DETAILED ACTION
Amendments filed on 6/22/2026 have been entered.
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 .
Continued Examination Under 37 CFR 1.114
A request for continued examination under 37 CFR 1.114, including the fee set forth in 37 CFR 1.17(e), was filed in this application after final rejection. Since this application is eligible for continued examination under 37 CFR 1.114, and the fee set forth in 37 CFR 1.17(e) has been timely paid, the finality of the previous Office action has been withdrawn pursuant to 37 CFR 1.114. Applicant's submission filed on 5/14/2019 has been entered.
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 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 set forth in Graham v. John Deere Co., 383 U.S. 1, 148 USPQ 459 (1966), that are applied 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 1-8 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Jindou (US 2015/0027672 A1), in view of Lee (KR 20160077835 A), in view of Satou (US 2020/0200477 A1), and in view of (WO 2019186674 A1).
Claim 1: Jindou discloses a heat exchanger (FIG.2) comprising:
an inlet header (inlet header 70; paragraph [11]: refrigerant flow into spaces 71a-71c of header 70 then flows into flat tubes and passes through and enters header 60) located on a refrigerant inlet side (inherent);
an outlet header (outlet header 60) located on a refrigerant outlet side (inherent);
a plurality of rooms (see FIG.3; to clarify rooms formed inside entire space if header 70) partitioned by partition plate (partition plates 39) and provided inside one header of the inlet header (70) or the outlet header;
a plurality of flat tubes (flat tubes 31) connected in parallel between each room of the plurality of rooms (see FIG.3) provided in the one header of the inlet header (70) or the outlet header and the other header of the inlet header (70) or the outlet header;
a distributor (81) provided in a refrigerant pipe (18);
a plurality of branch pipes (pipes 82) connected to each room and the distributor (81), the number of the branch portions of the branch pipe connected to the room (paragraph [60]: number of flat tubes 31 in sections 51a-51c is greater than number of flat tubes 31 in sections 52a-52c),
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Jindou discloses the claimed limitations in claim 1, but fails to disclose wherein the branch pipe has a branch portion provided between the room and the distributor depending on an air velocity distribution in the heat exchanger, the number of the branch portions of the branch pipe connected to the room, to which the flat tubes located in a part having a high air velocity are connected, is less than the number of the branch portions of the branch pipe connected to the room, to which the flat tubes passing through a part having a low air velocity are connected,
an amount of refrigerant flowing through the flat tubes located in the part having the high air velocity is greater than an amount of refrigerant flowing through the flat tubes located in the part having the low air velocity.
However, Lee teaches wherein the branch pipe (107) has a branch portion (109) provided between the room and the distributor (110; branch pipe 109 is corresponding to number of tubes 107) for the purpose of reducing the pressure loss of refrigerant, thereby preventing a decreases in evaporation pressure, thereby improving the efficiency (paragraph [127]).
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filling date of the claimed invention was made to modify the invention of Jindou to include the branch pipe has a branch portion provided between the room and the distributor as taught by Lee in order to reduce the pressure loss of refrigerant, thereby preventing a decreases in evaporation pressure, thereby improving the efficiency.
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Further, Satou teaches depending on an air velocity distribution in the heat exchanger (paragraph [17]: air velocity in the heat exchange sections), the number of the branch portions of the branch pipe connected to the room, to which the flat tubes located in a part having a high air velocity are connected, is less than the number of the branch portions of the branch pipe connected to the room, to which the flat tubes passing through a part having a low air velocity are connected (paragraph [19]: heat exchange unit in which number of pipes in each heat exchange sections is set in such manner number of pipes in heat exchange section correspond to a part where air velocity is low is larger than number of pipes in heat exchange section corresponding to a part where the air velocity is high) for the purpose of obtaining the relationship in which the heat exchange efficiency is higher in part where air velocity is higher and the heat exchange efficiency is lower in part where air velocity is lower (paragraph [20]).
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filling date of the claimed invention was made to modify the invention of Jindou to include depending on an air velocity distribution in the heat exchanger, the number of the branch portions of the branch pipe connected to the room, to which the flat tubes located in a part having a high air velocity are connected, is less than the number of the branch portions of the branch pipe connected to the room, to which the flat tubes passing through a part having a low air velocity are connected as taught by Satou in order to obtain the relationship in which the heat exchange efficiency is higher in part where air velocity is higher and the heat exchange efficiency is lower in part where air velocity is lower.
Further, (WO 2019186674 A1) teaches an amount of refrigerant flowing through the flat tubes located in the part having the high air velocity is greater than an amount of refrigerant flowing through the flat tubes located in the part having the low air velocity (paragraph [57] [72]: increasing the flow velocity of refrigerant, promoting amount of refrigerant to flat tubes) for the purpose of equalizing the distribution amount of refrigerant supplied to the flat tubes (paragraph [97]).
