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 Amendment
The amendment filed March 27th, 2025 has been entered. Claims 1, 3-4, 6-15, and 17-19 remain pending in the application. Claims 2, 5, 16, and 20 remain withdrawn from consideration as being directed to nonelected Species 2. Applicant’s amendments to the claims have overcome each and every 112(b) rejection previously cited in the Non-Final Rejection mailed on December 27th, 2024. However, the amendment has raised other issues detailed below.
Response to Arguments
Applicant’s arguments, see Pg. 7-8, filed March 27th, 2025, with respect to the rejection(s) of claims 1 and 15 under 35 U.S.C 102 have been fully considered and are persuasive. Therefore, the rejection has been withdrawn. However, upon further consideration, a new ground(s) of rejection is made in view of Koike et al. (US Patent No. 11,976,857) and Yashiro et al. (US Patent No. 11,959,677).
Claim Interpretation
The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 112(f):
(f) Element in Claim for a Combination. – An element in a claim for a combination may be expressed as a means or step for performing a specified function without the recital of structure, material, or acts in support thereof, and such claim shall be construed to cover the corresponding structure, material, or acts described in the specification and equivalents thereof.
The following is a quotation of pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, sixth paragraph:
An element in a claim for a combination may be expressed as a means or step for performing a specified function without the recital of structure, material, or acts in support thereof, and such claim shall be construed to cover the corresponding structure, material, or acts described in the specification and equivalents thereof.
The claims in this application are given their broadest reasonable interpretation using the plain meaning of the claim language in light of the specification as it would be understood by one of ordinary skill in the art. The broadest reasonable interpretation of a claim element (also commonly referred to as a claim limitation) is limited by the description in the specification when 35 U.S.C. 112(f) or pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, sixth paragraph, is invoked.
As explained in MPEP § 2181, subsection I, claim limitations that meet the following three-prong test will be interpreted under 35 U.S.C. 112(f) or pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, sixth paragraph:
(A) the claim limitation uses the term “means” or “step” or a term used as a substitute for “means” that is a generic placeholder (also called a nonce term or a non-structural term having no specific structural meaning) for performing the claimed function;
(B) the term “means” or “step” or the generic placeholder is modified by functional language, typically, but not always linked by the transition word “for” (e.g., “means for”) or another linking word or phrase, such as “configured to” or “so that”; and
(C) the term “means” or “step” or the generic placeholder is not modified by sufficient structure, material, or acts for performing the claimed function.
Use of the word “means” (or “step”) in a claim with functional language creates a rebuttable presumption that the claim limitation is to be treated in accordance with 35 U.S.C. 112(f) or pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, sixth paragraph. The presumption that the claim limitation is interpreted under 35 U.S.C. 112(f) or pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, sixth paragraph, is rebutted when the claim limitation recites sufficient structure, material, or acts to entirely perform the recited function.
Absence of the word “means” (or “step”) in a claim creates a rebuttable presumption that the claim limitation is not to be treated in accordance with 35 U.S.C. 112(f) or pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, sixth paragraph. The presumption that the claim limitation is not interpreted under 35 U.S.C. 112(f) or pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, sixth paragraph, is rebutted when the claim limitation recites function without reciting sufficient structure, material or acts to entirely perform the recited function.
Claim limitations in this application that use the word “means” (or “step”) are being interpreted under 35 U.S.C. 112(f) or pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, sixth paragraph, except as otherwise indicated in an Office action. Conversely, claim limitations in this application that do not use the word “means” (or “step”) are not being interpreted under 35 U.S.C. 112(f) or pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, sixth paragraph, except as otherwise indicated in an Office action.
This application includes one or more claim limitations that do not use the word “means,” but are nonetheless being interpreted under 35 U.S.C. 112(f) or pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, sixth paragraph, because the claim limitation(s) uses a generic placeholder that is coupled with functional language without reciting sufficient structure to perform the recited function and the generic placeholder is not preceded by a structural modifier. Such claim limitation(s) is/are:
Claim 13, line 3: “control device” draws corresponding structure to the following recitation of the specification, “a control device such as the expansion valve (Pg. 4, line 27)”, or equivalents.
Because this/these claim limitation(s) is/are being interpreted under 35 U.S.C. 112(f) or pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, sixth paragraph, it/they is/are being interpreted to cover the corresponding structure described in the specification as performing the claimed function, and equivalents thereof.
