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 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.
Claim(s) 1-5 and 13-20 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Wang (CN 110986184 A) in view of Wu (CN 206905222 U).
Regarding claim 1, Wang teaches of:
An air duct member comprising:
an air duct portion comprising at least one air duct structure (Fig. 2, 5), the at least one air duct structure having a first air duct wall and a second air duct wall spaced apart from each other (see annotated version of Fig. 2 below), a cross-flow air duct being defined between the first air duct wall and the second air duct wall (Fig. 2, 5 is the cross-flow air duct),
and the first air duct wall comprising a volute tongue structure (see annotated version of Fig. 2 below); and
a water receiving portion disposed at a lower end of the air duct portion (Figs. 1-5, 2 is located at the lower end of the ducts 5) and defining a water receiving recess located outside the cross-flow air duct (Fig. 4, 2 forms a recess from sidewalls 22 and floor 21)
Wang fails to explicitly teach:
a water receiving portion disposed at a lower end of the air duct portion and defining a water receiving recess located outside the cross-flow air duct
the water receiving recess being located at a side of the second air duct wall away from the first air duct wall and configured to receive condensed water flowing down along an outer surface of the second air duct wall.
Wu teaches of:
a water receiving portion disposed at a lower end of the air duct portion and defining a water receiving recess located outside the cross-flow air duct (Fig. 2, 21 and 22 form a water receiving portion which is at a lower end of the duct and defines a water receiving recess 211 and 221)
the water receiving recess being located at a side of the second air duct wall away from the first air duct wall and configured to receive condensed water flowing down along an outer surface of the second air duct wall (Fig. 2, 21 is positioned on a side of the second air duct wall of 23 and receives condensed water from flowing along an outer surface of 23).
The primary reference can be modified to meet this/these limitation(s) as follows:
add all components of 21, 22 and 111 of Wu onto both of the air ducts of Wang so that 211 and 212 are positioned on the second air duct wall and collect condensate flowing down the second air duct wall, guide it to gap 111 and from gap 111 to 22 and finally to the water pan 2 of Wang
A person of ordinary skill in the art prior to the effective filing date of the claimed invention would have been motivated to make the above modification(s) because:
it would collect condensed water that forms on the outer surface of the second air duct wall while negating the need for insulation typically utilized which can become moldy from condensation (¶ [0017], ¶ [0004] and ¶ [0017], By setting the first water collection part and the second water collection part on the outside of the duct assembly, when the air conditioner is running in cooling mode, the condensate generated on the outer wall of the duct assembly will flow into the first water collection part and/or the second water collection part of the water collection assembly)
Regarding claim 2, the combined teachings teach of the air duct member according to claim 1, and the combined teachings further teach:
wherein the air duct portion comprises a left air duct structure and a right air duct structure arranged in a left-right direction (see annotated Fig. 2 of Wang below, there is a left and right air duct structure with identical first and second air duct walls).
Regarding claim 3, the combined teachings teach of the air duct member according to claim 2, and the combined teachings further teach:
wherein:
the left air duct structure has an air duct outlet extending in a left front direction;
the right air duct structure has an air duct outlet extending in a right front direction;
the second air duct wall of the left air duct structure and the second air duct wall of the right air duct structure are located close to each other;
the first air duct wall of the left air duct structure and the first air duct wall of the right air duct structure are located away from each other; and
the water receiving recess is located between lower ends of the second air duct walls (See annotated Fig. 6 below, the water receiving recess is located between the second air duct walls of the left and right air ducts structures as modified in the combination made in the rejection of claim 1 above).
