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.
The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), second paragraph:
The specification shall conclude with one or more claims particularly pointing out and distinctly claiming the subject matter which the applicant regards as his invention.
Claim 13 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 112(b) or 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), second paragraph, as being indefinite for failing to particularly point out and distinctly claim the subject matter which the inventor or a joint inventor (or for applications subject to pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, the applicant), regards as the invention.
Claim 13 refers to “the first fan”, second, third, etc. which have not been previously defined in claim 13 or claim 1 from which it depends.
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) 1-3, 5-8, and 21 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Iwasaki (US 5,476,138) in view of CN 213016523 (‘523).
Regarding claim 1, Iwasaki teaches: a frame (42) with a top, bottom, first and second opposing sides (Fig. 3); a radiator (43) mounted to the frame (see Fig. 1) proximate the front of the frame (it is at least closer to the front than the fans and ‘proximate’ is a term of degree presented without any comparator) and including a plurality of flow tubes (78) which extend from the top to bottom (see Fig. 4; in rows) and from the first to the second side (see fig. 4) and defining a radiator plane (front face of radiator facing forward in the vehicle) extending along a front surface of the radiator; and a plurality of fans (see fans in Fig. 10) mounted to the frame rearwardly of the radiator (Fig. 10), a first fan (in 143) on a first side of the frame and defining a fan rotation axis (F) extending outwardly in a horizontal direction away from a center of the frame in a first direction (F) and rearwardly with respect to the frame (see Fig. 10); likewise a second fan (in 145) is positioned oppositely with a second axis (G); each fan is positioned within a housing (143, 145) rearward of the radiator (fig. 10) and forward of one or more heat generating components (e.g. the engine; Fig. 10) such that the fans define an intermediate airflow region between the radiator and the heat generating components (see fig. 10); each fan draws air through the radiator from the front of the frame toward the rear of the frame to expel the drawn air rearwardly and outwardly away from the center of the frame (along the axes F and G, respectively) and away from the one or more heat generating components positioned rearwardly of the radiator (see fig. 10).
Iwasaki does not teach first and second pairs of fans.
‘523 teaches that it is old and well-known to utilize a fan array with more than one fan on each side positioned above and below each other (see Fig. 4).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill to form the first and second fans of Iwasaki as first and second pairs (or more) of fans, as taught by ‘523, in vehicles with larger engines or cooling requirements.
In combination, Iwasaki further teaches that: each fan rotation axis (F, G) extends outwardly in a horizontal direction and rearwardly with respect the frame at an acute angle with respect to the radiator plane (see Fig. 10), per claim 2; four fans (two pairs, per the teachings of ‘523 above) are mounted to the frame, per claim 3; each fan has a fan ring (see 143, 145; Fig. 10) surrounding blades of the fan, per claim 8; the fans point outward creating acute angles between their axes and the plane of the radiator, resulting in the outside edges of the fans being closer to the radiator than the inward edges, and resulting in blowing air drawn through the radiator outwardly and rearwardly of the radiator (see Fig. 10), per claim 21.
‘523 further teaches that: each pair of fans may be comprised of first and second fans mounted above and below each other (see Fig. 4 of ‘523), per claim 5; rotation axes of paired fans are vertically aligned with each other (see Fig. 4), per claim 6; the upper and lower of each of the pairs of fans may also have their axes respectively aligned with each other horizontally (see Fig. 4), per claim 7.
Claim(s) 11-13 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Iwasaki (US 5,476,138) in view of CN 213016523 (‘523) and Young (US 3,710,853).
Regarding claims 11-13, ‘523 does not specify cross bracing.
Young teaches a frame (F) for a heat exchanger (Fig. 1) with cross bracing (16, 17) extending from a top left to bottom right (17) and top right to bottom left (16) portions of the frame, per claim 11; and each brace is connected to the frame at a central location (attachment is around the central axis of the brace; Fig. 1), per claim 12; insofar as the first and second pairs of fans are construed as first through fourth fans (see 112 rejection above) as they are arranged as side-by-side pairs with fans in each pair located above and below each other, the result is that the fans are located proximate one corner of the radiator each and thus meet the relative locations to the cross-bracing of Young.
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill to provide the device of ‘523 with cross-bracing in order to strengthen and stiffen the frame.
Claim(s) 9-10, 14 and 20 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Iwasaki (US 5,476,138) in view of CN 213016523 (‘523) and Pawlick (US 2014/0262147).
Regarding claims 9-10, Iwasaki does not specify the radiator structure aside from water inlet and outlet pipes (72, 75).
