DETAILED ACTION
This Office Action is in response to the communication(s) filed on 5/11/2026.
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
In the event the determination of the status of the application as subject to AIA 35 U.S.C. 102 and 103 (or as subject to pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 102 and 103) is incorrect, any correction of the statutory basis for the rejection will not be considered a new ground of rejection if the prior art relied upon, and the rationale supporting the rejection, would be the same under either status.
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 21-27 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Banks (US 2009/0043485A1).
Regarding claim 21, Banks discloses a method for installing a turbo-boost control system to increase the power output of an engine of a vehicle (see at least Abstract and fig. 1-8), comprising: mounting a control module (52) within an engine compartment (at least implicitly taught) of the vehicle; and coupling the control module (52) with an engine control unit (105/110) of the vehicle (see at least Abstract and figs. 1-8).
Regarding claim 22, Banks further discloses wherein coupling includes routing a wiring harness (54) from the control module (52) to a turbo inlet pressure sensor (48, 49, 98, 99) of the vehicle.
Regarding claim 23, Banks further discloses wherein routing the wiring harness (54) includes coupling a turbo inlet pressure sensor connector with turbo inlet pressure sensor (48, 49, 98, 99) (see at least fig. 2 and 5).
Regarding claim 24, Banks further discloses wherein routing the wiring harness (54) includes coupling a turbo inlet pressure sensor harness connector with a turbo inlet pressure sensor connector of the vehicle (see at least fig. 2, 5).
Regarding claim 25, Banks further discloses wherein routing the wiring harness (54) includes plugging a signal connector of the wiring harness into an input socket of the control module (see at least fig. 2, 4, 5).
Regarding claim 26, Banks further discloses wherein coupling includes routing the wiring harness (54) to a manifold absolute pressure sensor (92, 93) of the vehicle.
Regarding claim 27, Banks further discloses wherein routing the wiring harness (54) includes coupling a manifold absolute pressure sensor connector with the manifold absolute pressure sensor (see at least fig. 2, 5).
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 28 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Banks (US 2009/0043485A1).
Regarding claim 28, Banks discloses the invention above and further discloses a PDA for displaying engine performance to an operator.
Banks is not relied upon to teach a signal adjuster.
Okuyama teaches a signal adjuster configured to enable manual adjustment of the power output of the engine in order to adjust the output of the engine (paragraph 0031-0039).
It would have been obvious to a person having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the present invention to modify the reference of Banks to having the signal adjuster of Okuyama in order to enable manual adjustment of the power output of the engine.
Claims 29-30 and 34-40 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Banks (US 2009/0043485A1).
Regarding claim 29, Banks and Okuyama discloses the invention above.
Banks and Okuyama are not relied upon to teach wherein the signal adjuster is a control dial.
Yoshida disclose an engine having an engine control dial 41 for designating the rotation speed of the engine (paragraph 0033, 0058) which is connected to the engine device (fig. 1).
It would have been obvious to a person having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the present invention to modify the reference of Banks to having the engine control dial of Yoshida in order to allow for precise control of engine rotational speed of the engine/ engine performance.
For clarity, the signal adjuster as modified is within a passenger cabin such that the driver can manually operate a control dial comprising the signal adjuster.
Regarding claim 30, Banks as modified by Okuyama and Yoshida further discloses wherein positioning the signal adjuster includes coupling the control dial with a rheostat (41 of yoshida) comprising the signal adjuster.
Regarding claim 34, Banks discloses coupling a turbo-boost control system with an engine control unit of the vehicle (see at least fig. 2, 4, 5).
Banks is not relied upon to teach installing a signal adjuster to manually increase the power output of an engine of a vehicle, comprising: mounting a rheostat comprising the signal adjuster in a passenger cabin within reach of a driver of the vehicle; electrically coupling the rheostat with the turbo-boost control system; and coupling a control dial with the rheostat.
Okuyama teaches a signal adjuster configured to enable manual adjustment of the power output of the engine in order to adjust the output of the engine (paragraph 0031-0039).
It would have been obvious to a person having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the present invention to modify the reference of Banks to having the signal adjuster of Okuyama in order to enable manual adjustment of the power output of the engine.
Banks as modified by Okuyama discloses having a signal adjuster to manually increase the power output of an engine of a vehicle, the signal adjuster being mounted in a passenger cabin within reach of a driver of the vehicle and electrically coupled to the turbo control system (paragraph 0031-0039).
Banks as modified by Okuyama is not relied upon to teach the signal adjuster being a rheostat.
It would have been obvious to a person having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the present invention to modify the reference of Banks to having the engine control dial (rheostat 41) of Yoshida in order to allow for precise control of engine rotational speed of the engine/ engine performance.
Regarding claim 35, Banks as modified by Okuyama and Yoshida further discloses wherein electrically coupling includes extending a cable from the rheostat (41 of Yoshida) to a wiring harness (54 of Banks) comprising the turbo-boost control system (of Banks).
Regarding claim 36, Banks as modified by Okuyama and Yoshida further discloses wherein extending the cable includes plugging a controller connector comprising the cable into a controller socket of the wiring harness (54 of Banks) (see at least figs 2, 4, 5 of Banks).
Regarding claim 37, Banks further discloses wherein coupling the turbo-boost control system includes coupling a turbo inlet pressure sensor connector of the turbo-boost control system with a turbo inlet pressure sensor (48, 49, 98, 99) of the vehicle (see at least fig. 2, 4, 5).
Regarding claim 38, Banks further discloses wherein coupling the turbo-boost control system includes coupling a turbo inlet pressure sensor harness connector of the turbo-boost control system with a turbo inlet pressure sensor connector of the vehicle (see at least fig. 2, 4, 5).
Regarding claim 39, Banks further discloses wherein coupling the turbo-boost control system includes coupling the turbo-boost control system with a manifold absolute pressure sensor (41, 42, 43, 92, 93) of the vehicle (see at least fig. 2, 4, 5).
Regarding claim 40, Banks further discloses wherein coupling the turbo-boost control system includes coupling a manifold absolute pressure sensor connector comprising the turbo-boost control system with the manifold absolute pressure sensor (see at least fig. 2, 4, 5).
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 31-33 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
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.
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/XIAO EN MO/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3747
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