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 .
DETAILED ACTION
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 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.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 102
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.
Claims 16-31 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Yong (CN104454067A).
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Re claim 16:
Yong discloses a rocker arm assembly (Figs. 5-6) comprising:
a rocker arm (210, rocker arm - Para 29) comprising:
a body (Modified Fig. 5 above - A (person having ordinary skill in the art would recognize element A as a type of body)) defining a rocker shaft bore (Modified Fig. 5 above - B (person having ordinary skill in the art would recognize element B as a type of rocker shaft bore)) having a rocker shaft bore axis (see Modified Fig. 5 and Fig. 7), the body (Modified Fig. 5 above - A) further defining a locking groove (Modified Fig. 5 above - C (person having ordinary skill in the art would recognize element C as a type of locking groove; element C is interpreted as including element 1102 as well as the “annular groove 270” referenced in Para 38)) formed along the rocker shaft bore (Modified Fig. 5 above - B)(see Modified Fig. 5 above);
a valve end (Modified Fig. 5 above - D (person having ordinary skill in the art would recognize element D as a type of valve end)) extending from the body (Modified Fig. 5 above - A)(see Modified Fig. 5 above); and
a force-receiving portion (Modified Fig. 5 above - E (person having ordinary skill in the art would recognize element E as a type of force-receiving portion));
a rocker shaft (205, rocker shaft - Para 29) disposed within the rocker shaft bore (Modified Fig. 5 above - B)(see Modified Fig. 5 above), the rocker shaft (205) defining a channel (190, small piston hole - Para 38; 260, large piston hole - Para 38) extending along a channel axis that is perpendicular to the rocker shaft bore axis (see Figs. 5 and 7), the rocker shaft (205) further defining an oil path (211, fluid channel - Para 29) enclosed in the rocker shaft (205)(see Fig. 5), the oil path (211) configured to supply hydraulic pressure within the rocker shaft (205) to the channel (190, 260)(see Figs. 5-6 and Paras 38-40); and
a rotation-locking mechanism (100, chain fixing mechanism - Para 29) comprising a locking pin (160, piston - Para 29) configured to slide in the channel (190, 260) of the rocker shaft (205)(see Figs. 5-6 and Paras 38-40), wherein the locking pin is biased (156, spring - Para 38) to engage the locking groove (Modified Fig. 5 above - C)(see Modified Fig. 5 above and Paras 38-40),
wherein the entire oil path (211) is configured to supply oil pressure to the locking pin (160) within the rocker shaft (205)(see Figs. 5-6 and Paras 38-40).
Re claim 17:
Yong discloses the rocker arm assembly (Figs. 5-6) of claim 16 (as described above), wherein the channel (190, 260) and the oil path (211) overlap within the rocker shaft (205)(see Fig. 5).
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Re claim 18:
Yong discloses the rocker arm assembly (Figs. 5-6) of claim 16 (as described above), wherein the channel (190, 260) is stepped (see Fig. 5 (the collective of element 190 and 260 is shown stepped at element 190)), and wherein the locking pin (160) comprises a shoulder (Modified Fig. 6 above - A (person having ordinary skill in the art would recognize element A as a type of shoulder)) within the oil path (211)(see Modified Fig. 6 above).
Re claim 19:
Yong discloses the rocker arm assembly (Figs. 5-6) of claim 18 (as described above), further comprising a plug (179, spring seat - Para 38) and a spring (156, spring - Para 38), wherein the spring (156) is biased against the plug (179) and the locking pin (160) to push at least a portion (140) of the locking pin (160) out of the rocker shaft (205)(see Figs. 5-6 and Paras 38-40).
Re claim 20:
Yong discloses the rocker arm assembly (Figs. 5-6) of claim 16 (as described above), further comprising a spring (156, spring - Para 38) biasing at least a portion (140) of the locking pin (160) out of the rocker shaft (205)(see Figs. 5-6 and Paras 38-40).
Re claim 21:
Yong discloses the rocker arm assembly (Figs. 5-6) of claim 16 (as described above), wherein the locking pin (160) is configured to slide in the channel (190, 260) between a locked position (Fig. 5), where the locking pin (160) abuts the locking groove (Modified Fig. 5 above - C)(see Modified Fig. 5 above and Paras 38-39), and an unlocked position (Fig. 6), where the locking pin (160) is withdrawn into the channel (190, 260)(see Fig. 6 and Para 40).
Re claim 22:
Yong discloses the rocker arm assembly (Figs. 5-6) of claim 21 (as described above), wherein the locking groove (Modified Fig. 5 above - C) comprises a ramped portion (1102, adjustment screw - Para 30) configured to press on the locking pin (160) when the rocker arm (210) rotates on the rocker shaft (205)(see Figs. 5-6 and Paras 38-40).
Re claim 23:
Yong discloses the rocker arm assembly (Figs. 5-6) of claim 22 (as described above), wherein an end (140, non-operating surface - Para 35) of the locking pin (160) includes a rounded surface (see Figs. 5 and 7 and Para 35 - “…the cylindrical surface on the piston 160 is the non-operating surface 140…”), wherein the ramped portion (1102) of the locking groove (Modified Fig. 5 above - C) engages with the rounded surface (140) of the locking pin (160) to force the locking pin (160) into the channel (190, 260)(see Figs. 5-6 and Paras 38-40).
Re claim 24:
Yong discloses the rocker arm assembly (Figs. 5-6) of claim 22 (as described above), wherein the locking groove (Modified Fig. 5 above - C) further comprises a limiting end (Modified Fig. 5 above - F (person having ordinary skill in the art would recognize element F as a type of limiting end)) opposite from the ramped portion (1102)(see Modified Fig. 5 above).
