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 .
Specification
The ABSTRACT filed on 1/21/2026 is ACCEPTED.
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 of this title, 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 pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 103(a) 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.
Claim(s) 1-2 and 8 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Kim et al. (KR-20080110138) in view of Kwack et al. (KR 1020120084109) and Ueda et al. (US 6,977,474).
Per claim 1, Kim teaches a refrigeration & heat pump system comprising:
one or more heat exchangers (4);
one or more vibration systems (“a mechanical vibrator that applies mechanical vibration directly to a heat exchanger”, pg. 2, second to last paragraph) attached to the heat exchanger; and
a plurality of sensors attached to the heat exchanger (“the load detector 40 is an outdoor heat exchanger temperature sensor 42 for detecting the temperature of the outdoor heat exchanger 4”, pg. 6, second paragraph) but fails to explicitly teach
the vibration system being mechanically attached to the heat exchanger for removing ice formation by mechanically breaking ice crystals and
one or more amplifiers connected to the one or more vibration systems.
Regarding the mechanically attached system, Kwack teaches a heat pump having a vibration system (system of figure 4) being mechanically attached (see figure 4) to a heat exchanger (141) for removing ice formation by mechanically breaking ice crystals (“Therefore, the outdoor heat exchanger 140 subjected to the impact by the strike of the striking member 153 is vibrated, and frost generated on the surface of the outdoor heat exchanger 140 can be more easily removed”, pg. 5 of translation) for improved performance (pg. 1 of translation). Therefore it would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art at the time the invention was filed to provide a vibration system being mechanically attached to a heat exchanger for removing ice formation by mechanically breaking ice crystals, as taught by Kwack in thein invention of Kim, in order to advantageously improve system performance (pg. 1 of translation).
Regarding the amplifier, Ueda teaches using having an amplifier (“power amplifier”, col. 11, lines 12-13) connected to a vibration system (100) for providing high efficiency (col. 11, lines 13). Therefore it would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art at the time the invention was filed to have an amplifier connected to a vibration system, as taught by Ueda in the combined teachings, in order to advantageously provide high efficiency vibration (col. 11, line 13).
Per claim 2, Kim, as modified, meets the claim limitations as disclosed in the above rejection of claim 1. Further, Kim, as modified, fails to explicitly teach wherein the vibration system is a motor vibration system having an eccentric mass.
However, Kwack teaches a heat exchanger defrosting system having a vibration system as a motor vibration system (motor used to rotate “rotation cam 151”, pg. 2 of translation) having eccentric mass (see cam 151) for improved performance (pg. 1 of translation). Therefore it would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art at the time the invention was filed to provide a motor vibration system having eccentric mass, as taught by Kwack in thein invention of Kim, as modified, in order to advantageously improve system performance (pg. 1 of translation).
Per claim 8, Kim, as modified, meets the claim limitations as disclosed in the above rejection of claim 1. Further, Kim, as modified, teaches wherein the sensors (40) are communicatively connected to a user device (30) but fails to explicitly teach the user device is for displaying control data.
However, the Examiner takes OFFICIAL NOTICE that having user devices display control data in refrigeration systems is old and well known in the refrigeration art to maintain optimal operational control of the refrigeration system and allow operators to see real time data. Therefore it would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art at the time the invention was filed to provide a user device for displaying control data in order to advantageously maintain optimal operational control of the system and allow operators to see real time data.
Claim(s) 6 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Kim et al. (KR-20080110138) in view of Kwack et al. (KR 1020120084109) and Ueda et al. (US 6,977,474) as applied to the claims above and further in view of Yan et al. (CN 114111136).
Per claim 6, Kim, as modified, meets the claim limitations as disclosed in the above rejection of claim 1. Further, Kim, as modified, fails to explicitly teach wherein the vibration system includes a hammer vibration.
However, Yan teaches an air conditioner defrosting system having a vibration system including a hammer vibration (“defrosting structure 10 continuously knocking the heat exchanger 20, to defrost the heat exchanger 20”, pg. 8, third paragraph of translation) for high defrosting efficiency (pg. 7, first paragraph of translation). Therefore it would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art at the time the invention was filed to provide a vibration system including a hammer vibration, as taught by Yan in the invention of Kim, as modified, in order to advantageously provide high defrosting efficiency (pg. 7, first paragraph of translation).
Response to Arguments
Applicant’s arguments with respect to the claims have been considered but are moot because the arguments do not apply to the new combination of references being used in the current rejection.
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 DAVID J TEITELBAUM whose telephone number is (571)270-5142. The examiner can normally be reached on Monday-Friday 8:00 am-4:30 pm EST.
If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, FRANTZ JULES can be reached on (571) 272-66816681. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/DAVID J TEITELBAUM/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3763