If applicant does not intend to have this/these limitation(s) interpreted under 35 U.S.C. 112(f) or pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, sixth paragraph, applicant may: (1) amend the claim limitation(s) to avoid it/them being interpreted under 35 U.S.C. 112(f) or pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, sixth paragraph (e.g., by reciting sufficient structure to perform the claimed function); or (2) present a sufficient showing that the claim limitation(s) recite(s) sufficient structure to perform the claimed function so as to avoid it/them being interpreted under 35 U.S.C. 112(f) or pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, sixth paragraph.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 103
In the event the determination of the status of the application as subject to AIA 35 U.S.C. 102 and 103 (or as subject to pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 102 and 103) is incorrect, any correction of the statutory basis (i.e., changing from AIA to pre-AIA ) for the rejection will not be considered a new ground of rejection if the prior art relied upon, and the rationale supporting the rejection, would be the same under either status.
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.
The factual inquiries for establishing a background for determining obviousness under 35 U.S.C. 103 are summarized as follows:
1. Determining the scope and contents of the prior art.
2. Ascertaining the differences between the prior art and the claims at issue.
3. Resolving the level of ordinary skill in the pertinent art.
4. Considering objective evidence present in the application indicating obviousness or nonobviousness.
Claims 1, 3-4, 12-13, 15, and 17-19 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Ikeda et al. (US Patent No. 10,208,987), hereinafter Ikeda in view of Koike et al. (US Patent No. 11,976,857), hereinafter Koike and Yashiro et al. (US Patent No. 11,959,677), hereinafter Yashiro.
Regarding claim 1, Ikeda discloses a chiller system (Fig. 12, air-conditioning apparatus 500) comprising:
a refrigeration circuit (Fig. 12, main pipe 5, refrigerant pipes 4first connecting pipe 4a, second connecting pipe 4b) comprising, in flow order, a compressor (Fig. 12, compressor 10), a main condenser (Fig 12, heat source-side heat exchanger 12), an expansion valve (Fig. 12, third expansion device 15) and an evaporator (Fig 12, first intermediate heat exchanger 71a, second intermediate heat exchanger 71b); and
an auxiliary cooling branch (Fig 12, bypass pipe 41) configured to receive an auxiliary refrigerant flow from the refrigerant circuit downstream of the compressor (Col. 5, lines 12-13, The bypass pipe 41 is used to route a high-pressure refrigerant into the auxiliary heat exchanger 40; Further, the bypass pipe 41of Ikeda has the same structure as the claimed auxiliary cooling branch and is capable of functioning in the manner claimed), the auxiliary cooling branch bypassing the main condenser, the expansion valve and the evaporator (Fig. 12 of Ikeda depicts bypass pipe 41 to bypass the, heat source-side heat exchanger 12, the third expansion device 15, and first and second intermediate heat exchangers 71a, 71b), the auxiliary cooling branch comprising an auxiliary condenser (Fig. 12, auxiliary heat exchanger 40) configured to discharge the auxiliary refrigerant flow to a cooling line (See annotated Fig. 12 of Ikeda below, cooling line A; Col. 7, lines 13-20, After the refrigerant changes to a high-pressure subcooled liquid in the auxiliary heat exchanger 40 while rejecting heat to the outdoor air supplied from the fan 16, the resulting refrigerant enters the suction part of the compressor 10 via the flow regulating unit 42. As a result, the temperature of the refrigerant discharged from the compressor 10 can be lowered to ensure safe use),
wherein the cooling line is configured to return the auxiliary refrigerant flow to the refrigeration circuit at or upstream of the compressor (Col. 5, lines 17-21, One end of the bypass pipe 41 is connected to the part of the refrigerant pipe 4 between the compressor 10 and the refrigerant flow switching device 11, and the other end is connected to the part of the refrigerant pipe 4 between the compressor 10 and the accumulator 19; Further, the cooling line A of Ikeda has the same structure as the claimed cooling line and is capable of functioning in the manner claimed),
wherein the main condenser and auxiliary condenser are co-located for heat exchange with a common flow of an external heat exchange medium (Col. 4, lines 44-46 and 52-55, The heat source-side heat exchanger 12 exchanges heat between the air supplied from the fan 16, and the refrigerant…The auxiliary heat exchanger 40 serves as a condenser in both heating operation mode and cooling operation mode, and exchanges heat between the air supplied from the fan 16 and the refrigerant).
However, Ikeda does not disclose the cooling line is configured to cool one or more electronics components of the chiller system.
