DETAILED ACTION
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.
Claim 3 is 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, or for pre-AIA the applicant regards as the invention.
The scope of the claim invention is not distinct; the claim language does not distinctly identify “… dead times between energization and pneumatic opening or closing of the electronically controllable solenoid valve are derived by measurement.” (added remarks). The specification does not provide a standard for ascertaining the requisite degree and the metes and bound of the above limitation cannot be ascertained to define the boundaries of the subject matter encompassed by the claim; therefore, ordinary skill in the art would not be reasonably apprised of the scope of the invention. Applicant is kindly invited to clearly (i) define the term “dead time” with respect to the ”energization and pneumatic opening or closing of the electronically controllable solenoid valve” and (ii) how it is derived by measurement within the claim invention. For instance, the term “dead time” refers to a time lag, brief interval, short recovery time or other type of time between energization and pneumatic opening or closing of the electronically controllable solenoid valve.
Applicants should provide concise specification support (page number(s) and paragraph(s)/lines) for the claim limitations, arguments/remarks with respect to the above rejection, and /or any amendment to the claim limitation(s).
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.
Claims 1-2, 10-11 and 12-15 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) / 102(a)(2) as being anticipated by Zhou et al. (CN 202111086883 A – Machine Translation).
Regarding claim 1, Zhou et al. disclose a method for estimating brake chamber pressure in a commercial vehicle air pressure- controlled braking system (par. 3) using a mathematical model (par. 6 and 75), the method comprising:
continuously determining the brake cylinder pressure as a function of an air mass flow (e.g., estimating the brake chamber pressure of a vehicle air pressure brake system (par. 79 and 89) for variable time (par. 80 and 81), which covers brake cylinder pressure )
which is adjusted by an open or closed state of an electronically controllable solenoid valve (e.g., based on the operation of a set of rear / front ABS comprising solenoid valves, which are opened / closed during a control of the pneumatic braking system (par. 75 and 71) ) arranged outside a control device ( e.g., upper-level controller system / controller of the brake system (par. 83 and 85)) for the brake cylinder pressure in an air supply line immediately upstream of a brake cylinder (e.g., Figure 1 shows the set of rear / front ABS as a separated system from the upper-level controller system / controller of the brake system (par. 83 and 85 and Figure 1)) and
physical properties of air in a chamber of the brake cylinder while taking into account whether the solenoid valve is in the open or closed state (e.g., air pressure at the brake chamber (par. 63) during the operation the set of rear / front ABS (par. 75 and 2), which are opened / closed during a control of the pneumatic braking system (par. 75 and 71)).
Regarding claim 2, Zhou et al. disclose a method for estimating brake chamber pressure in a commercial vehicle air pressure- controlled braking system further comprising determining a response of at least one of the electronically controlled solenoid valve and the brake cylinder by measurement (e.g., main controllable actuators are the proportional solenoid valve and the ABS solenoid valve (par. 75), which covers determining a response of at least one of the electronically controlled solenoid valve during the operation of a set of rear / front ABS (par. 75 and 2) ).
Regarding claim 10, Zhou et al. disclose a method for estimating brake chamber pressure in a commercial vehicle air pressure- controlled braking system wherein the electronically controllable solenoid valve is an ABS valve (e.g., operating ABS solenoid valve (par. 75) during a control of the pneumatic braking system (par. 75 and 71)).
Regarding claim 11, Zhou et al. disclose an apparatus for estimating brake chamber pressure in a commercial vehicle air pressure- controlled braking system (par. 2) using a mathematical model (par. 6 and 75), which controls air flowing into a brake cylinder via an air supply line (e.g., Figure 1 shows the set of rear / front ABS to provide pressurized air to the vehicle brake (par. 96, 75 and Figure 1)), wherein an electronically controllable solenoid valve is arranged in the air supply line to the brake cylinder (Figure 1 shows the set of rear / front ABS solenoid and air supply lines), the control device comprising
a computing unit ( e.g., upper-level controller system / controller of the brake system (par. 83 and 85)) including a processor and a non-transitory computer readable medium having program code stored thereon (e.g., the upper-level controller system / controller of the brake system configured to estimating the brake chamber pressure of a vehicle air pressure (par. 79 and 89) based on mathematical model / equations (par. 75, 18, 29), which requires the controller to store the mathematical model / equations instructions on a memory to be executed); and,
said program code being configured, when executed by said processor (e.g., storing the mathematical model / equations instructions on a memory), to continuously determine the brake cylinder pressure as a function of an air mass flow (e.g., estimating the brake chamber pressure of a vehicle air pressure brake system (par. 79 and 89) for variable time (par. 80 and 81), which covers brake cylinder pressure )
which is adjusted by an open or closed state of an electronically controllable solenoid valve (e.g., based on the operation of a set of rear / front ABS comprising solenoid valves, which are opened / closed during a control of the pneumatic braking system (par. 75 and 71) ) arranged outside the control device ( e.g., upper-level controller system / controller of the brake system (par. 83 and 85)) for the brake cylinder pressure in an air supply line immediately upstream of a brake cylinder (e.g., Figure 1 shows the set of rear / front ABS as a separated system from the upper-level controller system / controller of the brake system (par. 83 and 85 and Figure 1)) and
physical properties of air in a chamber of the brake cylinder while taking into account whether the solenoid valve is in the open or closed state (e.g., air pressure at the brake chamber (par. 63) during the operation of the rear / front ABS (par. 75 and 2), which are opened / closed during a control of the pneumatic braking system (par. 75 and 71)).
