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 .
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.
Priority
Receipt is acknowledged of certified copies of papers required by 37 CFR 1.55.
Response to Amendment
The Amendment filed on 30 June 2026 has been entered. Claims 1-3 and 5-12 remain pending in the application. Applicant’s amendments to the Claims and the Specification overcome each and every objection and 112(b) rejection previously set forth in the Non-Final Office Action mailed 1 April 2026.
Information Disclosure Statement
The information disclosure statement (IDS) submitted on 22 June 2026 was filed 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.
The factual inquiries for establishing a background for determining obviousness under 35 U.S.C. 103 are summarized as follows:
1. Determining the scope and contents of the prior art.
2. Ascertaining the differences between the prior art and the claims at issue.
3. Resolving the level of ordinary skill in the pertinent art.
4. Considering objective evidence present in the application indicating obviousness or nonobviousness.
This application currently names joint inventors. In considering patentability of the claims the examiner presumes that the subject matter of the various claims was commonly owned as of the effective filing date of the claimed invention(s) absent any evidence to the contrary. Applicant is advised of the obligation under 37 CFR 1.56 to point out the inventor and effective filing dates of each claim that was not commonly owned as of the effective filing date of the later invention in order for the examiner to consider the applicability of 35 U.S.C. 102(b)(2)(C) for any potential 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(2) prior art against the later invention.
Claim(s) 1-3, 5-8 and 10 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over ZHEJIANG SANHUA INTELLIGENT CONTROLS CO LTD (CN215059501; hereinafter “ZHEJIANG”; provided on the Applicant on the IDS dated 16 Dec 2025) in view of Schreiber et al (US 5711508).
Regarding Claim 1, ZHEJIANG discloses a stop valve (Figure 2). The valve comprising:
a valve body (1 generally) provided with a first opening (via 15) and a second opening (via 14);
a valve core (2), wherein at least part of the valve core is located in the valve body (Figure 2), the valve core (2) is movable in the valve body (1 generally) to communicate the first opening (via 15) with the second opening (via 14) and cut off a communication between the first opening and the second opening (as the orientation of Figure 2); and
a connecting block (4 generally shown in Figure 7), wherein one end (44) of the connecting block is located outside the valve body (Figures 3 and 7), the other end (43) of the connecting block (4 generally) is fixedly connected to an end of the valve body (Figure 3), a part of the valve core extends into the connecting block (Figure 3) and is in threaded fit with the connecting block (via 22);
wherein the connecting block (4 generally) extends towards the valve body to define a seal portion along an axis of the valve core (the interaction of 23 and 42), and when the stop valve is in a fully opened state (Figure 3), the valve core (2) is capable of abutting against the seal portion and forming a linear seal therewith (¶ 43),
but fails to expressly disclose the stop valve further comprises a guiding block located in and connected to the valve body, wherein the guiding block is arranged towards the first opening and the second opening relative to the connecting block, the guiding block is located on a periphery of a part of the valve core, and the valve core is movable along a guiding direction of the guiding block to communicate the first opening with the second opening or cut off the communication between the first opening and the second opening, the stop valve further comprises a second sealing component, and the second sealing component is disposed between the connecting block and the guiding block.
Schreiber et al teaches a stop valve (Figure 1) with a guiding block (78) located in and connected to the valve body (Col 4, lines 36-37), wherein the guiding block is arranged towards the first opening and the second opening relative to the connecting block (Figure 2 toward 70 from connecting block 50), the guiding block is located on a periphery of a part of the valve core (of 58), and the valve core is capable of moving along a guiding direction of the guiding block to communicate the first opening with the second opening or cut off the communication between the first opening and the second opening (Figure 2), the stop valve further comprises a second sealing component (at least o-ring 92), and the second sealing component (at least o-ring 92) is disposed between the connecting block (50) and the guiding block (78).
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 ZHEJIANG with the guiding block as taught by Schreiber et al for the advantage of combining prior art elements according to known methods (the guiding block of Schreiber et al within the valve of ZHEJIANG) to yield predictable results (to secure the valve core within the valve).
