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 .
Priority
Receipt is acknowledged of certified copies of papers required by 37 CFR 1.55.
Claim Objections
Claims 10 & 18 are objected to because of the following informalities:
Claims 10 & 18, lines 4-5, the term “initiating the combustion” should be corrected to “initiating combustion”.
Appropriate correction is required.
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.
Claim(s) 10-11, 13-18 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102a1 & 102a2 as being clearly anticipated by Ashida et al. (US 8,006,666 B2).
Ashida ‘666 discloses the claims as follows:
10. (New) A method for controlling an internal combustion engine 1 (fig. 1, 3) which, in a combustion chamber 4, includes a prechamber spark plug 13 and a further hooked spark plug 14 (col. 3, lines 37-44), the method comprising the following steps:
in a first operating range (i.e., during low numbers of revolutions and low engine load; see fig. 5; col. 5, line 66 thru col. 6, line 38) of the internal combustion engine 1, initiating combustion in the combustion chamber by the prechamber spark plug 13; and
in a second operating range (i.e., during high numbers of revolutions and high engine load; fig. 5) of the internal combustion engine 1, initiating the combustion by the hooked spark plug 14 (col. 6, lines 11-30).
18. (New) A device (ECU 16; FIG. 1 & 3) for controlling an internal combustion engine 1 (fig. 1, 3) which, in a combustion chamber 4, includes a prechamber spark plug 13 and a hooked spark plug 14 (col. 3, lines 37-44), wherein the device 16 is configured to:
in a first operating range (i.e., during low numbers of revolutions and low engine load; see fig. 5; col. 5, line 66 thru col. 6, line 38) of the internal combustion engine 1, initiating combustion in the combustion chamber by the prechamber spark plug 13; and
in a second operating range (i.e., during high numbers of revolutions and high engine load; fig. 5) of the internal combustion engine 1, initiating the combustion by the hooked spark plug 14 (col. 6, lines 11-30).
11. (New) The method according to claim 10, wherein the initiation of combustion by the hooked spark plug 14 is initiated using an ignition spark and the initiation of combustion by the prechamber spark plug 13 is initiated using at least one ignition jet (see at least col. 5, lines 7-18) which extends from the prechamber spark plug 13 (via passages 12a) into the combustion chamber 4.
13. (New) The method according to claim 10, wherein the first operating range (see col. 8, line 47 thru col. 9, line 10) is characterized by operation of the internal combustion engine in which there is a risk of knocking, including a high load of the internal combustion engine.
14. (New) The method according to claim 13, wherein, when knocking occurs, a time at which combustion is initiated by the prechamber spark plug is shifted in a direction of later combustion (i.e., delta T2 is larger than delta T1). Again, see col. 8, line 47 thru col. 9, line 10.
15. (New) The method according to claim 10, wherein the first operating range is characterized in that combustion in the combustion chamber can be reliably initiated by the prechamber spark plug 12 (see specifically col. 8, lines 55-64: “When the engine load is equal to or lower than a predetermined low load level, the ECU 16 discontinues the ignition in the main combustion chamber 4 and only the combustion components in the auxiliary combustion chamber are ignited by an igniter. When a lean air/fuel ratio is used under a low engine load operating condition, combustion by a strong torch flame in the main combustion chamber 4 is especially effective. Thus, according to the first embodiment, it is possible to maximize the intensity of the torch flame to carry out stable lean combustion.”).
