HYDRAULIC PRESSURE CIRCUIT

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. Claims 1-6 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Shimada (10801533) in view of Kang (10988915). Shimada discloses a fluid pressure circuit (e.g. Fig. 8, 62), comprising: a pressure supply source (e.g. 2); an actuator device (e.g. 5) actuated by a fluid from the pressure supply source; a direction switching valve (e.g. 4) provided in a main flow passage (e.g. 15, 23, 24, 33, 25, 26) between the pressure supply source and the actuator device; a regenerative system (e.g. 10, 11) configured to connect to the main flow passage via a branch flow passage (e.g. 90b, 30); and a control valve (e.g. 90, 91) that is configured to control a flow rate from the main flow passage to the branch flow passage, wherein a throttle (e.g. Ab) that is configured to throttle the fluid from the main flow passage is disposed in the branch flow passage of the main flow passage. Shimada does not teach that the control valve receives a main fluid pressure of the main flow passage and a branch fluid pressure of the branch flow passage obtained by the throttle, and is controlled by a differential pressure between the main fluid pressure and the branch fluid pressure. Kang teaches a fluid pressure circuit (e.g. Fig. 1) further including a control valve (e.g. 400) that is configured to control a flow rate from a main flow passage (e.g. 610, 621, 622) to a branch flow passage (e.g. 670, and the unlabeled line with sensor 770), wherein a main fluid pressure (e.g. ~760) and a branch fluid pressure (e.g. ~770) of the branch flow passage are used to control the control valve by a differential pressure between the main fluid pressure and the branch fluid pressure. Shimada and Kang both seek to control pressure fluid flow between a main flow passage of an actuator and a branch flow passage of a regenerative system, thus it would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art at the time the invention was filed to modify the control valve of Shimada such that the control valve receives a main fluid pressure of the main flow passage and a branch fluid pressure of the branch flow passage obtained by the throttle, and is controlled by a differential pressure between the main fluid pressure and the branch fluid pressure, as taught by Kang, for the purpose of controlling flow to the regenerative system via the branch flow passage. Shimada, as modified, further teaches the throttle is a variable throttle that is configured to control based on information (e.g. 760, 770 of Kang) obtained from the regenerative system; wherein the information obtained from the regenerative system is an electric signal obtained from a sensor (e.g. 770 of Kang) disposed on a regenerative system side; and the throttle is provided in an actuation position of a 3-port, 2-position electromagnetic valve (e.g. 90 of Shimada). Conclusion The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure. Additional references listed on form PTO-892 are cited for their relevance to the disclosed invention and demonstration of the state of the art. Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to MICHAEL LESLIE whose telephone number is (571)272-4819. The examiner can normally be reached M - F 8 am - 4-30pm. Examiner interviews are available via telephone, in-person, and video conferencing using a USPTO supplied web-based collaboration tool. To schedule an interview, applicant is encouraged to use the USPTO Automated Interview Request (AIR) at http://www.uspto.gov/interviewpractice. If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Nathaniel Wiehe can be reached at (571)272-8648. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300. Information regarding the status of published or unpublished applications may be obtained from Patent Center. Unpublished application information in Patent Center is available to registered users. To file and manage patent submissions in Patent Center, visit: https://patentcenter.uspto.gov. Visit https://www.uspto.gov/patents/apply/patent-center for more information about Patent Center and https://www.uspto.gov/patents/docx for information about filing in DOCX format. For additional questions, contact the Electronic Business Center (EBC) at 866-217-9197 (toll-free). If you would like assistance from a USPTO Customer Service Representative, call 800-786-9199 (IN USA OR CANADA) or 571-272-1000. /MICHAEL LESLIE/ Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3745 September 18, 2026