DETAILED ACTION
Final
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 .
Response to Amendments/Arguments
Claims 1, 3-4, 6-10, 13-20 are pending. Claims 1, 3, 6, 13, 14, 16, 18 and 19 are currently amended. Claims 2, 5, 11-12 are canceled. It appears that no new matter has been entered. The amendments to the claims have overcome the rejections under 35 USC 112 second paragraph. The amendments to the claims have incorporated and added additional limitations to the parent independent claims requiring further search and/or consideration and adjustment of the rejection to meet the claim limitations.
Applicant remarks that the features of the primary reference do not meet the claim limitations as amended where the exterior surface of the body portion 40 of the primary reference is not position-able into the space 1004 due to lack of space, but it is clear from the features present in the primary reference that this is not the case, and that Buseth as discussed below teaches all the claim limitations as provided and that the present applicant remarks are narrowly tailored and do not take into account the full breadth of the claim limitations as applied as required by the office. Regarding the amendments of claim 19, the modification incorporates the limitations as applied in claim 1, and Buseth as the secondary teaching reference teaches those limitations as indicated, and modifies primary reference Wanner for the reasons discussed below. Accordingly the rejections are maintained. This action is made Final.
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 (i.e., changing from AIA to pre-AIA ) 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.
(a)(2) the claimed invention was described in a patent issued under section 151, or in an application for patent published or deemed published under section 122(b), in which the patent or application, as the case may be, names another inventor and was effectively filed before the effective filing date of the claimed invention.
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.
The factual inquiries for establishing a background for determining obviousness under 35 U.S.C. 103 are summarized as follows:
1. Determining the scope and contents of the prior art.
2. Ascertaining the differences between the prior art and the claims at issue.
3. Resolving the level of ordinary skill in the pertinent art.
4. Considering objective evidence present in the application indicating obviousness or nonobviousness.
Claim(s) 1, 3-4, 6-10, 13-18is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102 (a)(1)/(a)(2) as being anticipated by Buseth (US 4007909);
Claim(s) 19 and 20 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Wanner (US 374766) in view of Buseth.
Buseth discloses in claim 1: (see at least annotated figures 1 and 2 below)
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A connector (figure 1) for connecting a first pipeline (at 10 end) and a second pipeline (at 12 end), the connector comprising: a connector body (body of 10) including a connection passage (via 18) configured (via ball detent and stop adjacent 112 figure 2) to connect the first pipeline and the second pipeline (when inserted therein see figure 2); an opening/closing body (26) movably coupled to the connector body to be movable between an opening position (figure 2), in which the connection passage is opened, and a closing position (figure 1), in which the connection passage is closed; and an elastic body (spring 34) coupled to the connector body and configured to elastically support the opening/closing body toward the closing position (figure 1, spring 34 biases the valve closed, wherein the connector body includes a body portion (portion of 18) including an opening (at end of 76) on one side of the connector body, and wherein the opening/closing body is located on an inside (at 24) of the body portion, wherein the opening/closing body includes: a rotation shaft (28) coupled to the body portion to be rotatable (there about); and an opening/closing portion (body of 40) connected to the rotation shaft to be rotatable about the rotation shaft, and configured to block an interior (the interior of 14 at 1000) of the body portion in the closing position, wherein the connector body further includes: an accommodation portion (at area 1002) formed at a side portion of the body portion, and including an accommodation space (at 1004) connected to an interior of the body portion, and wherein at least a part (44 and 34 and portion of 26) of the opening/closing portion is disposed in the accommodation space in the opening position, wherein the accommodation portion includes a recess (1004 is a space that is…) recessed in an outward (radial) direction of the body portion on an internal wall (that of inside surface of 1002/54) of the body portion to receive the at least part (the outside body portion of 52 and 26 as shown at 1010) of the opening/closing portion in the opening position (as shown where it is noted that the inside surfaces at 42 lines up with the inside surface of 108 to provide for reduced turbulent fluid flow or smooth fluid flow transition there through.)
Buseth discloses in claim 3: The connector of claim 1, wherein the connector body further includes: a movement restricting portion (as previously indicated inwardly protruding stop 112 and detents 68) configured to restrict the opening/closing body from being moved from the closing position toward the opening of the body portion (the features lock the valve 26 into the open position.)
Buseth discloses in claim 4: The connector of claim 3, wherein the movement restricting portion protrudes (112 extends/protrudes radially inward) from an internal peripheral surface (that of 18) of the body portion so that the opening/closing body is stopped (axially) by the movement restricting portion.
Buseth discloses in claim 6: The connector of claim 1, wherein the opening/closing portion is formed in a plate shape (26 is concave-plate shaped, see figure 3 and 4.)
Buseth discloses in claim 7: The connector of claim 6, wherein a cross-section of the body portion, which is perpendicular to a flow direction of a fluid in the body portion, is circular or elliptical (figure 4 shows in viewpoint perpendicular to the central axis, a circular cross section during open position, figure 3 shows the elliptical surface in the closed position), and wherein the opening/closing portion is formed of a circular or elliptical plate (as discussed.)
Buseth discloses in claim 8: The connector of claim 7, wherein the opening/closing body further includes: a sealing portion (o-ring seal 24 or seal surface 52) provided on a peripheral side of the opening/closing portion.