Regarding claim 4, the combined teachings teach of the air duct member according to claim 3, and the combined teachings further teach:
wherein:
the water receiving recess has a first drainage hole (Wu, Fig. 2, 111); and
a bottom surface of the water receiving recess extends obliquely downwards from front to rear (Wu, ¶ [0040], Pg. 25, Understandably, the first water collection surface 211 is set as an inclined surface with a certain angle of inclination, and the lowest point of the inclined surface is located at the connecting port 111)
The combined teachings fail to explicitly teach:
located at a central position in the left-right direction
However, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art to have modified the combined teachings so that the first drainage hole 111 is centrally located in the apparatus of Wang based on the following rationale:
It has been found that when the only difference between the claims and the prior art is the recitation of the position of an element and modifying the position of the element in the prior art would not have modified the operation of the device, then the claimed device is not patentably distinct from the prior art device. In the instant case, modifying the location of 111 to be central in the left-right direction would not modify the operation of the combined teachings and further Applicant has placed no criticality on the particular location of the first drainage hole.
Regarding claim 5, the combined teachings teach of the air duct member according to claim 3, and the combined teachings further teach:
wherein a front end of the water receiving recess has an avoidance notch recessed rearwards (Wu, see notch formed adjacent to 111, this notch is formed on the front end of the water receiving recess as 22 forms the rear end and extends both horizontally and rearward)
Regarding claim 13, the combined teachings teach of the air duct member according to claim 1, and the combined teachings further teach:
wherein the water receiving portion and at least part of the second air duct wall are integrally formed (the components within the combined teaching are all fastened to one another and therefore integral)
Regarding claim 14, the combined teachings teach of the air duct member according to claim 1, and the combined teachings further teach:
wherein:
the water receiving recess has a first drainage hole (Wu, Fig. 2, 111); and
a bottom surface of the water receiving recess extends obliquely downwards towards the first drainage hole (Wu, ¶ [0040], Pg. 25, Understandably, the first water collection surface 211 is set as an inclined surface with a certain angle of inclination, and the lowest point of the inclined surface is located at the connecting port 111)
Regarding claim 15, the combined teachings teach of the air duct member according to claim 4, the combined teachings further teach:
further comprising:
a flow guide portion located below the water receiving recess and defining a flow guide channel, the flow guide channel having an upper end in communication with the first drainage hole and a lower end having a third drainage hole, the third drainage hole being located below the first drainage hole and offset from the first drainage hole in a horizontal direction (Wu, Fig. 2, 22 forms the flow guide portion and the entire system is inclined downward from 21 to 22 to pan 3, therefore 22 has an upper end in communication with 111 and a lower end with a third drainage hole at 224 leading to pan 3, third drainage hole 224 is horizontally offset and below 111)
Regarding claim 16, the combined teachings teach of the air duct member according to claim 14, and the combined teachings further teach of:
further comprising:
a flow guide portion located below the water receiving recess and defining a flow guide channel, the flow guide channel having an upper end in communication with the first drainage hole and a lower end having a third drainage hole, the third drainage hole being located below the first drainage hole and offset from the first drainage hole in a horizontal direction (Wu, Fig. 2, 22 forms the flow guide portion and the entire system is inclined downward from 21 to 22 to pan 3, therefore 22 has an upper end in communication with 111 and a lower end with a third drainage hole at 224 leading to pan 3, third drainage hole 224 is horizontally offset and below 111)
Regarding claim 17, the combined teachings teach of:
A ventilation and heat exchange component comprising:
a ventilation assembly comprising the air duct member according to claim 1 and a fan (Wang, Fig. 2, fan 6),
the fan comprising a cross-flow fan wheel disposed at the cross-flow air duct (Wang, Fig. 2, 6 is a cross-flow fan at the entrance to a cross-flow duct 5);
a heat exchange assembly disposed upstream of an air duct outlet (Wang, Fig. 2, 1 is a heat exchanger upstream from an outlet of 5); and
a water receiving assembly comprising a water receiving pan disposed below the heat exchange assembly, the water receiving pan being configured to receive condensed water flowing down along the heat exchange assembly and drainage water from the water receiving recess (Wang, Fig. 2, 2 is below 1 and receives water flowing along 1 and drains water at 23).
