DETAILED ACTION
The present application, filed on or after March 16, 2013, is being examined under the first inventor to file provisions of the AIA . This office action is responsive to the Amendment filed December 15, 2025 (herein referred to as “Amendment”). Claims 1-8 are pending and have been fully considered.
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, 7, and 8 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Oura (EP 2597020 A1).
Regarding Claims 1 and 8, Oura discloses a fuel vapor processing device for a straddle-type vehicle (10) equipped with an engine (25) and a fuel tank (45) (see Abstract, Figure 1), wherein the fuel vapor processing device includes a canister (56) configured to adsorb fuel vapor generated in the fuel tank (see paragraphs [0007], [0035]), and an intake system component configured to form a part of an intake passage of the engine (see paragraphs [0024] - [0026], engine intake system (50) having an air-fuel mixture supply device (48) that includes a throttle body). Further, Oura discloses that the device includes a purge valve (68) configured to release the fuel vapor toward the intake passage (see paragraph [0034]), a first hose (64A) configured to connect the canister (56) and the purge valve (68) (see paragraph [0034]), and a second hose (64B) configured to connect the purge valve (68) and the intake system component (48), wherein the purge valve (68) is attached to the intake system component (48) via the second hose (64B) (see Figure 5, paragraph [0034]).
Regarding Claim 7, Oura discloses that the engine (25) is disposed inside a vehicle frame (generally (15), see Figure 2), and the vehicle frame behind the engine is a body frame (see paragraph [0020] for description of frame (15)), and in a side view, a space in front of the body frame for disposing the purge valve (68) is ensured (see Figure 2).
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 2-6 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.
Response to Arguments
Applicant's arguments filed December 15, 2025 have been fully considered but they are not persuasive.
Specifically, Applicant assets that “Oura does not disclose, teach or suggest the claimed arrangement in which "the purge valve is attached to the intake system component" (see Amendment, page 4). In response, Examiner repeats the statement made by Applicant that “the purge valve (68) is mounted on the mounting bracket (57), which is mounted on the canister (56), and the purge valve (68) is connected to the air-fuel mixture supply device 48 via a second supply hose (64B)”. Therefore, the purge valve is attached to the intake system component (supply device (48) via supply hose (64B). Applicant seems to be arguing that the purge valve of the presently pending claims is coupled directly to intake system component. However, it is noted that the features upon which applicant relies (i.e., the purge valve being directly coupled to/attached to the intake system component) are not recited in the rejected claim(s). Although the claims are interpreted in light of the specification, limitations from the specification are not read into the claims. See In re Van Geuns, 988 F.2d 1181, 26 USPQ2d 1057 (Fed. Cir. 1993). Therefore, giving the claims the broadest reasonable interpretation in view of the disclosure as provided in MPEP § 2111, Examiner submits that the claims read upon the teachings of Oura as provided herein and the rejections are maintained.
Conclusion
THIS ACTION IS MADE FINAL. 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 JAMES G MOUBRY whose telephone number is (571)270-5658. The examiner can normally be reached M-F 10AM - 6:30PM.
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/GRANT MOUBRY/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3747
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