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 .
Information Disclosure Statement
The information disclosure statement (IDS) submitted on 06/25/2025 was filed after the mailing date of the Application on 06/25/2025. The submission is in compliance with the provisions of 37 CFR 1.97. Accordingly, the information disclosure statement is being considered by the examiner.
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) 1 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Li et al. (US 2005/0229977).
With regards to claim 1: Li et al. discloses (refer to Fig. 1 below) an excess flow valve device (10) including a channel forming member (12) including a gas channel (15), and
an excess flow valve (16, 17) configured to restrict flow of gas when a flow rate of the gas flowing through the gas channel (15) in a predetermined direction (right to left) exceeds a predetermined rate, wherein:
the gas channel (15) includes a valve disc housing portion (A) that houses at least part of the excess flow valve (16, 17);
the excess flow valve includes a valve seat (VS) provided in the valve disc housing portion (A) and having a valve orifice (O),
a valve disc (16) configured to be slidably housed in the valve disc housing portion (A), and a biasing member (17) configured to bias the valve disc in a direction away from the valve seat (VS);
the valve disc (16) includes a head (H) configured to close the valve orifice when the head is seated on the valve seat, and
a protruding portion (P) protruding from the head (H) and configured to be inserted into the valve orifice (O);
a position where the valve disc (16) is located farthest from the valve seat (VS) is an open position (as shown), and a position where the valve disc (16) is seated on the valve seat (VS) is a closed position;
a travel range of the valve disc (16) between the open position and the closed position
includes a first transition range and a second transition range;
the first transition range is a range in which the valve disc travels with the protruding portion (P) entirely located in the valve disc housing portion (A); and
the second transition range is a range in which the valve disc travels with at least part of the protruding portion (P) located in the valve orifice (O).
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Fig. 1
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 2 and 3 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.
Claim 4 is allowed.
The following is an examiner’s statement of reasons for allowance:
The present claims are allowable over the closest reference: Li et al..
The prior art fails to disclose or render obvious “the gas channel including a first channel and a second channel, wherein: the first channel is configured to be connected to a gas tank that stores the gas; the second channel is configured to be selectively connected to any one of a plurality of external devices; the plurality of external devices includes a supply source of the gas to be charged into the gas tank, and a consumption device configured to consume the gas fed from the gas tank” in combination with the other limitations set forth in the independent claims.
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to Minh Le, whose telephone number is 571-270-3805. The examiner can normally be reached on Monday-Friday (8:30AM-5:00PM EST).
If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisors can be reached by phone. 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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/MINH Q LE/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3753
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