Regarding Claim 2, ZHEJIANG discloses where a side surface of the seal portion towards the valve body is fixedly connected to an inner sidewall of the valve body (Figures 2 and 7), and a side surface of the seal portion away from the valve body is separate from the valve core (by at least the distance of the threads as seen in Figure 7 from 42).
Regarding Claim 3, ZHEJIANG discloses where a periphery of the valve core protrudes from the inner sidewall of the valve body to define a first conical portion (Figure 6 at 23), and a conical surface of the first conical portion is capable of abutting against the seal portion and forming a linear seal therewith (Figure 3; ¶ 43).
Regarding Claim 5, ZHEJIANG discloses where the second opening (via 14) is located on a periphery of the valve body (Figure 2), but fails to expressly disclose where a projection of the guiding block which is located on the valve body along a radial direction of the valve body does not overlap with the second opening.
Schreiber et al teaches where a projection of the guiding block which is located on the valve body along a radial direction of the valve body (Figure 1 toward 94) does not overlap with the second opening (Figure 1 shows the guiding block not overlapping any opening).
Regarding Claim 6, Schreiber et al teaches where the guiding block (78) comprises a guiding bevel (adjacent 80 best seen in Figure 2) and the guiding bevel is disposed on an end of the guiding block towards the connecting block (Figure 2).
Regarding Claim 7, ZHEJIANG discloses a valve seat (8) disposed in the valve body (Figure 2), wherein the valve seat is located between the first opening and the second opening (Figure 2) and connected to the valve body (Figure 2); and when the stop valve is in a closed state (Figure 2), one end of the valve core is connected to the connecting block (at 4 generally shown in Figure 2), and the other end of the valve core abuts against the valve seat (against 8 shown in Figure 2) and cooperates with the valve seat in a hard-seal manner or a soft-seal manner (¶ 45).
Regarding Claim 8, ZHEJIANG discloses a second conical portion (21) is defined by an end of the valve core towards the valve seat (Figure 2), a part of the second conical portion is located in the valve seat (Figure 2 with the portion of the conical portion within valve seat 8), and a conical surface of the second conical portion is capable of abutting against the valve seat and form the linear seal therewith (Figure 2; ¶ 45 with the linear seal formed by the contact of surface 71).
Regarding Claim 10, ZHEJIANG discloses where the first opening (via 15) is disposed on an end of the valve body away from the connecting block (Figure 2), the second opening (via 14) is disposed on a periphery of the valve body (Figure 2), an angle is defined between an axis of the first opening and an axis of the second opening (Figure 2); or the first opening and the second opening are both disposed on the periphery of the valve body, the axis of the first opening is parallel to the axis of the second opening, and the first opening and the second opening are disposed on different sides of the periphery of the valve body, respectively.
Claim(s) 9 and 11-12 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over ZHEJIANG SANHUA INTELLIGENT CONTROLS CO LTD (CN215059501; hereinafter “ZHEJIANG”; provided on the Applicant on the IDS dated 16 Dec 2025) in view of Schreiber et al (US 5711508) in further view of ZHOU et al (CN 216742875).
Regarding Claim 9, ZHEJIANG as modified by Schreiber et al teach all essential elements of the current invention as discussed above but fails to expressly disclose a first sealing component, wherein an end of the valve core away from the connecting block is provided with a first groove, the first sealing component is disposed in the first groove; and an end surface of the valve seat towards the valve core is provided with a protrusion portion, the protrusion portion protrudes from the valve seat, and the first sealing component abuts against the protrusion portion and form a soft seal.
Zhou et al teach a stop valve (Figure 1) with a first sealing component (234), wherein an end of the valve core away from the connecting block is provided with a first groove (233), the first sealing component is disposed in the first groove (Figure 1); and an end surface of the valve seat towards the valve core is provided with a protrusion portion (171), the protrusion portion protrudes from the valve seat (Figure 1), and the first sealing component abuts against the protrusion portion and form a soft seal (Figure 1).