Pawlick teaches that it is old and well-known to form radiators with first through third tanks (101, 102, 103) and first and second plurality of tubes (201, 202) wherein the first tank has first apertures, the second tank (103) has second and third apertures, and the third tank (102) has fourth apertures (formed in their respective header plates 208), and the first plurality of tubes extends from the first to second tank (201, Fig. 22; Figs. 23 illustrates individual tubes 206 passing through their respective header plate 208 of each tank) and the second plurality of tubes extends from the second tank to the third tank (202, Fig. 22).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill to form the device of Iwasaki with the three tank radiator, as taught by Pawlick, in order to allow for larger devices without losing tube strength over the length of the tubes.
Regarding claims 14 and 20, Iwasaki teaches: a frame (42) with a top, bottom, first and second opposing sides (Fig. 3); a radiator (43) mounted to the frame (see Fig. 1) proximate the front of the frame (it is at least closer to the front than the fans and ‘proximate’ is a term of degree presented without any comparator) and including a plurality of flow tubes (78) which extend from the top to bottom (see Fig. 4; in rows) and from the first to the second side (see fig. 4) and defining a radiator plane (front face of radiator facing forward in the vehicle) extending along a front surface of the radiator; and a plurality of fans (see fans in Fig. 10) mounted to the frame rearwardly of the radiator (Fig. 10), a first fan (in 143) on a first side of the frame and defining a fan rotation axis (F) extending outwardly in a horizontal direction away from a center of the frame in a first direction (F) and rearwardly with respect to the frame (see Fig. 10); likewise a second fan (in 145) is positioned oppositely with a second axis (G); each fan is positioned within a housing (143, 145) rearward of the radiator (fig. 10) and forward of one or more heat generating components (e.g. the engine; Fig. 10) such that the fans define an intermediate airflow region between the radiator and the heat generating components (see fig. 10); each fan draws air through the radiator from the front of the frame toward the rear of the frame to expel the drawn air rearwardly and outwardly away from the center of the frame (along the axes F and G, respectively) and away from the one or more heat generating components positioned rearwardly of the radiator (see fig. 10).
Iwasaki does not teach first and second pairs of fans.
‘523 teaches that it is old and well-known to utilize a fan array with more than one fan on each side positioned above and below each other (see Fig. 4).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill to form the first and second fans of Iwasaki as first and second pairs (or more) of fans (resulting in at least two additional fans oriented in the same way as the original fans they are paired with), as taught by ‘523, in vehicles with larger engines or cooling requirements.
Iwasaki does not specify the radiator structure aside from water inlet and outlet pipes (72, 75).
Pawlick teaches that it is old and well-known to form radiators with first through third tanks (101, 102, 103) and first and second plurality of tubes (201, 202) wherein the first tank has first apertures, the second tank (103) has second and third apertures, and the third tank (102) has fourth apertures (formed in their respective header plates 208), and the first plurality of tubes extends from the first to second tank (201, Fig. 22; Figs. 23 illustrates individual tubes 206 passing through their respective header plate 208 of each tank) and the second plurality of tubes extends from the second tank to the third tank (202, Fig. 22).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill to form the device of Iwasaki with the three tank radiator, as taught by Pawlick, in order to allow for larger devices without losing tube strength over the length of the tubes.
In combination, Iwasaki further teaches that: each fan has a fan ring (see 143, 145; Fig. 10) surrounding blades of the fan, per claim 18.
‘523 further teaches that: each pair of fans may be comprised of first and second fans mounted above and below each other (see Fig. 4 of ‘523), per claim 14; rotation axes of paired fans are vertically aligned with each other (see Fig. 4), per claim 15; the upper and lower of each of the pairs of fans may also have their axes respectively aligned with each other horizontally (see Fig. 4), per claim 16.
Claim(s) 19 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Iwasaki (US 5,476,138) in view of CN 213016523 (‘523), Pawlick, and Young (US 3,710,853).
Regarding claim 19, ‘523 does not specify cross bracing.
Young teaches a frame (F) for a heat exchanger (Fig. 1) with cross bracing (16, 17) extending from a top left to bottom right (17) and top right to bottom left (16) portions of the frame.
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill to provide the device of ‘523 with cross-bracing in order to strengthen and stiffen the frame.
Response to Arguments
Applicant’s arguments with respect to claim(s) 1-21 have been considered but are moot because the new ground of rejection does not rely on any reference applied in the prior rejection of record for any teaching or matter specifically challenged in the argument.
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to Devon Lane whose telephone number is (571)270-1858. The examiner can normally be reached M-Th, 9-4.
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/DEVON LANE/ Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3763
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