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 .
In the event the determination of the status of the application as subject to AIA 35 U.S.C. 102 and 103 (or as subject to pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 102 and 103) is incorrect, any correction of the statutory basis (i.e., changing from AIA to pre-AIA ) for the rejection will not be considered a new ground of rejection if the prior art relied upon, and the rationale supporting the rejection, would be the same under either status.
Terminal Disclaimer
The terminal disclaimers filed on 13 Feb 2026 disclaiming the terminal portion of any patent granted on this application which would extend beyond the expiration date of US 12366244, US 11761441, and US 11434900 has been reviewed and is accepted. The terminal disclaimer has been recorded.
Information Disclosure Statement
The 34 information disclosure statements (IDS) totaling over 970 US and Foreign entries and having numerous NPL listings separately totaling thousands of pages, have been considered to the extent practicable within the time allotted. No particular relevance was indicated regarding the NPL entries to assist in prosecution of the instant claims, thus it is unclear if/how the especially larger references pertain to the instant claims.
Specification
The lengthy specification has not been checked to the extent necessary to determine the presence of all possible minor errors. Applicant’s cooperation is requested in correcting any errors of which applicant may become aware in the specification.
Claim Objections
Claim 15 is objected to because of the following informalities:
In claim 15, line 8 “the inner wall having inner wall edge” should likely read “the inner wall having an inner wall edge”.
. 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.
The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), second paragraph:
The specification shall conclude with one or more claims particularly pointing out and distinctly claiming the subject matter which the applicant regards as his invention.
Claims 14 and 17 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 112(b) or 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), second paragraph, as being indefinite for failing to particularly point out and distinctly claim the subject matter which the inventor or a joint inventor (or for applications subject to pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, the applicant), regards as the invention.
Claim 14 recites the limitation "the spring retaining recess" in line 1. There is insufficient antecedent basis for this limitation in the claim. For purposes of examination, “the spring retaining recess” will be interpreted as the recess from Claim 6.
Claim 17 recites the limitation "the recess depth" in line 2. There is insufficient antecedent basis for this limitation in the claim.
Claim 17 recites the limitation "the outer wall of the valve member" in line 3. This limitation is unclear because it is unclear if this is the outer wall of the spring retaining recess (which is formed in the valve member) or is a different outer wall. For purposes of examination, the outer wall will be interpreted as being the outer wall of the spring retaining recess.
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.
(a)(2) the claimed invention was described in a patent issued under section 151, or in an application for patent published or deemed published under section 122(b), in which the patent or application, as the case may be, names another inventor and was effectively filed before the effective filing date of the claimed invention.
Claim(s) 1, 3, 5-8 and 11-13 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Bayyouk (US 20200400140).
Regarding Claim 1, Bayyouk discloses a valve assembly (Figure 10 generally). The assembly comprising:
a valve seat (96); and
a valve member (150 generally), the valve member comprising:
a valve body (Figure 10 of 150 generally), a strike face (206) defined by at least a portion of the valve body (Figure 10), and a spring retaining recess (within 196) extending into the valve body (Figure 10), the strike face (206) having a sealing element (184) defined by at least a portion of the strike face (Figure 10), the spring retaining recess (within 196) having:
a recess wall (see Annotated Figure A) having a wall edge (see Annotated Figure A),
a recess base (200; see Annotated Figure A),
a spring (108; ¶ 159) positioned within the spring retaining recess (¶ 159), and
a recess inner wall (see Annotated Figure A; where the wall is inside the recess and therefore a recess inner wall), the wall edge (see Annotated Figure A) positioned to overhang the recess base (see Annotated Figure A), the recess inner wall (see Annotated Figure A) at least partially defining a raised boss (see Annotated Figure A).
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Annotated Figure A - Bayyouk
Regarding Claim 3, Bayyouk discloses where the raised boss (see Annotated Figure A) of the valve member has a boss height (from top surface 192 to 198), wherein the spring retaining recess (196) of the valve body has a spring retaining recess depth (from 200 to 198), and wherein the boss height is less than the spring retaining recess depth (Figure 10; Annotated Figure A).
Regarding Claim 5, Bayyouk discloses where the raised boss (see Annotated Figure A) is configured to one or more of: (a) include a planar top surface (198; Figure 10), (b) at least partially define a portion of the valve body, or (c) be centered along a longitudinal axis of the valve member.
