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 .
Status of Claims
The status of the claims as filed in the submission dated 6/10/2025 are as follows:
Claims 1-20 are pending and are being examined.
Drawings
The drawings are objected to because:
Figures 3-7 are incomplete illustrations of the thermal circuit. The way the figures are currently drawn, it appears to be numerous different thermal management circuits and not just operational modes. The applicant should revise Figures 3-7 so as to use Figure 2 as the base figure, and then bold the active lines and dash the inactive lines of each circuit to illustrate the active components of each mode (see the thermal management modes of Kim for reference).
Corrected drawing sheets in compliance with 37 CFR 1.121(d) are required in reply to the Office action to avoid abandonment of the application. Any amended replacement drawing sheet should include all of the figures appearing on the immediate prior version of the sheet, even if only one figure is being amended. The figure or figure number of an amended drawing should not be labeled as “amended.” If a drawing figure is to be canceled, the appropriate figure must be removed from the replacement sheet, and where necessary, the remaining figures must be renumbered and appropriate changes made to the brief description of the several views of the drawings for consistency. Additional replacement sheets may be necessary to show the renumbering of the remaining figures. Each drawing sheet submitted after the filing date of an application must be labeled in the top margin as either “Replacement Sheet” or “New Sheet” pursuant to 37 CFR 1.121(d). If the changes are not accepted by the examiner, the applicant will be notified and informed of any required corrective action in the next Office action. The objection to the drawings will not be held in abeyance.
Specification
The title of the invention is not descriptive. A new title is required that is clearly indicative of the invention to which the claims are directed.
Applicant is reminded of the proper content of an abstract of the disclosure.
A patent abstract is a concise statement of the technical disclosure of the patent and should include that which is new in the art to which the invention pertains. The abstract should not refer to purported merits or speculative applications of the invention and should not compare the invention with the prior art.
If the patent is of a basic nature, the entire technical disclosure may be new in the art, and the abstract should be directed to the entire disclosure. If the patent is in the nature of an improvement in an old apparatus, process, product, or composition, the abstract should include the technical disclosure of the improvement. The abstract should also mention by way of example any preferred modifications or alternatives.
Where applicable, the abstract should include the following: (1) if a machine or apparatus, its organization and operation; (2) if an article, its method of making; (3) if a chemical compound, its identity and use; (4) if a mixture, its ingredients; (5) if a process, the steps.
Extensive mechanical and design details of an apparatus should not be included in the abstract. The abstract should be in narrative form and generally limited to a single paragraph within the range of 50 to 150 words in length.
See MPEP § 608.01(b) for guidelines for the preparation of patent abstracts.
Applicant is reminded of the proper language and format for an abstract of the disclosure.
The abstract should be in narrative form and generally limited to a single paragraph on a separate sheet within the range of 50 to 150 words in length. The abstract should describe the disclosure sufficiently to assist readers in deciding whether there is a need for consulting the full patent text for details.
The language should be clear and concise and should not repeat information given in the title. It should avoid using phrases which can be implied, such as, “The disclosure concerns,” “The disclosure defined by this invention,” “The disclosure describes,” etc. In addition, the form and legal phraseology often used in patent claims, such as “means” and “said,” should be avoided.
The abstract of the disclosure is objected to because: it recites phrases which can be implied (first sentence), uses legal phraseology (means), exceeds 150 words, and refers to the purported merits of the invention (last 4 lines). A corrected abstract of the disclosure is required and must be presented on a separate sheet, apart from any other text. See MPEP § 608.01(b).
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 three-prong test will be interpreted under 35 U.S.C. 112(f) or pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, sixth paragraph.
Claim 6 recites "throttling means" which invokes 112(f) and is interpreted to be "capillary tubes, throttling valves, and the like" (paragraph 103)
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.
Claims 1-4, 14-16, 18, and 20 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Kim (US 2017/0158081, as previously cited).
Re Claim 1. Kim discloses a thermal management system (Fig.1) for an electric vehicle, the electric vehicle comprising a battery (130) for providing electric energy for the electric vehicle, wherein the thermal management system comprises: a first heat exchanger (115) configured to regulate a temperature of a vehicle interior; and a second heat exchanger (135) configured to regulate a temperature of the battery; wherein the thermal management system is arranged such that the first heat exchanger and the second heat exchanger can controllably be either coupled in series or in parallel for simultaneously regulating the temperatures of the vehicle interior and the battery (Fig.1; The limitation is recited in the alternative, wherein Kim teaches parallel connections).
