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 .
Election/Restrictions
Applicant’s election without traverse of species I (figure 2 and claims 1-5, 7, 8, 10, 11 and 13-15) in the reply filed on 22 May 2026 is acknowledged. Claims 6, 9, 12 and 16-18 are withdrawn from further consideration.
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, 2, 4, 5, 7, 8 and 13-15 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Kagawa (JP H10332085).
Regarding claim 1, Kagawa teaches a pressure vessel (figure 1 and 2, reference 1 and paragraph 10) comprising: a liner (figure 2, reference 5) configured to store a target fluid (paragraph 12); a boss (figure 1 and 2, reference 4) provided at an end of the liner (figure 2, near reference 5a); a liner neck part (figure 2, reference 5b, 5c, 5d) including a first neck portion bent from and connected to the end of the liner (figure 5b) and configured to define a first sealing surface provided to contact the boss (figure 2, as shown in the annotated figure below), a second neck portion bent from and connected to an end of the first neck portion (figure 2, reference 5c) and configured to define a second sealing surface provided to contact the boss (figure 2, as shown in the annotated figure below), and a third neck portion bent from and connected to an end of the second neck portion (figure 2, reference 5d) and configured to define a third sealing surface provided to contact the boss (figure 2, as shown in the annotated figure below); and a pressing part configured to press the first neck portion, the second neck portion, and the third neck portion against the boss (figure 2, reference 6).
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Regarding claim 2, Kagawa teaches all of the claim limitations of claim 1, as shown above. Furthermore, Kagawa teaches the liner neck part comprises: a first contact surface provided on the first neck portion (figure 2, as shown in the annotated figure below); a second contact surface provided on the second neck portion (figure 2, as shown in the annotated figure below); and a third contact surface provided on the third neck portion (figure 2, as shown in the annotated figure below), wherein the pressing part is configured to press the first contact surface, the second contact surface, and the third contact surface (figure 2, reference 6 and as shown in the annotated figure below).
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Regarding claim 4, Kagawa teaches all of the claim limitations of claim 2, as shown above. Furthermore, Kagawa teaches the pressing part comprises: a fastening member fastened to the boss (figure 2, reference 6c) and configured to be movable in a direction toward or away from the second contact surface (figure 2); and a pressing block provided at one end of the fastening member facing the second contact surface (figure 2, reference 6a), and configured to press the first contact surface, the second contact surface, and the third contact surface based on a fastening force applied by the fastening member (figure 2, as shown in the annotated figure above for claim 2).
Regarding claim 5, Kagawa teaches all of the claim limitations of claim 4, as shown above. Furthermore, Kagawa teaches the pressing block has a cross-sectional area gradually increasing from one end adjacent to the second contact surface toward the other end (figure 2: the pressing block 6a gradually increases from the end near 5c towards the other end near 4h).
Regarding claim 7, Kagawa teaches all of the claim limitations of claim 4, as shown above. Furthermore, Kagawa teaches a first screw fastening portion provided on an outer peripheral surface of the fastening member (figure 2, along the outer wall of 6a); and a second screw fastening portion provided on the boss (figure 2, reference 4d) and configured to engage with the first screw fastening portion (figure 2), wherein the pressing block is configured to rectilinearly move in the direction toward or away from the second contact surface based on a rotation of the fastening member relative to the boss (figure 2).
Regarding claim 8, Kagawa teaches all of the claim limitations of claim 4, as shown above. Furthermore, Kagawa teaches a pressure application groove provided in the fastening member (figure 2, as shown in the annotated figure below) such that the pressure application groove is exposed to the target fluid (figure 2, as shown in the annotated figure below) and configured to allow pressure applied by the target fluid to be applied to the pressure application groove (figure 2, as shown in the annotated figure below: Furthermore, This limitation has been treated as an intended use recitation. It has been held that a recitation with respect to the manner in which a claimed apparatus is intended to be employed does not differentiate the claimed apparatus from a prior art apparatus satisfying the claimed structural limitations. Ex parte Masham, 2 USPQ2d 1647 (1987). Since the limitation has not been positively claimed, the system of Kagawa is capable of performing the recited function).
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Regarding claim 13, Kagawa teaches all of the claim limitations of claim 1, as shown above. Furthermore, Kagawa teaches the first sealing surface, the second sealing surface, and the third sealing surface are continuously connected along a periphery of the liner neck part (figure 2, as shown in the annotated figure below).
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Regarding claim 14, Kagawa teaches all of the claim limitations of claim 1, as shown above. Furthermore, Kagawa teaches the boss has higher strength than the liner neck part (page 4 and 5: the liner can be made from resin while the boss can be made from metal where metal has a higher strength then resin).
Regarding claim 15, Kagawa teaches all of the claim limitations of claim 1, as shown above. Furthermore, Kagawa teaches the first neck portion is provided in a longitudinal direction of the liner (figure 2, reference 5b), the second neck portion is provided in a radial direction of the liner (figure 2, reference 5c), and the third neck portion is provided in the longitudinal direction of the liner (figure 2, reference 5d).
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 3, 10 and 11 are 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
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure.
Ota et al. (US 20080251520) discloses a pressure vessel with a neck portion, a boss and pressing part.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to JAVIER A PAGAN whose telephone number is (571)270-7719. The examiner can normally be reached Monday - Thursday: 6:30am-4:30pm.
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If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Anthony Stashick can be reached at (571) 272-4561. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/JAVIER A PAGAN/ Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3735
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