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 ZHEJIANG as modified by Schreiber et al with the sealing component as taught by Zhou et al for the advantage of combining prior art elements according to known methods (the sealing component of Zhou et al within the valve of ZHEJIANG) to yield predictable results (to seal the fluid flow path when the valve is closed).
Regarding Claim 11, ZHEJIANG as modified by Schreiber et al teach all essential elements of the current invention as discussed above but fails to expressly disclose a first connecting pipe and a second connecting pipe, wherein the first connecting pipe is fixedly connected to the first opening, and the second connecting pipe is fixedly connected to the second opening.
Zhou et al teach a stop valve (Figure 1) with a first connecting pipe (see Annotated Figure A) and a second connecting pipe (see Annotated Figure A), wherein the first connecting pipe is fixedly connected to the first opening (see Annotated Figure A), and the second connecting pipe is fixedly connected to the second opening (see Annotated Figure A).
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 ZHEJIANG as modified by Schreiber et al with the pipes as taught by Zhou et al for the advantage of combining prior art elements according to known methods (the pipes of Zhou et al within the valve of ZHEJIANG) to yield predictable results (to attach and secure the stop valve to a system).
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Annotated Figure A - ZHOU et al
Regarding Claim 12, ZHEJIANG as modified by Schreiber et al teach all essential elements of the current invention as discussed above but fails to expressly disclose a first transitional connecting pipe and a second transitional connecting pipe, wherein the first transitional connecting pipe is sleeved on the first connecting pipe, the second transitional connecting pipe is sleeved on the second connecting pipe, a material of the first transitional connecting pipe is different from a material of the first connecting pipe, and a material of the second transitional connecting pipe is different from a material of the second connecting pipe.
Zhou et al teach a stop valve (see Annotated Figure A) with a first transitional connecting pipe (see Annotated Figure A) and a second transitional connecting pipe (see Annotated Figure A), wherein the first transitional connecting pipe is sleeved on the first connecting pipe (see Annotated Figure A), the second transitional connecting pipe is sleeved on the second connecting pipe (see Annotated Figure A).
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 ZHEJIANG as modified by Schreiber et al with the pipes as taught by Zhou et al for the advantage of combining prior art elements according to known methods (the pipes of Zhou et al within the valve of ZHEJIANG) to yield predictable results (to attach and secure the stop valve to a system).
It would have been obvious to a person having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the application to modify the material of the first transitional connecting pipe is different from a material of the first connecting pipe, and a material of the second transitional connecting pipe is different from a material of the second connecting pipe since selection of a known material on the basis of its suitability for an intended use involves only routine skill in the art. The motivation for doing so would be to provide a commonly used material that is inexpensive and durable.
Response to Arguments
Applicant amends Claim 1 to incorporate the limitations of Claim 4, as well as the limitation “the stop valve further comprises a second sealing component, and the second sealing component is disposed between the connecting block and the guiding block” and argues that the prior art fails to teach or disclose these limitations.
As discussed above, an alternative interpretation of Schreiber et al teaches a stop valve (Figure 1) with a guiding block (78) located in and connected to the valve body (Col 4, lines 36-37), wherein the guiding block is arranged towards the first opening and the second opening relative to the connecting block (Figure 2 toward 70 from connecting block 50), the guiding block is located on a periphery of a part of the valve core (of 58), and the valve core is capable of moving along a guiding direction of the guiding block to communicate the first opening with the second opening or cut off the communication between the first opening and the second opening (Figure 2), the stop valve further comprises a second sealing component (at least o-ring 92), and the second sealing component (at least o-ring 92) is disposed between the connecting block (50) and the guiding block (78).
Therefore, this argument is unpersuasive.
Conclusion
Applicant's amendment necessitated the new ground(s) of rejection presented in this Office action. Accordingly, THIS ACTION IS MADE FINAL. See MPEP § 706.07(a). 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 NICOLE GARDNER whose telephone number is (571)270-0144. The examiner can normally be reached Monday - Friday 8AM-4PM EST.
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If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisors, KENNETH RINEHART (571-272-4881) or CRAIG SCHNEIDER (571-272-3607) can be reached by telephone. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/NICOLE GARDNER/
Examiner, Art Unit 3753
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