DETAILED ACTION
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 10-19are allowed.
The following is an examiner’s statement of reasons for allowance: Mazzei discloses the claimed invention, except the bonnet nut base wall being threaded to the valve port.
Any comments considered necessary by applicant must be submitted no later than the payment of the issue fee and, to avoid processing delays, should preferably accompany the issue fee. Such submissions should be clearly labeled “Comments on Statement of Reasons for Allowance.”
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 .
Drawings
The drawings are objected to under 37 CFR 1.83(a). The drawings must show every feature of the invention specified in the claims. Therefore,
the straight stop valve body as recited in claim 15
must be shown or the feature(s) canceled from the claim(s). No new matter should be entered.
Corrected drawing sheets in compliance with 37 CFR 1.121(d) are required in reply to the Office action to avoid abandonment of the application. Any amended replacement drawing sheet should include all of the figures appearing on the immediate prior version of the sheet, even if only one figure is being amended. The figure or figure number of an amended drawing should not be labeled as “amended.” If a drawing figure is to be canceled, the appropriate figure must be removed from the replacement sheet, and where necessary, the remaining figures must be renumbered and appropriate changes made to the brief description of the several views of the drawings for consistency. Additional replacement sheets may be necessary to show the renumbering of the remaining figures. Each drawing sheet submitted after the filing date of an application must be labeled in the top margin as either “Replacement Sheet” or “New Sheet” pursuant to 37 CFR 1.121(d). If the changes are not accepted by the examiner, the applicant will be notified and informed of any required corrective action in the next Office action. The objection to the drawings will not be held in abeyance.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 102
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.
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.
(a)(2) the claimed invention was described in a patent issued under section 151, or in an application for patent published or deemed published under section 122(b), in which the patent or application, as the case may be, names another inventor and was effectively filed before the effective filing date of the claimed invention.
Claims 1-9 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1)/102(a)(2) as being anticipated by Mazzei et al. US 4580600 (“Mazzei”).
Regarding Claim 1, Mazzei discloses a stop valve assembly (figs 2-5 and 6A-D), comprising: a valve body (42, 94) including a valve body inlet (24 communicates through bore 68), a valve body outlet (70, communicates through bores 72 and 74), a valve channel (122) between the valve body inlet and the valve body outlet, and a valve port (upper stepped portion of upper portion 104 and 106 of upper valve body 94); a valve (88) carried in the valve body (42, 94), wherein the valve (88) is selectively rotatable about a rotational axis (claim 3, “valve members is rotatable about an axis to move from said first to said second position.”) in the valve body (42, 94), between an open position (fig. 6B illustrates supply port 68 communicates with outlet port 72 and fig. 6C illustrates supply port 68 communicates with outlet port 74) and a closed position (fig. 6A); a bonnet nut (84) coupled to the valve port (104, 106) to removably retain the valve (88); and a handle (114) coupled to the valve through the bonnet nut (see fig. 2).
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MAZZEI – FIGURE 2
Regarding Claim 2, Mazzei discloses a valve rotation limiter (108) carried at least partially in the valve port (at lower step of 104, see fig. 4) of the valve body (42), wherein the bonnet nut (84) also removably retains the valve rotation limiter (108).
Regarding Claim 3, Mazzei discloses a seal (134) disposed between the valve (86) and the valve rotation limiter (108).
Regarding Claim 4, Mazzei discloses a seal (120) disposed between the valve (86) and the valve port (104) of the valve body (42).
Regarding Claim 5, Mazzei discloses the valve body (42, 94) includes a valve rotation limiting feature (lower step 106, see fig. 4) at the valve port (104, 106).
Regarding Claim 6, Mazzei discloses a valve rotation limiter (108) carried at least partially in the valve port (104, 106) of the valve body and cooperative (see fig. 4) with the valve rotation limiting feature (lower step 106) of the valve body (42).
Regarding Claim 7, Mazzei discloses the valve (86) includes a sealing element (134) and a spindle (90) having a base (90 connects to valve 86) coupled to the sealing element (134) and a stem (110, see fig. 2) extending away from the base.
Regarding Claim 8, Mazzei discloses a valve rotation limiter (108) coupled (threaded connection) to the spindle (90) of the valve (86) and a seal (134) located between the valve rotation limiter (108) and the spindle (90).
Regarding Claim 9, Mazzei discloses the stem (90) of the spindle is part of a unitary valve stem and rotation limiter (108) that cooperates with the valve body (42, 94) to limit rotation of the valve (86).
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure.
Turnau, III et al. US 10443743, Malasorti US 10612689, Schmitt US 3788601, Holden US 11333283, Thomas US 8931500, and Hicks US 4058289 disclose rotary valve.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to Daphne Barry whose telephone number is (571)272-9966 and fax number is (571) 273-9966. The examiner can normally be reached on Monday through Friday 9 AM-6 PM (eastern).
If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor either Kenneth Rinehart can be reached at (571) 272-4881 or Craig Schneider can be reached at (571) 272-3607. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/DAPHNE M BARRY/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3753
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