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 12/18/2023 was filed on or after the mailing date of the 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.
Priority
Acknowledgment is made of applicant's claim for foreign priority based on an application filed on 12/20/2022.
Drawings
The drawings are objected to under 37 CFR 1.83(a). The drawings must show every feature of the invention specified in the claims. Therefore,
Regarding Claims 3, 5-7 and 16, the “heat exchanger,”
Regarding Claims 3-17, the “air-conditioner.”
must be shown or the feature(s) canceled from the claim(s). No new matter should be entered.
Corrected drawing sheets in compliance with 37 CFR 1.121(d) are required in reply to the Office action to avoid abandonment of the application. Any amended replacement drawing sheet should include all of the figures appearing on the immediate prior version of the sheet, even if only one figure is being amended. The figure or figure number of an amended drawing should not be labeled as “amended.” If a drawing figure is to be canceled, the appropriate figure must be removed from the replacement sheet, and where necessary, the remaining figures must be renumbered and appropriate changes made to the brief description of the several views of the drawings for consistency. Additional replacement sheets may be necessary to show the renumbering of the remaining figures. Each drawing sheet submitted after the filing date of an application must be labeled in the top margin as either “Replacement Sheet” or “New Sheet” pursuant to 37 CFR 1.121(d). If the changes are not accepted by the examiner, the applicant will be notified and informed of any required corrective action in the next Office action. The objection to the drawings will not be held in abeyance.
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.
The factual inquiries 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.
Claim(s) 1-2, 5, 11, 16 and 18-20 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Hu et al. (US2023/0398835A1) and in view of Yano et al. (US20200324611A1).
Regarding Claim 1, Hu teaches a vehicle cooler [at least fig. 1; 0011] configured to cool a drive unit [18] that drives a vehicle [0065 “driving conditions”; 0003 “electric vehicle” ] and a battery [11], the vehicle cooler [at least fig. 1] comprising: a cooling channel [0045 “coolant system includes”] connecting the drive unit [18] and the battery [11] in series to allow a refrigerant to flow through the drive unit [18] and the battery [0075 “communicated in sequence”], wherein the battery [11] is connected downstream of the drive unit [fig. 6 where the battery is downstream the drive unit].
Hu does not explicitly teach a battery that supplies electric power to the drive unit.
However, Yano teaches a battery [35 corresponding to 11 of Hu] that supplies electric power to the drive unit [0061 “power to the MG”].
It would have been obvious to someone of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify the apparatus of Hu to have a battery that supplies electric power to the drive unit in view of the teachings of Yano where the elements could have been combined by known methods with no change in their respective functions, and the combination would have yielded predictable results,
i.e. secures a vehicle cooler where a better supplies electric power to the drive unit allowing electric power being stored in the battery to be used to power the motor-generator [Yano; para. 0061].
Regarding Claim 2, modified Hu teaches the vehicle cooler as defined in claim 1 and Yano teaches wherein the drive unit [35] comprises a motor [0020 “a motor” ] for vehicle driving [0020 “drive sources”] and a power control unit [37] configured to regulate electric power to be supplied to the motor [0062 “controlling the battery and MG”].
Regarding Claim 5, modified Hu teaches the vehicle cooler as defined in claim 2 and Hu teaches Hu teaches comprising:
a second bypass channel [0047 “first bypass branch is connected in parallel with the battery heat exchange device” in at least fig. 8 under (11) connected to (133)] connected between the drive unit [18] and the battery [11] to allow the refrigerant to flow while bypassing the battery [see at least fig. 8];
a second switching valve [13] configured to switchably allow the refrigerant to flow through the battery [see fig. 7] or through the second bypass channel [see fig. 8];
an air-conditioner [100] configured to air-condition a vehicle cabin [0034 “passenger compartment”];
a heat exchanger [9] configured to perform heat exchange with the air-conditioner [100] to heat the refrigerant flowing through the cooling channel [0038 “realize the heat exchange between the refrigerant and the coolant”]; and
a controller [200] configured adjust operation of the second switching valve [0121 “plurality of flow direction switching devices”], the air-conditioner [0124 “air-conditioning operation mode”], and the drive unit [0121 “motors”],
wherein in response to a temperature [Yano; 0131 “tw”] of the drive unit [18] being lower than a second predetermined temperature [Yano; 0131 “twup”] while the vehicle is stopped [Yano; 0100 “the internal combustion engine is stopped” further, one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention would recognize that the vehicle would be in a stopped state over the course of being driven],
the controller [200] is configured to switch the second switching valve [13] to allow the refrigerant to flow through the second bypass channel [fig. 8 channel connected to 133], and drive the air-conditioner[100] to heat the refrigerant by the air-conditioner [0077 “heats the air around” see also 0084] and the heat exchanger [9] to raise the temperature of the drive unit with the refrigerant that is heated [0085 “realize the heating of the motor assembly”].
