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.
Claim(s) 7-11 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Sato (US PG-pub US 20190219179).
Regarding claims 7-11 teaches a housing 10, 15 (fig. 1) in which an inflow port (nearest 14) and outflow ports 16 for a coolant are formed; a tubular valve22 housed in the housing that switches communication states between the inflow port and the outflow ports by rotating about a shaft 25 in the housing; and a frame 14 (fig. 4) attached to the inflow port, wherein the coolant passes through the frame and flows into an internal space of the valve, and the frame has one or more rectifiers 143 that guide a direction of a flow of the coolant flowing in from the inflow port to a bending direction with respect to the shaft (bending to outflow); (claim 8) wherein the frame includes an annular frame portion 142 attached to the inflow port; and a cylindrical portion 141 formed at a center of the frame portion, wherein one end of the rectifier is connected to the frame portion and the other end is connected to the cylindrical portion (as seen in fig. 4); (claim 9) wherein the rectifier is provided to be inclined with respect to the shaft (para. 0062; axial length is reduced; also see fig. 5); (claim 10) wherein a plurality of the rectifiers are provided, and all of the plurality of the rectifiers are inclined in a same direction (upward towards the shaft); (claim 11) wherein the coolant is directed to the outflow port by the rectifier while forming a swirling flow inside the internal space of the valve (swirling flow is considered function language, and it would appear that the prior art rectifiers would also product a swirling flow since the claimed structure is taught by Sato).
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 12-15 are allowed.
The following is a statement of reasons for the indication of allowable subject matter: Sato fails to disclose features of claim 12 including one or more rectifiers that guide a direction of a flow of the coolant flowing in from the inflow port to a bending direction with respect to the shaft are provided in the introduction port. The rectifiers of Sato are provided outside of the introduction port of the valve not in the introduction port.
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to P. MACADE NICHOLS whose telephone number is (571)270-5428. The examiner can normally be reached Mon-Fri 9:00-5:00 P.M..
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/P. MACADE NICHOLS/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3753
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