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) 1-2, 5-6, 10-12, and 14 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Boos (DE102017214712A1).
Regarding claims 1 and 8, Boos discloses a dosing method for carrying out at least one dosing operation, comprising the steps: providing a switching signal to or from a valve control (110), providing a coil current from the valve control to a magnetic drive (20) in dependence on the switching signal, wherein the magnetic drive is configured to move a valve member (30) of a solenoid valve (10) between a normal position and a functional position, determining a first start of movement of the valve member from the normal position to the functional position (121), determining an operating duration (delayA) between the provision of the coil current and the first start of movement, determining a providing duration (act) for the switching signal, wherein the provision of the coil current (120) is carried out over a coil current duration which corresponds to a sum of the providing duration and the operating duration (Fig. 2).
Regarding claim 2, after the end of the provision of the coil current, a second start of movement (122) of the valve member from the functional position to the normal position is determined and a turn-off duration (delayB) between the end of the provision of the coil current and the second start of movement of the dosing process is determined.
Regarding claim 5, the first start of movement is determined on the basis of a profile of the coil current provided to the magnetic drive (Fig. 2).
Regarding claim 6, the switching signal is provided to the valve control by a controller (70) that is higher-level than the valve control.
Regarding claim 10, the valve control comprises a permanent voltage supply (par. 0020).
Regarding claim 11, the first start of movement is determined on the basis of at least one sensor signal from at least one sensor (par. 0003).
Regarding claim 12, the first start of movement is determined on the basis of at least one sensor signal from a pressure sensor assigned to the solenoid valve (par. 0025-0026).
Regarding claim 14, the valve control comprises a switching signal input (70).
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 3-4, 7, 9, and 13 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.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to DONNELL ALAN LONG whose telephone number is (571)270-5610. The examiner can normally be reached Mon - Fri 8AM-5PM.
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/DONNELL A LONG/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3754
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