DETAILED ACTION
Response to Amendment
Receipt and entry of Applicant's Amendment filed on 09/02/2025 is acknowledged. Claims 1, 2, and 14 have been amended. Claims 4-11, 15, and 17-20 have been cancelled. New claims 21-33 have been added. Claims 1-3, 12-14, 16, and 21-33 are pending in the application. Applicant's amendments to the claims have overcome the objections previously set forth in the Non-Final Office Action mailed 06/03/2025.
Response to Arguments
Applicant argument: “the device of Goldberg does not disclose a supplemental heat exchange space and provides insulation to remove any additional space outside of the outer wall of the drum.”
Examiner response: Goldberg discloses that “The drum wall exterior is preferably insulated to minimize heat loss” [0158], “the entire rotating drum circumference may be heated, and preferably with insulated exterior” [0165]. First, Applicant’s argument appears to assume that Goldberg’s “insulated exterior” is insulating material applied directly on the outer wall of the drum, but Goldberg does not in fact show or describe such details, merely that the exterior is insulated, without specifying how exactly this is done. There are multiple ways to insulate the exterior of the drum to minimize heat loss, with Smith’s air-tight shell 21 being one way, as presented in the rejection. Second, even disregarding the above point that Goldberg’s insulated exterior is not necessarily applied directly on the outer wall of the drum, the insulated exterior is merely a preferred embodiment, and a nonpreferred embodiment without the insulated exterior would most certainly provide a supplemental heat exchange space outside the drum. It has been held that “A reference may be relied upon for all that it would have reasonably suggested to one having ordinary skill in the art, including nonpreferred embodiments.” MPEP 2123.
Applicant argument: “Smith is generally directed to a laundry appliance having a heater that is positioned adjacent to the drum. According to the disclosure of Smith, no airflow is moved through this space, let alone friction induced airflow generated by operation of the drum.”
Examiner response: Respectfully, Applicant has not cited to where Smith allegedly discloses no airflow being moved through the space outside the drum. To the contrary, Smith actually discloses that there is a “continuous rotation and churning of the air by the rotation of the drum” col. 5, ll. 28-29, and that the Fig. 5 embodiment includes an air tight shell 21 that “prevents the churning of air within the cabinet which constantly changes the cabinet air” col. 3, ll. 5-15. With reference to Fig, 5, it can be seen that the air-tight shell 21 limits the churning of air to within its confines, preventing churning in the rest of the cabinet. This is further evidenced by the col. 2, ll. 60-63 disclosure that “If the gas heating element were not of the radiant type, then the outer surface of the drum should be selected for its absorption of heat from the gas flame by conduction and convection.” Convection necessitates air in the space where the heater 10a is located, between shell 21 and drum 4, and Smith explicitly discloses that rotation of the drum churns the air at col. 5 cited above.
Accordingly, Applicant's arguments have been fully considered but they are not persuasive. The rejection is maintained.
Claim Objections
Claim 27 is objected to because of the following informalities: claim 27 recites “a condenser” and depends from claim 26, which already recited “a primary condenser” and “a supplemental condenser”. Appropriate correction of antecedent basis is required.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 112
The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 112(d):
(d) REFERENCE IN DEPENDENT FORMS.—Subject to subsection (e), a claim in dependent form shall contain a reference to a claim previously set forth and then specify a further limitation of the subject matter claimed. A claim in dependent form shall be construed to incorporate by reference all the limitations of the claim to which it refers.
The following is a quotation of pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, fourth paragraph:
Subject to the following paragraph [i.e., the fifth paragraph of pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112], a claim in dependent form shall contain a reference to a claim previously set forth and then specify a further limitation of the subject matter claimed. A claim in dependent form shall be construed to incorporate by reference all the limitations of the claim to which it refers.
Claim 28 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 112(d) or pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, 4th paragraph, as being of improper dependent form for failing to further limit the subject matter of the claim upon which it depends, or for failing to include all the limitations of the claim upon which it depends. Claim 28 recites only limitations already present in claim 14, thus failing to further limit the subject matter of the claim upon which it depends. Applicant may cancel the claim(s), amend the claim(s) to place the claim(s) in proper dependent form, rewrite the claim(s) in independent form, or present a sufficient showing that the dependent claim(s) complies with the statutory requirements.
