 22b) arranged between at least a portion of an outer peripheral surface of the pilot popper 17 and inner peripheral surface of one region (i.e., the top surface of poppet 28) of the main poppet 28 where the pilot poppet 17 is accommodated (see Figure 1).
Regarding Claim 2, Callies et al further disclose that the pilot poppet 17 comprises a pilot body (see Figure 1 and the entire body of pilot poppet 17), a pilot protrusion 26 having one region formed on the pilot body to protrude toward the main poppet 28 (see Figure 1), and a pilot locking portion (see Figure 1 and the very tip of portion 26 of pilot poppet 17) formed on an outer peripheral surface of the pilot protrusion 26 to come in contact with one side (i.e., the inner side of the spring within chamber 22b) of the elastic unit (see Figure 1).
Regarding Claim 3, Callies et al further disclose that the main poppet 28 comprises a main body (see Figure 1 and the portion labeled 28) having an accommodation region (see Figure 1 and the hole for protrusion 26) formed to accommodate at least a portion of the pilot body (see Figure 1), and a main locking portion (see Figure 1 and the top surface of element 28) in which one region of the main body protrudes toward a central portion of the accommodation region to support the other side (i.e., the underside of the spring within chamber 22b) of the elastic unit (see Figure 1).
Regarding Claim 4, Callies et al further disclose that the main poppet 28 further comprises a main flow path 24a formed inside the main body, and a main protrusion (see Figure 1 and the portion of element 28 between passage 24a and passage 30) arranged to surround one side of the main flow path 24a and protruding toward the pilot protrusion 26 on the main body (see Figure 1).
Regarding Claim 5, Callies et al further disclose that the elastic unit is elastically variable according to a movement of the pilot body (i.e., the body of poppet 17).
Regarding Claim 6, Callies et al further disclose that the pilot poppet 17 further comprises a pilot flow path 30 formed on the pilot body (i.e., at least along the outer portion of the protrusion portion 26 of the body flowing into passage 30).
Regarding Claim 7, Callies et al further disclose that the elastic unit (i.e., the spring within chamber 22b) comprises an elastic body (i.e., the body of the spring itself) having a central portion (i.e., the center of the spring body) formed to accommodate a portion of the pilot protrusion 26 (see Figure 1), and an elastic flow path (a path within chamber 22b) formed on the elastic body to guide a movement of a fluid (see Figure 1).
Regarding Claim 8, Callies et al further disclose one region of the pilot body (i.e., the stem of poppet 17) is adjacent to the pilot protrusion 26 and is spaced apart from the elastic body (see Figure 1, wherein the far end of the stem of element 17 extending towards element 20 is spaced apart from the body of the spring within chamber 22b).
Regarding Claim 9, Callies et al further disclose that at least a portion of the elastic flow path (i.e., the path within chamber 22b) is arranged to face the pilot flow path 30 (see Figure 1).
Regarding Claim 11, Callies et al further disclose that the elastic flow path (the path within chamber 22b) is arranged so that one side is adjacent to the central portion (i.e., the center of the spring within chamber 22b) and the other side is adjacent to an outside of the elastic body (see Figure 1).
Regarding Claim 12, Callies et al further disclose that when the pilot poppet 17 is lowered, at least a portion of the pilot protrusion 26 of the pilot body faces the main protrusion (i.e., the portion of element 28 between passage 24a and passage 30 shown in Figure 1).
Regarding Claim 13, Callies et al disclose a damping force adjustment device 10 comprising a pilot poppet 17 raised and lowered by a magnetic force and a main poppet 28 in which at least a portion of the pilot poppet 17 is accommodated (see Figure 1), the damping force adjustment device 10 comprising: an elastic unit (see Figure 1 and the spring inside chamber 22b) in which at least a portion of the pilot poppet 17 is formed with a central portion (i.e., the center of poppet 17) in which a region 26 protruding toward the main poppet 28 is inserted (see Figure 1).
Regarding Claim 14, Callies et al further disclose that the elastic unit (i.e., the spring within chamber 22b) comprises an annular elastic body (i.e., the body of the spring itself within chamber 22b) whose inner side is in contact with the pilot poppet 17 and whose outer side is supported by the main poppet 28 (see Figure 1), and an elastic flow path (i.e., the path within chamber 22b) is formed on the elastic body to guide a movement of a fluid (see Figure 1).
Regarding Claim 15, Callies et al further disclose that the elastic body is pressed and deformed by a protruding area 26 of the pilot poppet 17 when the pilot poppet 17 is lowered in a direction adjacent to the main poppet 28.
Regarding Claim 16, Callies et al further disclose that the elastic body is in contact with at least a portion of an outer periphery of the protruding area 26 of the pilot poppet 17 (see Figure 1).
Regarding Claim 17, see Claim 3 above.
Regarding Claim 18, Callies et al further disclose that a portion (i.e., the end of the spring within chamber 22b nearest poppet 28) of one surface of the elastic body is in contact with a protruding area 26 of the pilot poppet 17 and a remainder (i.e., the end of the spring within chamber 22b nearest element 20) of the one surface of the elastic body is arranged to be spaced apart from a non-protrusion region of the pilot poppet 17 (see Figure 1).
Regarding Claim 19, Callies et al further disclose that one region (at portion 26 in Figure 1) of the central portion of the pilot poppet 17 is formed to protrude, and a remaining region (i.e., the stem portion of poppet 17) is formed to be stepped from the protrusion region 26 (see Figure 1 and note how the tip of element 26 has a stepped down portion extending from the stem of poppet 17).
Regarding Claim 20, Callies et al further disclose that the stepped region of the pilot poppet 17 provides a space in which the elastic unit is deformable elastically (see Figure 1, where the stepped portion of the stem of poppet 17 extending to tip 26 creates a space and the spring is deformable at that location or any location within chamber 22b regardless).
Allowable Subject Matter
Claim 10 is 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.
PG Publication No. 2019/0309818 to Asshoff et al., PG Publication No. 2023/0235808 to Lee et al., PG Publication No. 2025/0163987 to Lee et al., German Patent No. DE 102015223932 to Schaffelhofer et al., Chinese Patent No. CN 115523251 to Kim, Korean Patent No. KR 20230075115 to Jong, and Korean Patent No. KR 20230108136 to Lee all disclose damping force adjustment devices similar to applicant’s.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to PAMELA RODRIGUEZ whose telephone number is (571)272-7122. The examiner can normally be reached Monday - Thursday 7 AM - 5 PM.
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PAMELA RODRIGUEZ
Primary Examiner
Art Unit 3616
/PAMELA RODRIGUEZ/ Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3616 07/06/26
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