DETAILED ACTION
This office action is a reply to the amendment dated July 20, 2026.
Claims 1, 4, 5, 10 and 13-17 have been amended; claims 2, 3, 6-9, 11, 12, 24, 26, 27, 29 and 30 have been canceled; and claims 31-34 have been added as new claims.
Claims 1, 4, 5, 10, 13-1719, 23, 25, 28 and 31-34 remain pending in this application.
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.
Claims 1, 4, 5, 10, 13-17, 19-23, 25 and 28 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over CPP (https://teamcpp.com/2022/02/cpps-ez-return-rivet-fitting-is-a-universal-solution/) in view of Bellis (US 5,185,147 A), and in further view of Joseph et al. (US 5,387,016 A), hereafter Joseph and Yamamoto (US 6,224,309 B1).
Regarding claims 1 and 17, CPP discloses a weldless fuel fitting (Fig. 9), comprising: a head (AN fitting) having a plurality of surfaces, an aperture (top of AN fitting), a stem (Fig. 4) extending from the head and in fluid communication with the aperture; the stem having a shank with internal threads that is deformable upon engagement of a fastener with the internal threads (Fig. 9), wherein the shank deforms upon tightening by the fastener and is configured to engage a fuel tank without requiring a weld.
CPP does not disclose a fitting comprising: a head having a plurality of external surfaces and defining two intersecting fluid flow paths therein, wherein plurality of external surfaces includes a first external surface defining a first threaded aperture which extends into sad head and defines a first flow path of the two intersecting fluid flow paths, a second external surface defining a second threaded aperture which extends int the head and defines a second flow path of the two intersecting fluid flow paths, and a third external surface, and a stem extending from the third external surface.
Bellis discloses a fitting (10) comprising: a head (12 and 14) having a plurality of external surfaces (shown in Fig. 1) and defining two intersecting fluid flow paths therein (shown in Fig. 3), wherein plurality of external surfaces includes a first external surface defining a first threaded aperture which extends into the head and defines a first flow path of the two intersecting fluid flow paths, a second external surface defining a second threaded aperture which extends into the head and defines a second flow path of the two intersecting fluid flow paths (shown in Fig. 1 and Fig. 3), and a third external surface, and a stem (26) extending from the third external surface. It would have been obvious to a person having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to provide the fitting of Bellis applied to the preinstalled port of CPP in order to provide a desired number of ports for the fuel fitting. It has been held that forming in one piece an article which has formerly been formed in two pieces and put together involves only routine skill in the art. Howard v. Detroit Stove Works, 150 U.S. 164 (1993).
CPP as modified with Bellis does not show a weldless fuel fitting wherein (i) the shank includes external knurling configured to engage the fuel tank to prevent rotation of the fuel fitting once installed thereon to facilitate deforming the shank upon tightening by the fastener, (ii) the stem includes one or more retaining features for engagement of a fuel line, (iii) the knurling is positioned between the head and the one or more retaining features, and (iv) the one or more retaining features are spaced apart from the knurling such that engagement between the one or more retaining features and the fuel line is spaced apart from the knurling, and wherein the stem includes a step such that a first portion of the stem has a first diameter, a second portion of the stem has a second diameter that is smaller than the first diameter, the knurling is positioned along the first portion of the stem, and the one or more retaining features are positioned along the second portion of the stem.
Joseph discloses a fitting having a stem having a shank that is deformable upon installation (Fig. 4C-4E), and is configured to engage a fuel tank without requiring a weld; the stem includes one or more retaining features (18), and the one or more retaining features are spaced apart from the deformable section between the one or more retaining features, and wherein the stem includes a step such that a first portion of the stem has a first diameter, a second portion of the stem has a second diameter that is smaller than the first diameter (retaining features have a smaller diameter). And, Yamamoto teaches that a deformable section in a stem comprises knurling (40; Fig. 1). Hence it is known in the art to provide a pipe fitting having a deformable section together with a retaining feature, wherein knurling can be applied in the deformable feature. It would have been obvious to a person having ordinary skill in the art to provide the fuel fitting of Bellis by using the CPP method with elements of Joseph and Yamamoto in order to create a weldless connection on a fuel tank.
Regarding claim 4, CPP as modified with Bellis and Yamamoto discloses the weldless fuel fitting wherein the at least one second thread configured to allow for rotational engagement of the head to tighten the fastener within the fuel tank during installation (as taught by CPP in Fig. 9).
Regarding claim 5, CPP as modified with Bellis and Yamamoto discloses the weldless fuel fitting of claim 1, wherein when the fastener is tightened relative to the head, the shank deforms to seal the weldless fuel fitting to the fuel tank (Fig. 9).
Regarding claims 10, 16 and 19, CPP as modified with Bellis, Yamamoto and Joseph, discloses the one or more retaining features are disposed on the stem at an end of the stem distal from the head (as shown in Joseph).