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, 2, 21, and 23 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Goldberg et al. US 2005/0066538 in view of Smith US 2,694,867.
Regarding claim 1, Goldberg discloses:
A laundry appliance comprising (see Fig. 10):
a drum 10 having an imperforate outer wall 66;
a blower 12 that delivers process air through an airflow path (thick arrows) that includes a processing space defined within the drum 10; and
a heat exchange system (thin arrows) that conditions the process air (via heat pump evaporator 18 and condenser 26 [0059-0061]) that is delivered at least into the processing space 10 as heated process air 1 for drying articles contained within the processing space,
wherein the imperforate outer wall 66 defines a supplemental heat exchange space (outside drum wall 66; note response to arguments above) that delivers supplemental heat through the imperforate outer wall 66 and into the processing space (“a heated drum wall, 66, that directly heats the fabric via conduction. The drum wall, 66, includes a refrigerant heat exchanger, of any suitable construction, over a suitable portion of its circumference” [0156], “serpentine tubing may be bonded to the heated portion of the drum wall, 66, by welding, soldering, or other suitable means” [0158]; note that, to the extent not explicitly specified, a person of ordinary skill would at once envisage bonding the heat exchanger to either the outer circumference or inner circumference of the drum wall, and considering the descriptions at paras. [0171] and [0181-0182] that when provided with independently rotating vanes, the vanes fit snugly inside and maintain firm contact with the drum, it would appear that the heat exchanger tubing of Goldberg is bonded to the outside rather than the inside so as to not interfere with vane rotation),
wherein the supplemental heat exchange space is in thermal communication with the heat exchange system (via the refrigerant heat exchanger), wherein the heat exchange system (thin arrows) includes a condenser having a primary condenser 26 that is positioned within the airflow path (thick arrows), and a supplemental condenser (refrigerant heat exchanger/desuperheater attached to drum wall 66) that delivers the supplemental heat into the supplemental heat exchange space (outside drum wall 66) that is separate from the airflow path (inside the drum), and wherein the heat exchange system (thin arrows) includes a single continuous loop (thin arrows) that includes the primary condenser 26 and the supplemental condenser (refrigerant heat exchanger/desuperheater attached to drum wall 66) that is positioned outside of the airflow path (by being outside the drum).
Goldberg is silent regarding:
a tub that is positioned within a cabinet;
the drum being positioned within the tub;
wherein the imperforate outer wall and the tub define the supplemental heat exchange space that delivers supplemental heat through the imperforate outer wall and into the processing space,
wherein rotation of the drum produces a friction induced airflow of gas within the supplemental heat exchange space that delivers the supplemental heat throughout the supplemental heat exchange space that is positioned between the tub and the drum.
Smith teaches (see Fig. 5):
a tub 21 that is positioned within a cabinet 1;
the drum 4 being positioned within the tub 21;
wherein the imperforate outer wall 4 and the tub 21 define the supplemental heat exchange space that delivers supplemental heat (from heating element 10a, mapping to the refrigerant heat exchanger of Goldberg) through the imperforate outer wall 4 and into the processing space (“the outer surface of the drum be a good conductor of heat so that the heat absorbed can be quickly transmitted to the interior of the drum where it is transferred to the clothes by direct conduction and radiation” col. 1, ll. 75-77),
wherein rotation of the drum 4 produces a friction induced airflow of gas within the supplemental heat exchange space that delivers the supplemental heat throughout the supplemental heat exchange space that is positioned between the tub 21 and the drum 4 (there is a “continuous rotation and churning of the air by the rotation of the drum” Smith col. 5, ll. 28-29, said rotation and churning of the air being capable of delivering the supplemental heat throughout the supplemental heat exchange space defined between drum 4 and tub 21 shown in Fig. 5; it has been held that when the structure recited in the reference is substantially identical to that of the claims, claimed properties or functions are presumed to be inherent, MPEP 2112.01 I) (also note response to arguments above).