Regarding Claim 11, modified Hu teaches the vehicle cooler as defined in claim 5 and Hu teaches wherein in response to the temperature [Yano; TW] of the drive unit [18] being equal to or higher than the second predetermined temperature [0133-0135 “higher than the upper limit temperature Twup”], the controller [200] is configured to switch the second switching valve [13] to allow the refrigerant to flow through the battery [Yano; see at least figs. 7 and 11], and
drive the air-conditioner [100] and the drive unit [18] to heat the refrigerant by the air-conditioner [100], the heat exchanger [9], and the drive unit [18], to raise the temperature of the battery with the refrigerant that is heated [0103-106 “heating of the battery is realized” “motor assembly needs to dissipate heat” see also 0071 ].
Regarding Claim 16, modified Hu teaches the vehicle cooler as defined in claim 2 and Hu teaches wherein the cooling channel [fig. 6 ] comprises a drive unit return channel [at least fig. 6 where port 142 to 193 is a drive unit return channel] that allows the refrigerant to return to the drive unit [Fig. 6] and a battery return channel [in at least fig. 6 from the outlet of 92 to port 142] that allows the refrigerant to return to the battery [fig. 6], the vehicle cooler further comprises:
a third switching valve [14] configured to switch a connection mode regarding connection of the drive unit return channel and the battery return channel [0049 “first connection state and a second connection state”], between a serial connection mode [at least fig. 7] in which the drive unit and the battery are connected in series [fig. 7 where clearly the drive unit and battery are connected in series],
with the battery being downstream of the drive unit [at least fig. 7], to allow the refrigerant to flow through the drive unit and the battery [fig. 7], and a channel separation mode [at least fig. 8] in which the battery return channel and the drive unit return channel are separated [fig. 8 where clearly they are separated];
an air-conditioner [100] configured to air-condition a vehicle cabin [0034 “passenger compartment”];
a heat exchanger [9] that performs heat exchange with the air-conditioner [100] to heat the refrigerant that flows through the cooling channel [0038 “realize the heat exchange between the refrigerant and the coolant”]; and
a controller [200] configured to adjust operation of the air-conditioner [100] and the drive unit [0121], and
in response to a remaining capacity of the battery being equal to or lower than a predetermined capacity [Yano; 003 “SOC of the battery is low”] during traveling of the vehicle [Yano; 0100 “being driven by the MG”], the controller [200] is configured to switch the third switching valve [14] to the serial connection mode [at least fig. 7], drive the air-conditioner [100] and heat the refrigerant by the air-conditioner [100], the heat exchanger [9], and the drive unit [18], and raise the temperature of the battery [11] with the refrigerant that is heated [0103-0106 “temperature of the coolant rises” see also 0071].
Regarding Claim 18, modified Hu teaches the vehicle cooler as defined in claim 2 and Hu teaches wherein the cooling channel [fig. 6 ] comprises a drive unit return channel [at least fig. 6 where port 142 to 193 is a drive unit return channel] that allows the refrigerant to return to the drive unit [Fig. 6] and a battery return channel [in at least fig. 6 from the outlet of 92 to port 142] that allows the refrigerant to return to the battery [fig. 6], the vehicle cooler further comprises:
a third switching valve [14] configured to switch a connection mode regarding connection of the drive unit return channel and the battery return channel [0049 “first connection state and a second connection state”], between a serial connection mode [at least fig. 7] in which the drive unit and the battery are connected in series [fig. 7 where clearly the drive unit and battery are connected in series], with the battery being downstream of the drive unit [at least fig. 7], to allow the refrigerant to flow through the drive unit and the battery [fig. 7], and a channel separation mode [at least fig. 8] in which the battery return channel and the drive unit return channel are separated [fig. 8 where clearly they are separated]; and
a controller [200] configured to adjust operation of the third switching valve [0121 “a plurality of flow direction switching devices”], and the controller [200] is configured to switch [0121 where the controller is clearly configured to switch the third switching valve (14)] the third switching valve [14] to the serial connection mode [at least fig. 6] to constitute the cooling channel that connects the drive unit and the battery in series [at least fig. 6 see also 0049 “a first connection state and a second connection state”].
