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, 4, 5 and 8 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Crane (US 5222993).
Claim 1
A gas engine, comprising:
a combustion chamber (main combustion chamber 22, col. 2, lines 48-50);
a first sub-chamber that is in communication with the combustion chamber via a first communication hole (first pre-combustion chamber 50 connected by orifice 52, col. 3, lines 23-26);
a second sub-chamber that is in communication with the first sub-chamber via a second communication hole (second precombustion chamber 54 connected by orifice 56, col. 3, lines 26-29), and has a volume smaller than a volume of the first sub-chamber (see claim 11);
an ignition device provided in the second sub-chamber (spark plug 38, col. 3, lines 30-33); and
an injection hole through which a gas is allowed to be injected into the second sub-chamber (port of conduit 58 admitting gaseous fuel into chamber 54, col. 3, lines 34-35; col. 3 line 67 through col. 4, line 2).
Claim 4
The gas engine according to claim 1, wherein the injection hole is formed in the second sub-chamber (port of conduit 58 admitting gaseous fuel into chamber 54, col. 3, lines 34-35; col. 3 line 67 through col. 4, line 2).
Claim 5
The gas engine according to claim 1, wherein the injection hole is connected to a supply source for the gas through intermediation of a supply channel (fuel supply connected to the body, conduit 58, col2, lines 20-23; col. 3, lines 34-35), and wherein a check valve is provided in the supply channel so as to restrict a flow of the gas to a direction from the supply source toward the injection hole (check valve assembly 60 with spring-loaded ball 62, col. 3, lines 35-41).
Claim 8
The gas engine according to claim 4, wherein the injection hole is connected to a supply source for the gas through intermediation of a supply channel (col. 2, lines 20-23; col. 3, lines 34-35), and wherein a check valve is provided in the supply channel so as to restrict a flow of the gas to a direction from the supply source toward the injection hole (col. 3, lines 35-41).
Claim(s) 1 and 4 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Tozzi et al. (US 2014/0060479).
Claim 1
A gas engine, comprising:
a combustion chamber (main combustion chamber, paragraph [0027]);
a first sub-chamber that is in communication with the combustion chamber via a first communication hole (second prechamber stage 120 and second stage holes 125, paragraph [0030]);
a second sub-chamber that is in communication with the first sub-chamber via a second communication hole (first prechamber stage 110 and first stage holes 115, paragraph [0030]), and has a volume smaller than a volume of the first sub-chamber (paragraphs [0005] and [0028]);
an ignition device provided in the second sub-chamber (electrode gaps within the first prechamber volume, paragraphs [0005] and [0007]); and
an injection hole through which a gas is allowed to be injected into the second sub-chamber (fuel admission point 130 admitting fuel into the first prechamber stage 110 , paragraphs [0005] and [0029]).
Claim 4
The gas engine according to claim 1, wherein the injection hole is formed in the second sub-chamber (fuel admission point 130 opens into first prechamber stage 110, paragraphs [0005] and [0029]).
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) 2 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Tozzi as applied to claim 1 above and further in view of Lampard (US 4248192).
Claim 2
Tozzi discloses the gas engine according to claim 1, wherein the injection hole is formed in the first sub-chamber (fuel admission point 130 fueling the second prechamber stage 120 directly by a separate fuel line, paragraphs [0005] and [0029])
Tozzi does not disclose that the injection hole faces the second communication hole.
However, Lampard discloses an injection hole that faces the second communication hole (“directed to spray fuel into the passage 38”, col. 7, Lines 32-35).
Therefore it would have been obvious to modify the gas engine disclosed by Tozzi with the injection hole directed toward the inter-chamber communication hole as disclosed by Lampard in order to deliver injected fuel to the ignition-stage chamber (Lampard, col. 7, lines 32-35)
Claim(s) 6 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Tozzi in view of Lampard as applied to claim 2 above, and further in view of Crane (US 5222993).
Tozzi/Lampard disclose the gas engine according to claim 2, wherein the injection hole is connected to a supply source for the gas through a supply channel (Tozzi, separate fuel line, paragraph [0029]). The separate fuel line is connected at its upstream end to a supply source for the gas, as fuel cannot originate within the fuel line.
Tozzi/Lampard do not disclose that a check valve is provided in the supply channel so as to restrict a flow of the gas to a direction from the supply source toward the injection hole.
However, Crane discloses a check valve provided in the supply channel so as to restrict a flow of the gas to a direction from the supply source toward the injection hole (check valve assembly 60 with spring-loaded ball 62, col. 3, lines 35-41).
Therefore it would have been obvious to modify the gas engine disclosed by Tozzi/Lampard with the supply-channel check valve disclosed by Crane in order to prevent backflow from the chamber into the supply line (Crane, col. 3, lines 35-41)
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 3 and 7 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.
The following is a statement of reasons for the indication of allowable subject matter: no prior art found either alone or in combination anticipates or makes obvious a gas engine “wherein a direction of a center axis of the injection hole intersects a direction of a center axis of the second communication hole” as set forth in Claim 3. Claim 7 is dependent on Claim 3.
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to SIZO BINDA VILAKAZI whose telephone number is (571)270-3926. The examiner can normally be reached 10am-6pm.
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/SIZO B VILAKAZI/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3747
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