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 § 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) 1-10 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Clear et al. (U.S. Patent No. 5,282,281) in view of Shimizu et al. (U.S. Patent No. 7,013,909).
Regarding claim 1, Clear et al. disclose an extraction valve (40) comprising: a valve body (Fig. 3), the valve body having an inlet port (56) defining an inlet passageway (Fig. 3), an outlet port (58) defining an outlet passageway (Fig. 3), and portions defining a valve seat (60) generally located between the inlet port (56) and the outlet port (58); a bonnet (64), the bonnet (64) mounted to the valve body (Fig. 3) and cooperating with the valve body to define a fluid chamber (54) communicating the inlet port (56) with the outlet port (58); the bonnet (64) including a valve member (80) disposed within the fluid chamber (54) and moveable between an engaged position (Fig. 3) with the valve seat (60) and a disengaged position (Fig. 4) with the valve seat (60), in the engaged position (Fig. 3) the valve member (80) preventing fluid communication (Column 5 lines 23-40) between the inlet port (56) and the outlet port (58); but lacks disclosure of an induction port defined in the valve body, the induction port defining a passageway in fluid communication with the fluid chamber.
Shimizu et al. teach an extraction valve (4) comprising a valve body (body of valve 4, Fig. 2) having an inlet passageway (3) and an outlet passageway (5), a fluid chamber (chamber in communication with nozzle 8, Fig. 2) communicating the inlet passageway (3) with the outlet passageway (5); and an induction port (8) defined in the valve body (Fig. 2) with a passageway (Fig. 2) in fluid communication with the fluid chamber (Column 5 line 58-Column 6 line 14).
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 of Clear et al. with an induction port as taught by Shimizu et al. for the advantage of contributing to elimination of an air lock in the system (Column 7 lines 27-33).
Regarding claim 2, Shimizu et al. (modified above) teach wherein the induction port (8) is located upstream (Fig. 2) of the valve seat (6a).
Regarding claim 3, Shimizu et al. (modified above) teach wherein the induction port (8) is located in a side wall (Fig. 2) of the valve body (Fig. 2).
Regarding claim 4, Shimizu et al. (modified above) teach wherein the passageway (passageway of 8, Fig. 2) of the induction port (8) has a cross-sectional area smaller (Fig. 2) than a cross-sectional area of the inlet passageway (3).
Regarding claim 5, Shimizu et al. (modified above) teach wherein the induction port (8) is coupled to a source of ambient pressure (10c, Column 5 line 58-Column 6 line 14).
Regarding claim 6, Clear et al. disclose a liquid collection system (10) comprising: a liquid collection device (14); an accumulator (16), the liquid collection device (14) being coupled to the accumulator (16) whereby liquid from the collection device (14) is transferred to the accumulator (16); a vacuum pipe (36, 38, and 42), the vacuum pipe (Column 4 lines 5-12) having an upstream portion (42) and a downstream portion (38), the upstream portion (42) being coupled (Fig. 9) to the accumulator (16); an extraction valve (40) coupled to the vacuum pipe (Fig. 9); a valve controller (50), the valve controller (50) coupled to the extraction valve (40); and a vacuum pump (30), the vacuum pump (30) coupled (Column 4 lines 5-12) to the downstream portion (38) of the vacuum pipe (36, 38, and 42); the extraction valve (40) including a valve body (Fig. 3), the valve body having an inlet port (56) defining an inlet passageway (Fig. 3), an outlet port (58) defining an outlet passageway (Fig. 3), and portions defining a valve seat (60) generally located between the inlet port (56) and the outlet port (58), a bonnet (64), the bonnet (64) being mounted to the valve body (Fig. 3) and cooperating with the valve body to define a fluid chamber (54) communicating the inlet port (56) with the outlet port (58), the bonnet (64) including a valve member (80) disposed within the fluid chamber (54) and being moveable between first position (Fig. 3) engaged with the valve seat (60) and a second position (Fig. 4) disengaged from the valve seat (60), in the first position (Fig. 4) the valve member (80) preventing fluid communication (Column 5 lines 23-40) between the inlet port (56) and the outlet port (58), but lacks disclosure of an induction port defined in the valve body, the induction port defining a passageway in fluid communication with the fluid chamber.
Shimizu et al. teach an extraction valve (4) comprising a valve body (body of valve 4, Fig. 2) having an inlet passageway (3) and an outlet passageway (5), a fluid chamber (chamber in communication with nozzle 8, Fig. 2) communicating the inlet passageway (3) with the outlet passageway (5); and an induction port (8) defined in the valve body (Fig. 2) with a passageway (Fig. 2) in fluid communication with the fluid chamber (Column 5 line 58-Column 6 line 14).
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 of Clear et al. with an induction port as taught by Shimizu et al. for the advantage of contributing to elimination of an air lock in the system (Column 7 lines 27-33).
Regarding claim 7, Shimizu et al. (modified above) teach wherein the induction port (8) is located upstream (Fig. 2) of the valve seat (6a).
Regarding claim 8, Shimizu et al. (modified above) teach wherein the induction port (8) is located in a side wall (Fig. 2) of the valve body (Fig. 2).
Regarding claim 9, Shimizu et al. (modified above) teach wherein the passageway (passageway of 8, Fig. 2) of the induction port (8) has a cross-sectional area smaller (Fig. 2) than a cross-sectional area of the inlet passageway (3).
Regarding claim 10, Shimizu et al. (modified above) teach wherein the induction port (8) is coupled to a source of ambient pressure (10c, Column 5 line 58-Column 6 line 14).
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure.
Muraki (Pub. No. US 2012/0042960) disclose a similar liquid collection system comprising a collection device, an accumulator, a vacuum pipe, an extraction valve, a valve controller, and a vacuum pump.
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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