Regarding Claim 19, modified Hu teaches the vehicle cooler as defined in claim 5 and Hu teaches wherein the cooling channel [fig. 6 ] comprises a drive unit return channel [at least fig. 6 where port 142 to 193 is a drive unit return channel] that allows the refrigerant to return to the drive unit [Fig. 6] and a battery return channel [in at least fig. 6 from the outlet of 92 to port 142] that allows the refrigerant to return to the battery [fig. 6], the vehicle cooler further comprises:
a third switching valve [14] configured to switch a connection mode regarding connection of the drive unit return channel and the battery return channel [0049 “first connection state and a second connection state”], between a serial connection mode [at least fig. 7] in which the drive unit and the battery are connected in series [fig. 7 where clearly the drive unit and battery are connected in series], with the battery being downstream of the drive unit [at least fig. 7], to allow the refrigerant to flow through the drive unit and the battery [fig. 7], and a channel separation mode [at least fig. 8] in which the battery return channel and the drive unit return channel are separated [fig. 8 where clearly they are separated];
the controller [200] configured to adjust operation of the third switching valve [0121 “a plurality of flow direction switching devices”], and the controller [200] is configured to switch [0121 where the controller is clearly configured to switch the third switching valve (14)] the third switching valve [14] to the serial connection mode [at least fig. 6] to form the cooling channel in which the drive unit and the battery are connected in series [at least fig. 6 see also 0049 “a first connection state and a second connection state”].
Regarding Claim 20, modified Hu teaches the vehicle cooler as defined in claim 11 Hu teaches wherein the cooling channel [fig. 6 ] comprises a drive unit return channel [at least fig. 6 where port 142 to 193 is a drive unit return channel] that allows the refrigerant to return to the drive unit [Fig. 6] and a battery return channel [in at least fig. 6 from the outlet of 92 to port 142] that allows the refrigerant to return to the battery [fig. 6], the vehicle cooler further comprises:
a third switching valve [14] configured to switch a connection mode regarding connection of the drive unit return channel and the battery return channel [0049 “first connection state and a second connection state”], between a serial connection mode [at least fig. 7] in which the drive unit and the battery are connected in series [fig. 7 where clearly the drive unit and battery are connected in series], with the battery being downstream of the drive unit [at least fig. 7], to allow the refrigerant to flow through the drive unit and the battery [fig. 7], and a channel separation mode [at least fig. 8] in which the battery return channel and the drive unit return channel are separated [fig. 8 where clearly they are separated];
the controller [200] configured to adjust operation of the third switching valve [0121 “a plurality of flow direction switching devices”], and the controller [200] is configured to switch [0121 where the controller is clearly configured to switch the third switching valve (14)] the third switching valve [14] to the serial connection mode [at least fig. 6] to form the cooling channel that connects the drive unit and the battery in series [at least fig. 6 see also 0049 “a first connection state and a second connection state”].
Claim(s) 3-4, 6-7, 12-13 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Hu et al. (US2023/0398835A1), Yano et al. (US 20200324611 A1) and in view of Ishizeki et al. (US2022/0258570A1).
Regarding Claim 3, modified Hu teaches the vehicle cooler as defined in claim 2 and Hu teaches comprising:
a valve [Yano; 34]
an air-conditioner [100] configured to air-condition a vehicle cabin [0034 “passenger compartment”];
a heat exchanger [9] configured to perform heat exchange with the air-conditioner [100] to heat the refrigerant flowing through the cooling channel [0038 “realize the heat exchange between the refrigerant and the coolant”]; and
a controller [200] configured to adjust operation of the valve [Yano; 34], the air-conditioner [100], and the drive unit [Hu; 0121 “adjustment of the working states” where the controller of Hu would control the valve of Yano].
Modified Hu does not explicitly teach a first bypass channel connected to the cooling channel to allow the refrigerant to flow through the battery while bypassing the drive unit; a first switching valve configured to switchably allow the refrigerant to pass through the first bypass channel or through the drive unit; and wherein in response to a temperature of the drive unit being lower than a first predetermined temperature, the controller is configured to switch the first switching valve to allow the refrigerant to flow through the first bypass channel, and drive the air-conditioner [100] to heat the refrigerant by the air-conditioner and the heat exchanger to raise a temperature of the battery with the refrigerant that is heated.