Re claim 25:
Yong discloses the rocker arm assembly (Figs. 5-6) of claim 21 (as described above), wherein the locking groove (Modified Fig. 5 above - C) comprises a limiting end (Modified Fig. 5 above - F (person having ordinary skill in the art would recognize element F as a type of limiting end)) configured to abut the locking pin (160) to prevent the rocker arm (210) from rotating on the rocker shaft (205)(see Fig. 5-6 and Paras 38-40).
Re claim 26:
Yong discloses a rocker arm assembly (Figs. 5-6), comprising:
a rocker arm (210, rocker arm - Para 29) comprising a body (Modified Fig. 5 above - A (person having ordinary skill in the art would recognize element A as a type of body)) defining a rocker shaft bore (Modified Fig. 5 above - B (person having ordinary skill in the art would recognize element B as a type of rocker shaft bore));
a rocker shaft (205, rocker shaft - Para 29) disposed within the rocker shaft bore (Modified Fig. 5 above - B)(see Modified Fig. 5 above), the rocker shaft (205) defining a channel (190, small piston hole - Para 38; 260, large piston hole - Para 38);
a locking groove (Modified Fig. 5 above - C (person having ordinary skill in the art would recognize element C as a type of locking groove; element C is interpreted as including element 1102 as well as the “annular groove 270” referenced in Para 38)) defined by the body (Modified Fig. 5 above - A) of the rocker arm (210) or the rocker shaft (205)(see Modified Fig. 5 above);
a pin (160, piston - Para 29) disposed within the channel (190, 260) of the rocker shaft (205), wherein the pin (160) is movable within the channel (190, 260)(see Figs. 5-6 and Paras 38-40); and
an oil path (211, fluid channel - Para 29) defined by and enclosed in the rocker shaft (205)(see Fig. 5), the oil path (211) being in fluid communication with the channel (190, 260) entirely within the rocker shaft (205)(see Figs. 5-6 and Paras 38-40), wherein the oil path (211) is configured to deliver pressurized oil to the pin (160) to move the pin (160) to a disengaged position (Fig. 5)(see Fig. 5 and Paras 38-39), wherein, when the pin (160) is in the disengaged position (Fig. 5), the rocker arm (210) is free to rotate about the rocker shaft (205)(see Figs. 5-6 and Paras 38-40).
Re claim 27:
Yong discloses the rocker arm assembly (Figs. 5-6) of claim 26 (as described above), wherein the locking groove (Modified Fig. 5 above - C) is defined by the body (Modified Fig. 5 above - A) of the rocker arm (210) and formed along the rocker shaft bore (Modified Fig. 5 above - B)(see Modified Fig. 5 above), and the pin (160) is a locking pin comprising a shoulder (Modified Fig. 6 above - A (person having ordinary skill in the art would recognize element A as a type of shoulder)) within the oil path (211)(see Modified Fig. 6 above).
Re claim 28:
Yong discloses the rocker arm assembly (Figs. 5-6) of claim 27 (as described above), wherein the locking pin (160) is moveable by the pressurized oil from the oil path (211) away from the locking groove (Modified Fig. 5 above - C) to the disengaged position (Fig. 5) within the channel (190, 260) of the rocker shaft (205)(see Figs. 5-6 and Paras 38-40).
Re claim 29:
Yong discloses the rocker arm assembly (Figs. 5-6) of claim 28 (as described above), wherein the locking pin (160) is biased, via a spring (156, spring - Para 38), towards the locking groove (Modified Fig. 5 above - C) to an engaged position (Fig. 6)(see Figs. 5-6 and Paras 38-40), wherein, when the locking pin (160) is in the engaged position (Fig. 6), the locking pin (160) engages with the locking groove (Modified Fig. 5 above - C) to prevent free rotation of the rocker arm (210) about the rocker shaft (205)(see Figs. 5-6 and Paras 38-40).
Re claim 30:
Yong discloses the rocker arm assembly (Figs. 5-6) of claim 26 (as described above), wherein the locking groove (Modified Fig. 5 above - C) is defined by the rocker shaft (205)(see Modified Fig. 5 above), and the pin (160) is a pressure pin (see Figs. 5-6 and Paras 38-40) comprising an oil pressure end (Modified Fig. 6 above - B (person having ordinary skill in the art would recognize element B as a type of oil pressure end)) within the oil path (211)(see Modified Fig. 6 above).
Re claim 31:
Yong discloses the rocker arm assembly (Figs. 5-6) of claim 30 (as described above), wherein the pressure pin (160) is moveable by the pressurized oil from the oil path (211) in a substantially radially outward direction relative to a rocker shaft axis of the rocker shaft (205) to the disengaged position (Fig. 5)(see Figs. 5-6 and Paras 38-40).
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 32-33 are objected to as being dependent upon a rejected base claim, but would be allowable if rewritten in independent form including all of the limitations of the base claim and any intervening claims.
The following is a statement of reasons for the indication of allowable subject matter:
Claims 32-33 would be allowed primarily because the prior art of record cannot anticipate Applicant’s claimed invention by a single reference nor render Applicant’s claimed invention obvious by the combination of more than one reference.
Additionally, the prior art of record does not teach “a locking pin disposed within the body of the rocker arm, the locking pin being engageable with the locking groove and the pressure pin, wherein, when the pressure pin is in the disengaged position, the pressure pin forces the locking pin to disengage from the locking groove” as within the context of the claimed invention as disclosed and within the context of the other limitations present in claims 32-33.
Therefore, the prior art of record cannot anticipate Applicant’s claimed invention by a single reference nor render Applicant’s claimed invention obvious by one or more references.
Conclusion
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/LOREN C EDWARDS/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3746 12/5/25