Koike teaches the cooling line is configured to cool one or more electronics components of the chiller system (Fig. 4, bypass line 608, refrigerant cooler 603, controller 118; Col. 11, lines 21-37, During the refrigerant cooling control, a portion of high pressure gas refrigerant passing through the high pressure pipe 611 is caused to flow into the bypass pipe 608, and flows into the pre-cooling heat exchanger 601. The liquid refrigerant that flows into the pre-cooling heat exchanger 601 exchanges heat with air from the heat-source-side fan 106, thus being cooled. The liquid refrigerant cooled by the pre-cooling heat exchanger 601 thus having low pressure is further reduced in pressure by the expansion device 602, thus having an even lower pressure. Thereafter, the liquid refrigerant flows into the refrigerant cooler 603. In the refrigerant cooler 603, the refrigerant exchanges heat with the controller 118, thus evaporating. At this point of operation, the refrigerant removes heat from the controller 118 to cool the controller 118).
Therefore, it would have been obvious before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify the chiller system of Ikeda of claim 1 to include a refrigerant cooler downstream of the flow regulating unit 42 to cool one or more electronics components of the chiller system as taught by Koike. One of ordinary skill in the art would have been motivated to make this modification to safely cool, at low cost, controllers for the system (Koike, Col. 2, lines 35-41).
Further, Ikeda as modified does not disclose wherein the cooling line is configured to return the auxiliary refrigerant flow at or upstream of the compressor at an intermediate pressure, relative to a low pressure at which the evaporator discharges a refrigerant and a high pressure at which the compressor discharges the refrigerant.
Yashiro teaches wherein the cooling line is configured to return the auxiliary refrigerant flow at or upstream of the compressor at an intermediate pressure, relative to a low pressure at which the evaporator discharges a refrigerant and a high pressure at which the compressor discharges the refrigerant (Fig. 4, compressor 10A; Col. 8, lines 35-36, Compressor 10A includes an intermediate pressure injection port in addition to a suction port and a discharge port; Col. 8, lines 37-39, Pipe 212 branches off from pipe 83 and supplies the refrigerant decompressed by expansion valve 210 to the intermediate pressure injection port of compressor 10A).
Therefore, it would have been obvious before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify the chiller system of Ikeda as modified wherein the cooling line is configured to return the auxiliary refrigerant flow at or upstream of the compressor at an intermediate pressure, relative to a low pressure at which the evaporator discharges a refrigerant and a high pressure at which the compressor discharges the refrigerant as taught by Yashiro. One of ordinary skill in the art would have been motivated to make this modification in order to reduce refrigerant shortages and achieve a performance desired by a user (Yashiro, Col. 2, lines 7-9).
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Annotated Fig. 12 of Ikeda
Regarding claim 3, Ikeda as modified discloses the chiller system of claim 1 (see the combination of references used in the rejection of claim 1 above), wherein the compressor has a main inlet (see annotated Fig. 12 of Ikeda below, main inlet B) configured to receive a main refrigerant flow from the evaporator (Ikeda, Col. 35-36, lines 64-67 and 1-8, The gas refrigerant exiting each of the first intermediate heat exchanger 71a and the second intermediate heat exchanger 71b passes through the first flow switching device 72a and the second flow switching device 72b, and merges with the gas refrigerant exiting the refrigerant-to-refrigerant heat exchanger 50. The merged refrigerant exits the relay device 503, and passes through the main pipe 5 to enter the outdoor unit 501 again. The refrigerant entering the outdoor unit 501 is routed through the first backflow prevention device 13d, and passes through the refrigerant flow switching device 11 and the accumulator 19 before being sucked into the compressor 10 again; Col. 35, lines 42-44, This refrigerant then enters the low-pressure pipe at the outlet side of the relay device 503).
However, Ikeda does not disclose an intermediate pressure port configured to receive refrigerant at the intermediate pressure, which is relative to a low inlet pressure at the main inlet and a high discharge pressure;
wherein the cooling line is configured to return the auxiliary refrigerant flow to the intermediate pressure port at the intermediate pressure.
Yashiro teaches an intermediate pressure port (Fig. 4, compressor 10A; Col. 8, lines 35-36, Compressor 10A includes the intermediate pressure injection port in addition to a suction port and a discharge port) configured to receive refrigerant at an intermediate pressure, which is relative to a low inlet pressure at the main inlet and a high discharge pressure (Col. 8, lines 37-39, Pipe 212 branches off from pipe 83 and supplies the refrigerant decompressed by expansion valve 210 to the intermediate pressure injection port of compressor 10A; Further, the intermediate pressure injection port of Yashiro has the same structure as the claimed intermediate pressure port and is capable of functioning in the manner claimed);
wherein the cooling line is configured to return the auxiliary refrigerant flow to the intermediate pressure port at the intermediate pressure (Fig. 4, pipe 212; Col. 8, lines 37-39, Pipe 212 branches off from pipe 83 and supplies the refrigerant decompressed by expansion valve 210 to the intermediate pressure injection port of compressor 10A; Further, pipe 212 of Yashiro has the same structure as the claimed cooling line and is capable of functioning in the manner claimed).