However, Ishizeki teaches a first bypass channel [68k] connected to the cooling channel [60 corresponding to fig. 6 of Hu] to allow the refrigerant to flow through the battery while bypassing the drive unit [at least fig. 3];
a first switching valve [81 corresponding to 34 of Yano] configured to switchably allow the refrigerant to pass through the first bypass channel [fig. 3 clearly showing refrigerant passing thought the first bypass channel] or through the drive unit [0066 “circulation is performed in which as indicated by sold line arrows in FIG. 1”]; and
wherein in response to a temperature [Tm] of the drive unit [65 corresponding to 18 of Hu] being lower than a first predetermined [T2] temperature [0129 “lower than the predetermined value”], the controller [32] is configured to switch the first switching valve [81] to allow the refrigerant to flow through the first bypass channel [0131 “second circulation mode (FIG. 3)”], and drive the air-conditioner [10 corresponding to 100 of Hu] to heat the refrigerant by the air-conditioner [0131 “heating assistance”] and the heat exchanger [64 corresponding to 9 of Hu] to raise a temperature of the battery with the refrigerant that is heated [0133 “battery 55 is heated”].
It would have been obvious to someone of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify the apparatus of the modified Hu teaching with Ishizeki by combining a first bypass channel connected to the cooling channel to allow the refrigerant to flow through the battery while bypassing the drive unit; a first switching valve configured to switchably allow the refrigerant to pass through the first bypass channel or through the drive unit; and wherein in response to a temperature of the drive unit being lower than a first predetermined temperature, the controller is configured to switch the first switching valve to allow the refrigerant to flow through the first bypass channel, and drive the air-conditioner to heat the refrigerant by the air-conditioner and the heat exchanger to raise a temperature of the battery with the refrigerant that is heated where the elements could have been combined by known methods with no change in their respective functions, and the combination would have yielded predictable results,
i.e. secures a vehicle cooler that has a drive unit bypass with a switchable valve to control the temperature of the drive unit and raises the temperature of the batter which effectively adjust the temperatures of the battery and the motor for running [Ishizeki ; para. 0141].
Regarding Claim 4, modified Hu teaches the vehicle cooler as defined in claim 3 and Hu teaches wherein in response to the temperature of the drive unit being equal to or higher than the first predetermined temperature [Ishizeki ; 0125], the controller is configured to switch the first switching valve [Ishizeki; 81] to allow the refrigerant to flow through the drive unit [Hu; fig. 6 where clearly the first switching valve 19 corresponding to 81 of Ishizeki allows refrigerant to flow through the drive unit], and drive the air-conditioner [100] and the drive unit [18] to heat the refrigerant by the air-conditioner [0086 “refrigerant flowing through the second heat exchanger [9] and the third heat exchanger can be adjusted”], the heat exchanger [9], and the drive unit [18] to raise the temperature of the battery with the refrigerant that is heated [0085 “heating of the battery assembly”].
Regarding Claim 6, modified Hu teaches the vehicle cooler as defined in claim 3 and Hu teaches Hu teaches comprising:
a second bypass channel [0047 “first bypass branch is connected in parallel with the battery heat exchange device”] connected between the drive unit [18] and the battery [11], the second bypass channel [0047] configured to allow the refrigerant to flow while bypassing the battery [see at least fig. 8];
a second switching valve [13] configured to switchably allow the refrigerant to flow through the battery [see fig. 7] or through the second bypass channel [see fig. 8];
an air-conditioner [100] configured to air-condition a vehicle cabin [0034 “passenger compartment”];
a heat exchanger [9] configured to perform heat exchange with the air-conditioner [100] to heat the refrigerant flowing through the cooling channel [0038 “realize the heat exchange between the refrigerant and the coolant”]; and
a controller [200] configured adjust operation of the second switching valve [0121 “plurality of flow direction switching devices”], the air-conditioner [0124 “air-conditioning operation mode”], and the drive unit [0121 “motors”],
wherein in response to the temperature [Yano; 0131 “tw”] of the drive unit [18] being lower than a second predetermined temperature [Yano; 0131 “twup”] while the vehicle is stopped [Yano; 0100 “the internal combustion engine is stopped” further, one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention would recognize that the vehicle would be in a stopped state over the course of being driven], the controller [200] is configured to switch the second switching valve [13] to allow the refrigerant to flow through the second bypass channel [fig. 8], and drive the air-conditioner [100] to heat the refrigerant by the air-conditioner [0077 “heats the air around” see also 0084] and the heat exchanger [9] to raise the temperature of the drive unit with the refrigerant that is heated [0085 “realize the heating of the motor assembly”].
