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
This is responsive to the claims filed 6/6/2025. Claims 1 – 4, 12 – 21 are pending in this application.
Information Disclosure Statement
The information disclosure statements filed 6/6/2025, 8/27/2025 and 1/13/2026 are acknowledged by the examiner.
Claim Objections
Claim 15 is objected to because of the following informalities: “configured to come into contact across an entire circumference with the vale main body in a circumference of the valve seat” should read “configured to come into contact across an entire circumference with the valve main body in a circumference of the valve seat”. Appropriate correction is required.
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 15 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Japanese Patent Document JP 2018105387.
Regarding claim 1, the Japanese Patent document discloses an electrically driven valve (fig. 1)comprising: a valve main body (20, Fig. 1) including a valve chamber (21, Fig. 1), an end opening (62, Fig. 1) that communicates with the valve chamber and that is opened in an axial direction, and a side opening (61, Fig. 1) that communicates with the valve chamber and that is opened in a direction intersecting the axis; a seat member (29, Fig. 1), at least one portion of which is arranged within the end opening, the seat member including a valve seat – opening of element 29 - disposed on a valve chamber side; a valve element (24, Fig. 1) configured to approach to or separate from the valve seat; and a conversion mechanism (30, Fig. 1) configured to convert a rotational movement of a rotor into a linear movement of the valve element, wherein the valve main body includes a contact surface – mating with surface 29c - configured to restrict a movement of the seat member toward the valve chamber side within the end opening.
Regarding claim 15, the Japanese Patent document discloses a valve main body (20, Fig. 1) including a valve chamber (21, Fig. 1), an end opening (62, Fig. 1) that communicates with the valve chamber and that is opened in an axial direction, and a side opening (61, Fig. 1) that communicates with the valve chamber and that is opened in a direction intersecting the axis; a seat member (29, Fig. 1), at least one portion of which is arranged within the end opening, the seat member including a valve seat disposed on a valve chamber side; a valve element (24, Fig. 1) configured to approach to or separate from the valve seat; and a conversion mechanism (30, Fig. 1) configured to convert a rotational movement of a rotor into a linear movement of the valve element, wherein the seat member is inserted into the end opening from one end side of the valve main body toward the valve chamber, and configured to come into contact across an entire circumference with the valve main body in a circumference of the valve seat as shown in figure 1.
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 2 – 4, 14, 16 – 18 and 21 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Japanese Patent Document JP 2018105387 in view of Chinese Patent document CN 211901590.
Regarding claims 2 – 4, 14, 16 – 17 and 21 the Japanese Patent document does not disclose the claimed structure of the seat member attachment to the valve body member.
However, the Chinese Patent document also teaching a flow control valve teaches a flow passage block (1, Fig. 3) having a first flow passage and a second flow passage, the seat member (4, Fig. 3) includes a first contact surface (42, Fig. 3) that is disposed on an upper end side of the seat member and that comes into contact with the valve main body (3, Fig. 3), and a second contact surface (41, Fig. 3) that is disposed on a lower end of the seat member and that comes into contact with the flow passage block, the seat member (4, Fig. 3) is press-fit to the end opening, and wherein an outer circumference surface of the seat member (4, Fig. 3) and a contact surface of the end opening serve as a sealing surface configured to seal fluid [para. 27]. The Chinese Patent document teaches the first contact surface and the second contact surface serves as a sealing surface configured to seal fluid [para. 27]. The Chinese Patent document further teaches a flow passage block (1, Fig. 1) to which the driven valve is assembled.
Therefore, it would have been obvious to the person having ordinary skill in the art at a time prior to the effective filing date of the application to have adapted the teachings of the Chinese Patent document to the Japanese Patent document to make the assembly more stable that does not rely on mechanical connection and improve assembly efficiency.
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 12 – 13, 19 – 20 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.
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure. US Patent Application to Burcann et al. (2001/0032950) teaching positive assembly of a valve seat.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to UMASHANKAR VENKATESAN whose telephone number is (571)270-5602. The examiner can normally be reached Monday - Friday 9:30 AM - 6:00 PM.
If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner' s supervisors Craig Schneider can be reached at (571) 272-3607 or Ken Rinehart can be reached at (571) 272-4881. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/UMASHANKAR VENKATESAN/
Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3753
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