Therefore, it would have been obvious before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify the compressor of the chiller system of Ikeda as modified to include an intermediate pressure port as taught by Yashiro. One of ordinary skill in the art would have been motivated to make this modification in order to reduce refrigerant shortages and achieve a performance desired by a user (Yashiro, Col. 2, lines 7-9).
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Annotated Fig. 12 of Ikeda
Regarding claim 4, Ikeda as modified discloses the chiller system of claim 1 (see the combination of references used in the rejection of claim 1 above), wherein:
a refrigerant volume of a portion of the refrigeration circuit bypassed by the auxiliary cooling branch is larger than a refrigerant volume of the auxiliary cooling branch by a first ratio (Ikeda, Col. 14, lines 35-41, For the air-conditioning apparatus 100 mentioned above, under the condition that the outdoor unit 1 is installed at an environmental temperature of approximately 43 degrees C., and the indoor unit 2 is installed at an environmental temperature of approximately 15 degrees C., the total refrigerant flow rate Gr (=Gr1+Gr2) in Equation (1) is approximately 340 (kg/h); Col. 15, lines 2-6, the refrigerant flow rate Gr2 required to make the discharge temperature of the compressor 10 equal to or lower than a first predetermined value (equal to or lower than 115 degrees C.) is determined from Equation (1) to be approximately 12 (kg/h); Therefore, plugging Gr and Gr1 into the formula Gr (=Gr1+Gr2), (340 (kg/h) = (Gr1- 12 (kg/h)), results in 328 (kg/h) which indicates a larger portion of the total flow rate of the refrigerant is sent through the main refrigerant flow path in relation to the auxiliary cooling branch. Further, per the flow rate formula, Q = V/t, volume is a function of flow rate); and
a heat transfer area of the main condenser is greater than a heat transfer area of the auxiliary condenser by a second ratio (Ikeda, Col. 13, lines 51-55, where A1 (m2) is the area of contact of the auxiliary heat exchanger 40 with the air of the environment under which the outdoor unit 1 is installed (to be referred to as total heat transfer area hereinafter); Col. 15, lines 28-35, and the total heat transfer area A1 required for the auxiliary heat exchanger 40 is determined from Equation (3) to be approximately 2.298 (m2). When an R32 refrigerant is used for the air-conditioning apparatus 100 equivalent to 10 horsepower, the total heat transfer area A2 required for the heat source-side heat exchanger 12 is approximately 141 ((m2));
and wherein the first ratio is greater than the second ratio, whereby upon start-up the auxiliary cooling branch is configured to provide the auxiliary refrigerant flow from the auxiliary condenser to the cooling line at a lower dryness than refrigerant discharged from the main condenser towards the expansion valve (Ikeda, Col. 23, lines 28-30, In the heat source-side heat exchanger 12, the gas refrigerant changes to a gas-liquid two-phase refrigerant while rejecting heat to the outdoor air; Col. 27, lines 59-63, in cooling operation mode and heating operation mode, the high-pressure gas refrigerant discharged from the compressor 10 is subcooled, and the resulting refrigerant is routed into the suction part of the compressor 10 via the flow regulating unit 42; Further, the disclosure of Ikeda which teaches the refrigerant leaving the auxiliary heat exchanger 40 to be subcooled and the refrigerant leaving the heat source-side heat exchanger 12 is a gas-liquid two-phase refrigerant is an implicit teaching of the auxiliary refrigerant flow from the auxiliary heat exchanger 40 to the cooling line A having a lower dryness than the refrigerant flow from the source-side heat exchanger 12 to the third expansion device 15).
Moreover, Ikeda as modified teaches the claimed invention except for “wherein the first ratio is greater than the second ratio”. It would have been prima facie obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to include wherein the first ratio is greater than the second ratio, since it has been held that where the general conditions of a claim are disclosed in the prior art, discovering the optimum or workable ranges [or optimum value] involves only routine skill in the art. In re Aller, 105 USPQ 233. MPEP 2144.05-II-A. Furthermore, since applicants have not disclosed that these modifications solve any stated problem or are for any particular purpose and it appears that the device would perform equally well with either designs, these modifications are a matter of design choice. Absent a teaching as to criticality of wherein the first ratio is greater than the second ratio, this particular arrangement is deemed to have been known by those skilled in the art since the instant specification and evidence of record fail to attribute any significance (novel or unexpected results) to a particular arrangement. In re Kuhle, 526 F.2d 553,555,188 USPQ 7, 9 (CCPA 1975). (MPEP 2144.05, Section I).
