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
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.
Claims 1-7 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Ito et al (US 2017/0211519 hereinafter “Ito”) in view of Ooki (US 2019/0338736).
In regards to claim 1:
Ito teaches an air intake manifold (100), comprising an air intake tube that communicates with a plurality of cylinders (113) of an internal combustion engine (110) installed in a vehicle (Paragraph [0087] recites the engine is mounted in a vehicle), and a blow-by gas passage that guides blow-by gases of a crankcase (Paragraph [0084] recites the gas can be from a crankcase) of the internal combustion engine to the air intake tube, wherein: the air intake tube includes: an internal air intake passage (the air flowing through the intake manifold is the internal air intake passage); an intake air guide-in part (immediately downstream of throttle 120 and shown in Figure 2) into which intake air is guided; a plurality of branch tubes (21, 22, 23) disposed on a downstream side of the intake air guide-in part, the plurality of branch tubes distributing the intake air and supplying the intake air to each of the plurality of cylinders (Figure 1 shows the branch tube feeding air to a cylinder); a mounting part (25) disposed on a downstream side of the plurality of branch tubes (21, 22, 23), the mounting part mounted on a main body side of the internal combustion engine and linking the air intake passage to each cylinder of the plurality of cylinders (Shown in Figure 1); and wherein the blow-by gas passage includes: blow-by gas guide-in part (31) into which the blow-by gases are guided; a blow-by gas guide-out part (35) disposed further to an intake air guide-in part side in a planar direction than an apex part, which is a highest position of the plurality of branch tubes in a vehicle height direction in a state where the internal combustion engine has been installed in the vehicle (Shown below in annotated Figure 1); a blow-by gas flow path part (32 and 33) disposed between the blow-by gas guide-in part and the blow-by gas guide-out part and connected to the blow-by gas guide-in part (31); and a connecting passage part that branches from the blow-by gas flow path part, extends to the plurality of branch tubes, and connects to the plurality of branch tubes at a position of the blow-by gas guide-out part (Shown below in annotated Figure 2).
Ito does not teach a valve disposed inside the plurality of branch tubes in a vicinity of the mounting part.
Ooki teaches a valve (12) disposed inside a plurality of branch tubes (8) in a vicinity of a mounting part.
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art at the time of filing of the application to modify the vicinity of the mounting part of Ito to have the valve as taught by Ooki in order to control an opening area of an intake passage and form a tumble flow within the combustion chamber (Paragraph [0002] of Ooki).
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Annotated Figure 1 of Ito
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Annotated Figure 2 of Ito
In regards to claim 2:
Ito the blow-by gas flow path part extends substantially parallel to a direction in which the plurality of branch tubes are arrayed (Parallel direction can be seen in Figure 2 of Ito), is disposed at a higher position than the blow-by gas guide-out part (Shown in Figure 1 of Ito) in the vehicle height direction, and is disposed further to a mounting part side in the planar direction than the apex part (Shown in Figure 1 of Ito and the distance from the mounting part can be seen in the above annotated Figure 1 used in the rejection for claim 1).
In regards to claim 3:
Ito teaches the connecting passage part is disposed on a downward side of the blow-by gas flow path part in the vehicle height direction (Shown in Figure 1 of Ito).
In regards to claim 4:
Ito as modified teaches the valve includes a rotary shaft (48 of Ooki) and a valve element having a circular arc shape (Profile can be seen in Figure 4 of Ooki), the valve element rotatable in a circular arc shape relative to the rotary shaft with a slight clearance from an inner surface formed in a circular arc shape inside the plurality of branch tubes (Shown in Figure 4 of Ooki).
In regards to claim 5:
Ito as modified teaches the valve includes a rotary shaft (48 of Ooki) and a valve element having a circular arc shape (Profile can be seen in Figure 4 of Ooki), the valve element rotatable in a circular arc shape relative to the rotary shaft with a slight clearance from an inner surface formed in a circular arc shape inside the plurality of branch tubes (Shown in Figure 4 of Ooki).
In regards to claim 6:
Ito as modified teaches the valve includes a rotary shaft (48 of Ooki) and a valve element having a circular arc shape (Profile can be seen in Figure 4 of Ooki), the valve element rotatable in a circular arc shape relative to the rotary shaft with a slight clearance from an inner surface formed in a circular arc shape inside the plurality of branch tubes (Shown in Figure 4 of Ooki).
In regards to claim 7:
Ito teaches an air intake manifold (100), comprising: an air intake tube configured to communicate with a plurality of cylinders (113) of an internal combustion engine (110) of a vehicle (Paragraph [0087] recites the engine is mounted in a vehicle), the air intake tube including: an air intake passage through which intake air is flowable (the air flowing through the intake manifold is the internal air intake passage); an intake air guide-in part (immediately downstream of throttle 120 and shown in Figure 2) via which the intake air is flowable into the air intake passage; a plurality of branch tubes (21, 22, 23) disposed downstream of the intake air guide-in part via which the intake air is distributable and suppliable to each of the plurality of cylinders, the plurality of branch tubes each defining a respective portion of the air intake passage (Figure 1 shows the branch tube feeding air to a cylinder); a mounting part (25) via which the air intake passage is linkable to each cylinder of the plurality of cylinders, the mounting part disposed downstream of the plurality of branch tubes and mountable on a main body side of the internal combustion engine (Shown in Figure 1); and a blow-by gas passage via which blow-by gases of a crankcase (Paragraph [0084] recites the gas can be from a crankcase) of the internal combustion engine are guidable to the air intake tube, the blow-by gas passage including: a blow-by gas guide-in part (31) through which the blow-by gases are guidable; a blow-by gas flow path part (32 and 33) connected to the blow-by gas guide-in part (31); and a plurality of connecting passage parts (Shown in annotated Figure 2 above in the rejection for claim 1) each branching off from the blow-by gas flow path part and connected to a respective branch tube of the plurality of branch tubes; and a plurality of blow-by gas guide-out parts (35) each connected to a respective branch tube of the plurality of branch tubes at a position adjacent to a free end of the connecting passage part connected to the respective branch tube, the plurality of connecting passage parts each in fluid communication with the portion of the air intake passage defined by the respective branch tube connected thereto via a respective blow-by gas guide-out part of the plurality of blow-by gas guide-out parts (Shown above in annotated Figure 2 in the rejection for claim 1); wherein the plurality of blow-by gas guide-out parts are arranged offset from an apex part, which is a highest position of the plurality of branch tubes in a vehicle height direction, toward the intake air guide-in part in a planar direction extending perpendicular to the vehicle height direction (Shown above in annotated Figure 1 in the rejection of claim 1).
Ito does not teach a valve disposed inside the plurality of branch tubes adjacent to the mounting part.
Ooki teaches a valve (12) disposed inside a plurality of branch tubes (8) adjacent to a mounting part.
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art at the time of filing of the application to modify the area adjacent of the mounting part of Ito to have the valve as taught by Ooki in order to control an opening area of an intake passage and form a tumble flow within the combustion chamber (Paragraph [0002] of Ooki).
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to JAMES JAY KIM whose telephone number is (571)270-7610. The examiner can normally be reached M-F 9-5 EST.
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/JAMES J KIM/Examiner, Art Unit 3747
/HUNG Q NGUYEN/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3747