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.
Claims 1-5, 9, 10, 12-15 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Kirschner (US2019/0211721 A1).
Regarding to Claim 1, Kirschner teaches a method of estimating an operational aspect of an internal combustion engine, wherein the internal combustion engine comprises a crankcase enclosing at least part of a crankcase volume (Fig. 1, Parts 14, 46, Paragraphs 43), a crankcase ventilation outlet connected to the crankcase volume (Fig. 1, Part 20), and a gas cleaning assembly comprising an oil separator unit and a pump unit configured to pump gas from the crankcase volume to the oil separator unit via the crankcase ventilation outlet (Fig. 1, Part 24, Part 22), and wherein the method comprises:
obtaining data indicative of a pumping rate of gas pumped by the pump unit (Paragraph 48), and
estimating the flow rate of gas through the crankcase ventilation outlet based on the data (Paragraph 46).
Regarding to Claim 2, Kirshner teaches the method, wherein the pump unit comprises a pump member for pumping the gas from the crankcase volume to the oil separator unit (Fig. 1, Paragraph 40), and wherein the data is indicative of an operation rate of the pump member (Paragraph 48).
Regarding to Claim 3, Kirschner teaches the method, wherein the data is indicative of a pressure at an inlet of the pump unit (Paragraphs 46-48).
Regarding to Claim 4, Kirschner teaches the method, wherein the pump unit comprises a pump member for pumping the gas from the crankcase volume to the oil separator unit and a power source for powering the pump member (Fig. 1, Paragraph 43), and wherein the step of obtaining the data comprises:
monitoring an operation rate of the power source (Paragraph 43).
Regarding to Claim 5, Kirschner teaches the method, wherein the pump unit comprises a pump member for pumping the gas from the crankcase volume to the oil separator unit (Fig. 1), and wherein the method comprises:
controlling an operation rate of the pump member to maintain a pressure in the crankcase volume below a threshold pressure (Paragraphs 46-48).
Regarding to Claim 9, Kirschner teaches the method, wherein the oil separator unit is an oil mist separator (Paragraph 40).
Regarding to Claim 10, Kirschner teaches a computer program stored on a non-transitory computer-readable medium, said computer program product for estimating an operational aspect of an internal combustion engine, wherein the internal combustion engine comprises a crankcase enclosing at least part of a crankcase volume (Fig. 1, Parts 14, 46, Paragraphs 43), a crankcase ventilation outlet connected to the crankcase volume (Fig. 1, Part 20), and a gas cleaning assembly comprising an oil separator unit and a pump unit configured to pump gas from the crankcase volume to the oil separator unit via the crankcase ventilation outlet (Fig. 1, Part 24, Part 22), wherein said computer program product comprising computer instructions to cause one or more computer processors to perform the following operations:
obtaining data indicative of a pumping rate of gas pumped by the pump unit (Paragraph 48); and
estimating the flow rate of gas through the crankcase ventilation outlet based on the data (Paragraph 46).
Regarding to Claim 12, Kirschner teaches a control arrangement for estimating an operational aspect of an internal combustion engine, wherein the internal combustion engine comprises a crankcase enclosing at least part of a crankcase volume (Fig. 1, Parts 14, 46, Paragraphs 43), a crankcase ventilation outlet connected to the crankcase volume (Fig. 1, Part 20), and a gas cleaning assembly comprising an oil separator unit and a pump unit configured to pump gas from the crankcase volume to the oil separator unit via the crankcase ventilation outlet (Fig. 1, Part 24, part 22), and wherein the control arrangement is configured to:
obtain data indicative of a pumping rate of gas pumped by the pump unit (Paragraph 48); and
estimate the flow rate of gas through the crankcase ventilation outlet based on the data (Paragraph 46).
Regarding to Claim 13, Kirschner teaches an internal combustion engine comprising:
a crankcase enclosing at least part of a crankcase volume (Fig. 1, Parts 14, 46, Paragraphs 43);
a crankcase ventilation outlet connected to the crankcase volume (Fig. 1, Part 20), and;
a gas cleaning assembly comprising an oil separator unit and a pump unit configured to pump gas from the crankcase volume to the oil separator unit via the crankcase ventilation outlet (Fig. 1, Part 24, part 22); and
a control arrangement configured to:
obtain data indicative of a pumping rate of gas pumped by the pump unit (Paragraph 48); and
estimate the flow rate of gas through the crankcase ventilation outlet based on the data (Paragraph 46).
Regarding to Claim 14, Kirschner teaches the internal combustion engine, wherein an outlet of the oil separator unit is connected to an air inlet duct of the internal combustion engine (Fig. 1).
Regarding to Claim 15, Kirschner teaches a vehicle comprising an internal combustion engine comprising:
a crankcase enclosing at least part of a crankcase volume (Fig. 1, Parts 14, 46, Paragraphs 43);
a crankcase ventilation outlet connected to the crankcase volume (Fig. 1, Part 20);
a gas cleaning assembly comprising an oil separator unit and a pump unit configured to pump gas from the crankcase volume to the oil separator unit via the crankcase ventilation outlet (Fig. 1, Part 24, part 22); and
a control arrangement configured to:
obtain data indicative of a pumping rate of gas pumped by the pump unit (Paragraph 48); and estimate the flow rate of gas through the crankcase ventilation outlet based on the data (Paragraph 46).
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.
The factual inquiries for establishing a background for determining obviousness under 35 U.S.C. 103 are summarized as follows:
1. Determining the scope and contents of the prior art.
2. Ascertaining the differences between the prior art and the claims at issue.
3. Resolving the level of ordinary skill in the pertinent art.
4. Considering objective evidence present in the application indicating obviousness or nonobviousness.
Claims 7, 8 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Kirschner (US2019/0211721 A1) in view of Kanniaraj (US2020/0141293 A1) and Droge (US2020/0308963 A1).
Regarding to Claim 7, Kirschner fails to explicitly disclose, but Kanniaraj and Droge teaches a method, wherein the gas cleaning assembly comprises a filter element, the pump unit being arranged to pump gas through or against the filter element, and wherein the method comprises:
estimating a clogging status of the filter element based on historical estimated flow rates of gas through the crankcase ventilation outlet [Kanniaraj teaches a separator comprises a filter to reduce oil loss during the operation (Kanniaraj, Paragraph 4). Droge teaches method to determine whether the filter is clogged based on the flow rate and the flow rate threshold (Droge, Paragraph 31, the examiner considered the flow rate threshold can be considered as a historical estimated flow rate) to identify the filter replacement (Droge, Paragraph 31).]
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have modified Kirschner to incorporate the teachings of Kanniaraj and Droge to use a filter as a separator and determine the clogged status of the filter based on certain parameter in order to reduce oil loss and identify the filter replacement (Kanniaraj, Paragraph 4, Droge, Paragraph 31).
Regarding to Claim 8, Kirschner in view of Kanniaraj and Dorge teaches the modified method, wherein the oil separator unit is an oil mist separator (Kirschner, Paragraph 40).
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to YI-KAI WANG whose telephone number is (313)446-6613. The examiner can normally be reached Flexible.
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If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Lindsay Low can be reached at 5712721196. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/YI-KAI WANG/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3747
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