Regarding claim 12, Ikeda as modified discloses the chiller system of claim 1 (see the combination of references used in the rejection of claim 1 above), wherein the main condenser is an air-cooled condenser (Ikeda, Col. 4, lines 44-46 and 52-55, The heat source-side heat exchanger 12 exchanges heat between the air supplied from the fan 16, and the refrigerant…The auxiliary heat exchanger 40 serves as a condenser in both heating operation mode and cooling operation mode, and exchanges heat between the air supplied from the fan 16 and the refrigerant), the chiller system comprising a main condenser fan (Ikeda, Fig. 12, main condenser fan 16) configured to provide an airflow as the common flow through both the main condenser and the auxiliary condenser (Ikeda, Col. 4, lines 44-46 and 52-55, The heat source-side heat exchanger 12 exchanges heat between the air supplied from the fan 16, and the refrigerant…The auxiliary heat exchanger 40 serves as a condenser in both heating operation mode and cooling operation mode, and exchanges heat between the air supplied from the fan 16 and the refrigerant; Further, fan 16 of Ikeda has the same structure as the claimed main condenser fan and is capable of functioning in the manner claimed).
Regarding claim 13, Ikeda as modified discloses the chiller system of claim 1 (see the combination of references used in the rejection of claim 1 above), further comprising a controller (Ikeda, Fig 12, controller 60) configured to control a refrigerant flow around the refrigerant circuit by actuation of a control device (Ikeda, Fig. 12, third expansion device 15; Col. 21, lines 5-16, the controller 60 executes various operation modes described later by controlling, for example, the driving frequency of the compressor 10, the rotation speed (including ON/OFF) of the blower device, the switching action of the refrigerant flow switching device 11, the opening degree of the flow regulating unit 42, the opening degree of the load-side expansion device 25, and the opening and closing actions of the first opening and closing devices 23a to 23d, the second opening and closing devices 24a to 24d, the fourth expansion device 27, and the third expansion device 15, based on information detected by the various sensors mentioned above and instructions from a remote controller), wherein the cooling line bypasses the portion of the refrigerant circuit comprising the control device (See annotated Fig. 12 of Ikeda below, cooling line A is depicted to bypass the third expansion device 15).
Regarding claim 15, Ikeda discloses a method of operating a chiller system (Fig. 12, air-conditioning apparatus 500) comprising:
a compressor (Fig. 12, compressor 10) causing refrigerant to flow around a refrigeration circuit (Fig. 12, main pipe 5, refrigerant pipes 4first connecting pipe 4a, second connecting pipe 4b) through, in flow order, the compressor, a main condenser (Fig 12, heat source-side heat exchanger 12), an expansion valve (Fig. 12, third expansion device 15) and an evaporator (Fig 12, first intermediate heat exchanger 71a, second intermediate heat exchanger 71b); and
an auxiliary refrigerant flow (Col. 7, lines 13-20, After the refrigerant changes to a high-pressure subcooled liquid in the auxiliary heat exchanger 40 while rejecting heat to the outdoor air supplied from the fan 16, the resulting refrigerant enters the suction part of the compressor 10 via the flow regulating unit 42. As a result, the temperature of the refrigerant discharged from the compressor 10 can be lowered to ensure safe use) flowing through an auxiliary cooling branch (Fig 12, bypass pipe 41) including an auxiliary condenser (Fig. 12, auxiliary heat exchanger 40), bypassing the main condenser, the expansion valve and the evaporator (Fig. 12 of Ikeda depicts bypass pipe 41 to bypass the, heat source-side heat exchanger 12, the third expansion device 15, and first and second intermediate heat exchangers 71a, 71b), the auxiliary cooling branching being configured to receive the auxiliary refrigerant flow from the refrigerant circuit downstream of the compressor (Col. 5, lines 12-13, The bypass pipe 41 is used to route a high-pressure refrigerant into the auxiliary heat exchanger 40; Further, the bypass pipe 41of Ikeda has the same structure as the claimed auxiliary cooling branch and is capable of functioning in the manner claimed),
the auxiliary condenser discharging the auxiliary refrigerant flow to a cooling line (See annotated Fig. 12 of Ikeda below, cooling line A; Col. 7, lines 13-20, After the refrigerant changes to a high-pressure subcooled liquid in the auxiliary heat exchanger 40 while rejecting heat to the outdoor air supplied from the fan 16, the resulting refrigerant enters the suction part of the compressor 10 via the flow regulating unit 42. As a result, the temperature of the refrigerant discharged from the compressor 10 can be lowered to ensure safe use),
wherein the main condenser and the auxiliary condenser are co-located for heat exchange with a common flow of an external heat exchange medium (Col. 5, lines 17-21, One end of the bypass pipe 41 is connected to the part of the refrigerant pipe 4 between the compressor 10 and the refrigerant flow switching device 11, and the other end is connected to the part of the refrigerant pipe 4 between the compressor 10 and the accumulator 19).
However, Ikeda does not disclose the cooling line is configured to cool one or more electronics components of the chiller system.
Koike teaches the cooling line is configured to cool one or more electronics components of the chiller system (Fig. 4, bypass line 608, refrigerant cooler 603, controller 118; Col. 11, lines 21-37, During the refrigerant cooling control, a portion of high pressure gas refrigerant passing through the high pressure pipe 611 is caused to flow into the bypass pipe 608, and flows into the pre-cooling heat exchanger 601. The liquid refrigerant that flows into the pre-cooling heat exchanger 601 exchanges heat with air from the heat-source-side fan 106, thus being cooled. The liquid refrigerant cooled by the pre-cooling heat exchanger 601 thus having low pressure is further reduced in pressure by the expansion device 602, thus having an even lower pressure. Thereafter, the liquid refrigerant flows into the refrigerant cooler 603. In the refrigerant cooler 603, the refrigerant exchanges heat with the controller 118, thus evaporating. At this point of operation, the refrigerant removes heat from the controller 118 to cool the controller 118).
Therefore, it would have been obvious before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify the chiller system of Ikeda of claim 15 to include a refrigerant cooler downstream of the flow regulating unit 42 to cool one or more electronics components of the chiller system as taught by Koike. One of ordinary skill in the art would have been motivated to make this modification to safely cool, at low cost, controllers for the system (Koike, Col. 2, lines 35-41).
Further, Ikeda as modified does not disclose wherein the cooling line is configured to return the auxiliary refrigerant flow at or upstream of the compressor at an intermediate pressure, relative to a low pressure at which the evaporator discharges a refrigerant and a high pressure at which the compressor discharges the refrigerant.
Yashiro teaches wherein the cooling line is configured to return the auxiliary refrigerant flow at or upstream of the compressor at an intermediate pressure, relative to a low pressure at which the evaporator discharges a refrigerant and a high pressure at which the compressor discharges the refrigerant (Fig. 4, compressor 10A; Col. 8, lines 35-36, Compressor 10A includes an intermediate pressure injection port in addition to a suction port and a discharge port; Col. 8, lines 37-39, Pipe 212 branches off from pipe 83 and supplies the refrigerant decompressed by expansion valve 210 to the intermediate pressure injection port of compressor 10A).
Therefore, it would have been obvious before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify the chiller system of Ikeda as modified wherein the cooling line is configured to return the auxiliary refrigerant flow at or upstream of the compressor at an intermediate pressure, relative to a low pressure at which the evaporator discharges a refrigerant and a high pressure at which the compressor discharges the refrigerant as taught by Yashiro. One of ordinary skill in the art would have been motivated to make this modification in order to reduce refrigerant shortages and achieve a performance desired by a user (Yashiro, Col. 2, lines 7-9).
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Annotated Fig. 12 of Ikeda
Regarding claim 17, Ikeda as modified discloses the method of claim 15 (see the combination of references used in the rejection of claim 15 above), wherein a main refrigerant flow is received at a main inlet of the compressor (see annotated Fig. 12 of Ikeda below, main inlet B) from the evaporator at a low inlet pressure (Ikeda, Col. 35-36, lines 64-67 and 1-8, The gas refrigerant exiting each of the first intermediate heat exchanger 71a and the second intermediate heat exchanger 71b passes through the first flow switching device 72a and the second flow switching device 72b, and merges with the gas refrigerant exiting the refrigerant-to-refrigerant heat exchanger 50. The merged refrigerant exits the relay device 503, and passes through the main pipe 5 to enter the outdoor unit 501 again. The refrigerant entering the outdoor unit 501 is routed through the first backflow prevention device 13d, and passes through the refrigerant flow switching device 11 and the accumulator 19 before being sucked into the compressor 10 again; Col. 35, lines 42-44, This refrigerant then enters the low-pressure pipe at the outlet side of the relay device 503).
