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) 1-7, 11 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by 2022/251979 A1 Batcheller Devin et al. (Devin) .
In Reference to Claim 1
Devin discloses:
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A hydraulic rocker arm for a combustion engine, the rocker arm 218 comprising a valve chamber (actuation bore 70) enclosing a hydraulic valve arrangement configured to:
at a first state enable oil to flow to and from an oil supply thereby actuating a piston of said rocker arm (check valve 84 opened), and
at a second state stopping oil flow between two channels of said rocker arm (check valve 84 close):
wherein the rocker arm further comprise a pressure relief valve (pressure relief assembly 260) in hydraulic communication with said valve chamber, the relief valve being configured to, upon exceeding a pre-determined load level, discharge oil from the rocker arm, wherein said valve chamber comprises a discharge channel 232 connected to said pressure relief valve,
wherein a part of an outer surface of said hydraulic rocker arm forms an inner cavity 264 dimensioned to secure said pressure relief valve to said rocker arm, see paragraph [0088].
In Reference to Claim 2
Devin discloses:
wherein the valve chamber 70 is, along a first direction, positioned intermediate a piston chamber enclosing the piston of said hydraulic rocker arm and said pressure relief valve, see Fig.6-8.
In Reference to Claim 3
Devin discloses:
wherein an axial extension 260 of said relief valve is perpendicular to an axial extension of said hydraulic valve arrangement, see Fig.11
In Reference to Claim 4
Devin discloses:
wherein said inner cavity is formed in a protrusion 260 at a top surface of said rocker arm, see Fig.12.
In Reference to Claim 5
Devin discloses:
wherein said inner cavity comprises a relief valve insertion 262 opening configured to, during instalment, receive said pressure relief valve therethrough.
In Reference to Claim 6
Devin discloses:
wherein said two channels are a rocker arm channel connected a piston chamber and a supply channel connected to a rocker arm oil supply, see fig.1.
In Reference to Claim 7
Devin discloses:
wherein said rocker arm channel and said discharge channel jointly traverse said valve chamber, see Fig.12
In Reference to Claim 11
Devin discloses:
wherein the relief valve is arranged to, upon exceeding said pre-determined load level, discharge oil directly received from said valve chamber by means of said discharge channel, see paragraph [0088].
Allowable Subject Matter
Claim 8-10 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.
The following is a statement of reasons for the indication of allowable subject matter:
Claims *** is/are allowed primarily because the prior art of record cannot anticipate Applicant’s claimed invention by a single reference nor render Applicant’s claimed invention obvious by the combination of more than one reference.
Furthermore, the prior art of record does not teach “wherein said pressure relief valve comprises: a seat connected to said discharge channel; spring arrangement;
a valve cone intermediate said spring arrangement and said seat wherein upon exceeding said pre-determined load level said valve cone moves away from said seat thereby biasing said spring arrangement and allowing for discharge of oil along an axial extension out from said pressure relief valve. ” as within the context of the claimed invention as disclosed and within the context of the other limitations present in claim /;
The prior art of record does not teach “wherein said valve cone comprises axial grooves. ” as within the context of the claimed invention as disclosed and within the context of the other limitations present in claim 9; and
The prior art of record does not teach “wherein the spring arrangement comprises a first spring and a second spring, the first spring enclosing the second spring. ” as within the context of the claimed invention as disclosed and within the context of the other limitations present in claim 10.
Therefore, the prior art of record cannot anticipate Applicant’s claimed invention by a single reference nor render Applicant’s claimed invention obvious by the combination of more than one reference.
Any comments considered necessary by applicant must be submitted no later than the payment of the issue fee and, to avoid processing delays, should preferably accompany the issue fee. Such submissions should be clearly labeled “Comments on Statement of Reasons for Allowance.”
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to ANTHONY AYALA DELGADO whose telephone number is (571)270-3452. The examiner can normally be reached on Mon-Fri 8:00-5:00.
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If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Mark III Laurenzi can be reached on (571) 270-7878. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/ANTHONY AYALA DELGADO/
Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3746
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