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 .
Foreign Priority
Receipt is acknowledged of certified copies of papers required by 37 CFR 1.55.
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 1-2, 4-6, and 8-9 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Kobayashi et. al. (US 20210025471 A1).
Regarding Claim 1, Kobayashi discloses a shock absorber comprising: a cylinder (1) in which a working fluid is sealed; a piston (2) fitted in the cylinder (1) and partitioning an inside of the cylinder (1) (see Fig. 1); a first passage (2b) through which a flow of the working fluid occurs due to movement of the piston (2) in one direction; a first damping valve (V1) providing resistance to a flow of the working fluid from a chamber on an upstream side (R1) to a chamber on a downstream side (R2) (see Fig. 1) of the first passage (2b); a second passage (5d) through which a flow of the working fluid occurs due to movement of the piston (2) in the other direction; and a second damping disc valve (V2) providing resistance to a flow of the working fluid from a chamber on an upstream side (R2) to a chamber on a downstream side of the second passage (A) (see Annotated Fig. 4 below), wherein the second damping disc valve (V2) includes: a third passage (X) which allows constant communication between a chamber (R2) on an upstream side and a chamber on a downstream side (A); and a fourth passage (Y) communicating with a chamber on an upstream side (R2), and a variable chamber (Z) communicating with the fourth passage (Y) and partitioned by a partition member (31), which is movable according to a change in pressure of a chamber on an upstream side or a downstream side, is disposed to overlap the second damping disc valve (V2) (see Fig. 1, Annotated Fig. 4 below, Fig. 4, [0057]).
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Annotated Fig. 4
Regarding Claim 2, Kobayashi discloses wherein the third passage (X) (see Annotated Fig. 4 above) and the fourth passage (Y) are formed in a valve disc (30) of the second damping disc valve (V2) seated on a seat (5h) (see Fig. 4, Annotated Fig. 4 above).
Regarding Claim 4, Kobayashi discloses wherein the partition member (31) includes a relief mechanism which relieves an inside of the variable chamber (Z) (see Annotated Fig. 4 above) after a differential pressure between chambers on an upstream side and a downstream side reaches a predetermined value (see Fig. 4, Annotated Fig. 4 above, [0067]).
Regarding Claim 5, Kobayashi discloses wherein the second damping disc valve (V2) is provided in a body valve (see Fig. 1, Fig. 4).
Regarding Claim 6, Kobayashi discloses wherein the second damping disc valve (V2) is provided in a body valve (see Fig. 1, Fig. 4).
Regarding Claim 8, Kobayashi discloses wherein the second damping disc valve (V2) is provided in a body valve (see Fig. 1, Fig. 4).
Regarding Claim 9, Kobayashi discloses a damping valve device which communicates with a cylinder in which a working fluid is sealed, comprising a first passage (2b) through which a flow of the working fluid occurs due to movement of a piston (2) in the cylinder (1) in one direction; a first damping valve (V1) providing resistance to a flow of the working fluid from a chamber on an upstream side (R1) to a chamber on a downstream side of the first passage (R2); a second passage (5d) through which a flow of the working fluid occurs due to movement of the piston (2) in the other direction; and a second damping disc valve (V2) providing resistance to a flow of the working fluid from a chamber (R2) on an upstream side to a chamber on a downstream side of the second passage (A) (see Annotated Fig. 4 above), wherein the second damping disc valve (V2) has a communication passage (X) communicating with a chamber on an upstream side, and a pressure accumulation mechanism having a variable chamber (Z) which communicates with the communication passage (X) and is partitioned by a partition member (31), which is movable according to a change in pressure of a chamber on an upstream side or a downstream side, is disposed to overlap the second damping disc valve (V2) (see Fig. 1, Annotated Fig. 4 above, Fig. 4, [0057]).
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.
The factual inquiries for establishing a background for determining obviousness under 35 U.S.C. 103 are summarized as follows:
1. Determining the scope and contents of the prior art.
2. Ascertaining the differences between the prior art and the claims at issue.
3. Resolving the level of ordinary skill in the pertinent art.
4. Considering objective evidence present in the application indicating obviousness or nonobviousness.
Claims 3 and 7 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Kobayashi et. al. (US 20210025471 A1) as applied in Claim 2, above, in view of Grundei (US 5615756 A).
Regarding Claim 3, Kobayashi discloses wherein the partition member (31) is formed of a deformable annular plate, and the variable chamber (Z) (see Annotated Fig. 4 above) formed between the partition member (31) and the valve disc (30) increases during an extension stroke of the piston (2), and the variable chamber (31) decreases during a compression stroke (see Fig. 4, Annotated Fig. 4 above, [0076], [0096], [0110]).
Kobayashi does not explicitly disclose wherein the deformable annular plate is a “disc spring”.
Grundei discloses a shock absorber and valve arrangement wherein a partition member (417) is formed of a disc spring (see Fig. 1).
It would have been obvious, to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filling date of the invention, to combine the teaching of using a disc spring as a partition member of Grundei with the shock absorber of Kobayashi in order to combine the partition function with built in pre-stressing and biasing of the other valve disc components, allowing further control of dampening characteristics and reducing the need for separate biasing components (see US 5615756 A [Grundei]; 5: 54-57, 6: 1-24).
Regarding Claim 7, Kobayashi modified by Grundei teaches wherein the second damping disc valve (V2) is provided in a body valve (see US 20210025471 A1 [Kobayashi]; Fig. 1, Fig. 4).
Prior Art
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure.
Yang (US 20070170028 A1) discloses a shock absorber and damping valve arrangement with a variable chamber and a disc spring.
Yabe (US 20110290603 A1) discloses a shock absorber and damping valve arrangement with a variable chamber.
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to Shea Irvin whose telephone number is (571)272-9952. The examiner can normally be reached Monday-Friday 7:30 - 17:00.
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/S.W.I./Examiner, Art Unit 3616
/Robert A. Siconolfi/Supervisory Patent Examiner, Art Unit 3616
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