Regarding claim 12, Zhou et al. disclose an apparatus for estimating brake chamber pressure in a commercial vehicle wherein a pressure sensor for detecting a pilot pressure is disposed on the solenoid valve (e.g., a pressure sensor located on the pneumatic circuit, which covers solenoid valve (par. 131 and 137)).
Regarding claim 13, Zhou et al. disclose an apparatus for estimating brake chamber pressure in a commercial vehicle wherein the computing unit is a constituent part of the control device (e.g., upper-level controller system / controller of the brake system (par. 83 and 85) configured to control proportional solenoid valve and the ABS solenoid valve – par. 75).
Regarding claim 14, Zhou et al. disclose an apparatus for estimating brake chamber pressure in a commercial vehicle, wherein the electronically controllable solenoid valve is an ABS valve which is mounted on a vehicle wheel and which is controlled by an ABS controller (e.g., Figure 1 show ABS solenoid valve installed on a vehicle, wherein an electronic controls system (par. 2) configured to control the ABS solenoid valve – par. 75 ).
Regarding claim 15, Zhou et al. disclose an apparatus for estimating brake chamber pressure in a commercial vehicle, wherein the control device is configured to control the brake cylinder pressure on both sides of an axle of a vehicle (e.g., the upper-level controller system / controller of the brake system configured to control the air pressure at the brake chamber (par. 63) during the operation the rear / front ABS (par. 75 and 2)).
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 103
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 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.
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 of this title, 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 6 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Zhou et al. (CN 113688584 A – Machine Translation) in view of Xiong et al. (CN 103879398 B – Machine Translation).
Regarding claim 6, Zhou et al. failed to specifically disclose wherein a temperature and a volume of the air in the chamber of the brake cylinder are calculated as the physical properties of the air.
However, Xiong et al. teach a control unit for pneumatic ABS (par. 2, 15, and 19) configured to determine volume and temperature of the air/gas chamber (par. 52) using mathematical equation(s) for a brake model (par. 47 and 107).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention (AIA ) to modify the controller system / controller of the brake system taught by Zhou et al., such that the controller system determines volume and temperature of the air/gas chamber using mathematical equation(s) for a brake model, in view of Xiong et al., with reasonable expectation of success, since doing so would have achieved the benefit of solving poor controllability and consistency of test parameter due to complexity and variability of braking conditions (par.13).
Claim 9 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Zhou et al. (CN 113688584 A – Machine Translation) in view of Shivler, Jr. (US 6,188,948 B1).
Regarding claim 9, Zhou et al. failed to specifically disclose wherein, when the solenoid valve is open, a cross-sectional area in the air supply line via which the air mass flow flows is assumed, while, when the solenoid valve is closed, the cross-sectional area is defined as zero.
However, Shivler, Jr. teaches an ABS system for controlling a supply of brake fluid (air) by opening and closing the ABS solenoid (col. 1, lines 40-54 and Figures 1 and 2), which covers cross-section area of the air supply being opened or closed accordingly.
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention (AIA ) to modify the controller system / controller of the brake system taught by Zhou et al., such that the controller system controls a supply of brake fluid (air) by opening and closing the ABS solenoid, in view of Shivler, Jr., with reasonable expectation of success, since doing so would have achieved the benefit of cycling the ABS solenoid to mitigate or release wheel lockup (col. 1, lines 51-54).
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 4-5 and 7-8 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.
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure.
Goebels et al. (US 2005/0137773 A1) is directed to a vehicle braking system for delivering pressurized air to a brake chamber to achieve a desired braking response.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to Jorge O. Peche whose telephone number is (571)270-1339. The examiner can normally be reached Monday-Friday 8:30 AM - 5:30 PM.
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If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Khoi H. Tran can be reached at 571 272 6919. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/Jorge O Peche/Examiner, Art Unit 3656
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