Therefore, it would have been obvious to a person having ordinary skill at the time the invention was filed to combine the teachings of Goldberg with that of Smith for the advantage of cutting down convection losses from the outside of the drum (Smith col. 3, ll. 31-32) to insulate the drum wall exterior to minimize heat loss as suggested by Goldberg [0158] (specifically, as explained in the response to arguments above, Goldberg generally suggests insulating the drum exterior without specifying how exactly this is done, and Smith teaches specifically how a drum exterior might be insulated).
Regarding claim 2, the combination of Goldberg and Smith teaches:
wherein the heat exchange system includes heat exchange media (refrigerant) that is delivered through a heat exchange path (thin arrows) that recirculates from a compressor 16 and through the condenser 26 that rejects heat and an evaporator 18 that absorbs heat (Goldberg [0064-0065]).
Regarding claim 21, the combination of Goldberg and Smith teaches:
wherein the compressor 16 and the evaporator 18 are part of the single continuous loop (thin arrows) (Goldberg Fig. 10).
Regarding claim 23, the combination of Goldberg and Smith teaches:
wherein the gas is air that is contained within the supplemental heat exchange space (between drum 4 and tub 21, see Smith Fig. 5; there is a “continuous rotation and churning of the air by the rotation of the drum” Smith col. 5, ll. 28-29, also note response to arguments above).
Claim(s) 3 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Goldberg et al. US 2005/0066538 in view of Smith US 2,694,867 as applied to claim 1 above, and further in view of Dewald et al. US 2021/0246605.
Regarding claim 3, the combination of Goldberg and Smith teaches:
wherein the drum 4 includes the imperforate outer wall 4 that rotationally operates within the tub 21 (Smith Fig. 5).
The combination of Goldberg and Smith is silent regarding:
wherein the drum also includes a perforated inner wall.
Dewald teaches (Figs. 1-3):
wherein the drum 104 also includes a perforated inner wall 204 that rotationally operates (in addition to the imperforate outer wall 202) [0043-0044].
Therefore, it would have been obvious to a person having ordinary skill at the time the invention was filed to combine the teachings of Goldberg and Smith with that of Dewald for the advantages of improving drying efficiency and reducing the amount of time needed to dry articles within the apparatus by distributing the heated air in a more efficient manner without significant changes to the dryer operation, increasing the surface area within the drum for heat transfer to the clothes, increasing direct airflow of the heated air across the clothes, and decreasing the heated air wasted by not coming into contact with the items in the drum (Dewald [0005] [0022]).
Claim(s) 12 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Goldberg et al. US 2005/0066538 in view of Smith US 2,694,867 as applied to claim 2 above, and further in view of Lifson et al. US 2010/0032133.
Regarding claim 12, the combination of Goldberg and Smith is silent regarding:
wherein the compressor includes a multi-stage compressor having a first stage of compression and a second stage of compression, wherein an intercooler is disposed between the first and second stages of compression.
Lifson teaches (Fig. 1):
wherein the compressor 22, 24 includes a multi-stage compressor having a first stage of compression 22 and a second stage of compression 24, wherein an intercooler 26 is disposed between the first 22 and second 24 stages of compression.
Therefore, it would have been obvious to a person having ordinary skill at the time the invention was filed to combine the teachings of Goldberg and Smith with that of Lifson for the advantages of obtaining additional capacity, enhancing system efficiency, and achieving higher compression ratios via a two-stage compressor, and to extend the operational envelope, improve system reliability, increase system capacity and efficiency, and reduce the compressor power needed via an intercooler (Lifson [0003] [0018]).
Claim(s) 13 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Goldberg et al. US 2005/0066538 in view of Smith US 2,694,867 and Lifson et al. US 2010/0032133 as applied to claim 12 above, and further in view of Huttar US 2013/0164151.
