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 .
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.
Claim(s) 1, 4, 7, 10, and 13-15 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Asaro (US 2,635,629).
Regarding claims 1, 4, 7, 10, and 13-15, Asaro teaches (claims 1 and 13) a moveable sealing member 23 (fig. 1) inside a pipeline 11, 12, 15; a longitudinal spring 42 configured to bias against the sealing member in a first direction; and a locking element 31 in contact with a surface of the sealing member, the locking element disposed at an angle (90 degree) to the longitudinal spring and biased against the surface of the sealing member in a second direction (direction is perpendicular to the spring 42); a lateral spring 33 biasing the locking element against the surface of the sealing member, wherein the lateral spring compresses upon a pipeline overpressure against the locking element 31, to release the sealing member to close the pipeline; (claims 7 and 14) a housing 11 including a locking element passage (passage between housing portion 11 and 22), wherein overpressure within the pipeline pushes the locking element 31 into the locking element passage (towards housing 11); (claims 10 and 15) a removable cap 36 at an end of the locking element passage.
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 2, 3, 5, 6, 8, 9, 11, 12, and 16-20 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: Asaro fails to disclose; (claim 2) wherein the first direction is toward a closed position; (claim 5) wherein the lateral spring is perpendicular to the longitudinal spring; (claim 6) a reset element under the removable cover to retract and reset the sealing member; (claim 8) a flexible diaphragm; (claim 9) a bias adjuster; (claim 16) wherein the locking element passage comprises a threaded surface.
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure. Nolan teaches a biased open valve.
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/P. MACADE NICHOLS/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3753