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 § 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 1 and 3 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Smith, U.S. 3,316,969.
Smith discloses in figures 1 and 2 a retrievable bridge plug (col. 5, lines 31) having an expandable packer (sealing ring; 53; col. 3, lines 60-65) mechanism to seal to a casing and a slip (slip segments 60) mechanism to anchor to the casing, and defining a flow path (interior bore 35a; col. 3, lines 12-16) through the bridge plug which includes a check valve (check valve 40, shaped port 39; col. 3, lines 4-5 restricts flow by diversion to the piston 44; col. 3, lines 50-54, and setting ball 72 or valve restricting flow through bore 35a; col. 3, lines 41-44) for restricting fluid flow through the bridge plug (col. 3, lines 66- 67).
Smith discloses two check valves (check valve 40 and dropped ball 72) arranged sequentially (40 is above 72).
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 2, 4-6 and 11-15 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.
Response to Arguments
Applicant's arguments filed 15 June 2026 have been fully considered but they are not persuasive.
Applicants argue Smith reference fails to disclose a device with a flow path through the device, and a check valve which restricts flow through the device because the check valve is not configured to restrict fluid flow through the device itself, the check valve 40 is a valve which restricts fluid flow to the chamber which actuates piston 44.
The reference discloses a one-way ball valve 72 that restricts flow through the bore 35a and the check valve 40 restricts flow through the bore by diverting flow to the piston chamber.
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 KENNETH L THOMPSON whose telephone number is (571)272-7037. The examiner can normally be reached Weekdays; 9:00-5:00, est.
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If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Tara Schimpf can be reached at 571-270-7741. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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30 June 2026
/KENNETH L THOMPSON/ Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3676
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