Regarding claim 13, the combination of Goldberg, Smith, and Lifson is silent regarding:
wherein the multi-stage compressor includes a single piston that operates within a single cylinder and first and second valves positioned at opposing ends of the cylinder and an oscillation seal disposed between the first and second valves.
Huttar teaches (see Fig. 6):
wherein the multi-stage compressor 6 includes a single piston (see unlabeled piston in cylinder 16) that operates within a single cylinder 16 and first and second valves (see unlabeled valves on either side) positioned at opposing ends of the cylinder and an oscillation seal (see unlabeled shaft seal) disposed between the first and second valves (“The two compressor stages 6', 6'' of the reciprocating piston compressor 6 of boxer construction, as can be seen in FIGS. 5 and 6, may be designed to be a stepped piston 15 or a double-acting cylinder 16. These two embodiment variants allow for a comparably short construction of the reciprocating piston compressor 6 to be achieved, thus enabling a comparably small span of the whole assembly 1 to be achieved” [0031]).
Therefore, it would have been obvious to a person having ordinary skill at the time the invention was filed to combine the teachings of Goldberg, Smith, and Lifson with that of Huttar for the advantages of allowing for a comparably short construction of the reciprocating piston compressor to be achieved, thus enabling a comparably small span of the whole assembly (Huttar [0031]).
Claim(s) 22 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Goldberg et al. US 2005/0066538 in view of Smith US 2,694,867 and Lifson et al. US 2010/0032133 as applied to claim 12 above, and further in view of Taras et al. US 2010/0043475.
Regarding claim 22, the combination of Goldberg, Smith, and Lifson is silent regarding:
wherein the compressor includes a plurality of pistons that operate to produce the first stage of compression and the second stage of compression.
Taras teaches (see Fig. 6):
wherein the compressor 222, 224 includes a plurality of pistons (“a multi-piston compressor system” [0006]) that operate to produce the first stage of compression 222 and the second stage of compression 224.
Therefore, it would have been obvious to a person having ordinary skill at the time the invention was filed to substitute the compressor in the combination of Goldberg, Smith, and Lifson (unspecified compressor type, Lifson) with that taught by Taras (a multi-piston compressor system) as a simple substitution of one known element for another to obtain the same predictable results, MPEP 2143 I. B.
Claim(s) 14, 26-28, and 30 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Goldberg et al. US 2005/0066538 in view of Smith US 2,694,867 and Dewald et al. US 2021/0246605.
Regarding claim 14, Goldberg discloses:
A laundry appliance comprising (see Fig. 10):
a drum 10 having an imperforate outer wall 66 that rotationally operates [0055] [0164-0165];
a blower 12 that delivers process air through an airflow path (thick arrows) that includes a processing space defined within the drum 10; and
a heat exchange system (thin arrows) that conditions the process air (via heat pump evaporator 18 and condenser 26 [0059-0061]) that is delivered into the processing space 10 as heated process air 1 for drying articles contained within the processing space, wherein the imperforate outer wall 66 defines a supplemental heat exchange space (outside drum wall 66; note response to arguments above) that delivers supplemental heat through the imperforate outer wall 66 and into the processing space (“a heated drum wall, 66, that directly heats the fabric via conduction. The drum wall, 66, includes a refrigerant heat exchanger, of any suitable construction, over a suitable portion of its circumference” [0156], “serpentine tubing may be bonded to the heated portion of the drum wall, 66, by welding, soldering, or other suitable means” [0158]; note that, to the extent not explicitly specified, a person of ordinary skill would at once envisage bonding the heat exchanger to either the outer circumference or inner circumference of the drum wall, and considering the descriptions at paras. [0171] and [0181-0182] that when provided with independently rotating vanes, the vanes fit snugly inside and maintain firm contact with the drum, it would appear that the heat exchanger tubing of Goldberg is bonded to the outside rather than the inside so as to not interfere with vane rotation),
wherein a portion (the refrigerant heat exchanger) of the heat exchange system extends into the supplemental heat exchange space for heating the supplemental heat exchange space and producing the supplemental heat that is conducted through the imperforate outer wall 66 and into the supplemental heat exchange space.
