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) 19 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102a1 as being anticipated by Jee (20150069282).
Jee discloses a slit valve apparatus comprising: a door plate 120 configured to open and close an opening 112 of a valve housing 110; a valve rod 130 connected to the door plate; a guide housing 140 disposed at a lower end of the door plate and disposed so that the valve rod 130 passes therethrough; an L-motion block 150 disposed in an internal space of the guide housing and connected to the valve rod 130; a cam block 141,142 connected to the L-motion block and disposed in the internal space of the guide housing; a driving rod 160,183 connected to a lower end of the valve rod 130; and a driving unit 181 connected to the driving rod to drive the driving rod, wherein the driving unit includes a cylinder 180 having an internal space (portion of 181 adjacent pressure ports at top and bottom, best seen in Fig 2) and a piston 182 driven up and down in the internal space of the cylinder, wherein the cylinder includes the cylinder 180 includes an inlet (one of the two pressure ports seen on left side of 180 in Fig 2 in accordance with valve travel direction) through which air flows, an outlet (other one of the pressure ports seen on left side of 180 in Fig 2) spaced apart from the inlet, and a piston movement recess (portion of internal space of the cylinder in which piston slides) disposed between the inlet and the outlet and configured to allow the piston to move therein, and the cylinder includes a first orifice (one of the holes for pressure ports) connecting the inlet to the piston movement recess and a second orifice (other one of the holes for pressure ports)connecting the outlet to the piston movement recess.
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.
This application currently names joint inventors. In considering patentability of the claims the examiner presumes that the subject matter of the various claims was commonly owned as of the effective filing date of the claimed invention(s) absent any evidence to the contrary. Applicant is advised of the obligation under 37 CFR 1.56 to point out the inventor and effective filing dates of each claim that was not commonly owned as of the effective filing date of the later invention in order for the examiner to consider the applicability of 35 U.S.C. 102(b)(2)(C) for any potential 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(2) prior art against the later invention.
Claim(s) 20 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Jee (20150069282).
Jee fails to disclose cylinder 180 having sealing rings on piston. However, Official Notice is taken that sealing rings on piston, for the purpose of reducing shock and vibration are widely known and notoriously old in the art. It would have been obvious before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to a person having ordinary skill in the art to employ sealing rings on piston in the device of Jee for the purpose of reducing shock and vibration as is widely known and notoriously old in the art.
Claim(s) 1, 8-15 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Jee (20150069282) in view of Kollberg et al (11702740).
As to claim 1, Jee discloses a slit valve apparatus comprising: a door plate 120 configured to open and close an opening 112 of a valve housing 110; a valve rod 130 connected to the door plate; a guide housing 140 disposed at a lower end of the door plate and disposed so that the valve rod 130 passes therethrough; an L-motion block 150 disposed in an internal space of the guide housing and connected to the valve rod 130; a cam block 141,142 connected to the L-motion block and disposed in the internal space of the guide housing; a driving rod 160,183 connected to a lower end of the valve rod 130; and a driving unit 181 connected to the driving rod to drive the driving rod.
Jee fails to disclose a connector in the door plate including a body in the door plate and an extension portion extending from a lower end of the body which includes a first wedge portion configured to prevent the door plate from rotating, and the valve rod includes a second wedge portion corresponding to the first wedge portion. Jee fails to disclose
Kollberg teaches a related valve wherein the slit valve apparatus comprises a connector 13 installed in the door plate and connected to the valve rod, wherein the connector includes a body (top portion) disposed in the door plate 11-14 and an extension portion (bottom portion including stepped portion) extending from a lower end of the body, and wherein the extension portion includes a first wedge portion (stepped portion) configured to prevent the door plate from rotating, and the valve rod 12 includes a second wedge portion (stepped portion seen in Fig 5A is seen as a wedge), corresponding to the first wedge portion.
It would have been obvious to a person having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have provided the device/system disclosed by Jee with a connector having a wedge at bottom mating with a valve rod wedge as taught by Kollberg in order to prevent valve plate misalignment.
As to claim 8, in Jee, the driving unit includes a cylinder 180 having an internal space and a piston driven up and down in the internal space of the cylinder.
As to claim 9, in Jee, the cylinder 180 includes an inlet (one of the two pressure ports seen on left side of 180 in Fig 2 in accordance with valve travel direction) through which air flows, an outlet (other one of the pressure ports seen on left side of 180 in Fig 2) spaced apart from the inlet, and a piston movement recess (portion of internal space of the cylinder in which piston slides) disposed between the inlet and the outlet and configured to allow the piston to move therein.
As to claim 10, the cylinder includes a first orifice (one of the holes for pressure ports) connecting the inlet to the piston movement recess and a second orifice (other one of the holes for pressure ports)connecting the outlet to the piston movement recess.
As to claim 11, Jee fails to disclose cylinder 180 having sealing rings on piston. However, according to Official Notice taken above (for claim 20) sealing rings on piston, for the purpose of reducing shock and vibration are widely known and notoriously old in the art. It would have been obvious before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to a person having ordinary skill in the art to employ sealing rings on piston in the device of Jee for the purpose of reducing shock and vibration as is widely known and notoriously old in the art.
As to claim 12, the guide housing 140 includes a cam block guide 141 on each of two side of an internal surface to guide movement of the L-motion block 150.
As to claim 13, an L-motion guide groove 142 corresponding to a shape of the cam block guide 141 is provided on the each of the two sides of the internal surface of the guide housing 140.
As to claim 14, the L-motion guide groove includes a vertical driving section groove 143 formed in a vertical direction and an opening and closing driving section groove 144 formed in a horizontal direction above the vertical driving section groove.
As to claim 15, the L-motion block 150 includes a guide roller 151 inserted into the L-motion guide groove and configured to move along the L-motion guide groove 142.
Claim(s) 4, 5, 7 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Jee (20150069282) in view of Kollberg et al (11702740), further in view of Ogawa et al (20210388907).
As to claims 4, 5, 7, Jee fails to disclose a connection block to a surface of sealing plate opposite sealing side and connection block having a mounting recess for connector insertion fixed by screw. Kollberg teaches a related valve with a connection block 14,15 on a surface of sealing plate 11 opposite sealing side and connection block having a mounting recess (between 14’,14’) for connector 13 insertion which is fixed by screw 21.
It would have been obvious to a person having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have provided the device/system disclosed by Jee as modified with a connection block for coupling the connector and sealing plate as described above as taught by Kollberg in order to provide enable disassembly features.
Jee as modified fails to disclose a sealing ring on valve surface of sealing plate.
Ogawa teaches a related valve with a sealing ring 7 on valve surface of sealing plate 3.
It would have been obvious to a person having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have provided the device/system disclosed by Jee as modified with a sealing ring on valve surface of sealing plate as taught by Ogawa in order to provide replaceable sealing contact.
Allowable Subject Matter
Claim(s) 2, 3, 6, 16-18 is/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
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to Atif Chaudry at phone number 571-270-3768. The examiner can normally be reached on Monday-Friday (9:30AM-6:00PM EST).
If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisors can be reached by phone. Kenneth Rinehart can be reached at 571-272-4881, or Craig Schneider can be reached at 571-272-3607. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/ATIF H CHAUDRY/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3753
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