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 .
Response to Arguments
Applicant's arguments filed 04/16/2026 have been fully considered but they are not persuasive.
In regards to applicant’s arguments regarding the combination of Peng in view of Cheng not disclosing the claim language, Examiner respectfully disagrees. The test for obviousness is not whether the features of a secondary reference may be bodily incorporated into the structure of the primary reference; nor is it that the claimed invention must be expressly suggested in any one or all of the references. Rather, the test is what the combined teachings of the references would have suggested to those of ordinary skill in the art. See In re Keller, 642 F.2d 413, 208 USPQ 871 (CCPA 1981). Applicant states that the secondary reference does not teach a detachable base and therefore does not teach the claim language, Examiner respectfully disagrees. As was previously rejected and currently rejected below the primary reference Peng discloses the detachable base having the first and second inlet, and the secondary reference Chang is used to teach a pressure balance module in a connecting cavity at the base of a housing having the first and second inlet. Hence the secondary reference does not need to teach a detachable base since the primary reference already disclosed the feature. In the current rejection the combined teachings of the references do suggest to those of ordinary skill in the art the claimed claim language as is rejected below.
Since the following grounds of rejection are being maintained, the instant Office action has been made final.
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 (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 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.
Claim(s) 1-4, 6-11, and 13-14 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Peng (Pub. No. US 2022/0090698) in view of Chang (Pub. No. US 2012/0152390).
Regarding claim 1, Peng discloses a combined valve core (Figs. 1-8) with a changeable function (paragraph 38), comprising a valve core body (100), wherein the valve core body (100) comprises an outer housing (10), a base (30), a first operating portion (assembly of 70) and a second operating portion (assembly of 20); wherein the base (30) is detachably provided at a bottom of the outer housing (10); a first water inlet (33) for receiving hot water, a second water inlet (34) for receiving cold water, and a water outlet (32) are arranged on the base (30); and a water flow channel (Fig. 5) communicating with the first water inlet (33), the second water inlet (34) and the water outlet (32) is formed in the valve core body (100); and the first operating portion (assembly of 70) is configured to switch the water flow channel (Fig. 5) in a first switching manner (paragraph 38); and the second operating portion (assembly of 20) is configured to adjust, in a second switching manner (paragraph 38), a flow rate of the hot water and a flow rate of the cold water converged (paragraph 38) into the water flow channel (Fig. 5) to adjust a temperature of a water flow leaving from the water outlet (32), but lacks disclosure further comprising a pressure balancing module, wherein a connecting cavity communicating with the first water inlet and the second water inlet is further provided in the base; and the pressure balancing module is provided in the connecting cavity.
Chang teaches a valve core (10) comprising a housing (11) having a connecting cavity (13) at the base (Fig. 2) of the housing (11) for receiving a pressure balancing module (20) that is communicating with a first and second water inlet (paragraph 19).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify the valve core of Peng, with a balancing module as taught by Chang for the advantage of achieving a water pressure balance and to stabilize the temperature of the mixed water in the valve core (paragraph 24).
Regarding claim 2, Peng discloses the combined valve core (Figs. 1-8) with the changeable function, wherein the first operating portion (assembly of 70) and the second operating portion (assembly of 20) are coaxial (Fig. 5).
Regarding claim 3, Peng discloses the combined valve core (Figs. 1-8) with the changeable function, wherein the first switching manner is pressing (paragraph 38); and the second switching manner is rotating (paragraph 38).
Regarding claim 4, Peng discloses the combined valve core (Figs. 1-8) with the changeable function, wherein an output end (743) of the first operating portion (assembly of 70) is located in (Fig. 5) the outer housing (10) and configured to switch the water flow channel (Figs. 5-6), and an input end (72) of the first operating portion (assembly of 70) extends out (Fig. 5) of the outer housing (10); and an output end (50) of the second operating portion (assembly of 20) is located in (Fig. 5) the outer housing (10) and configured to adjust the temperature of the water flow (paragraph 38), and an input end (22) of the second operating portion extends out (paragraph 37) of the outer housing (10).
Regarding claim 6, Chang (modified above) teach wherein the pressure balancing module (20) comprises a balancing core (22) and two symmetrical mounting valve seats (21); two balancing cavities (212) are respectively provided (Fig. 3) in the two symmetrical mounting valve seats (21); the two balancing cavities (212) are correspondingly connected (Fig. 4); the balancing core (22) is provided between the two balancing cavities (212), to separate the two balancing cavities (212) apart; a first balancing cavity (212) of the two balancing cavities (Fig. 3) is configured for the hot water to pass through (paragraph 24); and a second balancing cavity (212) of the two balancing cavities is configured for the cold water to pass through (paragraph 24).
Regarding claim 7, Chang (modified above) teach wherein two ends (Figs. 3-6) of the balancing core (22) are open (Figs. 3-6); a middle (Fig. 4) of the balancing core is provided with a diaphragm (232), and a circumference of the balancing core (22) is symmetrically provided with two through hole portions (221); and the two through hole portions (221) are respectively provided at two sides (Fig. 4) of the diaphragm (232).
Regarding claim 8, Peng discloses a water outlet device (Figs. 1-8, valve core 100 is considered “a water outlet device”), comprising the combined valve core (100) with the changeable function (paragraph 38).
Regarding claim 9, Peng discloses the water outlet device (Figs. 1-8), wherein in the combined valve core (100) with the changeable function, the first operating portion (assembly of 70) and the second operating portion (assembly of 20) are coaxial (Fig. 5).
Regarding claim 10, Peng discloses the water outlet device (Figs. 1-8), wherein in the combined valve core (100) with the changeable function, the first switching manner is pressing (paragraph 38); and the second switching manner is rotating (paragraph 38).
Regarding claim 11, Peng discloses the water outlet device (Figs. 1-8), wherein in the combined valve core (100) with the changeable function, an output end (743) of the first operating portion (assembly of 70) is located in (Fig. 5) the outer housing (10) and configured to switch the water flow channel (paragraph 38), and an input end (72) of the first operating portion (assembly of 70) extends out (Fig. 5) of the outer housing (10); and an output end (50) of the second operating portion (assembly of 20) is located in (Fig. 5) the outer housing (10) and configured to adjust the temperature of the water flow (paragraph 38), and an input end (22) of the second operating portion (assembly of 20) extends out (paragraph 37) of the outer housing (10).
Regarding claim 13, Chang (modified above) teach wherein the pressure balancing module (20) comprises a balancing core (22) and two symmetrical mounting valve seats (21); two balancing cavities (212) are respectively provided (Fig. 3) in the two symmetrical mounting valve seats (21); the two balancing cavities (212) are correspondingly connected (Fig. 4); the balancing core (22) is provided between the two balancing cavities (212), to separate the two balancing cavities (212) apart; a first balancing cavity (212) of the two balancing cavities (Fig. 3) is configured for the hot water to pass through (paragraph 24); and a second balancing cavity (212) of the two balancing cavities is configured for the cold water to pass through (paragraph 24).
Regarding claim 14, Chang (modified above) teach wherein two ends (Figs. 3-6) of the balancing core (22) are open (Figs. 3-6); a middle (Fig. 4) of the balancing core is provided with a diaphragm (232), and a circumference of the balancing core (22) is symmetrically provided with two through hole portions (221); and the two through hole portions (221) are respectively provided at two sides (Fig. 4) of the diaphragm (232).
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 Reinaldo Sanchez-Medina, telephone number 571-270-5168, fax number 571-270-6168. The examiner can normally be reached on Monday-Friday (7:30AM-4:00PM EST).
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/REINALDO SANCHEZ-MEDINA/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3753
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