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 .
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.
(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 1-2, 4, and 6-8 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(2) as being anticipated by Tang (US PG PUB 2024/0042471).
Regarding claim 1, Tang discloses a lengthened all-plastic self-locking pump (item 1000, figure 2, full plastic pump, paragraph [0083]), comprising
a bottle locking cap (item 161, figure 2) capable of being fixed on a liquid containing bottle,
wherein a pump body (item 10, figure 2) and a locking cap (items 44, 162, figures 3 and 9) capable of fixing the pump body on the bottle locking cap are provided on the bottle locking cap (paragraph [103]);
a liquid storage chamber (item 11, figure 2), a communication port (bottom opening of housing 11, figure 9) communicated with the liquid storage chamber, a one-way valve (item 15, figure 9) capable of controlling the communication port to open so that liquid enters the liquid storage chamber (paragraph [0088]),
a pump rod (item 20, figure 3) capable of relatively sliding up and down and having an upper end penetrating out of the locking cap, and a piston (item 13, figure 3) sheathing on the pump rod (piston 13 is attached to bottom of pump rod 20 via piston base 14, figures 3 and 9) and driven by the pump rod are provided in the pump body;
the piston is sealingly inserted into the liquid storage chamber so that a pressure chamber is formed below the piston in the liquid storage chamber (paragraphs [0089], [0099]);
when the piston moves upwards, a negative pressure is formed in the pressure chamber so that the one- way valve opens to make the liquid enter the pressure chamber (paragraphs [0089], [0099-0100]);
the upper end of the pump rod is provided with a pressing head (item 41, figure 3) capable of driving the pump rod downwards so that the piston squeezes the liquid in the liquid storage chamber downwards to flow out, and a lower end of the pump rod is provided with a connecting head (item 17, figure 3) penetrating downwards out of the piston and extending into the pressure chamber (figure 9);
a plastic spring (item 12, figure 3, paragraph [0089]) having one end connected to the connecting head (spring 12 connects with the spring holding base 17 at its bottom end, figure 9) and capable of elastically pressing the pump rod to reset upwards is provided in the pressure chamber (paragraphs [0089], [0100]), and the plastic spring comprises a plurality of elastic units (units formed of components 1230, 1231, 1232, figure 4) connected from top to bottom.
Regarding claim 2, Tang discloses that the elastic units comprise a plurality of support connecting pieces (items 1210, 1220, 1240, figure 4) provided at intervals from bottom to top, and elastic pieces (items 1231, 1232, figure 4) are provided between adjacent support connecting pieces.
Regarding claim 4, Tang discloses that the elastic pieces are arc-shaped (figure 4) and protrude away from a central axis of the plastic spring (figure 4).
Regarding claim 6, Tang discloses that the elastic unit comprises two arc-shaped elastic strips (items 1231, 1232, figure 3, two arc-shaped strips are opposite each other) provided opposite to each other, and ends of the two arc-shaped elastic strips are connected in one-to-one correspondence and enclose a ring (item 1240, figure 4); three adjacent elastic units are successively connected end-to-end in a Z-shaped structure (figure 4); the arc-shaped elastic strips, located at the top and bottom, of the plastic spring are each connected to a support connecting piece (items 1210, 1220, figure 4).
Regarding claim 7, Tang discloses that the support connecting piece (item 1220, figure 3) on at least one end is arranged with a plug hole (central extending hole, see figure 4) for inserting and positioning the connecting head (component 1702 of spring holding base 17 rests on the support connecting piece 1220, figure 4).
Regarding claim 8, Tang discloses that the support connecting piece is of a circular ring sheet structure (maintaining portions 1210 and 1220 are ring shaped and sheet-like structure, figure 4).
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.
Claim 3 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Tang in view of Cassoni et al. (“Cassoni” hereinafter) (US PN 11,267,009).
Regarding claim 3, Tang teaches the elastic units but do not explicitly teach that two ends of the elastic piece are provided with positioning columns which extend vertically and abut against each other when the elastic piece is squeezed and deformed.
Cassoni teaches another plastic pump dispenser (item 1, figure 12) comprising a plastic elastic spring (item 150, figure 12) with elastic units (items 152, 53, figure 13A) comprising positioning columns (item 154, figure 13A) between the elastic units, the positioning columns extend vertically and abut each other when the elastic spring is squeezed and deformed (column 7, lines 33-53).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art at the time before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have modified the plastic spring of Tang as taught by Cassoni to provide additional stress management columns that concentrate the load transmitted from the pump actuator to the plastic spring and thus provide the same level bias for the spring through expanding and contracting but also effectively manage the deformation stress.
Claim 5 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Tang in view of Bartolucci (US PG PUB 2022/0184650).
Regarding claim 5, Tang teaches the elastic units but do not explicitly teach that it two X-shaped elastic arms provided opposite to each other, the ends of which are connected in one-to-one correspondence and enclose a vertical through hole, the X-shaped elastic arms, located at the top and bottom, are each connected to a support connecting piece.
Bartolucci teaches another plastics pump dispenser (item 1, figure 1, paragraph [0039]) comprising a plastic spring (item 50, figure 4) with elastic units comprising two X-shaped elastic arms provided opposite each other (figures 15 and 16, paragraph [0065]), the ends of which are connected in one-to-one correspondence and enclose a vertical through hole, the X-shaped elastic arms, located at the top and bottom, are each connected to a support connecting piece (top and bottom rings, figures 15 and 16).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art at the time before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have modified the plastic spring of Tang as taught by Bartolucci to provide contemplate a different design for the plastic spring which functions the same as an elastic biasing unit but and also provides additional stress portions that concentrate the load transmitted from the pump actuator to the plastic spring and thus provide the same level bias for the spring through expanding and contracting but also effectively manage the deformation stress.
Claim 9 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Tang in view of Zhu (US PG PUB 2022/0339653).
Regarding claim 9, Tang teaches that the pressing head and the locking cap interact to lock and unlock the pump dispenser but is silent to the exact structure as recited in the claim.
Zhu teaches a pump dispenser (figure 1) comprising a pressing head (item 2, figure 1) provided with a positioning block (pressing head 2 extension that holds ring 22, strip 23 and groove 21, figure 6), and a locking cap (item 8, figure 1) is provided with notches (item 82, figure 8) for the positioning block to clamp into and abut against so that the pressing head is locked and not able to move down, and sliding grooves (item 81, figure 8) for the positioning block to slide up and down when the pressing head is rotated to remove the positioning block from the notches (paragraphs [0011], [0036-0037]).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art at the time before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have modified the locking ring structure of Tang as taught by Zhu to provide a positioning block on the pressing head and corresponding notches and guiding groove structures on the locking ring in order to allow movement of the pump member when desired and lock it down from moving and rotating using these gradual locking structures. It is also noted that notches, grooves, protrusions and the like are art-recognized structures which are used to manage pump rotation and translation movements.
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure. The following prior arts disclose pump dispenser devices comprising a non-metallic spring or biasing member for various purposes such as recycling, rust-prevention, and ease of manufacture: US PN 5,979,711, US PG PUB 2003/0047571, US PG PUB 2005/0072807, US PG PUB 2015/0090741, US PG PUB 2015/0136810, US PG PUB 2020/0246820, US PG PUB 2021/0229123, US PN 11,471,902, US PN 11,541,410, US PG PUB 2023/0201852, and US PN 11,754,137.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to VISHAL J PANCHOLI whose telephone number is (571)272-9324. The examiner can normally be reached Monday - Thursday (9 am - 7 pm).
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/Vishal Pancholi/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3754
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