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 .
Election/Restrictions
Applicant’s election without traverse of Group I (claims 1-8, 15-18), Species B (Fig. 2) in the reply filed on 8/18/2025 is acknowledged. Claims 9-14 and 19-24 are withdrawn.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 102
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 1-7 and 15-18 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Barbier (US 4,362,027 – provided by Applicant in the IDS).
Regarding claim 1, Barbier teaches a refrigeration system (see Title), comprising:
a compressor (see Fig. 5), a condenser (see Fig. 5), an expansion valve (10, Fig. 5, col. 3, lines 20-30), an evaporator (see Fig. 5), a first passage (defined as the passage between the evaporator and compressor), a first temperature sensor (36, Fig. 5, col. 4, lines 56-68), and a second passage (defined as the passage between the condenser and evaporator), wherein the evaporator and the compressor are in communication with each other through the first passage (see Fig. 5), a sensing head of the first temperature sensor is arranged in the first passage (see Fig. 5), the second passage is arranged between the condenser and the evaporator (see Fig. 5), and the expansion valve is configured to form a throttling position in the second passage (see Fig. 5), and the refrigeration system further comprises:
a bypass passage (45, Fig. 5), which has an outlet in communication with the first passage and an inlet in communication with the second passage, the bypass passage is provided with a throttling portion (46, