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 .
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 102
The following is a quotation of the appropriate paragraphs of 35 U.S.C. 102 that form the basis for the rejections under this section made in this Office action:
A person shall be entitled to a patent unless –
(a)(1) the claimed invention was patented, described in a printed publication, or in public use, on sale, or otherwise available to the public before the effective filing date of the claimed invention.
Claim(s) 1, 2, 8, 9, 10, 12 15, 16, 20 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102a1 as being anticipated by Hafner US4503337.
Regarding claim 1, Hafner US4503337 discloses a multi-heater heating system comprising: (a) a first heater configured for expelling air through a first side surface of said first heater (Fig. 1, heat pump 22, exhaust 17); and (b) a second heater disposed and stacked above said first heater (Fig. 11, another heat pump 22).
Regarding claim 2, Hafner further teaches the multi-heater heating system of claim 1, further comprising a slideable support system configured to support and dispose one of said first heater and said second heater inside an enclosure for a normal operation and outside of the enclosure for access to said one of said first heater and said second heater (Fig. 11, support system seen in Fig. 11, Col. 8 Ln. 65-Col. 9 Ln. 5, Fig. 6 wheels 50).
Regarding claim 8, Hafner further teaches the multi-heater heating system of claim 1, wherein said first heater is an air to water heat pump (Hafner, Fig. 1, water connections 13 and 14).
Regarding claim 9, Hafner US4503337 discloses a multi-heater heating system comprising a slideable support system (Fig. 11, support system seen in Fig. 11, Col. 8 Ln. 65-Col. 9 Ln. 5, Fig. 6 wheels 50) configured to support and dispose one of a first heater and a second heater inside an enclosure for a normal operation (fig. 11 heat pumps 22) and outside of the enclosure for access to said one of said first heater and the second heater (Col. 8 Ln. 65-Col. 9 Ln. 5).
Regarding claim 10, Hafner further teaches the multi-heater heating system of claim 9, wherein said second heater is configured to be disposed and stacked above said first heater (Hafner, Fig. 11).
Regarding claim 12, Hafner further teaches the multi-heater heating system of claim 9, wherein said first heater is configured for expelling air through a first side surface of said first heater from said enclosure (Fig. 1, heat pump 22, exhaust 17).
Regarding claim 15, Hafner further teaches the multi-heater heating system of claim 9, wherein said first heater is an air to water heat pump (Hafner, Fig. 1, water connections 13 and 14).
Regarding claim 16, Hafner US4503337 discloses a multi-heater heating system comprising a slideable support system (Fig. 11, support system seen in Fig. 11, Col. 8 Ln. 65-Col. 9 Ln. 5, Fig. 6 wheels 50) configured to support and dispose one of a first heater and a second heater inside an enclosure for a normal operation (fig. 11 heat pumps 22) and outside of the enclosure for access to said one of the first heater and the second heater (Col. 8 Ln. 65-Col. 9 Ln. 5), wherein the first heater is configured for expelling air through a first side surface of the first heater (Fig. 1, exhaust 17) and the second heater is configured to be disposed and stacked above the first heater (Fig. 11, heat pumps 22).
Regarding claim 20, Hafner further teaches the multi-heater heating system of claim 16, wherein said first heater is an air to water heat pump (Hafner, Fig. 1, water connections 13 and 14).
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) 3, 11, 17 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Hafner US4503337 in view of Hansen US20100307178.
Regarding claim 3, Hafner does not expressly disclose the multi-heater heating system of claim 1, wherein said first heater is a heat pump comprising a fan functionally coupled to an evaporator and the expelled air is air mobilized by said fan.
Hansen US20100307178 teaches s modular heat pump system (abstract) wherein a heat pump module comprises a fan functionally coupled to an evaporator and expelled air is air mobilized by said fan (Fig. 1 and Fig. 2, heat pump 10, blower 28, evaporator 26).
Hafner teaches various modules with various functionality and combining different modules in the same support to meet energy needs (Col. 3 Ln. 35-65, Col. 5 Ln. 10-15).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art prior to the effective filing date of the invention to modify the prior art device such that the first heater is a heat pump module comprises a fan functionally coupled to an evaporator and expelled air is air mobilized by said fan, as taught by Hansen, since doing so amounts to a known configuration of HVAC modules in the art with the known predictable results of providing air conditioning.
Regarding claim 11, Hafner does not expressly disclose the multi-heater heating system of claim 9, wherein said first heater is a heat pump comprising a fan functionally coupled to an evaporator and the expelled air is air mobilized by said fan.