Regarding Claim 7, modified Hu teaches the vehicle cooler as defined in claim 4 and Hu teaches Hu teaches comprising:
a second bypass channel [0047 “first bypass branch is connected in parallel with the battery heat exchange device”] connected between the drive unit [18] and the battery [11], the second bypass channel [0047] configured to allow the refrigerant to flow while bypassing the battery [see at least fig. 8];
a second switching valve [13] configured to switchably allow the refrigerant to flow through the battery [see fig. 7] or through the second bypass channel [see fig. 8];
an air-conditioner [100] configured to air-condition a vehicle cabin [0034 “passenger compartment”];
a heat exchanger [9] configured to perform heat exchange with the air-conditioner [100] to heat the refrigerant flowing through the cooling channel [0038 “realize the heat exchange between the refrigerant and the coolant”]; and
a controller [200] configured adjust operation of the second switching valve [0121 “plurality of flow direction switching devices”], the air-conditioner [0124 “air-conditioning operation mode”], and the drive unit [0121 “motors”],
wherein in response to the temperature [Yano; 0131 “tw”] of the drive unit [18] being lower than a second predetermined temperature [Yano; 0131 “twup”] while the vehicle is stopped [Yano; 0100 “the internal combustion engine is stopped” further, one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention would recognize that the vehicle would be in a stopped state over the course of being driven], the controller [200] is configured to switch the second switching valve [13] to allow the refrigerant to flow through the second bypass channel [fig. 8], and drive the air-conditioner [100] to heat the refrigerant by the air-conditioner [0077 “heats the air around” see also 0084] and the heat exchanger [9] to raise the temperature of the drive unit with the refrigerant that is heated [0085 “realize the heating of the motor assembly”].
Regarding Claim 12, modified Hu teaches the vehicle cooler as defined in claim 6 and Hu teaches wherein in response to the temperature [Yano; TW] of the drive unit [18] being equal to or higher than the second predetermined temperature [0133-0135 “higher than the upper limit temperature Twup”], the controller [200] is configured to switch the second switching valve [13] to allow the refrigerant to flow through the battery [Yano; see at least figs. 7 and 11], the controller [200] is configured to switch the second switching valve [13] to allow the refrigerant to flow through the battery [11], and drive the air-conditioner [100] and the drive unit [18] to heat the refrigerant by the air-conditioner [100], the heat exchanger [9], and the drive unit [18], to raise the temperature of the battery with the refrigerant that is heated [0103-106 “heating of the battery is realized” “motor assembly needs to dissipate heat” see also 0071 ].
Regarding Claim 13, modified Hu teaches the vehicle cooler as defined in claim 7 and Hu teaches wherein in response to the temperature [Yano; TW] of the drive unit [18] being equal to or higher than the second predetermined temperature [0133-0135 “higher than the upper limit temperature Twup”], the controller [200] is configured to switch the second switching valve [13] to allow the refrigerant to flow through the battery [Yano; see at least figs. 7 and 11], the controller [200] is configured to switch the second switching valve [13] to allow the refrigerant to flow through the battery [11], and drive the air-conditioner [100] and the drive unit [18] to heat the refrigerant by the air-conditioner [100], the heat exchanger [9], and the drive unit [18], to raise the temperature of the battery with the refrigerant that is heated [0103-106 “heating of the battery is realized” “motor assembly needs to dissipate heat” see also 0071 ].
Claim(s) 8, 14, 17 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Hu et al. (US2023/0398835A1), Yano et al. (US 20200324611 A1) and in view of Uto et al. (US2020/0003320A1).
Regarding Claim 8, modified Hu teaches the vehicle cooler as defined in claim 5 and Hu teaches wherein the drive unit [18], the air-conditioner [100], and the heat exchanger [9] are housed within a front compartment of the vehicle [Yano; Fig. 3 where the vehicle has a front compartment and the components would be within the front compartment], the vehicle cooler [fig. 1] comprises a grille [0053 “grille”].
