DETAILED ACTION
Claim Objections
Claims 1 and 15 are objected to because of the following informalities:
Claims 1 and 15 recites values that were not assigned any units. Claims 1 and 15 should recite 2.9674 mm2, 220.68 mm3, 4.1893 mm2 and 311.55 mm3.
Appropriate correction is required.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 112
The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 112(b):
(b) CONCLUSION.—The specification shall conclude with one or more claims particularly pointing out and distinctly claiming the subject matter which the inventor or a joint inventor regards as the invention.
Claims 1-19 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 112(b) as being indefinite for failing to particularly point out and distinctly claim the subject matter which the inventor or a joint inventor regards as the invention.
Claims 1 and 15 recite: “a piston diameter measured on the piston skirt”. It is unclear what the applicant is claiming. The applicant has not properly defined what is ascertained as the diameter.
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.
Claim(s) 1-6 and 9-19 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Grover, Jr. et al. (US 2012/0255520 A1), hereafter Grover.
Regarding claims 1, 10 and 15, Grover discloses a piston (320) for use in a hydrogen-powered internal combustion engine [0026], comprising: a piston head (shown in Fig. 3) comprising: a center axis (inherent); a fire bridge having an upper surface positioned on a plane oriented perpendicular to the center axis (Fig. 3); and a combustion bowl (322) defined by the plane and an edge-free combustion bowl surface extending radially outward from the center axis to the fire bridge at the upper surface; and a piston skirt (shown in Fig. 3) connected to the piston head, the piston having a piston diameter (inherent).
Grover further discloses:
“The geometry of the dish-shaped depression and the depression volume that results can be based upon the desired compression ratio.” Paragraph [0034].
“Based upon a desired compression ratio and a known geometry of the rest of the combustion chamber, specifically the geometry of the cylinder head, a desired depression volume or a desired total combustion chamber volume can be determined.” Paragraph [0036].
Grover is silent to the combustion bowl having a combustion bowl volume configured to have between a minimum combustion bowl volume which is 2.9674 mm2 times the piston diameter minus a value of 220.68 mm3, and a maximum combustion bowl volume which is 4.1893 mm2 times the piston diameter minus a value of 311.55mm3. It would have been obvious to a person having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to make an engine piston with a combustion bowl having the specifications as claimed, since it has been held that where the general conditions of a claim are disclosed in the prior art, discovering the optimum or workable ranges involves only routine skill in the art. In re Aller, 105 USPQ 233.
Regarding claims 2, 3 and 18, Grover further discloses a piston wherein the piston head defines a valve pocket (340) positioned in the fire bridge and extending downward from the plane and parallel to the center axis, the valve pocket having a valve pocket volume, wherein the valve pocket volume is included in the minimum combustion bowl volume and the maximum combustion bowl volume (shown in Fig. 3).
Regarding claims 4, 5, 9, 11, 16 and 17, Grover further discloses a piston wherein the edge-free combustion bowl surface comprises: a central section; a first wall section merging with the central section at a first rounded edge; and a second wall section merging with the first wall section at a second rounded edge and merging with the fire bridge at a third rounded edge (Fig. 3-Fig. 5 depict embodiments each comprising a central section; a first wall section merging with the central section at a first rounded edge; and a second wall section merging with the first wall section at a second rounded edge and merging with the fire bridge at a third rounded edge), wherein the at least one valve pocket is ring-segment-shaped, and the at least one valve pocket extends through the fire bridge viewed along a radial direction of the piston (Fig. 3).
Grover is silent to the rounded edges comprising a radius greater than 1 mm, or greater than 5mm. It would have been obvious to a person having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to provide rounded edges with a radius greater than 1mm or greater than 5mm, since it has been held that where the general conditions of a claim are disclosed in the prior art, discovering the optimum or workable ranges involves only routine skill in the art. In re Aller, 105 USPQ 233.
Regarding claims 6, 12 and 19, Grover is silent to a piston wherein the piston has a ratio of a compression height to the piston diameter of 0.4 to 0.65. It would have been obvious to a person having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to provide a piston with a ratio of a compression height to the piston diameter of 0.4 to 0.65 since the applicant has not disclosed why the particular ratio is of importance and it appears that the piston of Grover would meet the desired outcome. In addition, it would have been obvious to a person having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to provide a piston with a ratio of a compression height to the piston diameter of 0.4 to 0.65, since it has been held that where the general conditions of a claim are disclosed in the prior art, discovering the optimum or workable ranges involves only routine skill in the art. In re Aller, 105 USPQ 233.
Claim(s) 7, 8, 13 and 14 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Grover, Jr. et al. (US 2012/0255520 A1), in view of Kim et al. (US 2018/0100465 A1), hereafter Kim.
Regarding claims 7, 8, 13 and 14, Grover discloses an edge-free combustion bowl surface (Fig. 3 – Fig. 5), however Grover is silent to the piston head having a cooling channel that extends completely around a center axis of the piston, and wherein the combustion bowl extends into the piston head along the piston axis at least a level of the cooling channel.
Kim discloses a hydrogen-powered vehicle having a piston comprising a cooling channel that extends completely around a center axis of the piston, and wherein the combustion bowl extends into the piston head along the piston axis at least a level of the cooling channel (Fig. 4). It would have been obvious to a person having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to provide the cooling channel of Kim in the piston of Grover in order to provide cooling of the piston.
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure.
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/TEUTA HOLBROOK/
Examiner
Art Unit 3747
/GEORGE C JIN/ Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3747
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