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 Status
Pending claims 1-16 are addressed below.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 112
The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 112(b):
(b) CONCLUSION.—The specification shall conclude with one or more claims particularly pointing out and distinctly claiming the subject matter which the inventor or a joint inventor regards as the invention.
The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), second paragraph:
The specification shall conclude with one or more claims particularly pointing out and distinctly claiming the subject matter which the applicant regards as his invention.
Claims 1-16 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 112(b) or 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), second paragraph, as being indefinite for failing to particularly point out and distinctly claim the subject matter which the inventor or a joint inventor (or for applications subject to pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, the applicant), regards as the invention.
Claim 1 recites the limitation "the dry chamber" in line 6. There is insufficient antecedent basis for this limitation in the claim.
Claim 16 recites the limitation "the spray tip" in line 26. There is insufficient antecedent basis for this limitation in the claim.
Other claim(s) listed in the rejection title is/are indefinite due to its/their dependency upon the rejected base claim.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 103
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 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 1, 2, 8-12, 15, 16 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Saidman (US20050230438) in view of Cocks (US3212715).
(Note 1: cross-out limitations in this office action indicates the lack of explicit teaching in the primary reference; the limitation is addressed by the teaching reference(s) below).
Regarding claim 1, Saidman discloses a handheld spray gun (10; figs. 2-3; the dispenser as modified below can be handheld), comprising:
a gun body (12) that forms a handle (body 12 can be hold by hand), the handle having a handle front side (body portion 12 near 14);
a solenoid (18, par. 25: “the electromagnetic coil 18 is deenergized by removing or reducing the delivered current”; see fig. 4) at least partially located within the gun body (12; see figs. 3-4), the solenoid comprising a plunger (24, including 25, 34, 35) and a stator (28, including 44, 46) that includes a coil (18a), the coil configured to electromagnetically move the plunger (par. 25: “The opened condition is characterized by a second armature position established by electromagnetic attraction of the armature 24 to the pole 28”), the plunger at least partially located with the dry chamber (chamber upstream/above seal 43; par. 23);
a trigger (driver circuit or keypad; par. 29)
a spray valve (36, 38), the spray valve comprising a ball (36) and a seat (38);
a needle (26) which connects between the plunger and the spray valve so that the solenoid can pull the ball off of the seat to open the spray valve (see fig. 3), the needle located at least partially within the gun body (partially within chamber 40; see figs. 2-3);
a spring (30, 31) which urges the ball toward the seat to close the spray valve (par. 34).
Saidman does not teach a trigger located along the handle, the trigger comprising a switch.
However, in a comparable spray gun with solenoid, Cocks discloses a handheld spray gun (fig. 3) having a different handle configuration shown at 53 with a trigger 61, 63, 59, 57 located along the handle, for handheld, manual operation via the finger actuated plunger 61 (col. 3, ln 53-63).
It would have been prima facie obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have modified Saidman to incorporate the teachings of Cocks to provide a trigger located along the handle, the trigger comprising a switch. Doing so would yield the predictable result of facilitating easier manual operation by hand (See col. 1, ln 40-42).
Saidman is also silent regarding a conduit that extends from outside of the gun body to inside of the handle, the conduit including a hose configured to provide spray fluid to the spray valve and a plurality of wires which extend along the hose from outside of the gun body to inside of the handle.
However, Cocks discloses, in an embodiment shown in fig. 1, that includes a conduit 5 extends from outside of the gun body 1 to inside of the body 1, the conduit 5 including a hose 7 configured to provide spray fluid (via 17) to the spray valve and a plurality of wires (wires in cable 31) which extend along the hose 7 from outside of the gun body to inside of the body 1. In a different embodiment shown in fig. 2, Cocks also discloses plurality of wires extending along the gun handle 53 (see fig. 2).
The disclosure of Saidman and Cocks demonstrate variations in placement of the wires from outside the spray gun to extend to inside the spray gun. A person of ordinary skill in the art would have had the technological capabilities to assess various arrangements of the wires and supply hose of choice, where one of potential options include extending both the hose and wires through the gun handle 53 shown by Cocks. No inventive effort would have been required for rearrangement of existing parts.
PNG
media_image1.png
628
815
media_image1.png
Greyscale
It would have been prima facie obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have modified Saidman to incorporate the teachings of Cocks to provide a conduit that extends from outside of the gun body to inside of the handle, the conduit including a hose configured to provide spray fluid to the spray valve and a plurality of wires which extend along the hose from outside of the gun body to inside of the handle. Doing so would yield the predictable result of facilitating easier manual operation by hand (See col. 1, ln 40-42).
Regarding claim 16, Saidman in view of Cocks discloses the handheld spray gun of claim 1 presented above. Saidman, as modified above, also discloses the method comprising:
generating a signal (output signal; par. 29 of Saidman) with the switch (“power switching circuit ”) based on the switch sensing actuation of the trigger (as modified in view of Cocks’ figure 2; when switch at 57, 59 are in contact), the signal transmitted to an electronic controller (Saidman, system controller 57; figs. 2-3) along the conduit by a wired connection (51, 53 of Saidman) between the switch and the electronic controller (57);
energizing, by transmitting power along the conduit via a wired connection between the stator and the electronic controller (Saidman, par. 18: “an electrical connector 16 capable of being coupled with a suitable complementary electrical connector with a system controller 57 (FIG. 2) for energizing a field-generating electromagnetic coil 18 housed inside the module body 12”), the coil based on the switch having generated the signal, the coil electromagnetically moving the plunger rearward when energized (fig. 3; par. 22: “a valve element 36 at a free end of the valve stem 26 moves concurrently with the movement of the armature 24 and valve stem 26 as the electromagnetic coil 18 is energized and de-energized”);
transferring rearward motion from the plunger (Saidman, 24) to the ball (36) via the needle (26) such that the spring (31, 32) is overcome and the ball moves away from the seat to open the spray valve and allow spray fluid to flow through the spray valve to be atomized by the spray tip (42, 22);
ceasing generating the signal with the switch based on the switch sensing release of the trigger; de-energizing the coil based on the switch having ceased generation of the signal (Saidman, par. 21: “When the electromagnetic coil 18 is de-energized, the return springs 30, 31 collectively apply an axial force to the armature 24 that moves the armature 24 toward the orifice 22”); and moving the ball forward into engagement with the seat to close the spray valve, the ball pushed forward by the spring (Saidman, par. 22: “When the valve stem 26 is moved to a closed position, the valve element 36 contacts the valve seat 38 as shown in FIG. 2”).
