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
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.
Claims 1-7 and 9-20 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Nelson et al. (US Pub No 2012/0018532 A1).
Re claim 1, Nelson et al. show a rotary sprinkler (Figs. 11 & 12) comprising:
a base container (406) having an interior cavity;
a fluid flow path (412/414) extending through the interior cavity;
a valve (522) including a valve body and a valve element (paragraph 0100), the valve element is configured to move relative to the valve body to various positions to control a water flow through the fluid flow path (412/414) in a downstream direction;
a nozzle head (408) supported by the base container (406) and coupled to the fluid flow path (412/414) downstream from the valve (522), the nozzle head (408) comprising at least one nozzle (410) configured to discharge water received through the fluid flow path (412/414) as a water stream;
a pressure sensor (494; paragraph 0092) comprising a sensing element configured to sense a pressure within the fluid flow path (412/414) at a location that is downstream from the valve (522); and
a controller (450/582) configured to control the position of the valve element based on the sensed pressure (paragraphs 0092, 0094 & 0100),
wherein:
the fluid flow path (412/414) includes:
a first section (414) downstream from the valve (522) having a first cross-sectional area measured in a plane that is perpendicular to the downstream direction;
a second section (412) downstream from the first section (414) having a second cross-sectional area measured in a plane that is perpendicular to the downstream direction; and
the second cross-sectional area is greater than the first cross-sectional area (Fig. 11); and
the sensing element (494) is configured to sense the pressure within the second section (412).
Re claim 2, Nelson et al. show the second section (412) is defined by an interior wall (432/top of 406) extending transversely to the downstream direction; and the sensing element (494) is configured to sense the pressure at a location that is proximate the interior wall.
Re claim 3, Nelson et al. show the interior wall (432/top of 406) is substantially perpendicular to the downstream direction.
Re claim 4, Nelson et al. show the base container includes a top cover (top of 406) through which the fluid flow path (412/414) extends; and a surface (432) of the top cover includes the interior wall (432/top of 406) of the second section.
Re claim 5, Nelson et al. show the pressure sensor comprises: a port (top of 414) coupling the sensing element (494) to the pressure; and sensor electronics (paragraph 0092) contained in the interior cavity (406) and configured to output a pressure signal to the controller that is indicative of the sensed pressure (paragraph 0092).
Re claim 6, Nelson et al. show the port (top of 414) extends through the top cover (top of 406).
Re claim 7, Nelson et al. show a cylindrical protrusion (see annotated figure) extends from a top surface of the top cover (top of 406); the fluid flow path (412/414) extends through the cylindrical protrusion (see annotated figure); and the port (top of 414) extends through the top cover (top of 406) to an interior side (top of 414 is on the interior of the annotated protrusion) of the cylindrical protrusion (see annotated figure).
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Re claim 9, Nelson et al. show the port (top of 414) is displaced at least 2 centimeters from the valve element (522) along the fluid flow path.
Re claim 10, Nelson et al. show the port (top of 414) is displaced at least 3 centimeters from the valve element (522) along the fluid flow path.
Re claim 11, Nelson et al. disclose the valve comprises a ball valve (paragraph 0043).
Re claim 12, Nelson et al. disclose the controller is configured to sample the sensed pressure a predefined delay after the position of the valve element is adjusted (paragraph 0083).
Re claims 13 & 20, Nelson et al. disclose the predefined delay is more than 100 milliseconds (paragraph 0083 – “every 0.2 seconds”).
Re claim 14, Nelson et al. disclose the controller (450/582) is configured to control the position of the valve element (522) based on an average of a plurality of the samples of the sensed pressure over a period of time (paragraph 0083 – “the controller can then average the control valve positioner data…”).
Re claim 15, Nelson et al. disclose the period of time is less than 300 milliseconds (paragraph 0083 – “every 0.2 seconds”).
Re claim 16, Nelson et al. disclose the controller (450/582) is configured to adjust the position of the valve element based on, the sensed pressure (paragraph 0092), an angular position of the nozzle head relative to the base container (paragraph 0110) and a programmed water stream distance corresponding to the angular position (paragraph 0110).
Re claim 17, Nelson et al. show a rotary sprinkler (Figs. 11 & 12) comprising:
a base container (406) having an interior cavity;
a fluid flow path (412/414) extending through the interior cavity;
a valve (522) including a valve body and a valve element (paragraph 0100), the valve element is configured to move relative to the valve body to various positions to control a water flow through the fluid flow path (412/414) in a downstream direction;
a nozzle head (408) supported by the base container and coupled to the fluid flow path, the nozzle head comprising at least one nozzle (410) configured to discharge water received through the fluid flow path as a water stream;
a pressure sensor (494; paragraph 0092) comprising a sensing element configured to sense a pressure within the fluid flow path (412/414) at a location that is at least 2 centimeters downstream from the valve element (522) along the fluid flow path; and
a controller (450/582) configured to control the position of the valve element based on the sensed pressure (paragraphs 0092, 0094 & 0100).
Re claim 18, Nelson et al. show the location of the pressure sensed by the sensing element (494) is displaced at least 3 centimeters from the valve element (522) along the fluid flow path.
Re claim 19, Nelson et al. show a rotary sprinkler (Figs. 11 & 12) comprising:
a base container (406) having an interior cavity;
a fluid flow path (412/414) extending through the interior cavity;
a valve (522) including a valve body and a valve element (paragraph 0100), the valve element is configured to move relative to the valve body to various positions to control a water flow through the fluid flow path (412/414) in a downstream direction;
a nozzle head (408) supported by the base container and coupled to the fluid flow path, the nozzle head comprising at least one nozzle (410) configured to discharge water received through the fluid flow path as a water stream;
a pressure sensor (494; paragraph 0092) comprising a sensing element configured to sense a pressure within the fluid flow path (412/414) at a location that is downstream from the valve (522) along the fluid flow path; and
a controller (450/582) configured to control the position of the valve element based on at least one sample of the sensed pressure (paragraphs 0092, 0094 & 0100) taken a predefined delay after the position of the valve element is adjusted (paragraph 0083).
Allowable Subject Matter
Claim 8 is 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.
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to STEVEN MICHAEL CERNOCH whose telephone number is (571)270-3540. The examiner can normally be reached Mon-Fri; 8am-5pm.
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If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Arthur Hall can be reached at (571)270-1814. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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STEVEN MICHAEL CERNOCH
Primary Examiner
Art Unit 3752
/STEVEN M CERNOCH/ Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3752
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