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 .
Continued Examination Under 37 CFR 1.114
A request for continued examination under 37 CFR 1.114, including the fee set forth in 37 CFR 1.17(e), was filed in this application after final rejection. Since this application is eligible for continued examination under 37 CFR 1.114, and the fee set forth in 37 CFR 1.17(e) has been timely paid, the finality of the previous Office action has been withdrawn pursuant to 37 CFR 1.114. Applicant's submission filed on 7/8/26 has been entered.
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) 1-20 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Sawashita (JP2016061407A) in view of Etcheverry (US Patent No. 4,290,615).
Regarding claim 1, the Sawashita reference discloses a piston ring (10) for use in a piston ring groove (Fig. 6a) of a piston, the piston ring comprising:
a piston ring main body (body of 10) with an opening (20);
at least one boss (21b,31b) disposed at one end of the opening on the piston ring main body; and
at least one groove (22a,32a) disposed at other end of the opening on the piston ring main body, the groove being shaped to correspond with the boss (Figs. 1b-4a), the groove defined by a first side surface (e.g. bottom wall of 22a,33a in Figs. 1b-4a), a second side surface (e.g. top wall of 22a,33a in Figs. 1b-4a);
wherein the boss has a width that decreases (Figs. 1b-4a);
wherein a height of the trapezoidal boss is not greater than a depth of the groove (Fig. 5a); and
wherein the piston ring main body has a first width on one side of the opening that is different from a second width on the opposite side of the opening (Fig. 5a), such that during engine operation, only one side surface of the trapezoidal boss contacts a corresponding side surface of the groove (e.g. Fig. 3a), including the boss and groove having different shapes (Figs. 1-6).
However, the Sawashita reference fails to explicitly disclose the boss being trapezoidal and the groove having an end surface extending from the first side surface to the second side surface.
The Etcheverry reference, a piston ring, discloses different shapes of piston ring ends (Figs. 9-13).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art at the time of filing to change the shape of the boss and groove to be trapezoidal in the Sawashita reference in view of the teachings of the Etcheverry reference in order to ensure that the ends are aligned.
Regarding claims 2 and 12, the Sawashita reference, as modified in claims 1 and 11, discloses a width of the piston ring main body is at a minimum at a position adjacent to the opening and increases linearly to a full width of the piston ring main body at a position corresponding to an arc length between 60° and 180° (Sawashita, e.g. 10a, Fig. 1a), measured from the position adjacent to the opening or an arc length between -60° and -180°, measured from the position adjacent to the opening (Sawashita, e.g. 10a, Fig. 1a).
Regarding claims 3 and 13, the Sawashita reference, as modified in claims 2 and 12, discloses a width of the piston ring main body adjacent to the trapezoidal boss is less than a width of the piston ring main body adjacent to the groove (Sawashita, Figs. 1b-4a).
Regarding claims 4 and 14, the Sawashita reference, as modified in claims 3 and 13, discloses a top surface of the piston ring main body adjacent to a side of a combustion chamber is a flat surface, and the width of the piston ring main body increases linearly from a lower surface of the piston ring main body adjacent to the trapezoidal boss to a position of the top surface corresponding to an arc length between 60° and 150°, measured from the lower surface adjacent to the trapezoidal boss (Sawashita, e.g. 10a, Fig. 1a).
Regarding claims 5 and 15, the Sawashita reference, as modified in claims 4 and 14, discloses the width of the piston ring main body increases linearly from the lower surface of the piston ring main body adjacent to the trapezoidal boss to a position of the top surface corresponding to an arc length of 90°, measured from the lower surface adjacent to the trapezoidal boss (Sawashita, Fig. 1a).
Regarding claims 6 and 16, the Sawashita reference, as modified in claims 2 and 12, discloses a width of the piston ring main body adjacent to the groove is less than a width of the piston ring main body adjacent to the trapezoidal boss (Sawashita, Figs. 1b-4a).
Regarding claims 7 and 17, the Sawashita reference, as modified in claims 6 and 16, discloses a top surface of the piston ring main body adjacent to a side of a combustion chamber is a flat surface, and the width of the piston ring main body increases linearly from a lower surface of the piston ring main body adjacent to the groove to a position of the top surface corresponding to an arc length between -60° and -150°, measured from the lower surface adjacent to the groove (Sawashitae.g. 10a, Fig. 1a).
Regarding claims 8 and 18, the Sawashita reference, as modified in claims 7 and 17, discloses the width of the piston ring main body increases linearly from the lower surface of the piston ring main body adjacent to the groove to a position of the top surface corresponding to an arc length of -90°, measured from the lower surface of the piston ring main body adjacent to the groove (Sawashita, Fig. 1a).
Regarding claims 9 and 19, the Sawashita reference, as modified in claims 2 and 12, discloses a width of the trapezoidal boss is at least half of the full width of the piston ring main body (Sawashita, Figs. 1b-4a).
Regarding claims 10 and 20, the Sawashita reference, as modified in claims 2 and 12, discloses a gradual bottom surface portion of the piston ring main body (Sawashita, Figs. 1b-4a).MPEP 2113 Product-by-Process Claims states that "If the product in the product-by-process claim is that same as or obvious from a product of the prior art, the claim is unpatentable even though the prior art product was made by a different process." Claims 10 and 20 are anticipated by Sawashita. The process by which the bottom surface is made is not a patentable distinction.
Regarding claim 11, the Sawashita reference discloses a piston ring (10) for use in a piston ring groove (Fig. 6a) of a piston, the piston ring comprising:
a piston ring main body (body of 10) with an opening (20);
at least one trapezoidal boss (61d) disposed at one end of the opening on the piston ring main body; and
at least one trapezoidal recess (62c) disposed at other end of the opening on the piston ring main body, the trapezoidal recess being shaped to correspond with the trapezoidal protrusion (Fig. 5a) and including a first wall (e.g. wall at 61d), a second wall (e.g. wall opposite 61d), and an inner side (e.g. right side of 61d) between the first and second walls (Fig. 5a);
wherein a height of the trapezoidal protrusion is not greater than a depth of the trapezoidal recess; and wherein a height of the trapezoidal boss is not greater than a depth of the groove (Fig. 5a); and
wherein the piston ring main body has a first width on one side of the opening that is different from a second width on the opposite side of the opening (Fig. 5a), such that during engine operation, only one side surface of the trapezoidal boss contacts a corresponding side surface of the groove (e.g. Fig. 3a).
However, the Sawashita reference fails to explicitly disclose the boss being trapezoidal and the groove having an end surface extending from the first side surface to the second side surface.
The Etcheverry reference, a piston ring, discloses different shapes of piston ring ends (Figs. 9-13).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art at the time of filing to change the shape of the boss and groove to be trapezoidal in the Sawashita reference in view of the teachings of the Etcheverry reference in order to ensure that the ends are aligned.
Response to Arguments
Applicant’s arguments with respect to claim(s) 1-20 have been considered but are moot because the new ground of rejection does not rely on any reference applied in the prior rejection of record for any teaching or matter specifically challenged in the argument.
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to GILBERT Y LEE whose telephone number is (571)272-5894. The examiner can normally be reached Monday-Friday 8am-430pm.
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/GILBERT Y LEE/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3675
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