Regarding Claim 6, Bayyouk discloses a valve assembly (Figure 10 generally). The assembly comprising:
a valve seat (96 generally) having a strike face (the portion of 96 that contacts 194 as the valve closes; Figure 10); and
a valve member (150 generally) configured such that a sealing element (184) of the valve member moves into contact with the strike face and out of contact with the strike face (¶ 156; Figure 10) so that movement of the valve member is driven, at least in part, by biasing the valve member toward the valve seat (via spring 108; ¶ 159), the valve member comprising:
(a) a bottom portion (below 164 in the orientation of Figure 10),
(b) legs (106) connected to the bottom portion (Figure 10),
(c) a top portion (at 192) connected to the bottom portion (via 164), the top portion at least partially defining a top surface (192), and the sealing element (184) positioned, at least partially, between the top portion and the bottom portion (Figure 10),
(d) a recess (196) positioned in the top portion (Figure 10), the recess having a recess wall (see Annotated Figure A) and a recess base (200; see Annotated Figure A), the recess wall (see Annotated Figure A) having a wall edge (see Annotated Figure A) overhanging the recess base (see Annotated Figure A),
(e) a biasing member (108; ¶ 159) positioned within the recess (196), and
(e) a boss (see Annotated Figure A ; together 202 and the annotated raised boss) defining at least a portion of the recess (at least at the recess inner wall of Annotated Figure A).
Regarding Claim 7, Bayyouk discloses where the boss comprises:
a first boss portion (the boss at 202), and
a second boss portion (the raised boss portion of Annotated Figure A), the first boss portion positioned at an axially higher elevation, along a longitudinal axis of the valve member, than the second boss portion (Figure 10).
Regarding Claim 8, Bayyouk discloses where the boss has a boss height less than a depth of the recess (Figure 10 where the height of the first boss portion above 198 is less than the depth of the recess).
Regarding Claim 11, Bayyouk discloses where the boss at least partially defines a knob (the raised boss portion of Annotated Figure A) extending from the top portion (from 192), and wherein the boss is centered along a longitudinal axis of the valve member (along 210; Figure 10).
Regarding Claim 12, Bayyouk discloses where the recess (196) has a recess depth corresponding to a distance between the recess base (200) and the top surface (192), the recess depth being substantially equal to one or more portions of the biasing member positioned in the recess (¶ 159).
Regarding Claim 13, Bayyouk discloses where the boss is positioned one of: (a) flush with a top surface of the top portion, (b) axially lower than the top surface, or (c) axially higher than the top surface (see Annotated Figure A).
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 2, 4, and 9-10 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.
Claims 14 and 17 would be allowable if rewritten to overcome the rejection(s) under 35 U.S.C. 112(b) or 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), 2nd paragraph, set forth in this Office action and to include all of the limitations of the base claim and any intervening claims.
Claims 15-16 and 18-20 are allowed.
The following is a statement of reasons for the indication of allowable subject matter:
Regarding Claim 15, the closes prior art appears to be Bayyouk (US 20200400140).
Bayyouk discloses a spring-loaded valve assembly (Figure 10; ¶ 159). The assembly comprising:
a valve seat (96); and
a valve member (150 generally) comprising:
a valve body (168) including a strike face (206) positioned along an outer profile (Figure 10), a sealing element (184) defined by at least a portion of the strike face (Figure 10), and a spring retaining recess (196; ¶ 159) extending into the valve body and configured to retain a spring therein (¶ 159), the spring retaining recess (196; ¶ 159) having an outer wall (at 198) and an inner wall (at 202), the outer wall having an outer wall edge (at the surface 198) and the inner wall having inner wall edge (at the surface of 202), the inner wall at least partially defined by a boss (202) extending from a lower surface of the spring retaining recess upward from a recess base of the spring retaining recess (Figure 10), along a valve body axis, toward a top surface of the valve body (192; Figure 10), but fails to disclose the outer wall edge overhanging the recess base.
The prior art of record neither discloses nor makes obvious the combination set forth in the independent Claims.
Regarding Claim 19, the closes prior art appears to be Bayyouk (US 20200400140).
Boyyouk discloses a valve assembly (Figure 10) comprising:
an outer housing (82);
a valve body (168) including a strike face (206) positioned along an outer profile (Figure 10 to interface with 96);
a sealing element (184) defining at least a portion of the strike face (Figure 10);
a recess (200) extending into the valve body (Figure 10); and
a biasing member (¶ 159; spring 108) having at least a portion thereof positioned in the recess (¶ 159),
but fails to expressly disclose where the recess has a dovetailed cross section.
The prior art of record neither discloses nor makes obvious the combination set forth in the independent Claims.
Conclusion
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/NICOLE GARDNER/
Examiner, Art Unit 3753
Prosecution Insights