DETAILED ACTION
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 quill connector must be shown or the feature(s) canceled from the claim(s). No new matter should be entered.
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 6 is objected to because of the following informalities: “a tight guide clearance” is believed to be in error for --a second tight guide clearance--. Appropriate correction is required.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 112
The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 112(b):
(b) CONCLUSION.—The specification shall conclude with one or more claims particularly pointing out and distinctly claiming the subject matter which the inventor or a joint inventor regards as the invention.
The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), second paragraph:
The specification shall conclude with one or more claims particularly pointing out and distinctly claiming the subject matter which the applicant regards as his invention.
Claim 3 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 112(b) or 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), second paragraph, as being indefinite for failing to particularly point out and distinctly claim the subject matter which the inventor or a joint inventor (or for applications subject to pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, the applicant), regards as the invention.
Claim 3 recites the limitation “a guide sleeve”. Claim 2, upon which claim 3 depends, recites “a guide piece”, and the specification recites that the “guide piece 96 includes a guide sleeve” at paragraph [0024]. It is unclear whether the sleeve is separate from, or the same as the guide piece of claim 2, rendering claim 3 vague and indefinite.
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, 6, 10, 11 ,13 and 18 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Yang CN 114294138 A.
In regards to Independent Claim 1, Yang teaches a fuel injector (figure 1) comprising: an injector housing (2) defining a longitudinal axis (central axis passing through 2) and forming a first fuel inlet (inlet to 14) for a first fuel (fuel from 1-1), and a second fuel inlet (inlet to 18) for a second fuel (fuel from 1-3); a dual concentric check assembly (assembly including 4 and 3) including an inner check (4) movable to open and close a first nozzle outlet (11) for the first fuel (opens when 4 moves up), and an outer check (3) movable to open and close a second nozzle outlet (19) for the second fuel (opens when 3 moves up); a fuel flow clearance defined between the inner check and the outer check and forming a nozzle supply passage for conveying the first fuel between the first fuel inlet and the first nozzle outlet (passage between 4 and 3 comprising spring 9); a tight guide clearance defined between the inner check and the outer check (between 4 and 3 where 15 passes through 4); and a fuel supply orifice (15) extending through the inner check to fluidly connect the first fuel inlet to the fuel flow clearance (15 connects inlet of 14 to 9 in figure 1).
Regarding Dependent Claim 2, Yang teaches the injector housing further includes a stack having a plurality of stack pieces (6, 4, 5), a guide piece in the stack (5), and a tight guide clearance defined between the inner check and the guide piece (no flow between 5 and 4 as shown in figure 1).
Regarding Dependent Claim 6, Yang teaches a tight guide clearance defined between the outer check and one of the plurality of stack pieces (clearance between 3 and 6).
Regarding Dependent Claim 10, Yang teaches a second nozzle supply passage (16) extends through the injector housing between the second fuel inlet and the second nozzle outlet (16 between inlet to 18 and outlet 19), and circumferentially around the outer check (16 extends circumferentially about 3 in figure 1) at a location axially between the tight guide clearance and each of the first nozzle outlet and the second nozzle outlet (16 is between outlets 11/19 and tight guide clearance at 15 in figure 1).
In regards to Independent Claim 11, Yang teaches a fuel system (figure 1) comprising: a first high pressure fuel conduit (1-1); a second high pressure fuel conduit (1-3); a fuel injector (2) forming a first fuel inlet (inlet of 14) fluidly connected to the first high pressure fuel conduit (as shown in figure 1), a first nozzle outlet (11), a second fuel inlet (inlet of 18) fluidly connected to the second high pressure fuel conduit (as shown in figure 1), and a second nozzle outlet (19), and including a dual concentric check assembly having an inner check (4) and an outer check (3); a fuel flow clearance is defined between the inner check and the outer check and forms a first nozzle supply passage extending between the first fuel inlet and the first nozzle outlet (passage between 3 and 4 at spring 9); a second nozzle supply passage is formed in the fuel injector and extends between the second fuel inlet and the second nozzle outlet (passage 16); and a tight guide clearance is defined between the inner check and the outer check (between 4 and 3 at the position of 15 in figure 1).
Regarding Dependent Claim 13, Yang teaches a tight guide clearance defined between the outer check and an injector housing of the fuel injector (clearance between 2 and 3 at position of 15 in figure 1), and a tight guide clearance defined between a guide piece in the injector housing and the inner check (tight clearance between 4 and guide piece 5).
