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 .
Information Disclosure Statement
The information disclosure statement (IDS) submitted on 09/10/2025 was filed after the filing date of the instant application. The submission is in compliance with the provisions of 37 CFR 1.97. Accordingly, the information disclosure statement is being considered by the examiner.
Claim Objections
Claim 20 is objected to because of the following informalities:
The recitation of “an internal heat exchanger” (claim 20, line 9) is believed to be --the internal heat exchanger--.
The recitation of “a compressor” (claim 20, line 10) is believed to be --the compressor--.
The recitation of “a external heat exchanger” (claim 20, line 12) is believed to be --the external heat exchanger--.
Appropriate correction is required.
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 and 15-19 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Strunk (US 2010/0095701).
Regarding claim 1, Strunk discloses a refrigeration system, comprising:
an external heat exchanger (18);
an internal heat exchanger (20);
a multi-pass refrigerant circuit (30);
a compressor (12) having only one inlet fluidly coupled to only one outlet of the multi-pass refrigerant circuit;
one or more valves (16, 22, 26);
a plurality of refrigerant lines fluidically coupling (i) the compressor, (ii) the external heat exchanger, (iii) the internal heat exchanger, (iv) the multi-pass refrigerant circuit, and (v) the one or more valves, and
a controller communicatively coupled to the one or more valves and configured to operate the system in a plurality of modes (refer to par. 17, wherein at least reversing valve 16 is selectively positioned in a heating position, or a cooling position to control the direction refrigerant flows through the refrigeration system, therefore, a controller is an implicit feature in order to switch mode operations), comprising:
a cooling mode (refer to fig. 3) in which the multi-pass refrigerant circuit (30) uses a refrigerant flow from the internal heat exchanger (entering through port 46) to decrease a temperature and a pressure of a refrigerant flow from the compressor (entering though port 44), and
a heating mode (refer to fig. 4) in which the multi-pass refrigerant circuit (30) uses the refrigerant flow from the compressor (entering through port 48) to increase a temperature and a pressure of a refrigerant flow from the external heat exchanger (entering through port 46).
Regarding claim 2, Strunk meets the claim limitations as disclosed above in the rejection of claim 1. Further, Strunk discloses a metering device (refer to thermal expansion valve 22) fluidically coupled between the external heat exchanger and the internal heat exchanger.
Regarding claim 3, Strunk meets the claim limitations as disclosed above in the rejection of claim 1. Further, Strunk discloses a second valve (refer to thermal expansion valve 26) fluidically coupled between the internal heat exchanger and/or the multi-pass refrigerant circuit.
Regarding claim 4, Strunk meets the claim limitations as disclosed above in the rejection of claim 3. Further, Strunk discloses a third valve (refer to bypass valve 28) fluidically coupled between an inlet and an outlet of the second valve (26).
Regarding claim 5, Strunk meets the claim limitations as disclosed above in the rejection of claim 4. Further, Strunk discloses wherein the third valve (refer to bypass valve 28) includes one or more check valves configured to inhibit reverse flow of the refrigerant (refer to figs.3-4, wherein bypass valve 28 performs the identical function specified in the claim in substantially the same way, and produces substantially the same results as the corresponding element disclosed in the specification).
Regarding claim 6, Strunk meets the claim limitations as disclosed above in the rejection of claim 1. Further, Strunk discloses an accumulator (14) fluidically coupled between the compressor and the multi-pass refrigerant circuit.
Regarding claim 7, Strunk meets the claim limitations as disclosed above in the rejection of claim 1. Further, Strunk discloses a fan coupled with the external heat exchanger (refer to par. 5, wherein Strunk discloses that although not shown in the illustration, a fan is typically used to increase convective heat transfer via exterior coil 18).
Regarding claim 8, Strunk meets the claim limitations as disclosed above in the rejection of claim 1. Further, Strunk discloses wherein the one or more valves is a four-way reversing valve (refer to reversing valve 16) configured to selectively change, via the controller, a direction of refrigerant flow in accordance with changing between heating and cooling modes (refer to figs.3-4).
Regarding claim 15, Strunk meets the claim limitations as disclosed above in the rejection of claim 1. Further, Strunk discloses wherein the refrigeration system is a heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC) system (refer to figs. 3-4).
