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 .
Priority
Receipt is acknowledged of certified copies of papers required by 37 CFR 1.55.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 102
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.
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) 1-4 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102a1 & 102a2 as being clearly anticipated by (JP S6116219 A). Hereinafter, referred as JP’219.
JP’219 discloses the invention as follows:
1. A blow-by gas recirculation device (e.g., 20-24; see Field of Invention & fig. 1) comprising:
a first passage 20 (fig. 1) configured to provide communication between a crank chamber 6 (“Valve chamber 11 is open for free passage to crankcase 6 through passage 19 established in body 1. Free passage connection of the valve chamber 11 is made by blow-by gas passage 20 in port 21 established in air intake manifold 15.”) of an internal combustion engine 1 and a first region (at 21) of an intake system (15-18), the first region (at 21) being located downstream (see 21) of a throttle valve 16 of the intake system 15-18, and configured to recirculate blow-by gas to the intake system 15-18;
a second passage 22 (fig. 1) configured to provide communication between the crank chamber 6 and a second region (at 23) of the intake system 15-18, the second region (at 23) being located upstream of the throttle valve 16; and
a flow control valve unit (e.g., blow-by gas flow control valve (PCM) 24; see fig. 2-4) disposed in the first passage 20 and configured to vary a passage area (of 31) according to a pressure in the first region (at 21) and a pressure in the crank chamber 6,
wherein the flow control valve unit 24 comprises
a first valve (e.g., main valve 29; see fig. 2-4) configured to open when the pressure in the crank chamber 6 exceeds the pressure in the first region (at 21) by a predetermined amount or more (e.g., during high load operation; see fig. 2; “When induction pipe negative pressure is small like the time of high load operation, it is in the like position shown in drawing 2, and opens valve port 31 greatly”), and
a second valve (e.g., subvalve 37; see fig. 2-4); configured to open when the pressure in the first region (at 21) exceeds the pressure in the crank chamber 6 by a predetermined amount or more (“When a larger predetermined value, for example, larger induction pipe negative pressure than -600mmHg, than the induction pipe negative pressure which arises at the time of idle operation is done, the spring power of compression coil spring 38 is resisted, and it moves below to main valve element 29 by a diagram, and opens valve port 35 as shown in drawing 4”).
2. The blow-by gas recirculation device according to claim 1,
wherein a valve body (of 29) of a one of the first valve 29 and the second valve 37 comprises another one of the first valve 29 and the second valve 37 (see fig. 2-4).
3. The blow-by gas recirculation device according to claim 2,
wherein the valve body (of 29) of the one of the first valve 29 and the second valve 37 has an internal hole 36, 34, and the another of the first valve and the second valve varies an opening area of the internal hole 36, 34 (see fig. 2-4).
4. The blow-by gas recirculation device according to claim 1,
wherein the second valve 37 is configured to close (e.g., see fig. 3) when a difference obtained by subtracting the pressure in the crank chamber 6 from the pressure in the first region (at 21) exceeds a predetermined threshold value (“When induction pipe negative pressure is not larger than the above-mentioned predetermined value, it is pushed against the end wall (valve seat part) of subvalve room 34 by the spring power of compression coil spring 38, and valve port 35 is closed according to it.”).
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure.
The cited prior arts all teach conventional blow-by crankcase ventilation systems.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to HUNG Q NGUYEN whose telephone number is (571)270-5424. The examiner can normally be reached Mon-Fri: 7am-pm (CT).
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HUNG Q. NGUYEN
Primary Examiner
Art Unit 3747
/HUNG Q NGUYEN/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3747
