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 .
DETAILED ACTION
This is responsive to the claims filed 11/5/2024. Claims 1 – 30 are pending in this application.
Information Disclosure Statement
The information disclosure statements filed 11/26/2024 and 9/15/2025 are acknowledged by the examiner.
Claim Objections
Claims 1, 4 and 9 are objected to because of the following informalities: “said tab” should read “said cantilevered tab”. Appropriate correction is required.
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 and 5 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Korean Patent Document KR 200460111.
Examiner is interpreting the limitation “a cantilevered tab that is configured to extend from said substrate over” to mean any cantilevered portion that projects from any portion comprising the substrate, as described by applicant’s disclosure. Figure 5 of the Applicant’s discloses an element 118 (cantilevered tab) from element 100 (substrate).
The Korean Patent document discloses a rupture indicator (200, Fig. 1) for detecting a process condition associated with an over-pressure relief device having a central rupturable section (120, Fig. 1) and an outer flange section (110, Fig. 1) in surrounding relationship to said central section, the rupture indicator comprising: an electrically nonconductive substrate (210, Fig. 1) configured to be operatively associated with the outer flange section – as seen in Fig. 3 - and including a cantilevered tab (examiner is interpreting the section of 200 from the edge of 300 towards the central axis (Fig. 2) to meet this limitation) that is configured to extend from said substrate over (similar to the interpretation of Applicant’s disclosure above) and in spaced relation – by means of reinforcing ring 300 (Fig. 2) - to a surface of the central section (120, Fig. 1); and an electrically conductive trace (220, Fig. 1) located on said substrate and extending onto at least a portion of said tab, said trace defining an electrical circuit capable of conducting an electrical signal, said circuit being operable to detect the process condition associated with the over-pressure relief device.
Regarding claim 5, the Korean Patent document discloses a pressure relief member (Fig. 2) comprising a central rupturable section (120, Fig. 1) and an outer flange section (110, Fig. 1) in surrounding relationship to said central section.
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 10 – 30 are allowed.
Claims 2 – 4, 6 – 9 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 an examiner’s statement of reasons for allowance:
Regarding claims 10 and 17, Korean Patent Document KR 200460111 does not render obvious in combination with other, the claim limitation “a rigid member operatively associated with said substrate and extending over said trace on said at least a portion of said cantilevered end so that when the central section ruptures forming a petal, the petal contacts and deforms said cantilevered end so that said rigid member contacts said trace, thereby affecting said circuit”.
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Any comments considered necessary by applicant must be submitted no later than the payment of the issue fee and, to avoid processing delays, should preferably accompany the issue fee. Such submissions should be clearly labeled “Comments on Statement of Reasons for Allowance.”
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure. US Patent to Finnegan (4,978,947) and US Patent Application Publication to Walker (2011/0303523) both disclosing burst indicator of a rupture disc assembly.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to UMASHANKAR VENKATESAN whose telephone number is (571)270-5602. The examiner can normally be reached Monday - Friday 9:30 AM - 6:00 PM.
If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner' s supervisors Craig Schneider can be reached at (571) 272-3607 or Ken Rinehart can be reached at (571) 272-4881. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/UMASHANKAR VENKATESAN/
Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3753