Goldberg is silent regarding:
a tub that is positioned within a cabinet;
the drum being positioned within the tub;
wherein the imperforate outer wall and the tub define the supplemental heat exchange space that delivers supplemental heat through the imperforate outer wall and into the processing space,
wherein the supplemental heat exchange space is enclosed between the tub and the drum and separated from the airflow path, and wherein gas and the supplemental heat are circulated within the supplemental heat exchange space through a friction induced airflow produced by rotation of the imperforate outer wall of the drum within the tub.
Smith teaches (see Fig. 5):
a tub 21 that is positioned within a cabinet 1;
the drum 4 being positioned within the tub 21;
wherein the imperforate outer wall 4 and the tub 21 define the supplemental heat exchange space that delivers supplemental heat (from heating element 10a, mapping to the refrigerant heat exchanger of Goldberg) through the imperforate outer wall 4 and into the processing space (“the outer surface of the drum be a good conductor of heat so that the heat absorbed can be quickly transmitted to the interior of the drum where it is transferred to the clothes by direct conduction and radiation” col. 1, ll. 75-77),
wherein the supplemental heat exchange space is enclosed between the tub 21 and the drum 4 and separated from the airflow path (the airflow path includes the processing space inside the drum, while tub 21 is an air-tight shell outside the drum), and wherein gas (air) and the supplemental heat are circulated within the supplemental heat exchange space through a friction induced airflow produced by rotation of the imperforate outer wall 4 of the drum 4 within the tub 21 (there is a “continuous rotation and churning of the air by the rotation of the drum” Smith col. 5, ll. 28-29, said rotation and churning of the air being capable of circulating the supplemental heat within the supplemental heat exchange space defined between drum 4 and tub 21 shown in Fig. 5; it has been held that when the structure recited in the reference is substantially identical to that of the claims, claimed properties or functions are presumed to be inherent, MPEP 2112.01 I) (also note response to arguments above).
Therefore, it would have been obvious to a person having ordinary skill at the time the invention was filed to combine the teachings of Goldberg with that of Smith for the advantage of cutting down convection losses from the outside of the drum (Smith col. 3, ll. 31-32) to insulate the drum wall exterior to minimize heat loss as suggested by Goldberg [0158] (specifically, as explained in the response to arguments above, Goldberg generally suggests insulating the drum exterior without specifying how exactly this is done, and Smith teaches specifically how a drum exterior might be insulated)..
The combination of Goldberg and Smith is silent regarding:
the drum also having a perforated inner wall that rotationally operates.
Dewald teaches (Figs. 1-3):
the drum 104 also having a perforated inner wall 204 that rotationally operates (in addition to the imperforate outer wall 202) [0043-0044].
Therefore, it would have been obvious to a person having ordinary skill at the time the invention was filed to combine the teachings of Goldberg and Smith with that of Dewald for the advantages of improving drying efficiency and reducing the amount of time needed to dry articles within the apparatus by distributing the heated air in a more efficient manner without significant changes to the dryer operation, increasing the surface area within the drum for heat transfer to the clothes, increasing direct airflow of the heated air across the clothes, and decreasing the heated air wasted by not coming into contact with the items in the drum (Dewald [0005] [0022]).
Regarding claims 26-27, the combination of Goldberg, Smith, and Dewald discloses:
wherein the heat exchange system (thin arrows in Goldberg Fig. 10) includes a primary condenser 26 that is positioned within the airflow path (thick arrows in Goldberg) and a supplemental condenser (refrigerant heat exchanger/desuperheater attached to drum wall 66 exterior in Goldberg, mapping to heating element 10a in Smith) that is positioned within the supplemental heat exchange space (defined between drum 4 and tub 21 in Smith Fig. 5) that is separated from the airflow path (inside the drum).
wherein the heat exchange system includes heat exchange media (refrigerant) that is delivered through a heat exchange path (thin arrows) that recirculates from a compressor 16 and through a condenser (primary condenser 26 and refrigerant heat exchanger/desuperheater attached to drum wall 66) that rejects heat and an evaporator 18 that absorbs heat (Goldberg [0064-0065]).