Regarding claim 16, Strunk meets the claim limitations as disclosed above in the rejection of claim 1. Further, Strunk discloses wherein the compressor is an electrically-driven compressor (refer to par. 29, wherein Strunk teaches that the system originally had a compressor amperage draw of 14.6 amps before a heat exchanger was added; after the heat exchanger was added, the amperage draw was measured to be 6.5 amps with a head pressure of 125 psi, and this reduction in amperage draw boosts the efficiency rating of the system, therefore, since the compressor draws amperage, it means the compressor is electrically-driven).
Regarding claim 17, Strunk discloses a method, comprising:
at a refrigeration system including an external heat exchanger (18), an internal heat exchanger (20), a multi-pass refrigerant circuit (30), a compressor (12) having only one inlet fluidly coupled to only one outlet of the multi-pass refrigerant circuit (refer to figs.3-4), one or more valves (16, 22, 26), a plurality of refrigerant lines fluidically coupling (i) the compressor, (ii) the external heat exchange, (iii) the internal heat exchange, and (iv) the multi-pass refrigerant circuit via the one or more valves, and a controller communicatively coupled to the one or more valves (refer to par. 17, wherein at least reversing valve 16 is selectively positioned in a heating position, or a cooling position to control the direction refrigerant flows through the refrigeration system, therefore, a controller is an implicit feature in order to switch mode operations):
operating the refrigeration system in a cooling mode (refer to fig.3) in which the multi-pass refrigerant circuit uses a refrigerant flow from the internal heat exchanger to decrease a temperature and a pressure of a refrigerant flow from the compressor, and
operating the refrigeration system in a heating mode (refer to fig.4) in which the multi-pass refrigerant circuit uses the refrigerant flow from the compressor to increase a temperature and a pressure of a refrigerant flow from the external heat exchanger.
Regarding claim 18, Strunk meets the claim limitations as disclosed above in the rejection of claim 17. Further, Strunk discloses a metering device (refer to thermal expansion valve 22) fluidically coupled between the external heat exchanger and the internal heat exchanger.
Regarding claim 19, Strunk meets the claim limitations as disclosed above in the rejection of claim 17. Further, Strunk discloses a second valve (refer to thermal expansion valve 26) fluidically coupled between the internal heat exchanger and/or the multi-pass refrigerant circuit.
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.
Claim(s) 20 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Strunk (US 2010/0095701) in view of Hatomura (US 2025/0180245).
Regarding claim 20, Strunk discloses a refrigeration system including
an external heat exchanger (18), an internal heat exchanger (20), a multi-pass refrigerant circuit (30), a compressor (12) having only one inlet fluidly coupled to only one outlet of the multi-pass refrigerant circuit (30), one or more valves (16, 22, 26), a plurality of refrigerant lines fluidically coupling (i) the compressor, (ii) the external heat exchange, (iii) the internal heat exchange, and (iv) the multi-pass refrigerant circuit via the one or more valves, cause the refrigeration system to:
operate in a cooling mode (refer to fig.3) in which a multi-pass refrigerant circuit uses a refrigerant flow from the internal heat exchanger to decrease a temperature and a pressure of a refrigerant flow from the compressor, and
operate in a heating mode (refer to fig.4) in which the multi-pass refrigerant circuit uses the refrigerant flow from the compressor to increase a temperature and a pressure of a refrigerant flow from the external heat exchanger.
While Strunk discloses the refrigeration system, Strunk fails to explicitly disclose a non-transitory, computer-readable storage medium including instructions executed by one or more processors of the refrigeration system.
However, Hatomura discloses an air-conditioning apparatus, comprising a non-transitory, computer-readable storage medium including instructions executed by one or more processors of a refrigeration system (refer to par. 45 and 47, wherein the system includes a controller 60 being dedicated hardware or a central processing unit configured to execute programs stored in a memory).
Therefore, it would have been obvious to a person of ordinary skill before the effective filing date of the claimed invention, to modify Strunk by providing a non-transitory, computer-readable storage medium including instructions executed by one or more processors of the refrigeration system, in order to efficiently control operations of the refrigeration system in view of the teachings by Hatomura along with the knowledge generally available to one having ordinary skill in the art of refrigeration.
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 9-14 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.
Response to Arguments
Applicant’s arguments, see pp.8-12, filed on 01/08/2026, with respect to claims 1-20 have been fully considered and are persuasive. The rejection of claims 1-20 has been withdrawn. However, upon further consideration, a new ground(s) of rejection is made in view of newly amended claims.
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 ANA M VAZQUEZ whose telephone number is (571)272-0611. The examiner can normally be reached M-F 7-4.
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If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Len Tran can be reached at 571-272-1184. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/ANA M VAZQUEZ/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3763
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