Regarding claims 13, 21 and 22, CPP as modified with Bellis discloses a fuel fitting wherein the first threaded aperture is perpendicular to the second threaded aperture and the internal threads, and wherein the internal threads are offset from the second threaded aperture.
Regarding claims 14, 15 and 23, CPP as modified with Bellis, Joseph and Yamamoto cannot prove to have a diameter of the first threaded aperture larger than the diameter of the internal threads; or a diameter of the second threaded aperture larger than a diameter of the internal threads. However, it would have been an obvious matter of design choice to provide a fuel fitting with desired diameters, since the applicant has not provided why the claimed dimensions are of importance and it appears that the fuel fitting of CPP as modified with Bellis would perform equally well.
Regarding claim 20, CPP as modified with Bellis, Joseph and Yamamoto, can not prove to provide a fitting wherein the internal threads are disposed between the one or more retaining features and the shank. However, it would have been an obvious matter of design choice to provide a fitting wherein the internal threads are disposed between the one or more retaining features and the shank, since the applicant has not provided why the claimed limitation is of importance and it appears that the fuel fitting of CPP as modified with Bellis would perform equally well.
Regarding claims 25 and 28, CPP as modified with Bellis, Joseph and Yamamoto does not disclose a weldless fuel fitting wherein the external knurling comprises a plurality of ribs extending in an axial direction with respect to the shank. Yamamoto discloses knurling having a different surface configuration that meets the necessary criteria of providing a weldless connection. A knurling feature with a plurality of ribs extending in an axial direction with respect to the shank would have been an obvious matter of design choice. (i.e. Jia et al. CN 219655063).
Claims 31-34 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over CPP (https://teamcpp.com/2022/02/cpps-ez-return-rivet-fitting-is-a-universal-solution/) in view of Bellis (US 5,185,147 A), and in further view of Joseph et al. (US 5,387,016 A), hereafter Joseph, Yamamoto (US 6,224,309 B1) and Takanori et al. (TH 89749 B), hereafter Takanori.
Regarding claims 31-31, CPP as modified with Bellis, Joseph and Yamamoto do not disclose a specific combination, wherein the first portion of the stem includes an unknurled region, and wherein the unknurled region is positioned between the knurling and the second portion of the stem. Takanori discloses a weldless connection to a coupling element (41, Fig. 2) wherein the first portion of the stem includes an unknurled region, and wherein the unknurled region is positioned between the knurling and the second portion of the stem (Fig. 6). Hence, it would have been obvious to a person having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to provide a weldless fuel fitting of CPP as modified with Bellis, Joseph and Takanori in order to provide an integral multi port fuel fitting with improved structure.
Response to Arguments
Applicant's arguments filed July 20, 2026 have been fully considered but they are not persuasive.
Applicant argues that prior art Joseph does not disclose a tubular body with claimed diameters, wherein the first end has a larger diameter than the second end.
Examiner asserts that claims are given their broadest reasonable interpretation consistent with the specifications. The test for obviousness is not whether the features of a secondary reference may be bodily incorporated into the structure of the primary reference; nor is it that the claimed invention must be expressly suggested in any one or all of the references. Rather, the test is what the combined teachings of the references would have suggested to those of ordinary skill in the art. See In re Keller, 642 F.2d 413, 208 USPQ 871 (CCPA 1981).
In this instance, Joseph was a teaching reference that a weldless connection can include retaining features. CPP was not modified with Joseph to replace the tubular body, but to show that adding the retaining element is known in the art and it would be an obvious choice. As pointed in rejection dated May 5, 2026, the applicant merely shows the claimed diameters in the figures without explaining the benefit in comparison to the known weldless fittings.
Conclusion
Applicant's amendment necessitated the new ground(s) of rejection presented in this Office action. Accordingly, THIS ACTION IS MADE FINAL. See MPEP § 706.07(a). Applicant is reminded of the extension of time policy as set forth in 37 CFR 1.136(a).
A shortened statutory period for reply to this final action is set to expire THREE MONTHS from the mailing date of this action. In the event a first reply is filed within TWO MONTHS of the mailing date of this final action and the advisory action is not mailed until after the end of the THREE-MONTH shortened statutory period, then the shortened statutory period will expire on the date the advisory action is mailed, and any nonprovisional extension fee (37 CFR 1.17(a)) pursuant to 37 CFR 1.136(a) will be calculated from the mailing date of the advisory action. In no event, however, will the statutory period for reply expire later than SIX MONTHS from the mailing date of this final action.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to TEUTA B HOLBROOK whose telephone number is (571)270-3276. The examiner can normally be reached Monday - Friday 8am-4:30pm EST.
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/TEUTA HOLBROOK/
Examiner
Art Unit 3747
/GEORGE C JIN/ Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3747
Prosecution Insights