Regarding claim 28, the combination of Goldberg, Smith, and Dewald discloses:
wherein the drum (66 in Goldberg, 4 in Smith, 104 in Dewald) includes the imperforate outer wall (66 in Goldberg, 4 in Smith, 202 in Dewald) and a perforated inner wall 204 (taught by Dewald) that rotationally operates within the tub 21 (Smith).
Regarding claim 30, the combination of Goldberg, Smith, and Dewald discloses:
wherein the gas is air that is contained within the supplemental heat exchange space (between drum 4 and tub 21, see Smith Fig. 5; there is a “continuous rotation and churning of the air by the rotation of the drum” Smith col. 5, ll. 28-29, also note response to arguments above).
Claim(s) 16 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Goldberg et al. US 2005/0066538 in view of Smith US 2,694,867 and Dewald et al. US 2021/0246605 as applied to claim 14 above, and further in view of Lim et al. US 2006/0179896.
Regarding claim 16, the combination of Goldberg, Smith, and Dewald is silent regarding:
wherein the portion (i.e., the refrigerant heat exchanger) of the heat exchange system within the supplemental heat exchange space is attached to an inner surface of the tub (Goldberg discloses the refrigerant heat exchanger being bonded to the rotating drum wall [0158], with refrigerant being coupled to the heat exchanger through rotating fittings [0165]).
Lim teaches (Figs. 3A, 5):
wherein a heat exchanger 70 within a heat exchange space defined between a rotating drum 20 and a stationary tub 50 (mapping to the supplemental heat exchange space) is attached to an inner surface of the tub 50.
Therefore, it would have been obvious to a person having ordinary skill at the time the invention was filed to modify the combination of Goldberg, Smith, and Dewald as taught by Lim to attach the heat exchanger to the stationary tub rather than to the rotary drum for the advantages of simplifying the structure and removing the risk of refrigerant leakage by eliminating the need for rotating fittings.
Claim(s) 29 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Goldberg et al. US 2005/0066538 in view of Smith US 2,694,867 and Dewald et al. US 2021/0246605 as applied to claim 27 above, and further in view of Lifson et al. US 2010/0032133.
Regarding claim 29, the combination of Goldberg, Smith, and Dewald is silent regarding:
wherein the compressor includes a multi-stage compressor having a first stage of compression and a second stage of compression, wherein an intercooler is disposed between the first and second stages of compression.
Lifson teaches (Fig. 1):
wherein the compressor 22, 24 includes a multi-stage compressor having a first stage of compression 22 and a second stage of compression 24, wherein an intercooler 26 is disposed between the first 22 and second 24 stages of compression.
Therefore, it would have been obvious to a person having ordinary skill at the time the invention was filed to combine the teachings of Goldberg, Smith, and Dewald with that of Lifson for the advantages of obtaining additional capacity, enhancing system efficiency, and achieving higher compression ratios via a two-stage compressor, and to extend the operational envelope, improve system reliability, increase system capacity and efficiency, and reduce the compressor power needed via an intercooler (Lifson [0003] [0018]).
Claim(s) 24-25 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Goldberg et al. US 2005/0066538 in view of Smith US 2,694,867 as applied to claim 1 above, and further in view of Kim et al. KR 2009-0014642.
Regarding claims 24-25, the combination of Goldberg and Smith is silent regarding:
wherein an outer surface of the imperforate outer wall includes a plurality of airflow devices that operate to at least partially produce the friction induced airflow of the gas within the supplemental heat exchange space.
wherein the plurality of airflow devices includes an air foil that increases the movement of the gas within the supplemental heat exchange space.
Kim teaches:
wherein an outer surface of the imperforate outer wall 120 includes a plurality of airflow devices 121 that operate to at least partially produce the friction induced airflow of the gas within the space outside the drum (mapping to the supplemental heat exchange space).
wherein the plurality of airflow devices 121 includes an air foil 121 that increases the movement of the gas within space outside the drum (mapping to the supplemental heat exchange space).