16. (New) The method according to claim 10, wherein the second operating range (i.e., during high numbers of revolutions and high engine load; fig. 5) is characterized in that initiation of combustion in the combustion chamber cannot be reliably initiated by the prechamber spark plug 12. (see specifically col. 7, lines 1-20: “Referring now to FIG. 7, there is illustrated a relationship between engine operating conditions and a fuel supply rate by the auxiliary combustion chamber fuel injection valve 15 to the auxiliary combustion chamber 12. Similar to FIG. 5, under engine operating conditions including high numbers of revolutions and high engine load, the combustion components in the main combustion chamber 4 are not burned by the torch flame; whereas, under engine operating conditions including low numbers of revolutions and low engine load, the combustion components in the main combustion chamber 4 are burned by the torch flame. Under the engine operating conditions including low numbers of revolutions and low engine load, the fuel supply rate to the auxiliary combustion chamber 12 is controlled by the ECU 16 to be relatively great such that the combustion components in the auxiliary combustion chamber 12 burn stably and a relatively strong torch flame is directed through at least one communication passage 12a. In response to the engine load or the number of engine revolutions increasing, the ECU 16 decreases the fuel supply rate to the auxiliary combustion chamber 12.”).
17. (New) The method according to claim 16, wherein the second operating range is characterized by a low load or an operation for heating an exhaust gas system of the internal combustion engine (see col. 9, lines 29-43).
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.
This application currently names joint inventors. In considering patentability of the claims the examiner presumes that the subject matter of the various claims was commonly owned as of the effective filing date of the claimed invention(s) absent any evidence to the contrary. Applicant is advised of the obligation under 37 CFR 1.56 to point out the inventor and effective filing dates of each claim that was not commonly owned as of the effective filing date of the later invention in order for the examiner to consider the applicability of 35 U.S.C. 102(b)(2)(C) for any potential 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(2) prior art against the later invention.
Claim(s) 12 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Ashida ‘666 in view of VanDerWege (US 10,364,738 B2).
Re claim 12, Ashida ‘666 discloses the inventio as essentially claimed including wherein, when operating in the second operating range (i.e., during high numbers of revolutions and high engine load; fig. 5; col. 6, lines 11-30) in which combustion is initiated by the ignition spark on the hooked spark plug 14, an ignition jet (via passages 12a of prechamber spark plug 13) occurs in the combustion chamber 4 with a time offset (fig. 3 & 5; i.e., delta T1 & delta T2; see col. 4, lines 49-58) after the ignition spark.
However, Ashida ‘666 fails to explicitly teach wherein, when operating in the first operating range in which initiation is carried out by the prechamber spark plug 13, an ignition spark occurs at the hooked spark plug with a time offset after the ignition jet. Specifically, Ashida ‘666 teaches that “Under the engine operating conditions including low numbers of revolutions and low engine load, i.e., conditions under which there is frequently a relatively lean air/fuel ratio, ignition by the main combustion chamber spark plug 14 in the main combustion chamber 4 may be discontinued and only the combustion components in the auxiliary combustion chamber 12 are ignited since the torch flame intensity is limited by the relatively lean air/fuel ratio.”.
However, the patent application to VanDerWege ‘738 teaches a very similar system and method wherein, when operating in the first operating range (i.e., see method 700 and steps 710, 712 and 714 as shown in fig. 7 wherein step 808 (fig. 8) is not true, and that the pre-chamber spark plug timing is adjusted according to a third mode) in which initiation is carried out by the prechamber spark plug 220 (fig. 2A), an ignition spark occurs at the hooked spark plug 222 (fig. 2A-2B) with a time offset after the ignition jet. VanDerWege ‘738 explicitly recognizes in col. 21, lines 47-53 that the adjustment of the pre-chamber spark timing and main chamber spark timing would allow for a reduction of the likelihood of misfires.
In view of this teaching, it would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the invention to modify the method and device of Ashida ‘666, such that, wherein, when operating in the first operating range in which initiation is carried out by the prechamber spark plug, an ignition spark occurs at the hooked spark plug with a time offset after the ignition jet, as clearly suggested and taught by VanDerWege ‘738, in order to allow for a reduction of the likelihood of misfires (see col. 21, lines 47-53).
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure.
The cited prior arts all teach similar method for controlling the ignition timings of both the pre-chamber spark plug and main combustion chamber spark plug.
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HUNG Q. NGUYEN
Primary Examiner
Art Unit 3747
/HUNG Q NGUYEN/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3747