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, 2, and 4 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Okita et al. (U.S. 2015/0129791).
Regarding claim 1, Okita discloses:
An actuator comprising:
a casing 62 (see paragraph 0052)
a drive member (64) provided in the casing (62), the drive member (64) forming a pressure chamber (106) together with the casing (62), the drive member (64) being driven by an operating fluid flowing from outside (see paragraph 0058, 0061, 0068, 0069; see Figure 1)
a sealing member (92) having an annular shape, the sealing member (92) being provided to be in contact with only one of the casing (62) or the drive member, or in contact with neither, in a direction perpendicular to a moving direction of the drive member (64), the sealing member (92) being configured to be compressed by the drive member (64) and the casing (62) in the moving direction as the drive member (64) moves, thereby sealing the pressure chamber 106 (see paragraph 0056, 0067; see Figures 1 and 3)
Regarding claim 2, Okita discloses:
the actuator further comprising a guide bush (102) supported in the casing (62), the guide bush (102) supporting the drive member to be movable in the moving direction
Regarding claim 4, Okita discloses:
A valve device (10A) comprising:
a body (14) having a flowing passage 12 (see paragraph 0038; see Figure 1)
the actuator (20) according to claim 1 (see rejection above), the actuator (20) being attached to the body (14) and configured to open and close the flowing passage 12 (see paragraph 0038; see Figure 1)
Claim(s) 1 and 2 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Kondo et al. (U.S. 2022/0049775).
Regarding claim 1, Kondo discloses:
An actuator (1) comprising:
a casing 11 (see paragraph 0017; see Figure 1)
a drive member (15, 16) provided in the casing (11), the drive member (15, 16) forming a pressure chamber (11a) together with the casing (11), the drive member (15, 16) being driven by an operating fluid flowing from outside (see paragraph 0038; see Figure 1)
a sealing member (12) having an annular shape, the sealing member (12) being provided to be in contact with only one of the casing (11) or the drive member, or in contact with neither, in a direction perpendicular to a moving direction of the drive member (15, 16), the sealing member (12) being configured to be compressed by the drive member (15, 16) and the casing (11) in the moving direction as the drive member (15, 16) moves, thereby sealing the pressure chamber 11a (see paragraph 0018; see Figures 1 and 2)
Regarding claim 2, Kondo discloses:
the actuator (1) further comprising a guide bush (13) supported in the casing (11), the guide bush (13) supporting the drive member (15, 16) to be movable in the moving direction (see Figure 1)
Allowable Subject Matter
Claim 3 is 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.
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure. Funakoshi et al. (U.S. 2018/0106385) discloses an actuator comprising a casing and a drive member in the casing; the drive member and casing forming a pressure chamber sealed by a sealing member, the casing, and the drive member; the sealing member contacting only the casing in a horizontal direction.
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/KELSEY E CARY/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3753
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