Therefore, it would have been obvious to a person having ordinary skill at the time the invention was filed to combine the teachings of Goldberg and Smith with that of Kim for the advantage of reducing overheating inside the dryer by further utilizing the rotation of the drum to prevent the hot air from stagnating in one place (Kim translation p. 2).
Claim(s) 31-32 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Goldberg et al. US 2005/0066538 in view of Smith US 2,694,867 and Dewald et al. US 2021/0246605 as applied to claim 14 above, and further in view of Kim et al. KR 2009-0014642.
Regarding claims 31-32, the combination of Goldberg, Smith, and Dewald is silent regarding:
wherein an outer surface of the imperforate outer wall includes a plurality of airflow devices that operate to at least partially produce the friction induced airflow of the gas within the supplemental heat exchange space.
wherein the plurality of airflow devices includes an air foil that increases the movement of the gas within the supplemental heat exchange space.
Kim teaches:
wherein an outer surface of the imperforate outer wall 120 includes a plurality of airflow devices 121 that operate to at least partially produce the friction induced airflow of the gas within the space outside the drum (mapping to the supplemental heat exchange space).
wherein the plurality of airflow devices 121 includes an air foil 121 that increases the movement of the gas within space outside the drum (mapping to the supplemental heat exchange space).
Therefore, it would have been obvious to a person having ordinary skill at the time the invention was filed to combine the teachings of Goldberg, Smith, and Dewald with that of Kim for the advantage of reducing overheating inside the dryer by further utilizing the rotation of the drum to prevent the hot air from stagnating in one place (Kim translation p. 2).
Claim(s) 33 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Goldberg et al. US 2005/0066538 in view of Smith US 2,694,867 and Kim et al. KR 2009-0014642.
Regarding claim 33, Goldberg discloses:
A laundry appliance comprising (see Fig. 10):
a drum 10 having an imperforate outer wall 66;
a blower 12 that delivers process air through an airflow path (thick arrows) that includes a processing space defined within the drum 10; and
a heat exchange system (thin arrows) that conditions the process air (via heat pump evaporator 18 and condenser 26 [0059-0061]) that is delivered at least into the processing space 10 as heated process air 1 for drying articles contained within the processing space,
wherein the imperforate outer wall 66 defines a supplemental heat exchange space (outside drum wall 66; note response to arguments above) that delivers supplemental heat through the imperforate outer wall 66 and into the processing space (“a heated drum wall, 66, that directly heats the fabric via conduction. The drum wall, 66, includes a refrigerant heat exchanger, of any suitable construction, over a suitable portion of its circumference” [0156], “serpentine tubing may be bonded to the heated portion of the drum wall, 66, by welding, soldering, or other suitable means” [0158]; note that, to the extent not explicitly specified, a person of ordinary skill would at once envisage bonding the heat exchanger to either the outer circumference or inner circumference of the drum wall, and considering the descriptions at paras. [0171] and [0181-0182] that when provided with independently rotating vanes, the vanes fit snugly inside and maintain firm contact with the drum, it would appear that the heat exchanger tubing of Goldberg is bonded to the outside rather than the inside so as to not interfere with vane rotation),
wherein the heat exchange system (thin arrows) includes a condenser having a primary condenser 26 that is in communication with the airflow path (thick arrows), and a supplemental condenser (refrigerant heat exchanger/desuperheater attached to drum wall 66) that is positioned within the supplemental heat exchange space (outside drum wall 66) to deliver the supplemental heat into the supplemental heat exchange space (outside drum wall 66) that is separated from the airflow path (inside the drum).
Goldberg is silent regarding:
a tub that is positioned within a cabinet;
the drum being positioned within the tub;
wherein the imperforate outer wall and the tub define the supplemental heat exchange space that delivers supplemental heat through the imperforate outer wall and into the processing space,
wherein rotational operation of the imperforate outer wall at least partially produces a friction induced airflow of gas within the supplemental heat exchange space that delivers the supplemental heat throughout the supplemental heat exchange space.