Hansen US20100307178 teaches s modular heat pump system (abstract) wherein a heat pump module comprises a fan functionally coupled to an evaporator and expelled air is air mobilized by said fan (Fig. 1 and Fig. 2, heat pump 10, blower 28, evaporator 26).
Hafner teaches various modules with various functionality and combining different modules in the same support to meet energy needs (Col. 3 Ln. 35-65, Col. 5 Ln. 10-15).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art prior to the effective filing date of the invention to modify the prior art device such that the first heater is a heat pump module comprises a fan functionally coupled to an evaporator and expelled air is air mobilized by said fan, as taught by Hansen, since doing so amounts to a known configuration of HVAC modules in the art with the known predictable results of providing air conditioning.
Regarding claim 17, Hafner does not expressly disclose the multi-heater heating system of claim 16, wherein the first heater is a heat pump comprising a fan functionally coupled to an evaporator and the expelled air is air mobilized by said fan.
Hansen US20100307178 teaches s modular heat pump system (abstract) wherein a heat pump module comprises a fan functionally coupled to an evaporator and expelled air is air mobilized by said fan (Fig. 1 and Fig. 2, heat pump 10, blower 28, evaporator 26).
Hafner teaches various modules with various functionality and combining different modules in the same support to meet energy needs (Col. 3 Ln. 35-65, Col. 5 Ln. 10-15).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art prior to the effective filing date of the invention to modify the prior art device such that the first heater is a heat pump module comprises a fan functionally coupled to an evaporator and expelled air is air mobilized by said fan, as taught by Hansen, since doing so amounts to a known configuration of HVAC modules in the art with the known predictable results of providing air conditioning.
Claim(s) 4, 5, 6, 7, 13, 14, 18, 19 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Hafner US4503337 in view of Shamshoian US20230176536.
Regarding claim 4, Hafner does not expressly disclose the multi-heater heating system of claim 1, wherein said first heater is further configured to draw air through a second side surface.
Shamshoian US20230176536 teaches a modular air handling system (abstract) comprising a heater module (Fig. 15, heating coil 1514, ¶38) the heater module configured to expel air through a first side surface (Fig. 15, discharge) and to draw air through a second side surface (Fig. 15, intake).
Hafner teaches various modules with various functionality and combining different modules in the same support to meet energy needs (Col. 3 Ln. 35-65, Col. 5 Ln. 10-15).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art prior to the effective filing date of the invention to modify the prior art device to use a heater module as taught by Shamshoian Fig. 15 since doing so amounts to a simple substitution of known heating modules in the art with the known predictable results of heating air.
Regarding claim 5, Hafner does not expressly disclose the multi-heater heating system of claim 4, wherein said first heater is further configured to draw air through a third side surface.
Shamshoian US20230176536 teaches a modular air handling system (abstract) comprising a heater module (Fig. 16, heating coil corresponding to Fig. 15, 1514, ¶38) the heater module configured to expel air through a first side surface (Fig. 16, discharge) and to draw air through a second side surface and further configured to draw air through a third side surface (Fig. 16, the respective side intakes).
Hafner teaches various modules with various functionality and combining different modules in the same support to meet energy needs (Col. 3 Ln. 35-65, Col. 5 Ln. 10-15).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art prior to the effective filing date of the invention to modify the prior art device to use a heater module as taught by Shamshoian Fig. 16 since doing so amounts to a simple substitution of known heating modules in the art with the known predictable results of heating air.
Regarding claim 6, Hafner does not expressly disclose the multi-heater heating system of claim 1, further comprising an enclosure within which said first heater is disposed, wherein said first heater is configured to draw air through a second side surface into said enclosure.
Shamshoian US20230176536 teaches a modular air handling system (abstract) comprising a heater module (Fig. 15, heating coil 1514, ¶38) the heater module configured to expel air through a first side surface (Fig. 15, discharge) and to draw air through a second side surface (Fig. 15, intake).
Hafner teaches various modules with various functionality and combining different modules in the same support to meet energy needs (Col. 3 Ln. 35-65, Col. 5 Ln. 10-15).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art prior to the effective filing date of the invention to modify the prior art device to use a heater module as taught by Shamshoian Fig. 15 since doing so amounts to a simple substitution of known heating modules in the art with the known predictable results of heating air.
