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 .
Claim Objections
Claims 9-14 are objected to because of the following informalities: Claim 9 uses the terms, “the first heat exchanger”, “the second heat exchanger”, and “the economizer” while lacking proper antecedent basis. Appropriate correction is required.
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, 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.
Claims 1-14 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Ridder (US 2018/0209675) and Olson (US 8,726,682).
Regarding claim 1, Ridder (R) discloses a heat pump system, comprising: a working fluid circuit including (636, Figure 6): a compressor (614); a first heat exchanger (612); an expander (618); and a second heat exchanger (616); a process fluid economizer (606, i.e., heat exchanger); and a controller (640), configured to: operate the heat pump system in the determined operating mode, wherein the operating mode is selected from a set of operating modes comprising: a mechanical cooling mode (Figure 7, [0115]) wherein the working fluid circuit is operated to provide cooling at the second heat exchanger (616) and wherein the process fluid absorbs heat at the first heat exchanger (612) and rejects heat ( via 602, i.e., cooling tower); a hybrid cooling mode wherein the working fluid circuit is operated to provide cooling at the second heat exchanger (616) and wherein the process fluid absorbs heat at the first heat exchanger (612) and rejects heat at a cooling tower (602, Figure 8, [0115]); a free cooling mode wherein cooled process fluid is provided to the process fluid economizer (606, Figure 8, [0120]).
Ridder (R) does not disclose a radiative cooler, a solar heater or a controller, configured to: determine an operating mode of the heat pump system, based on a temperature request, a current temperature, and one or both of a temperature of the process fluid at the solar heater and a temperature of the process fluid at the radiative cooler; and operate the heat pump system in the determined operating mode, wherein the operating mode is selected from a set of operating modes comprising or a hybrid heating mode wherein the working circuit is operated to provide heating at the second heat exchanger and wherein the process fluid absorbs heat at the solar heater and rejects heat at the first heat exchanger; and a free heating mode wherein the solar heater provides heated process fluid to the process fluid economizer.
However, Olson (O) discloses a hybrid heat pump (Abstract) with a radiative cooler (18, C3, L47-67) and solar heater (18) with a controller (30), configured to: determine an operating mode of the heat pump system, based on a temperature request (C4,L12-15), a current temperature, and one or both of a temperature of the process fluid at the solar heater and a temperature of the process fluid at the radiative cooler (C4,L16-40); and operate the heat pump system in the determined operating mode, wherein the operating mode is selected from a set of operating modes comprising or a hybrid heating mode (Figure 6, C5, L23-35) wherein the working circuit is operated to provide heating at the second heat exchanger (At 20) and wherein the process fluid absorbs heat at the solar heater (18) and rejects heat at the first heat exchanger; and a free heating mode wherein the solar heater provides heated process fluid to the process fluid economizer (Figure 6, C5, L23-35). As a clarification this mode, as claimed, is a subset of the hybrid heating and the economizer is the equivalent of the evaporator heat exchanger.
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art prior to the effective filing dated of this application to introduce solar panels and radiative cooling into the process fluid circuit in order to capitalize on free energy and reduce heating and cooling cost and to utilize solar energy to increase the efficiency of the heating system.
Regarding claim 2, Ridder (R), as modified, discloses the heat pump system of claim 1, wherein the cooling tower (12, Figure 11, C 3, L33-36) is configured to receive the process fluid from the radiative cooler (18, C6,L39-55).
Regarding claim 3, Ridder (R), as modified, discloses the heat pump system of claim 1, further comprising a boiler (R-104) configured to receive process fluid from the solar heater, and wherein the hybrid heating mode includes operating the boiler to increase a temperature of the process fluid (R-[0053]).
Regarding claim 4, Ridder (R), as modified, discloses the heat pump system of claim 1, wherein the controller is configured to determine the operating mode to be the mechanical cooling mode when the temperature request is less than the current temperature, and the temperature of the process fluid at the radiative cooler is greater than the temperature request (R- Figure 11, [0156]).
Regarding claim 5, Ridder (R), as modified, discloses the heat pump system of claim 1, wherein the controller is configured to determine the operating mode to be the hybrid cooling mode when the temperature request remains less than the current temperature following operation in the free cooling mode (R- Figure 11, [0156]).
Regarding claim 6, Ridder (R), as modified, discloses the heat pump system of claim 1, wherein the controller is configured to determine the operating mode to be the free cooling mode when the temperature request is less than the current temperature, and the temperature of the process fluid at the radiative cooler is less than the temperature request (R- Figure 11, [0156]).
Regarding claim 7, Ridder (R), as modified, discloses the heat pump system of claim 1, wherein the controller is configured to determine the operating mode to be the hybrid heating mode when the temperature request is greater than the current temperature, and the temperature of the process fluid at the solar heater is less than the temperature request (C 7, L26- 42). As a clarification, Olson teaches using the available heat energy and if the free energy is inadequate additional heat input would be needed.