However, Ikeda does not disclose where in the auxiliary refrigerant flow is received at an intermediate pressure port at the intermediate pressure, which is relative to the low inlet pressure and a high discharge pressure at which the compressor discharges the refrigerant.
Yashiro teaches where in the auxiliary refrigerant flow is received at the intermediate pressure port at an intermediate pressure (Fig. 4, compressor 10A; Col. 8, lines 35-36, Compressor 10A includes an intermediate pressure injection port in addition to a suction port and a discharge port), which is relative to the low inlet pressure and a high discharge pressure at which the compressor discharges the refrigerant (Fig. 4, compressor 10A; Col. 8, lines 35-36, Compressor 10A includes an intermediate pressure injection port in addition to a suction port and a discharge port).
Therefore, it would have been obvious before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify the compressor of the method of Ikeda as modified to include an intermediate pressure port as taught by Yashiro. One of ordinary skill in the art would have been motivated to make this modification in order to reduce refrigerant shortages and achieve a performance desired by a user (Yashiro, Col. 2, lines 7-9).
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Annotated Fig. 12 of Ikeda
Regarding claim 18, Ikeda as modified discloses the method of claim 15 (see the combination of references used in the rejection of claim 15 above), comprising operating the chiller system during a startup operation in which the auxiliary cooling branch provides the auxiliary refrigerant flow from the auxiliary condenser to the cooling line at a lower dryness than refrigerant discharged from the main condenser towards the expansion valve (Ikeda, Col. 23, lines 28-30, In the heat source-side heat exchanger 12, the gas refrigerant changes to a gas-liquid two-phase refrigerant while rejecting heat to the outdoor air; Col. 27, lines 59-63, in cooling operation mode and heating operation mode, the high-pressure gas refrigerant discharged from the compressor 10 is subcooled, and the resulting refrigerant is routed into the suction part of the compressor 10 via the flow regulating unit 42; Further, the disclosure of Ikeda which teaches the refrigerant leaving the auxiliary heat exchanger 40 to be subcooled and the refrigerant leaving the heat source-side heat exchanger 12 is a ga-liquid two-phase refrigerant is an implicit teaching of the auxiliary refrigerant flow from the auxiliary heat exchanger 40 to the cooling line A having a lower dryness than the refrigerant flow from the source-side heat exchanger 12 to the third expansion device 15).
Regarding claim 19, Ikeda as modified discloses the method of claim 15 (see the combination of references used in the rejection of claim 15 above), wherein the common flow of the external heat exchange medium has independent paths through the main condenser and the auxiliary condenser (Ikeda, Col. 4, lines 44-46 and 52-55, The heat source-side heat exchanger 12 exchanges heat between the air supplied from the fan 16, and the refrigerant…The auxiliary heat exchanger 40 serves as a condenser in both heating operation mode and cooling operation mode, and exchanges heat between the air supplied from the fan 16 and the refrigerant).
Claims 6-11 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Ikeda as modified by Koike and Yashiro as applied to claim 1 above, and further in view of Cho et al. (US Patent No. 8,959,410), hereinafter Cho.
Regarding claim 6, Ikeda as modified discloses the chiller system of claim 1 (see the combination of references used in the rejection of claim 1 above).
However, Ikeda does not disclose wherein the auxiliary condenser is located within an installation volume circumscribed by the main condenser.
Cho teaches wherein the auxiliary condenser is located within an installation volume circumscribed by the main condenser (Fig. 11 of Cho depicts auxiliary condenser 334 to be located within an installation volume circumscribed by the first condenser 331a and second condenser 331b).
Therefore, it would have been obvious before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify the chiller system of Ikeda as modified wherein the auxiliary condenser is located within an installation volume circumscribed by the main condenser as taught by Cho. One of ordinary skill in the art would have been motivated to make this modification in order to enhance overall condensing efficiency (Col. 5, lines 40-41).
Regarding claim 7, Ikeda as modified discloses the chiller system of claim 6 (see the combination of references used in the rejection of claim 6 above).
However, Ikeda as modified does not disclose wherein the main condenser comprises a plurality of main heat exchangers spaced apart from one another and the auxiliary condenser is located within the installation volume defined between the main heat exchangers.
Cho teaches wherein the main condenser comprises a plurality of main heat exchangers spaced apart from one another (Fig. 11, first condenser 331a, second condenser 331b) and the auxiliary condenser is located within the installation volume defined between the main heat exchangers (Fig 11 of Cho depicts auxiliary condenser 334 to be located within the installation volume defined between the first condenser 331a and second condenser 331b).