Regarding claim 7, Hafner does not expressly disclose the multi-heater heating system of claim 6, wherein said first heater is configured to draw air through a third side surface into said enclosure.
Shamshoian US20230176536 teaches a modular air handling system (abstract) comprising a heater module (Fig. 16, heating coil corresponding to Fig. 15, 1514, ¶38) the heater module configured to expel air through a first side surface (Fig. 16, discharge) and to draw air through a second side surface and further configured to draw air through a third side surface (Fig. 16, the respective side intakes).
Hafner teaches various modules with various functionality and combining different modules in the same support to meet energy needs (Col. 3 Ln. 35-65, Col. 5 Ln. 10-15).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art prior to the effective filing date of the invention to modify the prior art device to use a heater module as taught by Shamshoian Fig. 16 since doing so amounts to a simple substitution of known heating modules in the art with the known predictable results of heating air.
Regarding claim 13, Hafner does not expressly disclose the multi-heater heating system of claim 12, wherein said first heater is further configured to draw air through a second side surface into said enclosure.
Shamshoian US20230176536 teaches a modular air handling system (abstract) comprising a heater module (Fig. 15, heating coil 1514, ¶38) the heater module configured to expel air through a first side surface (Fig. 15, discharge) and to draw air through a second side surface (Fig. 15, intake).
Hafner teaches various modules with various functionality and combining different modules in the same support to meet energy needs (Col. 3 Ln. 35-65, Col. 5 Ln. 10-15).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art prior to the effective filing date of the invention to modify the prior art device to use a heater module as taught by Shamshoian Fig. 15 since doing so amounts to a simple substitution of known heating modules in the art with the known predictable results of heating air.
Regarding claim 14, Hafner does not expressly disclose the multi-heater heating system of claim 13, wherein said first heater is further configured to draw air through a third side surface into said enclosure.
Shamshoian US20230176536 teaches a modular air handling system (abstract) comprising a heater module (Fig. 16, heating coil corresponding to Fig. 15, 1514, ¶38) the heater module configured to expel air through a first side surface (Fig. 16, discharge) and to draw air through a second side surface and further configured to draw air through a third side surface (Fig. 16, the respective side intakes).
Hafner teaches various modules with various functionality and combining different modules in the same support to meet energy needs (Col. 3 Ln. 35-65, Col. 5 Ln. 10-15).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art prior to the effective filing date of the invention to modify the prior art device to use a heater module as taught by Shamshoian Fig. 16 since doing so amounts to a simple substitution of known heating modules in the art with the known predictable results of heating air.
Regarding claim 18, Hafner does not expressly disclose the multi-heater heating system of claim 16, wherein the first heater is further configured to draw air through a second side surface into the enclosure.
Shamshoian US20230176536 teaches a modular air handling system (abstract) comprising a heater module (Fig. 15, heating coil 1514, ¶38) the heater module configured to expel air through a first side surface (Fig. 15, discharge) and to draw air through a second side surface (Fig. 15, intake).
Hafner teaches various modules with various functionality and combining different modules in the same support to meet energy needs (Col. 3 Ln. 35-65, Col. 5 Ln. 10-15).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art prior to the effective filing date of the invention to modify the prior art device to use a heater module as taught by Shamshoian Fig. 15 since doing so amounts to a simple substitution of known heating modules in the art with the known predictable results of heating air.
Regarding claim 19, Hafner does not expressly disclose the multi-heater heating system of claim 18, wherein the first heater is further configured to draw air through a third side surface into the enclosure.
Shamshoian US20230176536 teaches a modular air handling system (abstract) comprising a heater module (Fig. 16, heating coil corresponding to Fig. 15, 1514, ¶38) the heater module configured to expel air through a first side surface (Fig. 16, discharge) and to draw air through a second side surface and further configured to draw air through a third side surface (Fig. 16, the respective side intakes).
Hafner teaches various modules with various functionality and combining different modules in the same support to meet energy needs (Col. 3 Ln. 35-65, Col. 5 Ln. 10-15).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art prior to the effective filing date of the invention to modify the prior art device to use a heater module as taught by Shamshoian Fig. 16 since doing so amounts to a simple substitution of known heating modules in the art with the known predictable results of heating air.
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to Deepak Deean whose telephone number is (571)270-3347. The examiner can normally be reached M-Th 10-4.
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/DEEPAK A DEEAN/Examiner, Art Unit 3762 /MICHAEL G HOANG/Supervisory Patent Examiner, Art Unit 3762
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