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 § 112
The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 112(b):
(b) CONCLUSION.—The specification shall conclude with one or more claims particularly pointing out and distinctly claiming the subject matter which the inventor or a joint inventor regards as the invention.
The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), second paragraph:
The specification shall conclude with one or more claims particularly pointing out and distinctly claiming the subject matter which the applicant regards as his invention.
Claims 1-16 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 112(b) or 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), second paragraph, as being indefinite for failing to particularly point out and distinctly claim the subject matter which the inventor or a joint inventor (or for applications subject to pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, the applicant), regards as the invention.
Claim 1 recites the limitation "the extending direction" in line 8. There is insufficient antecedent basis for this limitation in the claim.
Claim 5 recites the limitation "the other surface" in line 4. There is insufficient antecedent basis for this limitation in the claim. It is unclear which other surface to which the claim refers, if it should be the second surface, the third surface, or the fourth surface.
Claim 11 recites the limitation "the power conversion module" in line 1. There is insufficient antecedent basis for this limitation in the claim.
Claim 11 recites the limitation "the outside” in line 2. There is insufficient antecedent basis for this limitation in the claim.
Claims 2-10 and 12-16 are also rejected based on the dependency from claims 1 and 11. These claims inherit the deficiencies.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 102
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 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) 1-8, 11-16 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Kuwahara (US 2017/0064865 A1).
Re. claim 1: Kuwahara discloses a duct module (1), comprising:
a duct body (10) formed to extend in one direction and communicating with a flow path member (34) respectively; and (see fig. 1)
a flow path coupling part (83) coupling the duct body to the flow path member respectively and, (see fig. 7)
wherein the duct body comprises:
a duct space (space within 10) that is formed inside the duct body, extends in the one direction (airflow direction), and is formed to be open at each end in the extending direction to communicate with the flow path member; and
at least one surface (surfaces of duct body 10) surrounding the duct space in an outer circumferential direction. (see fig. 1)
Re. claim 2: Kuwahara discloses wherein the duct body comprises:
a protrusion (23) formed to extend toward the duct space on the at least one surface, and in contact with an end surface (24) in the extending direction of the flow path member. (see fig. 7; para. 0037-0038)
Re. claim 3: Kuwahara discloses wherein the duct body comprises:
a pair of surfaces continuous (21, 22) with each other at a predetermined angle (right angle) to partially surround the duct space, and (see fig. 2; para. 0039-0044)
wherein the protrusion (23) protrudes from any one surface of the pair of surfaces and is disposed adjacent to the other surface of the pair of surfaces. (see fig. 2)
Re. claim 4: Kuwahara discloses wherein the duct body comprises:
a first surface (21) that surrounds one side of the duct space;
a second surface (23) that is disposed to face the first surface with the duct space interposed therebetween, and surrounds another side of the duct space; (see fig. 2; para. 0037-0044)
a third surface (22) that is continuous with the first surface and the second surface, respectively, and surrounds still another side of the duct space; and(see fig. 2; para. 0037-0044)
a fourth surface (24) that is continuous with the first surface and the second surface, respectively, and is disposed to face the third surface with the duct space interposed therebetween, and surrounds the other side of the duct space, wherein the first surface, the second surface, the third surface, and the fourth surface extend in the one direction. (see fig. 2; para. 0037-0044)
Re. claim 5: Kuwahara discloses wherein the duct body comprises:
a first protrusion (51) protruding on any one surface of the first surface to the fourth surface toward the duct space; and (see fig. 6; para. 0054-0062)
a second protrusion (52) protruding on the other surface of the first surface to the fourth surface toward the duct space, (see fig. 6; para. 0054-0062)
wherein the first protrusion and the second protrusion contact with a surface of one end facing the duct body among the both ends in the extending direction of the flow path member. (see fig. 6)
Re. claim 6: Kuwahara discloses wherein the first protrusion (51) and the second protrusion (52) are disposed to be spaced apart from each other in a diagonal direction of the duct space. (portions of 51 are diagonal to portions of 52) (see fig. 6)
Re. claim 7: Kuwahara discloses wherein the first protrusion (51) is disposed adjacent to one surface (22) continuous with the one surface at a predetermined angle, and
the second protrusion (52) is disposed adjacent to the other surface (21) continuous with the other surface at a predetermined angle. (see fig. 6)
Re. claim 8: Kuwahara discloses wherein the flow path member (34) extends along the
one direction (airflow direction), and (see fig. 1)
the flow path coupling part (83) extends in the one direction to surround:
an outer circumference (sides of 21, 22, 23, 24) of one end facing the flow path member among both ends in the extending direction of the duct body (10); and (see fig. 1, 2, para. 0037-0044)
an outer circumference of one end facing the duct body among both ends in the
extending direction of the flow path member. (see fig. 1, 2)
Re. claim 11: Kuwahara discloses a power conversion module, comprising:
a housing (1) having an accommodating space therein and communicating with the outside (anbient);
