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 .
Status if claims
Currently claims 1-12 are pending.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 103
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 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) 1-9 and 12 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Thibault (U.S. 2018/0313316) in view of Nishida (U.S. 2014/0001290).
With respect to claim 1. Thibault discloses a fuel injector for delivering gaseous fuel to an internal combustion engine (figure 1), the fuel injector comprising:
an injection nozzle (figure 1) comprising a nozzle body (figure 1, body of 14/16) provided with a nozzle bore (figure 2, the bore within 40);
a valve needle assembly received within the nozzle bore (figures 1 and 2, #52)) and including a valve needle (52) engageable with a seat region (46) to control gaseous fuel delivery through at least one outlet (see outlet in figure 2) of the injection nozzle (see figure 2); and
an actuator arrangement (actuator of 24, having coil 26 and moveable armature 28) comprising at least a first actuator (28), the first actuator (28) and being coupled to a valve needle coupling member (50) which is operable to apply an opening force from the first actuator (as 28 moves 50 to open, paragraph 0048, causing the upward movement of the piston and the valve) to an engagement surface (figures 3 and 4, the surface of 52 opposite that of surface 98)) of the valve needle assembly to cause an opening movement thereof when the first actuator (28) is actuated (50 moves up moving then 98 up which then moves 52 up);
wherein the valve needle coupling member (50) defines a separation distance (distance of 98 between 50 and 52) with the engagement surface (opposite that of 98) of the valve needle assembly so that the valve needle coupling member (50) only impacts the engagement surface (surface 98 engages) when the valve needle coupling member (50) has moved through the separation distance following actuation (as shown in figures 2-4, for 52 to move upwards 98 has to shift up and then come into contact with the ledge of 52 to then raise it), and whereby the valve needle coupling member (50) and the engagement surface (surface of 52 opposite of 98) remain engaged through a full range of movement of the valve needle (52) to a full lift position (as 98 engages 52 and lifts it up against the spring force of 92 until the force acting on the system is less then the spring force). Thibault fails to disclose the actuator arrangement comprises a second actuator and both the first and second actuator being coupled to a valve needle coupling member, applying an opening force to the second actuator to an engagement surface of the valve needle assembly to cause an opening movement thereof when the second actuator is actuated.
Nishida, figure 5 and paragraph 0108, discloses the use of two actuators (coils 81 and 92 and their respective armatures), where the use of the two coils (and their two armatures) allows for two separate stroke amounts to occur allowing for a small amount of fuel injections and a high amount of fuel injection to occur as desired, which leads to fuel consumption to be improved over a wide operating range of the engine,
It would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to utilize the first/second actuators of Nishida into the system of Thibault, as doing so would improve fuel consumption over a wide operating range of the engine and allow for different stokes amounts to be utilized by the different coils/armatures of the actuators.
With respect to claim 2, Thibault discloses the valve needle coupling member (50) is a pull tube within which a portion of the valve needle (52) is received (as shown in figure 2, having a tube that a portion of the valve needle is received within).
With respect to claim 3, Thibault discloses the pull tube (50) defines a flow path (78) for gaseous fuel through the injection nozzle (see figure 2).
With respect to claim 4, Thibault discloses the pull tube (50) is provided with at least one opening (opening at the bottom 70)) to allow gaseous fuel flowing within the pull tube (50) to flow radially out through the pull tube (50) for delivery to downstream parts of the injection nozzle (as shown in figure 2, as the fuel flows radially from within 50 to the space going to 94).
With respect to claim 5, Thibault discloses the valve needle coupling member (50) defines an internal engagement surface (98) which is engageable with the engagement surface (surface opposite it) of the valve needle assembly (see figures 3 and 4).
With respect to claim 6, Thibault discloses the internal engagement surface (see figures 2-3) of the valve needle coupling member (50) and the engagement surface (see figures 2-3)) of the valve needle assembly (52), but fails to disclose they are frusto-conical surfaces. It would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to utilize the claimed shape, since it has been held that a change of shape would be a atter of obvious design choice absent persuasive evidence that the particular configuration of the claimed structure was significant. MPEP 2144.04. Please note in the instant application applicant has failed to disclose any criticality of the claimed frusto-conical shape for the surfaces, stating rather “The engagement surfaces 80, 81 are not limited to the frusto-conical shape as described in the present invention.” Page 12.
With respect 7, Thibault discloses the engagement surface (see figures 2-4) of the valve needle assembly is defined by a lift member (the member extending outward forming the engagement surface) carried on the valve needle (52).
With respect to claim 8, Thibault discloses the lift member (being the extended ring of 52) is a tubular part (being an integral ring of 52) carried on the valve needle (being an integral part of 52, understood being carried such that it is a part of it).
With respect to claim 9, Thibault as modified discloses, the first actuator (being the first actuator disclosed by Nishida, 81) includes a first armature (871) carried by the coupling member (83 in Nishida, being that of 50 in Thibault) and the second actuator (82) includes a second armature (872) carried by the coupling member (83 in Nishida, being that of 50 in Thibault), the fuel injector further comprising a stop member (884) which defines a stop surface with which the first armature (871, in Nishida, see figure 9, the use of 884 is used to define the gap s1 for the moveable core spacing which is then used to define the controlled desired spray amounts reflective in that movement) is brought into engagement when the valve needle (82) is brought to close against the seat region (as figure 9 of Nishida shows the valve needle on the seat region closed and the armature against the stop member 884).
With respect to claim 12, Thibault as modified disclose first and second stop surfaces (being the surface of 862 and 861 that 871 and 872 stop against in an upward movement, see Nishida) for the first and second armatures (871 and 872 of Nishida) respectively, with which the first and second armatures engage when the valve needle moves into the full lift position (being the full lift position such that 871 and 872 are the movable cores now abutting the unmovable cores).
Claim(s) 10 and 11 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Thibault (U.S. 2018/0313316) in view of Nishida (U.S. 2014/0001290) as applied to claim 9 above, and further in view of Matsukawa (U.S. 2016/0076499).
With respect to claim 10, Thibault as modified by Nishida discloses the stop member, the use of a spring (see Nishida) as well as the movement of the valve needle to the seat when the first actuator and second actuator are de-actuated (see rejection of claim 9, when the actuators (coils) de-energize the system then closes due to the force of the springs in the system), the combination fails to disclose the stop member further defines an abutment surface for a spring which serves to urge the valve needle against the seat region to close the valve needle when the first actuator and the second actuator are de-actuated. Showing the stopping element being against an armature but not being used with respect to a spring.
Matsukawa, figure 4 and paragraph 0047, disclose the use of a bushing 60 which is press-fit and adjustable within the fixed core to control the position and biasing force of the spring.
It would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to utilize the bush of Matsukawa into the system of Thibault as modified to adjust the biasing force of the spring in the system as desired. Such a combination as using the bushing to control both the spring and the armature would allow the system to have one element instead of two, to allow both the armature to have a definitive stop as desired and control the spring force.
With respect to claim 11, Thibault as modified discloses the stop member is formed from a material so that the stop member absorbs movement of the first armature as it is brought into engagement with the stop member. Although the material for the spacer 884 is not disclosed, utilizing a material that has a dampening property such a rubber or thermos-plastic or even some metals would have been a material choice which would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art, since it has been held to be within the general skill of a worker in the art to select a known material on its suitability for the intended use as a matter of obvious design choice. MPEP 2144.07.
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to JOSEPH A GREENLUND whose telephone number is (571)272-0397. The examiner can normally be reached M-F 9am-5pm EST.
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/JOSEPH A GREENLUND/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3752
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