Buseth discloses in claim 9: The connector of claim 8, wherein the sealing portion is provided in an external circumferential surface facing an internal peripheral surface of the body portion in the closing position (in the closed position, both 24 and 52 face the inside peripheral surfaces of the body 10 when closed.)
Buseth discloses in claim 10: The connector of claim 9, wherein the sealing portion includes an O-ring (24 is an o-ring) surrounding the opening/closing portion.
Buseth discloses in claim 13: The connector of claim 1, wherein the opening/closing portion includes an opening/closing surface (42 and 38) disposed to face the opening of the body portion in the closing position, and configured to block an interior (at 1000) of the body portion, and wherein the opening/closing surface includes a concave shape (see figure 4) recessed in an outward (radial) direction of the body portion in the opening position.
Buseth discloses in claim 14: The connector of claim 1, wherein the elastic body is a torsion spring (30 figure 3) coupled to the rotation shaft (28.)
Buseth discloses in claim 15; The connector of claim 14, wherein the elastic body includes: a pair of spring portions (left and right portions 30) coupled to opposite end portions of the rotation shaft, respectively; a pair of fixed portions (34) extending from the pair of spring portions, respectively, and fixed to the body portion (34 bears to the body figure 1 or 2); and an elastic support portion (at 32 either side) provided between the pair of spring portions so that the opening/closing portion is supported toward the closing position by use of elasticity of the spring portion.
Buseth discloses in claim 16: The connector of claim 1, wherein the connector comprises a plurality of opening/closing bodies (upper and lower portions 26), and wherein the plurality of opening/closing bodies are provided to open or close a portion of the connection passage.
Buseth discloses in claim 17: The connector of claim 16, wherein a plurality of elastic bodies (34) are provided to correspond to a number of the plurality of opening/closing bodies (two each) to elastically support the plurality of opening/closing bodies, respectively.
Buseth discloses in claim 18: The connector of claim 16, wherein when a cross-section of the connection passage, which is perpendicular to a flow direction of a fluid, is defined as a flow surface (surface of 18), the plurality of opening/closing bodies are configured to open or close different portions of the flow surface (upper and lower surface portions), respectively so that the plurality of opening/closing bodies open or close the flow surface.
Wanner discloses in claim 19: (see at least annotated figure 1 below)
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A movable object (figure 1) comprising: a vehicle body (train engine -A-) including a wheel (wheels at 2002) for traveling; a first circulation system (pipe -D4- and see page 1 ln 64-82) supported by the vehicle body; a structure (cars -B-) coupled to the vehicle body; a second circulation system (via -E’-) supported by the structure; and a connector (F) detachably connecting a first pipeline (-E-) of the first circulation system and a second pipeline (-E’-) of the second circulation system, wherein the connector includes: a connector body (body of -F-) including a connection passage (via -F1-) configured to connect the first pipeline and the second pipeline; an opening/closing body (-F2-) coupled to be movable from an opening position (as seen in figure 5), in which the connection passage is opened, to a closing position, in which the connection passage is closed (with -F4- removed), in the connector body; Wanner does not disclose, although Buseth teaches: an elastic body (34) coupled to the connector body (10) and configured to elastically support the opening/closing body (26) toward the closing position (all for the purpose of ensuring for example, the valve remains closed when not in use by biasing to the closing position the valve rotatably around the central axis of the hinge), wherein the connector body includes a body portion (portion of 18) including an opening (at end of 76) on one side of the connector body, and wherein the opening/closing body is located on an inside (at 24) of the body portion, wherein the opening/closing body includes: a rotation shaft (28) coupled to the body portion to be rotatable (there about); and an opening/closing portion (body of 40) connected to the rotation shaft to be rotatable about the rotation shaft, and configured to block an interior (the interior of 14 at 1000) of the body portion in the closing position, wherein the connector body further includes: an accommodation portion (at area 1002) formed at a side portion of the body portion, and including an accommodation space (at 1004) connected to an interior of the body portion, and wherein at least a part (44 and 34 and portion of 26) of the opening/closing portion is disposed in the accommodation space in the opening position, wherein the accommodation portion includes a recess (1004 is a space that is…) recessed in an outward (radial) direction of the body portion on an internal wall (that of inside surface of 1002/54) of the body portion to receive the at least part (the outside body portion of 52 and 26 as shown at 1010) of the opening/closing portion in the opening position (as shown where it is noted that the inside surfaces at 42 lines up with the inside surface of 108 to provide for reduced turbulent fluid flow or smooth fluid flow transition there through.)
Accordingly, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art at the time of filing of the invention to provide Wanner as taught in Buseth above , and all for the purpose of ensuring for example, the valve remains closed when not in use by biasing to the closing position the valve rotatably around the central axis of the hinge.
Wanner discloses (as modified for the reasons discussed above) in claim 20: The movable object of claim 19, wherein the structure is coupled to be attached to or detached from the vehicle body (page 1 ln 43-45 where the car and engine are attachable and detachable from one another via the tender and the coupling F), and wherein the opening/closing body is configured to open the connection passage in response that the structure (of -E’-) is coupled to the vehicle body (at least via -E-), and close the connection passage in response that the structure is decoupled from the vehicle body (as is the case when -F4- is removed from -F-.)
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure.
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.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to MATTHEW W JELLETT, whose telephone number is 571-270-7497. 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. Ken 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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/Matthew W Jellett/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3753
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