Regarding claim 8, Ridder (R), as modified, discloses the heat pump system of claim 1, wherein the controller is configured to determine the operating mode to be the free heating mode when the temperature request is greater than the current temperature, and the temperature of the process fluid at the solar heater is greater than the temperature request (Figure 6, C5, L23-35).
Regarding claim 9, Ridder (R) discloses a method for operating a heat pump system, comprising: operating the heat pump system in the determined operating mode, wherein the operating mode is selected from a set of operating modes comprising: a mechanical cooling mode (Figure 7, [0115]) wherein the working fluid circuit is operated to provide cooling at the second heat exchanger (616) and wherein a process fluid absorbs heat at the first heat exchanger (612) and rejects heat (via 602, i.e., cooling tower); a hybrid cooling mode wherein the working fluid circuit is operated to provide cooling at the second heat exchanger (616) and wherein the process fluid absorbs heat at the first heat exchanger (612) and rejects heat at a cooling tower (602, Figure 8, [0115]); a free cooling mode wherein the radiative cooler provides cooled process fluid to the process fluid economizer (606, Figure 8, [0120]).
Ridder (R) does not disclose a radiative cooler, a solar heater, or obtaining a temperature request; obtaining a current temperature; obtaining at least one of a temperature of a process fluid at a solar heater and a temperature of the process fluid at a radiative cooler; determining an operating mode of the heat pump system based on the temperature request, the current temperature, and the at least one of the temperature of the process fluid at the solar heater and the temperature of the process fluid at the radiative cooler with a hybrid heating mode wherein the working circuit is operated to provide heating at the second heat exchanger and wherein the process fluid absorbs heat at the solar heater and rejects heat at the first heat exchanger; and a free heating mode wherein the solar heater provides heated process fluid to the process fluid economizer.
However, Olson (O) discloses a hybrid heat pump (Abstract) with a radiative cooler (18, C3, L47-67) and solar heater (18) with the steps of obtaining a temperature request (C4,L12-15); obtaining a current temperature; obtaining at least one of a temperature of a process fluid at a solar heater and a temperature of the process fluid at a radiative cooler (C4,L16-40); determining an operating mode of the heat pump system based on the temperature request, the current temperature, and the at least one of the temperature of the process fluid at the solar heater and the temperature of the process fluid at the radiative cooler with a hybrid heating mode (Figure 6, C5, L23-35) wherein the working circuit is operated to provide heating at the second heat exchanger (@20) and wherein the process fluid absorbs heat at the solar heater (18) and rejects heat at the first heat exchanger; and a free heating mode wherein the solar heater provides heated process fluid to the process fluid economizer (Figure 6, C5, L23-35). As a clarification this mode, as claimed, is a subset of the hybrid heating and the economizer is the equivalent of the evaporator heat exchanger.
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art prior to the effective filing dated of this application to introduce solar panels and radiative cooling into the process fluid circuit in order to capitalize on free energy and reduce heating and cooling cost and to utilize solar energy to increase the efficiency of the heating system.
Regarding claim 10, Ridder (R), as modified, discloses the method of claim 9, wherein the operating mode is determined to be the mechanical cooling mode when the temperature request is less than the current temperature, and the temperature of the process fluid at the radiative cooler is greater than the temperature request (R- Figure 11, [0156]).
Regarding claim 11, Ridder (R), as modified, discloses the method of claim 9, wherein the operating mode is determined to be the hybrid cooling mode when the temperature request remains less than the current temperature following operation in the free cooling mode (R- Figure 11, [0156]).
Regarding claim 12, Ridder (R), as modified, discloses the method of claim 9, wherein the operating mode is determined to be the free cooling mode when the temperature request is less than the current temperature, and the temperature of the process fluid at the radiative cooler is less than the temperature request (R- Figure 11, [0156]).
Regarding claim 13, Ridder (R), as modified, discloses the method of claim 9, wherein the operating mode is determined to be the hybrid heating mode when the temperature request is greater than the current temperature, and the temperature of the process fluid at the solar heater is less than the temperature request (C 7, L26- 42). As a clarification, Olson teaches using the available heat energy and if the free energy is inadequate additional heat input would be needed.
Regarding claim 14, Ridder (R), as modified, discloses the method of claim 9, wherein the operating mode is determined to be the free heating mode when the temperature request is greater than the current temperature, and the temperature of the process fluid at the solar heater is greater than the temperature request (Figure 6, C5, L23-35).
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure. Nussbaum (US 4,363,218) discloses a heat pump with solar panels that generate free heating, see PTO-892.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to JOHN E BARGERO whose telephone number is (571) 270-1770. The examiner can normally be reached Monday-Friday.
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If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Helena Kosanovic can be reached at (571) 272-9059. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/JOHN E BARGERO/Examiner, Art Unit 3762
/HELENA KOSANOVIC/ Supervisory Patent Examiner, Art Unit 3762