Regarding claim 18, the combined teachings teach of the ventilation and heat exchange component according to claim 17, and the combined teachings further teach:
wherein:
the air duct member comprises a flow guide portion (Wu, Fig. 2, 22);
the water receiving pan is located at a rear side of the water receiving portion below the water receiving portion (Wang, Fig. 2, pan 2 is at a rear side of the ducts and therefore the water receiving portion and is below the water receiving portion); and
a third drainage hole is located at a rear side of a first drainage hole below the first drainage hole, and arranged directly above the water receiving pan (Wu, Fig. 2, 22 forms the flow guide portion and the entire system is inclined downward from 21 to 22 to pan 3, therefore 22 has an upper end in communication with 111 and a lower end with a third drainage hole at 224 leading to pan 3, third drainage hole 224 is horizontally offset and below 111)
Regarding claim 19, the combined teachings teach of:
An air conditioner comprising:
a machine body having an air inlet and an air outlet; and
the ventilation and heat exchange component according to claim 17, the ventilation and heat exchange component being disposed in the machine body, wherein:
the air inlet is in communication with an air duct inlet; and
the air outlet is in communication with an air duct outlet (Wang is an air conditioner with a machine body referred to as a shell in the specification which has an inlet and an outlet corresponding to the cross-flow ducts 5).
Regarding claim 20, the combined teachings teach of the air conditioner according to claim 19, and the combined teachings further teach:
wherein:
the air duct member comprises a flow guide portion (Wu, Fig. 2, 22);
the water receiving pan is located at a rear side of the water receiving portion below the
water receiving portion (Wang, Fig. 2, pan 2 is at a rear side of the ducts and therefore the water receiving portion and is below the water receiving portion); and
a third drainage hole is located at a rear side of a first drainage hole below the first drainage hole, and arranged directly above the water receiving pan (Wu, Fig. 2, 22 forms the flow guide portion and the entire system is inclined downward from 21 to 22 to pan 3, therefore 22 has an upper end in communication with 111 and a lower end with a third drainage hole at 224 leading to pan 3, third drainage hole 224 is horizontally offset and below 111)
Claim(s) 6-9 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Wang (CN 110986184 A) in view of Wu (CN 206905222 U) as presented in claim 3, and in further view of Li 1 (CN 105352044 A)
Regarding claim 6, the combined teachings teach of the air duct assembly according to claim 3, however, the combined teachings fail to explicitly teach:
further comprising a support portion located between the two second air duct walls and configured to support the two second air duct walls.
Li 1 teaches of:
further comprising a support portion located between the two second air duct walls and configured to support the two second air duct walls (Figs. 5-6, the second air duct walls have support portion 14)
The combined teachings can be modified to meet this/these limitation(s) as follows:
modify the connection between the two second air duct walls of Wang so that they have the same connection shown in annotated version of Fig. 6 of Li 1 below, including the connection portion and the support portion
A person of ordinary skill in the art prior to the effective filing date of the claimed invention would have been motivated to make the above modification(s) because:
It has been found that the simple substation of one known element for another to obtain predictable results is obvious based upon the following rationale:
The combined teachings, particularly Wang, teach of the air duct member that differs from the claimed device by the substitution of a support portion between the two second air duct walls with a different unspecified connection;
The substituted component and their function was known in the art as represented by Li 1;
A person of ordinary skill in the art prior to the effective filing date of the claimed invention could have substituted the component of Li 1 into Wang and the results would have been predictable as Li teaches of the same type of vertical cross-flow air conditioner as Wang
Further adding the support portion of Li 1 provides a snap fit connection facilitating easy assembly and disassembly of the device
Regarding claim 7, the combined teachings teach of the air duct member according to claim 6, and the combined teachings further teach:
wherein:
the support portion is spaced apart from the water receiving recess and located above the water receiving recess (Li 1, ¶ [0058], Furthermore, the groove 21 penetrates the rear volute 2 in the vertical direction, and multiple extensions 211 are provided on the left and right sides of the groove 21. The multiple extensions 211 located on the same side wall are distributed at intervals in the vertical direction; the connection point for 14 is 211 and is further positioned at multiple points vertically along the duct, therefore 14 is positioned above the water receiving recess in the combined teachings as it is positioned at the very bottom of the ducts); and