Regarding claim 2, Saidman, as modified above, discloses the handheld spray gun of claim 1, wherein the conduit (as modified in view of Cocks, presented above) extends through a passage (of the gun body at the handle; as modified by Cocks, see annotation above) located on a bottom side of the handle.
Regarding claim 8, Saidman, as modified above, discloses the handheld spray gun of claim 2, wherein the hose (Cocks, 7) includes a hose fitting (Cocks, 35), and wherein the passage is sized to prevent the hose fitting from passing through the passage.
Regarding claim 9, Saidman, as modified above, discloses the handheld spray gun of claim 1, wherein the plurality of wires (see annotation above) are disposed between a sheath (cable 31 is a sheath) of the conduit and the hose.
Regarding claim 10, Saidman, as modified above, discloses the handheld spray gun of claim 1, wherein, as modified in view of Cocks, a first wire (see annotation below) of the plurality of wires is electrically connected to the solenoid and a second wire (see annotation below) of the plurality of wires is electrically connected to the switch.
PNG
media_image2.png
346
736
media_image2.png
Greyscale
Regarding claim 11, Saidman, as modified above, discloses the handheld spray gun of claim 1, further comprising:
an electronic controller (57) disposed remote from the gun body and electrically connected to the solenoid by the plurality of wires to provide power to the coil to cause the solenoid to actuate the spray valve open (see fig. 2; par. 29).
Regarding claim 12, Saidman, as modified above, discloses the handheld spray gun of claim 11, wherein the electronic controller is communicatively connected to the trigger (driver circuit) by the plurality of wires to receive a spray signal from the switch (as modified in view of Cocks).
Regarding claim 15, Saidman, as modified above, discloses the handheld spray gun of claim 1, wherein the plurality of wires form a first wired connection with the switch of the trigger and the plurality of wires form a second wired connection with the stator of the solenoid.
PNG
media_image3.png
338
616
media_image3.png
Greyscale
Claim 14 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Saidman (US20050230438) in view of Cocks (US3212715), further in view of Johnson (US 20120298771).
Regarding claim 14, Saidman, as modified above, discloses the handheld spray gun of claim 1, but is silent regarding a spray tip insertable into a bore of the handheld spray gun, the spray tip comprising an outlet orifice, the spray tip rotatable in the bore to reverse direction of fluid flow through the spray tip to remove clogs.
Johnson discloses a comparable spray tip (fig. 2) with similar a spray valve 120 and 122, wherein the valve tip 120 is a ball and 122 is a valve seat. Johnson further discloses a spray tip 114 insertable into a bore (bore where 112 is inserted) of the sprayer (fig. 2), the spray tip comprising an outlet orifice (outlet orifice of 114 (fig. 2), the spray tip rotatable in the bore to reverse direction of fluid flow through the spray tip (claim 1: "a reversible airless spray tip assembly comprising a rotatable cylinder containing a spray tip"), as such, the structure of the spray tip when in reversed position can be utilized to remove clog.
It would have been prima facie obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have modified Saidman to incorporate the teachings of Johnson to provide a spray tip insertable into a bore of the handheld spray gun, the spray tip comprising an outlet orifice, the spray tip rotatable in the bore to reverse direction of fluid flow through the spray tip to remove clogs. Doing so would allow the spray tip to be easily cleaned without unnecessary disassembling steps, which would consequently improve efficiency of the spray application.
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 3-7, 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.
The following is a statement of reasons for the indication of allowable subject matter:
The most relevant teach various features of the claimed invention prior arts are presented above. The prior arts fails to teach or suggest the features of claims 3-7, and 13, including the handle including a door, internal fluid fitting, internal electrical connector, and the spray valve includes a valve housing within which the needle is at least partially disposed, wherein a supply tube extends from the valve housing to within the handle, and wherein the hose is connected to a fluid fitting of the supply tube.
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to TUONGMINH NGUYEN PHAM whose telephone number is (571)270-0158. The examiner can normally be reached 9AM - 5PM M-F.
Examiner interviews are available via telephone, in-person, and video conferencing using a USPTO supplied web-based collaboration tool. To schedule an interview, applicant is encouraged to use the USPTO Automated Interview Request (AIR) at http://www.uspto.gov/interviewpractice.
If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Arthur Hall can be reached at 571-270-1814. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
Information regarding the status of published or unpublished applications may be obtained from Patent Center. Unpublished application information in Patent Center is available to registered users. To file and manage patent submissions in Patent Center, visit: https://patentcenter.uspto.gov. Visit https://www.uspto.gov/patents/apply/patent-center for more information about Patent Center and https://www.uspto.gov/patents/docx for information about filing in DOCX format. For additional questions, contact the Electronic Business Center (EBC) at 866-217-9197 (toll-free). If you would like assistance from a USPTO Customer Service Representative, call 800-786-9199 (IN USA OR CANADA) or 571-272-1000.
/TUONGMINH N PHAM/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3752
Prosecution Insights