Modified Hu does not explicitly teach a grille shutter configured to open or close an opening of the front compartment, and in response to the temperature of the drive unit being lower than the second predetermined temperature while the vehicle is stopped, the controller is configured to close the grille shutter.
However, Uto teaches a grille shutter [62a/b] configured to open or close an opening of the front compartment [0046 “open,” “closed” and “front grill” see at least fig. 1], and in response to the temperature of the drive unit [2 corresponding to 18 of Hu] being lower than the second predetermined temperature while the vehicle is stopped, the controller is configured to close the grille shutter [0071-0072 “Tth1+a1” where the grille shutters of Uto would be closed while stopped when the predetermined closing temperatures are detected].
It would have been obvious to someone of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify the apparatus of the modified Hu teaching with Uto by combining a grille shutter configured to open or close an opening of the front compartment, and in response to the temperature of the drive unit being lower than the second predetermined temperature while the vehicle is stopped, the controller is configured to close the grille shutter
where the elements could have been combined by known methods with no change in their respective functions, and the combination would have yielded predictable results,
i.e. secures vehicle cooler with a grille shutter that opens or closes the front compartment in response to a drive unit temperature while the vehicle is stopped which makes improves the efficiency of the thermal management system [Uto; para. 0024].
Regarding Claim 14, modified Hu teaches the vehicle cooler as defined in claim 8 and Hu teaches wherein in response to the temperature [Yano; TW] of the drive unit [18] being equal to or higher than the second predetermined temperature [0133-0135 “higher than the upper limit temperature Twup”], the controller [200] is configured to switch the second switching valve [13] to allow the refrigerant to flow through the battery [Yano; see at least figs. 7 and 11], the controller [200] is configured to switch the second switching valve [13] to allow the refrigerant to flow through the battery [11], and drive the air-conditioner [100] and the drive unit [18] to heat the refrigerant by the air-conditioner [100], the heat exchanger [9], and the drive unit [18], to raise the temperature of the battery with the refrigerant that is heated [0103-106 “heating of the battery is realized” “motor assembly needs to dissipate heat” see also 0071 ].
Regarding Claim 17, modified Hu teaches the vehicle cooler as defined in claim 16 and Hu teaches wherein the drive unit [18], the air-conditioner [100], and the heat exchanger [9] are housed within a front compartment of the vehicle [Yano; Fig. 3 where the vehicle has a front compartment and the components would be within the front compartment], the vehicle cooler [at least fig. 1] comprises a grille [0053 “grille”].
Modified Hu does not explicitly teach a grille shutter configured to open or close an opening of the front compartment, and the controller is configured to calculate a temperature difference between the temperature of the drive unit and a cooling start temperature at which cooling of the drive unit is necessary, and close the grille shutter in response to the temperature difference being equal to or higher than a predetermined threshold value.
However, Uto teaches a grille shutter [62a/b] configured to open or close an opening of the front compartment [0046 “open,” “closed” and “front grill” see at least fig. 1], and the controller [electric control unit corresponding to 200 of Hu] is configured to calculate a temperature difference [0069 “calculates”] between the temperature of the drive unit and a cooling start temperature at which cooling of the drive unit is necessary [0071-0072 “greater than the temperature threshold”], and close the grille shutter [0084 “grille shutter is closed”] in response to the temperature difference being equal to or higher than a predetermined threshold value [0084-0085 “exceeded ”].
It would have been obvious to someone of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify the apparatus of the modified Hu teaching with Uto by combining a grille shutter configured to open or close an opening of the front compartment, and the controller is configured to calculate a temperature difference between the temperature of the drive unit and a cooling start temperature at which cooling of the drive unit is necessary, and close the grille shutter in response to the temperature difference being equal to or higher than a predetermined threshold value where the elements could have been combined by known methods with no change in their respective functions, and the combination would have yielded predictable results,
i.e. secures vehicle cooler with a grille shutter that opens or closes the front compartment in response to a drive unit temperature and is able to close the shutter when equal to or higher than a predetermined threshold value which makes improves the efficiency of the thermal management system [Uto; para. 0024].
Claim(s) 9-10, 15 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Hu et al. (US2023/0398835A1), Yano et al. (US 20200324611 A1), Ishizeki et al. (US2022/0258570A1) and in view of Uto et al. (US2020/0003320A1).
