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 .
Information Disclosure Statement
The information disclosure statement (IDS) submitted on 09/10/2024 and 02/07/2026 have been considered. The Korean office action listed on the IDS of 2/7/2026 cannot be considered because it is not in the English language, nor contains an English abstract or other statement of relevance. Accordingly, the information contained therein cannot be considered.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 112
The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 112(b):
(b) CONCLUSION.—The specification shall conclude with one or more claims particularly pointing out and distinctly claiming the subject matter which the inventor or a joint inventor regards as the invention.
The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), second paragraph:
The specification shall conclude with one or more claims particularly pointing out and distinctly claiming the subject matter which the applicant regards as his invention.
Claims 4 and 11 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 112(b) or 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), second paragraph, as being indefinite for failing to particularly point out and distinctly claim the subject matter which the inventor or a joint inventor (or for applications subject to pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, the applicant), regards as the invention.
Claim 4 recites, “the guide rod is arranged relative to the valve such that the outer peripheral surface thereof…”. It is unclear which element the outer peripheral surface belongs to, whether the guide rod or the valve.
Claim 11 recites, “the valve rod is arranged relative to the guide rod such that the outer peripheral surface thereof”. It is unclear which element the outer peripheral surface belongs to, whether the guide rod or the valve rod.
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.
Claims 1-8 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Moon et al. (US 2023/0304341 A1).
Regarding claim 1, Moon et al. discloses an air damper (figs. 1-19) comprising:
a cylinder (111 in fig. 6);
a partition wall (120 in fig. 10) dividing an internal space of the cylinder into a first chamber (SP1) and a second chamber (SP2);
a piston (200) movably installed in the first chamber;
a guide rod (140) extending from the partition wall toward the second chamber (SP2) and comprising a transfer hole (130) connected to the first chamber and the second chamber;
a valve (500) movably installed in the second chamber and configured to move in conjunction with a pressure difference between the first chamber and the second chamber;
an orifice (540) positioned between the guide rod and the valve and connected to the second chamber and the transfer hole; and
a slit (141a as shown in fig. 10) provided on the guide rod or the valve and connected to the orifice.
Re-claim 2, Moon et al. discloses the valve (500) comprises:
a valve body (510 in fig. 18);
a valve rod (520, 530) extending from the valve body and surrounding the guide rod (140); and
an elastic member (600) positioned between the partition wall and the valve body, wherein the slit (141a) is provided on the guide rod (140) and is recessed in a first direction from an outer peripheral surface (note the slit 141a extends from the top end surface of the guide rod 140) of the guide rod.
Re-claim 3, Moon et al. discloses a cross-sectional area of the guide rod increases toward the partition wall (note the cross-sectional area of the guide rod 140 adjacent to the slit 141a as shown in fig. 10 increases toward the partition wall 120).
Re-claim 4, Moon et al. discloses the guide rod (140) is arranged relative to the valve (500) such that the outer peripheral surface (note the surface area of the slit 141a) thereof is inclined with respect to a moving direction of the valve (500).
Re-claim 5, Moon et al. discloses a width of the slit (141a) increases toward an outer peripheral surface of the valve (500).
Re-claim 6, Moon et al. discloses the slit (141, 141a in fig. 7) comprises a first end and a second end spaced apart from the first end along a second direction perpendicular to the first direction, and wherein a distance between the first end and the second end is greater than a width of the slit (note the length of the slit is longer than the width of the slit).
Re-claim 7, Moon et al. discloses the guide rod (140) comprises a guide end surface perpendicular to a moving direction of the valve (500), and wherein the first end of the slit (141 in fig. 7) penetrates the guide end surface of the guide rod (140).
Re-claim 8, Moon et al. discloses an inclined surface facing the second end of the slit and extending obliquely from the outer peripheral surface of the guide rod toward a bottom surface of the slit (note the both end corners of the slit 141 comprises inclined surfaces).
Claims 1 and 9-15 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Okabayashi (US 2009/0084645 A1).
Regarding claim 1, Okabayashi discloses an air damper comprising:
a cylinder (1);
a partition wall (11, 14) dividing an internal space of the cylinder into a first chamber and a second chamber;
a piston (2) movably installed in the first chamber;
a guide rod (14a, 14b in fig. 12) extending from the partition wall toward the second chamber and comprising a transfer hole (14a) connected to the first chamber and the second chamber;
a valve (4) movably installed in the second chamber and configured to move in conjunction with a pressure difference between the first chamber and the second chamber;
an orifice (14d) positioned between the guide rod and the valve and connected to the second chamber and the transfer hole (14a); and
a slit (40a in fig. 13) provided on the guide rod or the valve (4) and connected to the orifice.
Re-claim 9, Okabayashi discloses the valve comprises:
a valve body (note 41);
a valve rod (40) extending from the valve body into the transfer hole; and
an elastic member (5, 50) positioned between the partition wall and the valve body,
wherein the slit (40a) is provided on the valve rod (40) and is recessed in a first direction from an outer peripheral surface of the valve rod.
Re-claim 10, Okabayashi discloses a cross-sectional area of the valve rod decreases toward the partition wall (note the cross-sectional area of the valve rod decreases toward the bottom end and toward the partition wall 14, 14a as shown in fig. 12).
Re-claim 11, Okabayashi discloses the valve rod is arranged relative to the guide rod such that the outer peripheral surface (note the inclined surface 40c of the valve rod) thereof is arranged to be inclined with respect to a moving direction of the valve.
Re-claim 12, Okabayashi discloses a width of the slit (note the width from the top end 40c of the slit 40a increases to the bottom end of the slit 40a as shown in fig. 12) increases toward the outer peripheral surface of the valve rod.
Re-claim 13, Okabayashi discloses the slit (40a in fig. 13) comprises a first end and a second end spaced apart from the first end along a second direction perpendicular to the first direction, and wherein a distance between the first end and the second end is greater than a width of the slit (note the length of the slit 40a is greater than the width of the slit 40a as shown in fig. 13).
Re-claim 14, Okabayashi discloses the valve rod comprises a valve end surface (note the end surface the valve rod 40 in fig. 13) perpendicular to a moving direction of the valve body, and wherein the first end of the slit penetrates the valve end surface of the guide rod.
Re-claim 15, Okabayashi discloses an inclined surface (40c in fig. 13) facing the second end of the slit and extending obliquely from the outer peripheral surface of the valve rod toward a bottom surface of the slit.
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to MAHBUBUR RASHID whose telephone number is (571)272-7218. The examiner can normally be reached Monday - Friday 9am to 10pm EST.
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/MAHBUBUR RASHID/Examiner, Art Unit 3616
/DAVID R MORRIS/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3616
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