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 .
DETAILED ACTION
Priority
Acknowledgment is made of applicant’s claim for foreign priority under 35 U.S.C. 119 (a)-(d). The certified copy has been filed in parent Application No. IT02023000002640 filed on 2/16/23.
Information Disclosure Statement
The information disclosure statement (IDS) submitted on (2/15/24) is in compliance with the provisions of 37 CFR 1.97. Accordingly, the information disclosure statement is being considered by the examiner.
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 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 and 8-9 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Perzl (DE 3841536A1).
[CLAIM 1] Regarding claim 1, Perzl discloses a frame assembly (Perzl, FIG 1) for a motor vehicle (Perzl is an HVAC integrated system for a vehicle which is exemplary); said motor vehicle defining a longitudinal extension direction (Vehicles conventionally extend longitudinally); said frame assembly (Perzl, FIG 1) comprising: a transversal element (16) extending transversally to said longitudinal extension direction (Perzl, FIG 1); a heat exchange device (Perzl, intercooler 18) between a first fluid (Heated return air from engine/turbocharger) and a second fluid (The system of Perzl separates the cooling between the inlet of intercooler 18 and the exit which creates two fluid paths and each operate at separate temperatures); wherein said transversal element comprises a housing (Cross member 18) inside which said heat exchange device is housed (Perzl, FIG 2).
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[CLAIM 2] Regarding claim 2, Perzl discloses the frame assembly according to claim 1, wherein said heat exchange device comprises: at least one first duct (Each of openings 20-22 are ducted/hosed to the engine/turbocharger/HVAC on opposite sides creating delivery and return circuits) adapted to be crossed, in use, by said first fluid; at least one second duct adapted to be crossed, in use, by said second fluid (Each of the ports 20-22 are ducted to the engine/turbocharger/HVAC on opposite sides creating circuits); said first duct and said second duct being fluidly isolated from each other (Each of openings 20-22 are separately ducted/hosed to the engine/turbocharger/HVAC and can cross if desired based on particular vehicle applications); said heat exchange device (18) comprising a lattice structure (Fins and tubes of an intercooler form a lattice, see FIG 3 below) said at least one first duct and said at least one second duct (Perzl, FIG 2 shows the openings 20/22 adjacent the lattice intercooler and are conventionally ducted to and from the engine/turbocharger).
[CLAIM 3] Regarding claim 3, Perzl discloses the frame assembly according to claim 2, characterized in that it is manufactured by additive manufacturing, or wherein said heat exchange device is manufactured by additive manufacturing, or wherein said lattice structure is manufactured by additive manufacturing (Any desired process of forming a cooling/heater core can be selected from the known group of conventional manufacturing processes).
[CLAIM 4] Regarding claim 4, Perzl discloses the frame assembly according to claim 2, wherein said heat exchange device (18) comprises a plurality of said first and second ducts (Ducts/hoses conventionally have designated portions to package in the engine/turbocharger/HVAC areas and form a plurality for particular vehicle applications) alternated with one another parallel to a second direction (The intercooler ducts/hoses flow longitudinally to and from the engine/turbocharger/HVAC and can be oriented in any arrangement without altering the heating/cooling function); said second direction (Z) being orthogonal to said longitudinal extension direction (X) and said first ducts being fluidly connected to one another (Via the intercooler 18); said second ducts being fluidly connected to one another (The intercooler ducts flow longitudinally to and from the engine/turbocharger/HVAC and can be oriented in any arrangement without altering the function. Regarding fluid connection, Perzl illustrates cooling circuits such that all ducts/hoses are fluidly connected to at least the intercooler 18).
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[CLAIM 8] Regarding claim 8, Perzl discloses a motor vehicle (Vehicle 10 introduced in para [0011]) comprising: a frame (Perzl, FIG 2); a plurality of wheels (Vehicles inherently have wheels) rotatable about respective rotational axes to move said frame relative to the ground; said frame comprising a frame assembly (Perzl, FIG 2 shows the individual frame pieces and forms an assembly) according to claim 1.
[CLAIM 9] Regarding claim 9, Perzl discloses the motor vehicle according to claim 8, comprising a first circuit and a second circuit (Perzl is exemplary and discloses a first flow path from the intercooler to the engine/turbocharger/HVAC and a second flow path from the engine/turbocharger/HVAC to the intercooler and which each path uses a duct/hose forming separate in/out circuits 20-22 of the intercooler) wherein said second fluid flows; said first circuit comprising said at least one first duct and said second circuit comprising said at least one second duct (Perzl is exemplary and discloses a first flow path from the intercooler to the engine/turbocharger/HVAC and a second flow path from the engine/turbocharger/HVAC to the intercooler and which each path uses a duct/hose forming opposite in/out circuits (Perzl, FIG 2, ports 20-22 of the intercooler and a radiator/condenser which have separate fluids but circulate for at least HVAC and engine cooling).
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 35 U.S.C. 103 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.
1. Claims 6-7 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Perzl (DE 3841536A1) in view of Bell (US 12,529,531).
[CLAIM 6] Regarding claim 6, Perzl discloses the frame assembly according to claim 2.
-However, it fails to disclose, wherein said lattice structure comprises gyroid shaped surfaces.
-Nevertheless, Bell discloses in column 18, lines 60-63 a gyroid application for radiators/heat exchangers.
- Thus, it would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art at the time the invention was effectively filed to have modified Perzl to have a gyroid configuration as taught by Bell with a reasonable expectation of success in order to improve heat transfer having multi-directional passages.
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[CLAIM 7] Regarding claim 7, Perzl/Bell disclose the frame assembly according to claim 6, wherein said lattice structure is composed by repeated unit cells (Perzl, FIG 3 above illustrates cooling/heating fins and rows of fluid/air tubes) comprising said surfaces; said lattice structure comprising unit cells of a first type and unit cells of a second type different from the first type (Perzl, FIG 3 illustrates the fluid/air tubes and heat/cooling fins).
Allowable Subject Matter
Claim 5 is 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.
Perzl (DE3841536A1) discloses the most similar integrated heat exchanger as claimed by Applicants but fails to specifically claim each limitation recited in claim 5.
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure and can be found on the attached Notice of References Cited.
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/JAMES J TRIGGS/Examiner, Art Unit 3615
/MARC Q JIMENEZ/Supervisory Patent Examiner, Art Unit 3615