an electrically connected part (41, 51) that is accommodated in the accommodating space, is electrically connected to an external power source and an external load, respectively, receives power from the external power source, and transforms the received power and transmits the transformed power to the external load; (see fig. 4; para. 0051-0057)
a flow path part (10) that is accommodated in the accommodating space, is located adjacent to the electrically connected part, and in which a flow path space communicating with the outside is formed, and through which a fluid heat-exchanging (air) with the electrically connected part flows; and (see fig. 4, 5; para. 0059-0067)
a duct module (20) that is accommodated in the accommodating space, and in which a duct space (inside 20) communicating with the flow path space is formed, and that forms a passage with the flow path part, wherein the fluid flows through the passage, and (see fig. 1, 2, 6; para. 0037-0044)
wherein the flow path part and the duct module are formed to extend in one direction, and the fluid flows along the one direction inside the flow path part and inside the duct module. (see fig. 1; para. 0063-0067)
Re. claim 12: Kuwahara discloses wherein the flow path part comprises:
a plurality of partition members (42, 52) located in the flow path space and formed in a plate shape extended along the one direction, and (see fig. 4; para. 0072-0076)
wherein the flow path space is divided into a plurality of spaces (between fins 42b, 52b) by the plurality of the partition members, and the fluid introduced is branched and flows in each of the plurality of spaces. (see fig. 4; para. 0055-0062)
Re. claim 13: Kuwahara discloses wherein the introduced fluid (air) flows in the flow path space and the duct space in order, and the branched fluid flowing in the plurality of spaces is mixed in the duct space. (see fig. 6; para. 0090-0097)
Re. claim 14: Kuwahara discloses wherein the duct module comprises:
a duct body (exterior surfaces of 20) with the duct space formed therein; and
a flow path coupling part (83) surrounding an outer circumference of the duct body and extending toward the flow path part from an end of the duct body in the extending direction. (fig. 6; para. 0077)
Re. claim 15: Kuwahara discloses wherein the duct module comprises:
a protrusion (51) formed to extend toward the duct space on a surface surrounding the duct space, and (see fig. 6; para. 0054-0062)
wherein the flow path part (10) is disposed so that a surface of one end in the extending direction thereof is in contact (at least in thermal contact) with the protrusion. (see fig. 1, 4, 5, 6; para. 0054-0060)
Re. claim 16: Kuwahara discloses wherein the flow path coupling part (83) surrounds each end of the duct body and the flow path part facing each other from the
outside. (see fig. 6-8)
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.
This application currently names joint inventors. In considering patentability of the claims the examiner presumes that the subject matter of the various claims was commonly owned as of the effective filing date of the claimed invention(s) absent any evidence to the contrary. Applicant is advised of the obligation under 37 CFR 1.56 to point out the inventor and effective filing dates of each claim that was not commonly owned as of the effective filing date of the later invention in order for the examiner to consider the applicability of 35 U.S.C. 102(b)(2)(C) for any potential 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(2) prior art against the later invention.
Claim(s) 9 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Kuwahara as applied to claim 1 above, and further in view of Nienberg et al. (US 2014/0138068 A1).
Re. claim 9: Kuwahara fails to disclose:
wherein the duct body and the flow path coupling part are formed of an electric insulating material.
However, Nienberg discloses:
wherein the duct body (10, 52, 100) and the flow path coupling part (interlocking flanges) are formed of an electric insulating material. (see fig. 6-11; para. 0050-0052)
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to form the duct body and the flow path coupling part of Kuwahara out of an electric insulating material as taught by Nienberg. One of ordinary skill would have been motivated to do this in order to reduce noise attenuation. (Nienberg para. 0050)
Allowable Subject Matter
Claim 10 would be allowable if rewritten to overcome the rejection(s) under 35 U.S.C. 112(b) or 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), 2nd paragraph, set forth in this Office action and to include all of the limitations of the base claim and any intervening claims.
The following is a statement of reasons for the indication of allowable subject matter:
Re. claim 10: the prior art fails to disclose “a second flow path member (second 34) of the outside to which power of a voltage of a different magnitude from the predetermined magnitude is electrically connected” in combination with the remaining limitations in the claim. One of ordinary skill in the art would not have been motivated to provide a different voltage to a second fan of Kuwahara. Using the same voltage and the same power source to operate both fans would have not required a second voltage source.
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure. Nielsen et al. (US 2002/0064028 A1) discloses a power device with cooling duct. Kim (US 2020/0232711 A1) discloses a heatsink module within a duct for cooling a power inverter.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to ADAM B DRAVININKAS whose telephone number is (571)270-1353. The examiner can normally be reached Monday - Friday 9a-6p MT.
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If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, JAYPRAKASH (JP) N GANDHI can be reached at 571-272-3740. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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July 25, 2026
/ADAM B DRAVININKAS/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2841
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