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 .
35 USC 102(a1) rejections
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) 1-16, 18-20 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a1) as being anticipated by EP 0412659 (Matsuoka).
Regarding independent claim 1, Matsuoka discloses (see figures 1 and 2 for example) discloses also method of manufacture according to claim 13, comprising forming a pilot chamber structure as a monolithic body, the forming of the pilot chamber structure including: forming a green structure (4) using powder injection molding (see column 11, lines 16-27 and column 9, line 40 - column 10, line 20); debinding the green structure (see column 9, line 40 - column 10, line 20) to form a monolithic brown structure; and sintering the monolithic brown structure (see column 9, line 40 - column 10, line 20), the pilot chamber structure including a pilot chamber (2), a pilot aperture (3), a fuel aperture (8) and an ignitor aperture (not shown, see column 7, line 13), the pilot chamber internal to the pilot chamber structure, the pilot aperture projecting into the pilot chamber structure to the pilot chamber, the fuel aperture projecting into the pilot chamber structure to the pilot chamber, and the ignitor aperture projecting into the pilot chamber structure to the pilot chamber.
Regarding claim 2, Matsuoka discloses that wherein the green structure 4 comprises a monolithic green body configured as a preform of the pilot chamber structure.
Regarding claim 3, Matsuoka discloses: removing a soluble core from a preform pilot chamber within the monolithic green body; the preform pilot chamber formed in the green structure during the powder injection molding using the soluble core (note the casting mold 24 in figure 8, and paragraph 11, lines 35-40 discloses “After the molten metal for constituting the cast metal block 6 is cooled and solidified, the swirl chamber block 4 into which the cast metal block 6 is casted is taken out from the casting molds 24, 25 and the cast metal block 6 is machined to its final shape”).
Regarding claim 4, Matsuoka discloses that, wherein the green structure includes a first green part and a second green part; and the debinding of the green structure comprises co-debinding the first green part with the second green part to form the monolithic brown structure (figures 2-3 disclose first and second green parts).
Regarding claim 5, Matsuoka discloses that wherein a material property of the monolithic body changes as the pilot chamber structure 4 extends between an exterior surface of the pilot chamber structure and an interior surface of the pilot chamber structure (note column 8, lines 29-58, especially “the portion A positioned on the center side of the main combustion chamber 1 receives severer thermal influences than the portion B spaced apart from the main combustion chamber 1 and more excessive compressive force acts on the portion A locally. Therefore, in the heat-insulating structure of the swirl chamber, the swirl chamber block 4 is made of a ceramic material having high temperature resistance and high strength so as to improve its heat resistance, the molded article 9 made of the ceramic material is assembled outside the swirl chamber block 4 constituting the swirl chamber 2, the metal material such as aluminum, cast iron, etc., is casted into the molded article 9 so as to dispose the cast metal block 6,”).
Regarding claim 6, Matsuoka discloses that, wherein the interior surface forms an outer peripheral boundary of the pilot chamber (figure 1).
Regarding claim 7, Matsuoka discloses that, wherein at least a portion of the interior surface has a uniform radius of curvature (it’s nearly circular interior surface).
Regarding claim 8, Matsuoka discloses that, wherein at least a portion of the interior surface has a non-uniform radius of curvature (note the ports are cutout portions, non-uniform).
Regarding claim 9, Matsuoka discloses that wherein the material property comprises a density of the monolithic body.
Regarding claim 11, Matsuoka discloses that, wherein an interior portion of the monolithic body at least partially forming an interior surface of the pilot chamber structure has a lower density than an exterior portion of the monolithic body at least partially forming an exterior surface of the pilot chamber structure (the ceramic inside has lower density than the metal outside).
Regarding claim 12, Matsuoka discloses that, wherein the material property comprises a material composition of the monolithic body.