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filling date of the claimed invention was made to modify the invention of Jindou to include an amount of refrigerant flowing through the flat tubes located in the part having the high air velocity is greater than an amount of refrigerant flowing through the flat tubes located in the part having the low air velocity as taught by (WO 2019186674 A1) in order to equalize the distribution amount of refrigerant supplied to the flat tubes.
Claim 2: Jindou as modified discloses the apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein the plurality of rooms (see FIG.3) are formed inside the one header (70) along an entire vertical extent of the one header (to clarify, rooms formed inside entire header 70 partitioned by plates 39 are extended vertically along the header), and a length (inherent) of each room in a direction in which the flat tubes (31) connected in parallel are arranged is the same (see FIG.2).
Claim 3: Jindou as modified discloses the apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein the one header is the inlet header (70) and the other header is the outlet header (60).
Claim 4: Jindou as modified discloses the apparatus as claimed in claim 1, an upward blowing type outdoor unit of an air conditioner, comprising:
a blower fan (Lee 211) provided at an upper portion (Lee see FIG.2); the heat exchanger (Lee see FIG.2) provided below the blower fan (Lee 211), wherein, in the heat exchanger (Jindou 23), a parallel direction of the plurality of flat tubes (Jindou 31) is a vertical direction, and the inlet header (Jindou 70) and the outlet header (Jindou 60) are installed upright in the vertical direction (Jindou see FIG.2).
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Claim 5: Jindou as modified discloses the apparatus as claimed in claim 2, wherein the one header is the inlet header (70) and the other header is the outlet header (60).
Claim 6: Jindou as modified discloses the apparatus as claimed in claim 2, an upward blowing type outdoor unit of an air conditioner, comprising:
a blower fan (Lee 211) provided at an upper portion (Lee see FIG.2); the heat exchanger (Lee see FIG.2) provided below the blower fan (Lee 211), wherein, in the heat exchanger (Jindou 23), a parallel direction of the plurality of flat tubes (Jindou 31) is a vertical direction, and the inlet header (Jindou 70) and the outlet header (Jindou 60) are installed upright in the vertical direction (Jindou see FIG.2).
Claim 7: Jindou as modified discloses the apparatus as claimed in claim 3, an upward-blowing type outdoor unit of an air conditioner, comprising:
a blower fan (Lee 211) provided at an upper portion (Lee see FIG.2); the heat exchanger (Lee see FIG.2) provided below the blower fan (Lee 211), wherein, in the heat exchanger (Jindou 23), a parallel direction of the plurality of flat tubes (Jindou 31) is a vertical direction, and the inlet header (Jindou 70) and the outlet header (Jindou 60) are installed upright in the vertical direction (Jindou see FIG.2).
Claim 8: Jindou as modified discloses the apparatus as claimed in claim 5, an upward blowing type outdoor unit of an air conditioner, comprising:
a blower fan (Lee 211) provided at an upper portion (Lee see FIG.2); the heat exchanger (Lee see FIG.2) provided below the blower fan (Lee 211), wherein, in the heat exchanger (Jindou 23), a parallel direction of the plurality of flat tubes (Jindou 31) is a vertical direction, and the inlet header (Jindou 70) and the outlet header (Jindou 60) are installed upright in the vertical direction (Jindou see FIG.2).
Response to Arguments
Applicant's arguments filed on 6/22/2026, with respect to all the claims under Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 103 have been fully considered and they are moot. Applicant’s arguments to new amendments are addressed in this office action. Therefore, a new ground(s) of rejections have been made in response to the amendments.
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure which is relevant to heat exchanger:
Nagata (US 2021/0018232 A1).
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to KAMRAN TAVAKOLDAVANI whose telephone number is (313)446-6612. The examiner can normally be reached on M-F 8:00 am to 5:00 pm EST.
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If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Len Tran can be reached on (571) 272-1184. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300. Information regarding the status of an application may be obtained from the Patent Application Information Retrieval (PAIR) system. Status information for published applications may be obtained from either Private PAIR or Public PAIR. Status information for unpublished applications is available through Private PAIR only. For more information about the PAIR system, see http://pair-direct.uspto.gov. Should you have questions on access to the Private PAIR system, contact the Electronic Business Center (EBC) at 866-217-9197 (toll-free). If you would like assistance from a USPTO Customer Service Representative or access to the automated information system, call 800-786-9199 (IN USA OR CANADA) or 571-272-1000.
/KAMRAN TAVAKOLDAVANI/ Examiner, Art Unit 3763 /PAUL ALVARE/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3763