Re Claim 2. Kim discloses that the thermal management system comprises a battery first loop (131), the battery first loop comprises the battery and the second heat exchanger, and the battery and the second heat exchanger are can be either coupled in series or are un-coupled from each other using a first four-way valve and a second four-way valve (Fig.1).
Re Claim 3. Kim discloses a motor (125) configured to drive the electric vehicle, wherein the thermal management system is arranged such that the motor and the battery can be either coupled in series or un-coupled from each other using the first four-way valve and the second four-way valve (Fig.1).
Re Claim 4. Kim discloses that the thermal management system further comprises third heat exchanger (113), the third heat exchanger and the first heat exchanger are coupled in series (Fig.1), the third heat exchanger is configured to exchange heat between a refrigerant and outdoor air (paragraph 70), the first heat exchanger is configured to regulate the temperature of the vehicle interior through refrigerant circulation (paragraph 57), and the second heat exchanger is configured to regulate the temperature of the battery through the refrigerant circulation (paragraph 59).
Re Claim 14. Kim discloses that the thermal management system is arranged to have a working mode (Fig.2) where the third heat exchanger releases heat to the outdoor air, the first heat exchanger absorbs heat from the vehicle interior, the second heat exchanger absorbs heat, and the battery first loop is on to cool the battery through the second heat exchanger (Fig.2).
Re Claim 15. Kim discloses that the thermal management system further comprises a heat exchange water tank (129), and the heat exchange water tank and the second heat exchanger are coupled in series or are not coupled through the first four-way valve and the second four-way valve (Fig.1); and in the case that the thermal management system is in the said working mode, the motor and the battery are not coupled, the heat exchange water tank and the second heat exchanger are not coupled, and the heat exchange water tank and the motor are coupled in series (Fig.2).
Re Claim 16. Kim discloses that the first heat exchanger comprises an evaporator (115 is an evaporator); the thermal management system further comprises a compressor (112), first throttling means (114), and second throttling means (116); and in the case that the thermal management system is in said working mode, the compressor, the third heat exchanger, the first throttling means and the evaporator are coupled in sequence to form a first refrigerant heating circulation loop (110); and the compressor, the third heat exchanger, the second throttling means and the second heat exchanger are coupled in sequence to form a second refrigerant heating circulation loop (132).
Re Claim 18. Kim discloses that the thermal management system is arranged to have a working mode (Fig.3) where the first heat exchanger releases heat to the vehicle interior while absorbing heat from the vehicle interior to dehumidify the vehicle interior, the third heat exchanger absorbs heat from the outdoor air, the second heat exchanger absorbs heat, and the battery and the second heat exchanger are coupled in series to recover heat of the battery through the second heat exchanger (Fig.3).
Re Claim 20. Kim discloses an electric vehicle, comprising the thermal management system according to claim 1 (Abstract).
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 5-13, 17, and 19 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 of record does not disclose that the thermal management system has the recited working modes and associated structural configurations as claimed (claim 5, 7, 9, 17, and 19). The remaining claims 8 and 10-13 are allowable based on their dependency from an allowable parent claim.
Response to Arguments
Applicant's arguments filed 6/10/2025 have been fully considered but they are not persuasive.
Applicant argues on page 15-17 of the reply that Kim fails to teach the new limitation of “wherein the thermal management system is arranged such that the first heat exchanger and the second heat exchanger can controllably be either coupled in series or in parallel for simultaneously regulating the temperatures of the vehicle interior and the battery”. The limitation in question is recited in the alternative, wherein Kim teaches parallel connections. Therefore, the applicants’ argument is not persuasive.
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.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to TRAVIS RUBY whose telephone number is (571)270-5760. The examiner can normally be reached M-F: 9AM-5PM.
Examiner interviews are available via telephone, in-person, and video conferencing using a USPTO supplied web-based collaboration tool. To schedule an interview, applicant is encouraged to use the USPTO Automated Interview Request (AIR) at http://www.uspto.gov/interviewpractice.
If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Jianying Atkisson can be reached at 571-270-7740. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/TRAVIS RUBY/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3763
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