Regarding Claim 9, modified Hu teaches the vehicle cooler as defined in claim 6 and Hu teaches wherein the drive unit [18], the air-conditioner [100], and the heat exchanger [9] are housed within a front compartment of the vehicle [Yano; Fig. 3 where the vehicle has a front compartment and the components would be within the front compartment], the vehicle cooler [fig. 1] comprises a grille [0053 “grille”].
Modified Hu does not explicitly teach a grille shutter configured to open or close an opening of the front compartment, and in response to the temperature of the drive unit being lower than the second predetermined temperature while the vehicle is stopped, the controller is configured to close the grille shutter.
However, Uto teaches a grille shutter [62a/b] configured to open or close an opening of the front compartment [0046 “open,” “closed” and “front grill” see at least fig. 1], and in response to the temperature of the drive unit [2 corresponding to 18 of Hu] being lower than the second predetermined temperature while the vehicle is stopped, the controller is configured to close the grille shutter [0071-0072 “Tth1+a1” where the grille shutters of Uto would be closed while stopped when the predetermined closing temperatures are detected].
It would have been obvious to someone of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify the apparatus of the modified Hu teaching with Uto by combining a grille shutter configured to open or close an opening of the front compartment, and in response to the temperature of the drive unit being lower than the second predetermined temperature while the vehicle is stopped, the controller is configured to close the grille shutter
where the elements could have been combined by known methods with no change in their respective functions, and the combination would have yielded predictable results,
i.e. secures vehicle cooler with a grille shutter that opens or closes the front compartment in response to a drive unit temperature while the vehicle is stopped which makes improves the efficiency of the thermal management system [Uto; para. 0024].
Regarding Claim 10, modified Hu teaches the vehicle cooler as defined in claim 7 and Hu teaches wherein the drive unit [18], the air-conditioner [100], and the heat exchanger [9] are housed within a front compartment of the vehicle [Yano; Fig. 3 where the vehicle has a front compartment and the components would be within the front compartment], the vehicle cooler [fig. 1] comprises a grille [0053 “grille”].
Modified Hu does not explicitly teach a grille shutter configured to open or close an opening of the front compartment, and in response to the temperature of the drive unit being lower than the second predetermined temperature while the vehicle is stopped, the controller is configured to close the grille shutter.
However, Uto teaches a grille shutter [62a/b] configured to open or close an opening of the front compartment [0046 “open,” “closed” and “front grill” see at least fig. 1], and in response to the temperature of the drive unit [2 corresponding to 18 of Hu] being lower than the second predetermined temperature while the vehicle is stopped, the controller is configured to close the grille shutter [0071-0072 “Tth1+a1” where the grille shutters of Uto would be closed while stopped when the predetermined closing temperatures are detected].
It would have been obvious to someone of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify the apparatus of the modified Hu teaching with Uto by combining a grille shutter configured to open or close an opening of the front compartment, and in response to the temperature of the drive unit being lower than the second predetermined temperature while the vehicle is stopped, the controller is configured to close the grille shutter
where the elements could have been combined by known methods with no change in their respective functions, and the combination would have yielded predictable results,
i.e. secures vehicle cooler with a grille shutter that opens or closes the front compartment in response to a drive unit temperature while the vehicle is stopped which makes improves the efficiency of the thermal management system [Uto; para. 0024].
Regarding Claim 15, modified Hu teaches the vehicle cooler as defined in claim 9 and Hu teaches wherein in response to the temperature [Yano; TW] of the drive unit [18] being equal to or higher than the second predetermined temperature [0133-0135 “higher than the upper limit temperature Twup”], the controller [200] is configured to switch the second switching valve [13] to allow the refrigerant to flow through the battery [Yano; see at least figs. 7 and 11], the controller [200] is configured to switch the second switching valve [13] to allow the refrigerant to flow through the battery [11], and drive the air-conditioner [100] and the drive unit [18] to heat the refrigerant by the air-conditioner [100], the heat exchanger [9], and the drive unit [18], to raise the temperature of the battery with the refrigerant that is heated [0103-106 “heating of the battery is realized” “motor assembly needs to dissipate heat” see also 0071 ].
Conclusion
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/ADAM DORREL MOORE/Examiner, Art Unit 3763
/JERRY-DARYL FLETCHER/Supervisory Patent Examiner, Art Unit 3763
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