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 .
Information Disclosure Statement
The information disclosure statement (IDS) submitted on 12/02/2024 was filed after the mailing date of the Application on 12/02/2024. The submission is in compliance with the provisions of 37 CFR 1.97. Accordingly, the information disclosure statement is being considered by the examiner.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 103
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) 1-2, 7, 10-11, and 15-16 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Hudgens et al. (US 2015/0198071) in view of Wilder et al. (US 2013/0276533).
With regards to claim 1:
Hudgens et al. discloses (refer to Fig. 1 below) a chemical solution accommodation assembly (202) comprising:
a reservoir body (200) configured to receive a chemical solution therein, and formed of a nonconductive material (molded plastic; [0031]), wherein a top of the reservoir body (200) is at least partially open;
a reservoir cover (222) covering the partially opened top of the reservoir body to seal inside of the reservoir body (200), and formed of a material having a melting point higher than a heating temperature of the chemical solution (since the cover is attached to the reservoir body and the heating member (212) pass through the cover, it would be formed of material having melting point higher than the heater that provide the temperature to heat the chemical solution);
a heating member (212) configured to heat the chemical solution (diesel exhaust fluid (DEF)) in the reservoir body (200) through the reservoir cover (222); and
a level sensor unit (220) installed in the reservoir body (200), and configured to measure at least one levels of the chemical solution in the reservoir body.
Hudgens et al. does not disclose the level sensor unit installed on the side wall of the reservoir body.
Wilder et al. discloses (refer to Fig. 2 below) a sensor unit (14), which is a capacitance-based sensor installed on the side wall (12A) of the reservoir body (12), and configured to measure at least one levels of the solution in the reservoir body (12).
It would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify the assembly of Hudgens et al. to use the level sensor design as disclosed by Wilder et al. as an alternative design for the level sensor unit (220) of Hudgens et al. to measure the level of the chemical solution in the reservoir with the ability of monitoring the solution level remotely (via wire or wireless) as taught by Wilder et al. (see Wilder et al., [0012]).
Hudgens et al., as modified, discloses the chemical solution accommodation assembly of claim 1.
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With regards to claim 2:
Hudgens et al., as modified, discloses (Hudgens et al., [0038]) the chemical solution accommodation assembly of claim 1, wherein the reservoir body (200) includes a resin-based material, and the reservoir cover (202) includes a metal material.
With regards to claim 7:
Hudgens et al., as modified, discloses (Wilder et al., [0012]) the chemical solution accommodation assembly of claim 1, wherein a level sensor unit is an electrical level sensor to electrically measure a level of the chemical solution in the reservoir body.
With regards to claim 10:
Hudgens et al., as modified, discloses a chemical solution accommodation assembly (202) comprising:
a reservoir body (200) configured to receive a chemical solution therein, and formed of a nonconductive material, wherein a top of the reservoir body is at least partially open;
a reservoir cover (222) covering the partially opened top of the reservoir body to seal inside of the reservoir body, and formed of a material having a melting point higher than a heating temperature of the chemical solution;
a heating member (212) configured to heat the chemical solution in the reservoir body through the reservoir cover; and
a sealing member (O-ring, see Hudgens et al.; [0045]) disposed between the upper surface of the reservoir body and a lower surface of the reservoir cover to prevent the chemical solution from being exposed.
With regards to claim 11:
Hudgens et al., as modified, discloses (Hudgens et al., [0038]) the chemical solution accommodation assembly of claim 10, wherein the reservoir body (200) includes a resin-based material, and the reservoir cover (222) includes a metal material.
With regards to claim 15:
Hudgens et al., as modified, discloses the chemical solution accommodation assembly of claim 10, further comprises:
a level sensor unit installed on a side wall of the reservoir body, and configured to measure at least one levels of the chemical solution in the reservoir body.
With regards to claim 16:
Hudgens et al., as modified, discloses (Wilder et al., [0012]) the chemical solution accommodation assembly of claim 15, wherein a level sensor unit is an electrical level sensor to electrically measure a level of the chemical solution in the reservoir body.
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 19-20 allowed.
Claims 3-6, 8-9, 12-14, and 17-18 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.
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to Minh Le, whose telephone number is 571-270-3805. The examiner can normally be reached on Monday-Friday (8:30AM-5:00PM EST).
If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisors can be reached by phone. Kenneth Rinehart can be reached at 571-272-4881 or Craig Schneider can be reached at 571-272-3607. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/MINH Q LE/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3753
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