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.
Claims 1, 3 and 5-6 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Liu (CN 105298951 B)
Regarding Claim 1 Liu teaches an emergency descent system for an aerial work platform, comprising: a telescopic hydraulic cylinder (1), provided with a piston rod (Fig 2) inside for lifting a load, the piston rod (Fig 2) dividing an interior of the telescopic hydraulic cylinder (1) into a cavity with rod and a cavity with non-rod (Fig 1); a counterbalance valve (22) , an inlet of the counterbalance valve (22) being connected to the cavity with non-rod (Fig 1), and an outlet of the counterbalance valve (22) being connected to an oil supply pipe (Fig 1); an oil return pipe (see Fig below) (see Fig below), connected to the cavity with rod (Fig 1), the oil return pipe (see Fig below) being connected to an emergency oil source (6) which is used for providing hydraulic oil to the oil return pipe (see Fig below) , and the oil return pipe (see Fig below) being connected to a control port of the counterbalance valve (22); and a proportional valve (21) , an inlet of the proportional valve (21) being connected to the cavity with non-rod, and an outlet of the proportional valve (21) being connected to the oil return pipe (See Fig below).
Regarding Claim 3 Liu teaches wherein the inlet of the counterbalance valve (22) is connected to a first check valve (23), the first check valve (23) is connected to the oil supply pipe (Fig 1), the hydraulic oil is capable of flowing from the oil supply pipe to the cavity with non-rod through the first check valve (23), and the first check valve (23) is configured to prevent the hydraulic oil from flowing back to the oil supply pipe from the cavity with non-rod (Fig 1).
Regarding Claim 5 Liu teaches wherein a compensator (3) is connected between the outlet of the proportional valve (21) and the oil return pipe (see Fig below).
Regarding Claim 6 Liu teaches wherein the emergency oil source (6) is configured to adjust a pressure of the hydraulic oil provided to the oil return pipe (see Fig below) to control an opening degree of the counterbalance valve (22) (Fig 1).
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Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 103
The following is a quotation of pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 103(a) which forms the basis for all obviousness rejections set forth in this Office action:
(a) A patent may not be obtained though the invention is not identically disclosed or described as set forth in section 102 of this title, if the differences between the subject matter sought to be patented and the prior art are such that the subject matter as a whole would have been obvious at the time the invention was made to a person having ordinary skill in the art to which said subject matter pertains. Patentability shall not be negatived by the manner in which the invention was made.
Claims 2 and 11 are rejected under pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 103(a) as being unpatentable over Liu in view of XU (CN 211314698 U).
Regarding Claim 1 Liu teaches a proportional valve (21) and an inlet of the proportional valve (21) being connected to the cavity with non-rod, and an outlet of the proportional valve (21) being connected to the oil return pipe (See Fig below). Liu is silent regarding a switch valve being connected between the proportional valve and the cavity with non-rod for connecting and closing an oil path between the proportional valve and the cavity with non-rod.
However, Xu teaches a hydraulic system having a cylinder (Fig 1) and a proportional valve (4) having its inlet being connected to a cavity with non-rod of the cylinder (Fig 1). Xu further teaches a switch valve (5) being connected between the proportional valve (4) and the cavity with non-rod for connecting and closing an oil path between the proportional valve (4) and the cavity with non-rod (Fig 1).
Since Liu and Xu are both in the same field o endvaour and both teach known valve arrangements that connect to hydraulicly actuated cylinders, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art to have replaced one valve arrangement for the other by including a switch valve along with the proportional valve to achieve a predictable result of forming a supply/discharge mechanism for the hydraulic cylinder.
Regarding Claim 11 Xu teaches wherein the switch valve (5) is a two-position, two-way and two-way cut-off switch valve (Fig 1).
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 4, 7-10 and 12-15 are objected to as being dependent upon a rejected base claim including all of the limitations of the base claim and any intervening claims.
Conclusion
Prior art made of record is pertinent to applicant’s claimed invention Liu et al (CN 113790182) teaches a linear actuator having a counterbalance valve. (US 9,404,323 B2) teaches a hydraulic circuit for a platform having an emergency fluid supply.
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/ABIY TEKA/ Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3745
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