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
Acknowledgment is made of applicant’s claim for foreign priority under 35 U.S.C. 119 (a)-(d).
Information Disclosure Statement
The information disclosure statement (IDS) submitted on 12/20/2024 was filed prior to the mailing date of the mailing of this action. The submission complies with the provisions of 37 CFR 1.97. Accordingly, the information disclosure statement has been considered by the examiner.
Drawings
The drawings are objected to under 37 CFR 1.83(a). The drawings must show every feature of the invention specified in the claims. Therefore, the limitations in claim 4 must be shown or the feature(s) canceled from the claim(s). No new matter should be entered.
The drawings are objected to as failing to comply with 37 CFR 1.84(p)(4) because reference character “47” has been used to designate both a seal and an outer part surrounding the valve needle 15, see Fig. 5A.
Corrected drawing sheets in compliance with 37 CFR 1.121(d) are required in reply to the Office action to avoid abandonment of the application. Any amended replacement drawing sheet should include all of the figures appearing on the immediate prior version of the sheet, even if only one figure is being amended. The figure or figure number of an amended drawing should not be labeled as “amended.” If a drawing figure is to be canceled, the appropriate figure must be removed from the replacement sheet, and where necessary, the remaining figures must be renumbered and appropriate changes made to the brief description of the several views of the drawings for consistency. Additional replacement sheets may be necessary to show the renumbering of the remaining figures. Each drawing sheet submitted after the filing date of an application must be labeled in the top margin as either “Replacement Sheet” or “New Sheet” pursuant to 37 CFR 1.121(d). If the changes are not accepted by the examiner, the applicant will be notified and informed of any required corrective action in the next Office action. The objection to the drawings will not be held in abeyance.
Claim Objections
Claim 8 is objected to because of the following informalities: the limitations, in claim 8, “the nozzle” should be changed to - -the valve - -.
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 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.
Claim(s) 1-6 and 8-13 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102a1 as being anticipated by Vincent (US 2391808).
Regarding claim 1, Vincent discloses a fuel valve (see Fig. 1) for metered delivery of fuel (p1. Left col. Line 1) having a housing (10) which can be filled with a fluid fuel and having an outlet opening (17), and a valve needle (19,22,35) disposed in the housing which can be moved in a longitudinal direction and which interacts with a valve seat (18) to open and close the outlet opening, wherein the valve needle is surrounded for a portion of its length by a crimping bellows (21) which seals an interior internal chamber (the chamber/space within 21) wherein the crimping bellows (21) is connected at an end (the end of 21 abutting 28) facing the outlet opening to a connecting ring (28) in a fluid-tight manner, and is tensioned by a tensioning nut (36) surrounding the valve needle against a sealing seat (26, see Fig.4) on the valve needle.
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Regarding claim 2, Vincent discloses the tensioning nut (36) engages a thread (as shown clearly in Fig. 1) formed on an outer side of the valve needle (see Fig. 1).
Regarding claim 3, Vincent discloses a tensioning sleeve (39) surrounding the valve needle (22,35,19) is disposed between the tensioning nut and the connecting ring, wherein the tensioning sleeve transfers a pressing force of the tensioning nut to the connecting ring (the force transferred through the connection of 37).
Regarding claim 4, Vincent discloses the valve needle (19,22,35) forms an outer contour (a round diameter) in an area of the tensioning sleeve (39), and wherein the tensioning sleeve (39) engages in a positive-locking manner so that the tensioning sleeve (39) is secured against rotation about its longitudinal axis (since the sleeve 39 is torqued down in the bore it is installed in and abuts a gasket/seal above it, it is considered as being secured against rotation from the torque).
Regarding claim 5, Vincent discloses the sealing seat (26, see Fig. 4) is conical.
Regarding claim 6, Vincent discloses a conical abutment surface (27) is formed on the connecting ring (28) with which the connecting ring rests on the sealing seat (See Fig. 1,4).
Regarding claim 8, Vincent discloses a sealing ring (the ring, being the reduced part of 19,22 between 26 and 30, in a broadest reasonable interpretation based on the location of the structure) is disposed between the connecting ring and the nozzle needle.
Regarding claim 9, Vincent discloses an end (upper end of 21 abutting the horizontal face of 39) of the crimping bellows facing away from the outlet opening is connected to a second ring (the gasket, being the second ring, between 37 and 39 is connected to the end of the bellows through mating part 39) to form a seal.
Regarding claim 10, Vincent discloses the second connecting ring (the gasket, being the second ring, between 37 and 39 is connected to the end of the bellows through mating part 39) abuts a shoulder (the bottom surface of 37) facing the outlet opening in the housing (10).
Regarding claim 11, Vincent discloses the second connecting ring (the gasket, being the second ring, between 37 and 39 is connected to the end of the bellows through mating part 39) is tensioned against the shoulder (bottom surface of 37) by a tensioning screw (37).
Regarding claim 12, Vincent discloses, the following when considering claims 9-11 in an alternative manner;
where for claim 9, an end (upper end of 21 abutting the horizontal face of 39 at 38) of the crimping bellows facing away from the outlet opening is connected to a second ring (at 38) to form a seal,
where for claim 10, the second connecting ring (39) abuts a shoulder (the bottom surface of 37) facing the outlet opening in the housing (10),
where for claim 11, the second connecting ring (39) is tensioned against the shoulder (bottom surface of seal/gasket abutting top of 39) by a tensioning screw (top most nut),
for claim 12, a first adjustment washer (the uppermost washer between the top most nut and lower nut 37) and a second adjustment washer (the lower washer between 37 and 39) are disposed between the second connecting ring (39) and the tensioning screw (top most nut) and/or between the second connecting ring and the shoulder.
Regarding claim 13, Vincent discloses the internal chamber is filled with a lubricant (p.1,right col. Lns. 25-26, the lubricant being fuel, “fuel pressure to flow into the interior of the bellows”).
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.
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) 7 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Vincent ‘808 in view of Simpson (US 1996309).
Regarding claim 7, Vincent discloses all of the claimed features of the invention although is silent to having that the sealing seat is configured as a flat annular surface and a flat abutting surface is configured on the connecting ring, which also forms an annular surface and with which the connecting ring rests on the sealing seat.
Simpson discloses a bellows valve that teaches the use of sealing seat is configured as a flat annular surface (8) and a flat abutting surface (the bottom flat surface on 9 that abuts 8) is configured on the connecting ring, which also forms an annular surface and with which the connecting ring rests on the sealing seat.
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to substitute a flat sealing surfaces as taught by Simpson for the sealing surfaces in Vincent to have the sealing seat is configured as a flat annular surface and a flat abutting surface is configured on the connecting ring, which also forms an annular surface and with which the connecting ring rests on the sealing seat, since it has been held, that an express suggestion to substitute one equivalent component (one valve seat for another) or process for another is not necessary to render such substitution obvious. Additionally, the well-known expected outcome of sealing a valve, would result from the combination.
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to Craig Price, whose telephone number is (571)272-2712 or via facsimile (571)273-2712. The examiner can normally be reached on Monday-Friday (8:00AM-4:30PM EST).
If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Craig Schneider, can be reached at telephone number 571-272-3607, Kenneth Rinehart can be reached at 571-272-4881. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/CRAIG J PRICE/ Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3753