DETAILED ACTION
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 4- 10 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.
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 of Claims
Amendment to the Claims was filed on 11/19/2024.
Claims 1-11 are currently pending.
Priority
Receipt is acknowledged of certified copies of papers required by 37 CFR 1.55.
Information Disclosure Statement
The information disclosure statement (IDS) submitted on 11/19/2024. The submission is in compliance with the provisions of 37 CFR 1.97. Accordingly, the information disclosure statement is being considered by the examiner.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 102
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 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.
(a)(2) the claimed invention was described in a patent issued under section 151, or in an application for patent published or deemed published under section 122(b), in which the patent or application, as the case may be, names another inventor and was effectively filed before the effective filing date of the claimed invention.
Claims 1-3 and 11 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1)/(a)(2) as being anticipated by Saballus US 2509456 (“Saballus”).
Regarding Claim 1, Saballus discloses a fluid control valve (ann. fig. 4 and figs. 3, and 6-19) comprising: an orifice (ann. fig. 4 illustrates the orifice is the recess in plate 146 for passage 176) having a valve seat surface (ann. fig. 4 illustrates the valve seat surface as the bottom surface of passage 176; and a valve body (188, 190, 192, 194, and 196) having a seating surface (178 is the seating surface for valve body 188, 180 for 190, 182 for 192, 184 for 194 and 186 for 196) to be seated on the valve seat surface (ann. fig. 4), wherein the orifice has a plurality of inflow ports (174 in passage 150, 172 in passage 152, 170 in passage 154, 168 in passage 156, and 166 in passage 158) and a plurality of outflow ports (174 in passage 152, 172 in passage 154, 170 in passage 156, 168 in passage 158, and 166 in passage 160) that are open along a first direction (ann. fig. 4) on the valve seat surface (ann. fig. 4), and the plurality of inflow ports (174, 172, 170, 168, and 166) and the plurality of outflow ports (174, 172, 170, 168, and 166) are arranged side by side in a second direction (ann. fig. 4) intersecting the first direction.
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SABALLUS – ANNOTATED FIGURE 4
Regarding Claim 2, Saballus discloses the plurality of inflow ports (174 in passage 150, 172 in passage 152, 170 in passage 154, 168 in passage 156, and 166 in passage 158) and the plurality of outflow ports (174 in passage 152, 172 in passage 154, 170 in passage 156, 168 in passage 158, and 166 in passage 160) are alternately arranged side by side (see ann. fig. 4) in the second direction (ann. fig. 4).
Regarding Claim 3, Saballus discloses the plurality of inflow ports (174 in passage 150, 172 in passage 152, 170 in passage 154, 168 in passage 156, and 166 in passage 158) and the plurality of outflow ports (174 in passage 152, 172 in passage 154, 170 in passage 156, 168 in passage 158, and 166 in passage 160) are formed from one end portion (ann. fig. 4) to an other end portion (ann. fig. 4) of an outer peripheral portion (ann. fig. 4) of the valve seat surface (ann. fig. 4) along the first direction (ann. fig. 4).
Regarding Claim 11, if a prior art device, in its normal and usual operation, would necessarily perform the method claimed, then the method claimed will be considered to be anticipated by the prior art device. When the prior art device is the same as a device described in the specification for carrying out the claimed method, it can be assumed that the device will perform the claimed process. See MPEP 2112.02. Saballus discloses a fluid control valve (ann. fig. 4 and figs. 3, and 6-19) comprising: an orifice (ann. fig. 4 illustrates the orifice is the recess in plate 146 for passage 176) having a valve seat surface (ann. fig. 4 illustrates the valve seat surface as the bottom surface of passage 176; and a valve body (188, 190, 192, 194, and 196) having a seating surface (178 is the seating surface for valve body 188, 180 for 190, 182 for 192, 184 for 194 and 186 for 196) to be seated on the valve seat surface (ann. fig. 4), wherein the orifice has a plurality of inflow ports (174 in passage 150, 172 in passage 152, 170 in passage 154, 168 in passage 156, and 166 in passage 158) and a plurality of outflow ports (174 in passage 152, 172 in passage 154, 170 in passage 156, 168 in passage 158, and 166 in passage 160) that are open along a first direction (ann. fig. 4) on the valve seat surface (ann. fig. 4), and the plurality of inflow ports (174, 172, 170, 168, and 166) and the plurality of outflow ports (174, 172, 170, 168, and 166) are arranged side by side in a second direction (ann. fig. 4) intersecting the first direction.
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to Daphne Barry whose telephone number is (571)272-9966 and fax number is (571) 273-9966. The examiner can normally be reached on Monday through Friday 9 AM-6 PM (eastern).
If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor either Kenneth Rinehart can be reached at (571) 272-4881 or Craig Schneider can be reached at (571) 272-3607. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/DAPHNE M BARRY/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3753