In regards to Independent Claim 18, Yang teaches a method of operating a fuel system (figure 1) comprising: lifting an inner check (4, with at least spring 9) in a dual concentric check assembly (4 and 3) in a fuel injector to open a first nozzle outlet (11) to inject a first fuel (from fuel source 1-1); lifting an outer check (3, with at least control cavity 13) in the dual concentric check assembly in the fuel injector to open a second nozzle outlet (19) to inject a second fuel (from fuel source 1-3); guiding the inner check during the lifting the inner check via a tight guide clearance defined between the inner check and the outer check (tight clearance between 4 and 3 at 15 in figure 1); guiding the outer check during the lifting the outer check via a tight guide clearance defined between the outer check and an injector housing of the fuel injector (clearance between 3 and 2 at 15 in figure 1); and feeding the first fuel through a fuel supply orifice (15) formed in the inner check (4) to a fuel flow clearance defined between the inner check and the outer check and forming a nozzle supply passage to the first nozzle outlet (fuel passage including spring 9 in figure 1).
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 3 and 19 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Yang as applied to claims 1 and 18 above, and further in view of Mumford 2010/0219360.
Regarding Dependent Claims 3 and 19, Yang teaches the guide piece includes a guide sleeve (inner portion of 3 facing 5) separate from the plurality of stack pieces (inner portion of 3 is separate from 6, 4, 5). However, Yang does not teach a metal-to-metal face seal formed by the guide sleeve and one of the plurality of stack pieces. Mumford teaches using a metal-to-metal seal between valve body pieces (paragraph [0034]). It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art prior to the filing date of the invention to use a metal-to-metal face seal between the guide sleeve and stack piece of Yang, as taught by Mumford, in order to create a fluid-tight seal between the components to prevent leakage (paragraph [0034]).
Claim(s) 8, 9 and 14 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Yang as applied to claims 1 and 11 above.
Regarding Dependent Claims 8, 9 and 14, Yang teaches the invention as claimed and discussed above, and Yang further teaches a single fuel supply orifice (15) with circumferentially offset inlet and outlet holes (as shown in figure 1). However, Yang does not teach that there are a plurality fuel supply orifices through the inner check. It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art prior to the filing date of the invention to use multiple fuel supply orifices through the inner check of Yang instead of one, since it has been held that mere duplication of the essential working parts of a device involves only routine skill in the art. In re Harza, 274 F.2d 669, 124 USPQ 378 (CCPA 1960). MPEP 2144.04 VI B.
Claim(s) 12 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Yang as applied to claim 11 above, and further in view of Kim 2012/0204835.
Regarding Dependent Claim 12, Yang teaches the invention as claimed and discussed above, and Yang further teaches a first pressurized fuel supply connected to the first fuel supply conduit (supply to 1-1, where supply must be under some amount of pressure to move into conduit 1-1), and a second pressurized fuel supply connected to the second fuel supply conduit (supply to 1-3, where supply must be under some amount of pressure to move into conduit 1-3). However, Yang does not teach that at least one of the first and second high pressure fuel conduits includes a quill connector. Kim teaches using a quill connector (30) to connect a fuel supply to a fuel injector (paragraph [0013]). It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art prior to the filing date of the invention to use the quill connector of Kim to connect at least one of the fuel supplies to the fuel conduits of Yang, in order to facilitate connection of the fuel supply to the conduit and inhibit leakage (paragraph [0002]).
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 4, 5, 7, 15-17 and 20 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.
The following is a statement of reasons for the indication of allowable subject matter: prior art fails to teach, in combination with the other limitations of dependent claim 4, that the fuel supply orifice fluidly connects the spring chamber to the fuel flow clearance; prior art fails to teach, in combination with the other limitations of dependent claim 7, a fill orifice formed in the inner check and fluidly connecting the fuel supply orifice to the control chamber; prior art fails to teach, in combination with the other limitations of dependent claim 15, that the outer check includes a hydraulic surface exposed to a fluid pressure of another control chamber formed in the fuel injector; and prior art fails to teach, in combination with the other limitations of dependent claim 20, restoring a closing hydraulic pressure on a closing hydraulic surface of the outer check through a fill orifice formed in the inner check.
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to STEVEN M SUTHERLAND whose telephone number is (571)270-1902. The examiner can normally be reached M-F 8-5.
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/STEVEN M SUTHERLAND/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3752
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