Smith teaches (see Fig. 5):
a tub 21 that is positioned within a cabinet 1;
the drum 4 being positioned within the tub 21;
wherein the imperforate outer wall 4 and the tub 21 define the supplemental heat exchange space that delivers supplemental heat (from heating element 10a, mapping to the refrigerant heat exchanger of Goldberg) through the imperforate outer wall 4 and into the processing space (“the outer surface of the drum be a good conductor of heat so that the heat absorbed can be quickly transmitted to the interior of the drum where it is transferred to the clothes by direct conduction and radiation” col. 1, ll. 75-77),
wherein rotational operation of the imperforate outer wall 4 at least partially produces a friction induced airflow of gas within the supplemental heat exchange space that delivers the supplemental heat throughout the supplemental heat exchange space (there is a “continuous rotation and churning of the air by the rotation of the drum” Smith col. 5, ll. 28-29, said rotation and churning of the air being capable of delivering the supplemental heat throughout the supplemental heat exchange space defined between drum 4 and tub 21 shown in Fig. 5; it has been held that when the structure recited in the reference is substantially identical to that of the claims, claimed properties or functions are presumed to be inherent, MPEP 2112.01 I) (also note response to arguments above).
Therefore, it would have been obvious to a person having ordinary skill at the time the invention was filed to combine the teachings of Goldberg with that of Smith for the advantage of cutting down convection losses from the outside of the drum (Smith col. 3, ll. 31-32) to insulate the drum wall exterior to minimize heat loss as suggested by Goldberg [0158] (specifically, as explained in the response to arguments above, Goldberg generally suggests insulating the drum exterior without specifying how exactly this is done, and Smith teaches specifically how a drum exterior might be insulated).
The combination of Goldberg and Smith is silent regarding:
wherein an outer surface of the imperforate outer wall includes a plurality of airflow devices that rotationally operate with the imperforate outer wall to at least partially produce a friction induced airflow of gas within the supplemental heat exchange space that delivers the supplemental heat throughout the supplemental heat exchange space
Kim teaches:
wherein an outer surface of the imperforate outer wall 120 includes a plurality of airflow devices 121 that rotationally operate with the imperforate outer wall to at least partially produce a friction induced airflow of gas within the space outside the drum (mapping to the supplemental heat exchange space) that delivers the supplemental heat throughout the space outside the drum (mapping to the supplemental heat exchange space).
Therefore, it would have been obvious to a person having ordinary skill at the time the invention was filed to combine the teachings of Goldberg and Smith with that of Kim for the advantage of reducing overheating inside the dryer by further utilizing the rotation of the drum to prevent the hot air from stagnating in one place (Kim translation p. 2).
Conclusion
Applicant's amendment necessitated the new ground(s) of rejection presented in this Office action. Accordingly, THIS ACTION IS MADE FINAL. See MPEP § 706.07(a). 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 XIAOTING HU whose telephone number is (571)272-9222. The examiner can normally be reached M-F, 9am-5pm EST.
Examiner interviews are available via telephone, in-person, and video conferencing using a USPTO supplied web-based collaboration tool. To schedule an interview, applicant is encouraged to use the USPTO Automated Interview Request (AIR) at http://www.uspto.gov/interviewpractice.
If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, STEVE MCALLISTER can be reached at (571) 272-6785. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
Information regarding the status of published or unpublished applications may be obtained from Patent Center. Unpublished application information in Patent Center is available to registered users. To file and manage patent submissions in Patent Center, visit: https://patentcenter.uspto.gov. Visit https://www.uspto.gov/patents/apply/patent-center for more information about Patent Center and https://www.uspto.gov/patents/docx for information about filing in DOCX format. For additional questions, contact the Electronic Business Center (EBC) at 866-217-9197 (toll-free). If you would like assistance from a USPTO Customer Service Representative, call 800-786-9199 (IN USA OR CANADA) or 571-272-1000.
/XIAOTING HU/Examiner, Art Unit 3762 12/12/2025
/STEVEN B MCALLISTER/Supervisory Patent Examiner, Art Unit 3762