Regarding claims 13-15, Matsuoka discloses that wherein an interior portion of the monolithic body at least partially forming an interior surface of the pilot chamber structure comprises a first material; and an exterior portion of the monolithic body at least partially forming an exterior surface of the pilot chamber structure comprises a second material which is different than the first material, and wherein an intermediate portion of the monolithic body between the interior portion of the monolithic body and the exterior portion of the monolithic body comprises the first material and the second material (again note column 8, lines 29-58, especially “the portion A positioned on the center side of the main combustion chamber 1 receives severer thermal influences than the portion B spaced apart from the main combustion chamber 1 and more excessive compressive force acts on the portion A locally. Therefore, in the heat-insulating structure of the swirl chamber, the swirl chamber block 4 is made of a ceramic material having high temperature resistance and high strength so as to improve its heat resistance, the molded article 9 made of the ceramic material is assembled outside the swirl chamber block 4 constituting the swirl chamber 2, the metal material such as aluminum, cast iron, etc., is casted into the molded article 9 so as to dispose the cast metal block 6,”).
Regarding claim 16, Matsuoka discloses that, wherein a channel (channel 28 in figure 8) projects into the pilot chamber structure from an interior surface of the pilot chamber structure.
Regarding claims 18-19, column 8 clearly discloses the block can be ceramic and or metal.
Regarding claim 20, Matsuoka discloses a method of manufacture, comprising: forming a pilot chamber structure 4 as a monolithic body; the pilot chamber structure including an exterior surface, an interior surface, a pilot chamber, a pilot aperture, a fuel aperture and an ignitor aperture (the pilot chamber structure including a pilot chamber (2), a pilot aperture (3), a fuel aperture (8) and an ignitor aperture (not shown, see column 7, line 13)); the interior surface forming an outer peripheral boundary of the pilot chamber; the pilot chamber internal to the pilot chamber structure; the pilot aperture projecting into the pilot chamber structure to the pilot chamber; the fuel aperture projecting into the pilot chamber structure to the pilot chamber; the ignitor aperture projecting into the pilot chamber structure to the pilot chamber; and the forming performed such that a material property of the monolithic body changes as the pilot chamber structure extends between the exterior surface and the interior surface (again note column 8, lines 29-58, especially “the portion A positioned on the center side of the main combustion chamber 1 receives severer thermal influences than the portion B spaced apart from the main combustion chamber 1 and more excessive compressive force acts on the portion A locally. Therefore, in the heat-insulating structure of the swirl chamber, the swirl chamber block 4 is made of a ceramic material having high temperature resistance and high strength so as to improve its heat resistance, the molded article 9 made of the ceramic material is assembled outside the swirl chamber block 4 constituting the swirl chamber 2, the metal material such as aluminum, cast iron, etc., is casted into the molded article 9 so as to dispose the cast metal block 6,”) .
35 USC 103 rejections
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 17 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. § 103 as being unpatentable over EP 0412659 (Matsuoka) in view of US 3909897 (Seidl). Matsuoka teaches all the claimed subject matter as set forth above in the rejection of claim 1, but still does not teach that an air cavity is formed between an interior surface and an exterior surface. Seidl teaches a rotary combustion engine comprising an air cavity between an interior surface and an exterior surface (the cavity is the space between the inner casing and outer casing 1; in other words, the hollow air cavity of the hollow casing 1). It would have been obvious at the time the invention was made to one of ordinary skill in the art at the time the claimed invention was filed to provide an air cavity between the interior surface and exterior surface of the pilot chamber in Matsuoka as taught by Seidl for the purpose of providing a cooling space for the engine.
Prior Art of Record
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure. Uy, Telang, Baasch, and Barberger disclose method of making rotary internal combustion engines including using monolithic bodies.
Conclusions
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the Examiner should be directed to Examiner Nguyen whose telephone number is (571) 272-4861. The examiner can normally be reached on Monday--Thursday from 9:00 AM to 7:00 PM.
If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Mark Laurenzi, can be reached on (571) 270-7878.
The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/HOANG M NGUYEN/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3746
HOANG NGUYEN
PRIMARY EXAMINER
ART UNIT 3746
Hoang Minh Nguyen
7/28/2026
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