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 .
Election/Restrictions
Applicant’s election without traverse of the Species as depicted in Figures 7-8 in the reply filed on 02/24/2026 is acknowledged.
Claims 7-10, 15, and 17-20 are withdrawn from further consideration pursuant to 37 CFR 1.142(b) as being drawn to a nonelected species, there being no allowable generic or linking claim. Election was made without traverse in the reply filed on 02/24/2026.
Information Disclosure Statement
The information disclosure statements (IDS) were filed on 05/02/2023 and 11/07/2024. The submissions are in compliance with the provisions of 37 CFR 1.97. Accordingly, the information disclosure statements are being considered by the examiner.
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) 1-4, 11-14, and 16 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Ishizeki (DE 112021001870 T5).
Regarding Claim 1: Ishizeki discloses a vehicle (Paragraph [0035], Lines 3-5) comprising a drivetrain (55); a vehicle cabin heater core (23); a coolant system (61) being configured to flow coolant to absorb heat from the drivetrain and flow coolant to the vehicle cabin heater core (Paragraphs [0046]-[0047]); a refrigerant circulation system (“R”); a temperature sensor (46); a heat exchanger (64) fluidically connected to the coolant system and the refrigerant circulation system to transfer heat from the coolant to refrigerant within the refrigerant circulation system (Paragraphs [0049], [0051], & [0056]); a heat pump (“HP”) heater fluidically connected to the heat exchanger via the refrigerant circulation system (Paragraph [0135]); a supplemental heater (66); and an electronic control unit (32) electrically connected to the temperature sensor (Paragraph [0074]), the electronic control unit being configured to perform monitoring a temperature at the temperature sensor (Paragraph [0067]); based on the temperature being below a threshold temperature (Paragraph [0074] – “TCO”), activating the supplemental heater; and, based on the temperature exceeding the threshold temperature, deactivating the supplemental heater and providing vehicle cabin heat via one or both of the vehicle cabin heater core and the heat pump heater (Paragraph [0074]).
Regarding Claim 2: Ishizeki discloses the vehicle of Claim 1, further comprising a valve (60) positioned within the coolant system between a first coolant circuit portion including the drivetrain and a second coolant circuit portion including the vehicle cabin heater core (Figure 1).
Regarding Claim 3: Ishizeki discloses the vehicle of Claim 2, wherein the valve is movable between a first position and a second position, in the first position the valve fluidically connects the first coolant circuit portion to the second coolant circuit portion to flow coolant from the drivetrain to the vehicle cabin heater core and heat exchanger, and in the second position the valve recirculates coolant within the first coolant circuit portion without flowing coolant toward the vehicle cabin heater core and heat exchanger (Paragraphs [0050]-[0051]).
Regarding Claim 4: Ishizeki discloses the vehicle of Claim 3, wherein the supplemental heater comprises a high voltage coolant heater positioned in the coolant system (Paragraph [0096]).
Regarding Claim 11: Ishizeki discloses the vehicle of Claim 1, wherein the vehicle comprises a battery electric vehicle, and the drivetrain includes an electric motor and a high voltage battery (Paragraph [0035]).
Regarding Claim 12: Ishizeki discloses a method of operating a vehicle cabin heating system of battery electric vehicle (Paragraph [0035]), the method comprising monitoring, by an electronic control unit (32) of the battery electric vehicle, a temperature at a temperature sensor (46), the temperature sensor being positioned within a vehicle cabin heating system (23); based on the temperature being below a threshold (TCO) temperature, activating a supplemental heater (66); and based on the temperature exceeding the threshold temperature, deactivating the supplemental heater and providing vehicle cabin heat via one or both of a vehicle cabin heater core and a heat pump heater (Paragraph [0074]).
Regarding Claim 13: Ishizeki discloses the method of Claim 12, further comprising based on the temperature exceeding the threshold temperature, adjusting a valve (60) positioned within a coolant system of the vehicle between a first position and a second position, the valve being positioned between a first coolant circuit portion including the drivetrain and a second coolant circuit portion including the vehicle cabin heater core (Figure 1), wherein in the first position the valve fluidically connects the first coolant circuit portion to the second coolant circuit portion to flow coolant from a drivetrain to a vehicle cabin heater core and a heat exchanger, and in the second position the valve recirculates coolant within the first coolant circuit portion without flowing coolant toward the vehicle cabin heater core and heat exchanger (Paragraphs [0050]-[0051]).
Regarding Claim 14: Ishizeki discloses the method of Claim 13, wherein the temperature sensor comprises a coolant temperature sensor positioned within the first coolant circuit portion and the supplemental heater comprises a high voltage coolant heater positioned within the second coolant circuit portion (Paragraphs [0074] & [0096]).
Regarding Claim 16: Ishizeki discloses a vehicle cabin heating system (Paragraph [0035]) comprising a vehicle cabin heater core (23) fluidically connected to a coolant system (61) of a vehicle; a refrigerant circulation system (“R”); a heat exchanger (64) fluidically connected to the coolant system and the refrigerant circulation system to transfer heat from the coolant to refrigerant within the refrigerant circulation system (Paragraphs [0049], [0051], & [0056]); a heat pump heater (“HP”) fluidically connected to the heat exchanger via the refrigerant circulation system (Paragraph [0135]); a supplemental heater (66); and an electronic control unit (32) configured to perform monitoring a temperature of at least one of the coolant or air output from the heat pump heater (Paragraph [0067]); based on the temperature being below a threshold (“TCO”), activating the supplemental heater; and based on the temperature exceeding the threshold, deactivating the supplemental heater and providing vehicle cabin heat via one or both of the vehicle cabin heater core and the heat pump heater (Paragraph [0074]).
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 5-6 are objected to as being dependent upon a rejected base claim, but would be allowable if rewritten in independent form including 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: The prior art fails to disclose a vehicle as claimed in Claim 4, wherein the high voltage coolant heater is positioned in the second coolant circuit portion, and wherein the controller is configured to activate the high voltage coolant heater in response to determining, at the temperature sensor, a coolant temperature below a threshold; and maintain the valve in the second position until the controller determines that a coolant temperature at the temperature sensor is above a threshold temperature. Ishizeki fails to disclose a second coolant circuit portion in which the high voltage coolant heater is positioned. Chopard (US Patent No: 11,407,282) discloses a vehicle heating system (Figure 1) but does not disclose a high voltage coolant heater is positioned in a second coolant circuit portion. The prior art fails to disclose the vehicle as claimed in Claims 5-6; therefore, Claims 5-6 contain allowable subject matter.
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to MICHAEL L SEHN whose telephone number is (571)270-3564. The examiner can normally be reached M-F 8:30 AM-6 PM, every other Friday off.
If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Courtney Heinle can be reached at 571-270-3508. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/MICHAEL L SEHN/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3745
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