Therefore, it would have been obvious before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify the chiller system of Ikeda as modified wherein the main condenser comprises a plurality of main heat exchangers spaced apart from one another and the auxiliary condenser is located within the installation volume defined between the main heat exchangers as taught by Cho. One of ordinary skill in the art would have been motivated to make this modification in order to enhance overall condensing efficiency (Col. 5, lines 40-41).
Regarding claim 8, Ikeda as modified discloses the chiller system of claim 7 (see the combination of references used in the rejection of claim 7 above), wherein the main heat exchangers are arranged so that the installation volume extends along a longitudinal axis of the main heat exchangers (see annotated Fig. 11 of Cho below, longitudinal axis of the main heat exchangers C) and has an open axial end (see annotated Fig. 11 of Cho below, open axial end D) which is at least partly closed by the auxiliary condenser (see annotated Fig. 11 of Cho below, open axial end D is depicted to be at least partially closed by auxiliary condenser 334). Further, the limitations of claim 8 are a result of the modification of references used in the rejection of claim 7 above.
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Annotated Fig. 11 of Cho
Regarding claim 9, Ikeda as modified discloses the chiller system of claim 7 (see the combination of references used in the rejection of claim 7 above), wherein each of two adjacent main heat exchangers of the main condenser is planar and defines a respective plane (see annotated Fig. 11 of Cho below, planes Ea, Eb), wherein the respective planes are angled relative to each other so that the installation volume has a triangular cross-section (see annotated Fig. 11 of Cho below, depicts planes Ea, Eb to be angled relative to each other and defining a triangular cross-section of the installation volume). Further, the limitations of claim 9 are a result of the modification of references used in the rejection of claim 7 above.
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Annotated Fig. 11 of Cho
Regarding claim 10, Ikeda as modified discloses the chiller system of claim 6 (see the combination of references used in the rejection of claim 6 above), wherein the auxiliary condenser has a peripheral profile (see annotated Fig. 11 of Cho below, peripheral edge F) corresponding to a cross-section of a void of the installation volume defined by the main condenser or corresponding to a shape of an end of the installation volume (see annotated Fig. 11 of Cho below, peripheral edge F is depicted to correspond to the cross-section of a void of the installation volume defined by the main condenser). Further, the limitations of claim 10 are a result of the modification of references used in the rejection of claim 6 above.
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Annotated Fig. 11 of Cho
Regarding claim 11, Ikeda as modified discloses the chiller system of claim 9 (see the combination of references used in the rejection of claim 9 above), wherein the auxiliary condenser has a triangular peripheral profile corresponding to the triangular cross-section of the installation volume (see annotated Fig. 11 of Cho below, peripheral edge F is depicted to be a triangular peripheral profile corresponding to the triangular cross-section of the installation volume); and
wherein the main heat exchangers are arranged so that the installation volume extends along a longitudinal axis of the main heat exchangers (see annotated Fig. 11 of Cho below, longitudinal axis of the main heat exchangers C) and has an open axial end (see annotated Fig. 11 of Cho below, open axial end D) for receiving the external heat exchange medium which is at least partly closed by the auxiliary condenser (see annotated Fig. 11 of Cho below, open axial end D is depicted to be at least partially closed by auxiliary condenser 334 and is positioned below the fan 332 for receiving the external heat exchanger medium). Further, the limitations of claim 11 are a result of the modification of references used in the rejection of claim 9 above.
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Annotated Fig. 11 of Cho
Claim 14 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Ikeda as modified by Koike and Yashiro as applied to claim 13 above, and further in view of Kido et al. (US 20120255318), hereinafter Kido.
Regarding claim 14, Ikeda as modified discloses the chiller system of claim 13 (See the combination of references used in the rejection of claim 13 above).
However, Ikeda does not disclose wherein the controller is configured to control the discharge of refrigerant to the cooling line by actuation of a solenoid valve.
Kido teaches wherein the controller is configured to control the discharge of refrigerant to the cooling line by actuation of a solenoid valve (Fig. 34, solenoid valve 6a).
Therefore, it would have been obvious before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify the cooling line of Ikeda as modified to include a solenoid valve as taught by Kido. One of ordinary skill in the art would have been motivated to make this modification in order to allow for improved control of fluid flow based on the mode of operation to improve overall system efficiency.
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.
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/DEVON MOORE/Examiner, Art Unit 3763 May 15th, 2025
/FRANTZ F JULES/Supervisory Patent Examiner, Art Unit 3763
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