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) 1-10, 13, 14 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by US 2013/0276437 to Iwasaki
In Reference to Claim 1
[AltContent: textbox (B)]Iwasaki discloses:
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A connection unit for connecting a heating gas generating arrangement (fig.4) to an exhaust gas conducting component 3 of an exhaust system for an internal combustion engine 1, the heating gas generated by said heating gas generating arrangement being introduceable into an exhaust gas flow duct in the exhaust gas conducting component, the connection unit comprising:
a connection unit body 30 defining a connection unit body center axis and being formed integrally with:
a circumferential wall surrounding a heating gas flow duct 150;
a fastening region 30a for fastening to a component wall of said exhaust gas conducting component; and,
a connection region A for connecting said heating gas generating arrangement to said connection unit 30;
wherein said fastening region includes a fastening flange 30a protruding radially outward from said circumferential wall with respect to said connection unit body center axis and having an annular fastening surface G formed on said fastening flange, and said connection region includes a connection flange protruding B radially outward from said circumferential wall with respect to said connection unit body center axis and having an annular connection surface formed on said connection flange, see fig.4
In Reference to Claim 2
Iwasaki discloses
wherein said connection unit body is formed as a metal cast body see paragraph [0044] “heat proof metal”.
In Reference to Claim 3
Iwasaki discloses
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wherein said heating gas flow duct has an upstream end region; and, wherein at least one of the following applies:
i) said annular connection surface is arranged substantially orthogonally with respect to said connection unit body center axis in said upstream end region of said heating gas flow duct; and,
ii) said fastening surface is inclined at an angle different from 90° with respect to said connection unit body center axis D in said upstream end region of said heating gas flow duct.
In Reference to Claim 4
Iwasaki, see Fig.4 annotated in Claim 3 above, discloses
wherein at least one of the following applies:
i) said annular connection surface lies in one plane F; and,
ii) said annular fastening surface lies in one plane.
In Reference to Claim 5
Iwasaki discloses:
wherein at least one of the following applies:
i) a radial distance of said circumferential wall to said connection unit body center axis from said connection flange increases in a direction of said fastening flange; and,
ii) said annular connection surface is smaller than said fastening surface.
In Reference to Claim 6
Iwasaki discloses:
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wherein a heating gas inlet pipe 160 is provided on said connection unit body; and, said heating gas inlet pipe is connected to said circumferential wall and/or is at least partially surrounded by said circumferential wall and at least partially provides said heating gas flow duct 30.
In Reference to Claim 7
Iwasaki discloses:
wherein said connection unit body 30 is formed integrally with said heating gas inlet pipe 160.
In Reference to Claim 8
Iwasaki discloses:
wherein a plurality of heating gas discharge openings 130 (channels) are formed in said heating gas inlet pipe 160.
In Reference to Claim 9
[AltContent: textbox (B)]Iwasaki discloses:
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An exhaust system for an internal combustion engine, the exhaust system comprising:
an exhaust gas conducting 3 component having a component wall surrounding an exhaust gas flow duct through which internal combustion engine exhaust gas can flow;
a heating gas generating arrangement 100 for generating heating gas introduceable into said exhaust gas flow duct 3;
a connection unit Fig.1 including:
a connection unit body 30 defining a connection unit body center axis and being formed integrally with:
a circumferential wall surrounding a heating gas flow duct;
a fastening region 30a for fastening to said component wall of said exhaust gas conducting component; and,
a connection region A for connecting said heating gas generating arrangement to said connection unit; wherein said fastening region includes a fastening flange protruding radially outward from said circumferential wall with respect to said connection unit body center axis and having an annular fastening surface G formed on said fastening flange, and said connection region includes a connection flange protruding B
radially outward from said circumferential wall with respect to said connection unit body center axis and having an annular connection surface formed on said connection flange; and,
said connecting unit being provided to connect said heating gas generating arrangement to said component wall so as to permit heating gas generated by said heating gas generating arrangement to flow through said connection unit into said exhaust gas flow duct 3.
In Reference to Claim 10
Iwasaki discloses:
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wherein said fastening region is arranged with the fastening surface thereof covering an opening edge region H of said component wall, said opening edge region surrounding a heating gas inlet opening 150 in said component wall.
In Reference to Claim 13
Iwasaki modified discloses:
wherein said component wall includes a sheet steel formed part (metal).
In Reference to Claim 14
Iwasaki modified discloses:
wherein at least one of the following applies:
i) said exhaust gas conducting component provides a deflection housing 150 for deflecting an exhaust gas flow flowing through said exhaust gas flow duct between an upstream connection region and a downstream connection region thereof; and,
ii) said exhaust gas conducting component is connected to an upstream exhaust gas treatment unit in said upstream connection region and is connected to a downstream exhaust gas treatment unit in said downstream connection region.
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) 11 and 12 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over US US 2013/0276437 to Iwasaki in view of US 2014/0373821 to Kitagawa
In Reference to Claim 11
Iwasaki discloses:
wherein said fastening flange 30a is connected to said component wall but does not disclose via a material bond.
Kitagawa discloses:
A connection flange body 110 is firmly fixed by welding to the leading end side of the purification inlet pipe 41, see paragraph [0078].
At the time claimed invention was filed it would have been obvious to an artisan of ordinary skill to firmly connect the flange 30 via welding, combine the teachings of Kitagawa with Iwasaki, since this would enable the practitioner of the primary reference to practice the advantage of firmly connecting the flange 30a to the component wall using welding.
In Reference to Claim 12
Iwasaki modified discloses:
wherein said material bond is a welding.
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to ANTHONY AYALA DELGADO whose telephone number is (571)270-3452. The examiner can normally be reached Mon-Fri 8:00-5:00.
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If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Mark III Laurenzi can be reached at (571) 270-7878. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/ANTHONY AYALA DELGADO/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3746