Prosecution Insights
Last updated: April 19, 2026
Application No. 18/420,950

INTEGRATED REFRIGERATION APPARATUS

Non-Final OA §102
Filed
Jan 24, 2024
Examiner
VAZQUEZ, ANA M
Art Unit
3763
Tech Center
3700 — Mechanical Engineering & Manufacturing
Assignee
Hebei Qinhuai Data Co. Limited
OA Round
1 (Non-Final)
80%
Grant Probability
Favorable
1-2
OA Rounds
2y 9m
To Grant
97%
With Interview

Examiner Intelligence

Grants 80% — above average
80%
Career Allow Rate
686 granted / 857 resolved
+10.0% vs TC avg
Strong +17% interview lift
Without
With
+17.3%
Interview Lift
resolved cases with interview
Typical timeline
2y 9m
Avg Prosecution
40 currently pending
Career history
897
Total Applications
across all art units

Statute-Specific Performance

§101
0.2%
-39.8% vs TC avg
§103
46.5%
+6.5% vs TC avg
§102
23.2%
-16.8% vs TC avg
§112
25.2%
-14.8% vs TC avg
Black line = Tech Center average estimate • Based on career data from 857 resolved cases

Office Action

§102
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 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 uses the phrase “The present disclosure discloses…”. 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 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) 1-3 and 8-9 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Song (US 2022/0400583). Regarding claim 1, Song discloses an integrated refrigeration apparatus, at least comprising a body, a liquid cooling system and an air cooling system, wherein the liquid cooling system and the air cooling system are installed in the body (refer to fig. 8); the body has an outdoor air inlet (refer to the fresh air arrow entering the body), an outdoor air outlet (refer to air exhaust exiting the body), an operating air inlet (refer to air return arrow), and an operating air outlet (refer to air supply arrow); the liquid cooling system at least comprises a dry cooler (refer to dry cooler 322) and a liquid supply and return pipe connected in series with the dry cooler (refer to the broken lined arrows entering and exiting dry cooler 322), wherein the dry cooler (322) is positioned between the outdoor air inlet (fresh air arrow) and the outdoor air outlet (air exhaust arrow); and the air cooling system at least comprises a heat exchange core (refer to fig. 8 below), wherein an internal circulation air inlet of the heat exchange core is interconnected to the operating air inlet, and an internal circulation air outlet of the heat exchange core is interconnected to the operating air outlet (refer to fig. 8, wherein an internal circulation air inlet of the heat exchange core is interconnected to the operating air inlet, and an internal circulation air outlet of the heat exchange core is interconnected to the operating air outlet by means of heat exchanger 31 as in figs. 7 and 8, since fluid within dry cooler 322 exchanges heat with pipelines 41 and 42 that are in heat exchange relationship with the operating air inlet and the operating air outlet). PNG media_image1.png 375 610 media_image1.png Greyscale Regarding claim 2, Song meets the claim limitations as disclosed above in the rejection of claim 1. Further, Song discloses wherein an air outlet channel (refer to fig. 8 below) is connected between the internal circulation air outlet (of the heat exchange core) and the operating air outlet; the air cooling system further comprises a condenser (31), an evaporator (22), an expansion valve (21) and a compressor (23), wherein the condenser, the evaporator, the expansion valve and the compressor are connected in series with each other to form a refrigeration cycle (refer to fig. 8); and the condenser (31) is positioned between the outdoor air inlet and the outdoor air outlet (refer to fig. 8), and the evaporator (22) is installed in the air outlet channel. PNG media_image2.png 375 595 media_image2.png Greyscale Regarding claim 3, Song meets the claim limitations as disclosed above in the rejection of claim 2. Further, Song discloses wherein the heat exchange core (refer to annotated fig.8 above), the dry cooler (322) and the condenser (31) are arranged side by side (refer to fig. 8, wherein the term “side by side” is being considered as together). Regarding claim 8, Song meets the claim limitations as disclosed above in the rejection of claim 1. Further, Song discloses wherein the operating air inlet (air return) and the operating air outlet (air supply) are positioned on a same side of the body (refer to fig. 8); and the outdoor air inlet (fresh air), the outdoor air outlet (air exhaust) and the operating air inlet (air return) are respectively positioned on different side faces of the body (refer to fig. 8). Regarding claim 9, Song discloses an integrated refrigeration apparatus, at least comprising a body, a liquid cooling system and an air cooling system, wherein the liquid cooling system and the air cooling system are installed in the body (refer to fig. 8); the body has an outdoor air inlet (fresh air), an outdoor air outlet (air exhaust), an operating air inlet (air return), and an operating air outlet (air supply); the liquid cooling system at least comprises a dry cooler (322) and a liquid supply and return pipe connected in series with the dry cooler (refer to fig. 7), wherein the dry cooler (322) is positioned between the outdoor air inlet (fresh air) and the outdoor air outlet (air exhaust); and the air cooling system at least comprises a condenser (31), an evaporator (22), an expansion valve (21) and a compressor (23), wherein the condenser (31) is positioned between the outdoor air inlet and the outdoor air outlet (refer to fig. 8), and the evaporator (22) is positioned at the operating air outlet (air supply) to allow hot air entering via the operating air inlet (air return) to exchange heat through the evaporator (22) and to be discharged through the operating air outlet (air supply). Allowable Subject Matter Claims 4-7 and 10 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. Conclusion 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. 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, 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. Information regarding the status of published or unpublished applications may be obtained from Patent Center. Unpublished application information in Patent Center is available to registered users. To file and manage patent submissions in Patent Center, visit: https://patentcenter.uspto.gov. Visit https://www.uspto.gov/patents/apply/patent-center for more information about Patent Center and https://www.uspto.gov/patents/docx for information about filing in DOCX format. For additional questions, contact the Electronic Business Center (EBC) at 866-217-9197 (toll-free). If you would like assistance from a USPTO Customer Service Representative, call 800-786-9199 (IN USA OR CANADA) or 571-272-1000. /ANA M VAZQUEZ/Examiner, Art Unit 3763
Read full office action

Prosecution Timeline

Jan 24, 2024
Application Filed
Sep 29, 2025
Non-Final Rejection — §102 (current)

Precedent Cases

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Study what changed to get past this examiner. Based on 5 most recent grants.

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Prosecution Projections

1-2
Expected OA Rounds
80%
Grant Probability
97%
With Interview (+17.3%)
2y 9m
Median Time to Grant
Low
PTA Risk
Based on 857 resolved cases by this examiner. Grant probability derived from career allow rate.

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