an edge of the support portion has a second drainage hole (Li 1, annotated version of Fig. 6 below, see rear portion of 14 that is open, this open portion can act as a second drainage hole as any condensate forming in the rear area of the second duct wall is capable of flowing through it)
Regarding claim 8, the combined teachings teach of the air duct member according to claim 7, and the combined teachings further teach:
wherein:
the two second air duct walls are spaced apart from each other to form a gap between the two second air duct walls;
the air duct member further comprises a connection portion disposed in the gap between the two second air duct walls and connecting the two second air duct walls, the connection portion being located at a rear side of the support portion; and
the second drainage hole is defined between a rear end of the support portion and the connection portion (see annotated version of Fig. 6 of Li 1 below showing the connection portion, second drainage hole and support portion)
Regarding claim 9, the combined teachings teach of the air duct member according to claim 8, and the combined teachings further teach:
wherein a drainage channel is defined between the connection portion and the gap between the two second air duct walls and extends vertically,
the second drainage hole being configured to discharge water towards the water receiving recess through the drainage channel (see annotated version of Fig. 6 of Li 1 below in combination with Fig. 2 of Wang, the support portion of Li 1 being positioned on the second air duct wall of the ducts forms the second drainage hole between the connection portion and the support portion, Wang does not show any obstacles vertically positioned along the second duct walls and therefore the second drainage hole would lead to a drainage channel formed therein that extends vertically to the water receiving portion of Wu)
Claim(s) 12 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Wang (CN 110986184 A) in view of Wu (CN 206905222 U) as presented in claim 1, and in further view of Li 2 (CN 105352040 B)
Regarding claim 12, the combined teachings teach of the air duct member according to claim 1, however, the combined teachings fail to explicitly teach:
wherein the second air duct wall is provided with a cable holder.
Li 2 teaches of:
wherein the second air duct wall is provided with a cable holder (Fig. 4, 116)
The combined teachings can be modified to meet this/these limitation(s) as follows:
add 116 to the upper portion of the second air duct wall of Wang
A person of ordinary skill in the art prior to the effective filing date of the claimed invention would have been motivated to make the above modification(s) because:
it would allow for the motors of the fans of Wang to have necessary electrical wires connected to them and for the wires to be secured so they don’t interfere with other components of the air conditioner (Li 2, ¶ [0127], Specifically, a wire clip 116 is provided on the front surface of the front volute 11 and at a position adjacent to the two motor housings. The wire clip 116 is suitable for fixing the motor wires extending from the two motor housings, thereby facilitating the fixing of the motor wires)
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 10-11 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.
Regarding claim 10:
Claim 10 recites a hook located at a front end of the support portion that extends upward from the support segment. Li 1 is the only known reference to teach of a support portion, particularly one with a rear opening that can function as a drainage hole. As there is no other known prior art that teaches of a support portion in the claimed arrangement and particularly with a hook arranged as claimed, there is no known art rejection for claim 10.
Regarding claim 11:
Claim 11 recites that the support portion has a water collection recess with a flow guide rib. As recited above, Li 1 is the only known reference to teach of a support portion, particularly one with a rear opening that can function as a drainage hole. As there is no other known prior art that teaches of a support portion in the claimed arrangement and particularly with water collection recess or a flow guide rib as claimed, there is no known art rejection for claim 11.
Annotated Figures
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Annotated Fig. 2 of Wang
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Annotated Fig. 6 of Li 1
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to MICHAEL J GIORDANO whose telephone number is (571)272-8940. The examiner can normally be reached M-Fr 8 AM - 5 PM EST.
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/MICHAEL JAMES GIORDANO/Examiner, Art Unit 3762
/STEVEN B MCALLISTER/Supervisory Patent Examiner, Art Unit 3762