US 9,535,038 C1 (13,181st)
Reduction of aeration interference in an ultrasonic fluid sensing system
Lawrence B. Reimer, Georgetown, SC (US); Gregory P. Murphy, Janesville, WI (US); and David T. Schlenke, Janesville, WI (US)
Filed by SSI Technologies, Inc., Janesville, WI (US)
Assigned to SSI TECHNOLOGIES, INC., Janesville, WI (US)
Reexamination Request No. 90/019,912, Apr. 14, 2025.
Reexamination Certificate for Patent 9,535,038, issued Jan. 3, 2017, Appl. No. 14/868,910, Sep. 29, 2015.
Application 90/019,912 is a division of application No. 14/044,444, filed on Oct. 2, 2013, granted, now 9,377,441.
Ex Parte Reexamination Certificate issued on Feb. 19, 2026.
Int. Cl. G01N 29/02 (2006.01); G01N 29/024 (2006.01); G01N 29/32 (2006.01); G01N 33/28 (2006.01)
CPC G01N 29/02 (2013.01) [G01N 29/024 (2013.01); G01N 29/32 (2013.01); G01N 33/2835 (2013.01); G01N 2291/0226 (2013.01); G01N 2291/0228 (2013.01)]
OG exemplary drawing
Attention is directed to the decision of SSI Technologies, LLC v. Dongguan Zhengyang Electronic Mechanical LTD, 3:20-cv-19, U.S. District Court W.D. Wisconsin; SSI Technologies, LLC v. Dongguan Zhengyang Electronic Mechanical LTD, 2021-2345 and 2022-1039, U.S. Court of Appeals, Federal Circuit. This reexamination may not have resolved all questions raised by these decisions. See 37 CFR 1.552(c) for ex parte reexamination and 37 CFR 1.906(c) for inter partes reexamination.
 
AS A RESULT OF REEXAMINATION, IT HAS BEEN DETERMINED THAT:
The patentability of claims 1-18 is confirmed.
1. A sensor operable to sense a characteristic of a fluid, the sensor comprising:
a housing;
a sensing area configured to contain the fluid;
a filter integral with the housing and covering the sensing area, the filter configured to allow a liquid portion of the fluid to enter the sensing area, and
substantially prohibit one or more gas bubbles of the fluid from entering the sensing area; and
a transducer configured to
output a pulse of sound through the liquid portion of the fluid contained within the sensing area,
receive the reflected pulse of sound, and
output a characteristic of the fluid based on the received pulse of sound.