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 .
Response to Arguments
Applicant's arguments filed 11/03/2025 have been fully considered but they are not persuasive. The Applicant’s representative has provided a piecemeal argument as to why the teaching art, Khan et al. (US 2012/0292000), is not relevant; the Office respectfully disagrees.
Khan shows in Figure 1, that air inlets or louvers (18) that are mounted on the perimeter of an air handling device which is what is claimed. Arguably this configuration could also be argued as a design choice which would allow the device to be installed next to a wall, while still allowing air flow.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 103
The text of those sections of Title 35, U.S. Code not included in this action can be found in a prior Office action.
Claims 1-5 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Hancock (US 2004/0211553) and Khan et al. (US 2012/0292000).
Regarding claim 1, Hancock (H) discloses an air conditioning system comprising: a burner unit (28, Figure 1) including a burner (48, [0027]) and a first casing (Lower portion below jog in Figure 1, directly below (54)) that houses the burner and has an air inlet (center of (12), [0027]); and a heat exchanger unit (16,[0026]) including a heat exchanger (40,42) through which a flammable refrigerant passes, a second casing that houses the heat exchanger (16, See figure 1, above furnace), and a connection portion connected to a refrigerant connection pipe extending from a heat source unit, wherein the first casing has a first surface, the second casing is disposed to overlap a part of the first surface (central portion of (16)), the first surface includes a first portion that overlaps the second casing and a second portion that does not overlap the second casing, the connection portion is disposed in the second casing to be projected onto the second portion of the first casing (transitional lip/flange between furnace and heat exchanger housing in Figure 1), but does not disclose that the air inlet is provided on a surface that is other than the second portion and is at least one of a plurality of surfaces adjacent to the first surface.
However, Khan (K) disclose an HVAC system (Figure 1) with a heat exchanger wherein air inlet is provided on a surface that is other than the second portion and is at least one of a plurality of surfaces adjacent to the first surface. It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art to supply louvers through the sheet metal casing of a heat exchanger as an economical way of provided airflow to a heat exchanger.
Regarding claim 2, Hancock (H), as modified, discloses the air conditioning system according to claim 1, wherein the air inlet is provided at a position closer to an end farther from the second casing than an end closer to the second casing on at least one of the plurality of surfaces adjacent to the first surface (Figure 1, arrows).
Regarding claim 3, Hancock (H), as modified, discloses the air conditioning system according to claim 1, wherein the air inlet has a plurality of openings, and each of the plurality of openings has a slit shape extending in a direction away from the first surface (Figure 1, arrows).
Regarding claim 4, Hancock (H), as modified, discloses the 4. The air conditioning system according to claim 1, wherein when a surface on which the connection portion is disposed is viewed as a front surface, the first casing further includes a second surface facing the first surface, a third surface located between the first surface and the second surface and defined as a front surface, and a fourth surface and a fifth surface adjacent to both the first surface and the third surface, and the air inlet is provided in at least one of the fourth surface or the fifth surface (Figure 1, arrows).
Regarding claim 5, Hancock (H), as modified discloses the air conditioning system according to claim 1, wherein when a surface on which the connection portion is disposed is viewed as a front surface, the first casing further includes a second surface facing the first surface, a third surface located between the first surface and the second surface and defined as a front surface, and a fourth surface and a fifth surface adjacent to both the first surface and the third surface, and the air inlet is provided in the third surface and in the fourth surface or the fifth surface (Figure 1, arrows).
Conclusion
THIS ACTION IS MADE FINAL. Applicant is reminded of the extension of time policy as set forth in 37 CFR 1.136(a).
A shortened statutory period for reply to this final action is set to expire THREE MONTHS from the mailing date of this action. In the event a first reply is filed within TWO MONTHS of the mailing date of this final action and the advisory action is not mailed until after the end of the THREE-MONTH shortened statutory period, then the shortened statutory period will expire on the date the advisory action is mailed, and any nonprovisional extension fee (37 CFR 1.17(a)) pursuant to 37 CFR 1.136(a) will be calculated from the mailing date of the advisory action. In no event, however, will the statutory period for reply expire later than SIX MONTHS from the mailing date of this final action.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to JOHN E BARGERO whose telephone number is (571) 270-1770. The examiner can normally be reached Monday-Friday.
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/JOHN E BARGERO/Examiner, Art Unit 3762
/STEVEN B MCALLISTER/Supervisory Patent Examiner, Art Unit 3762
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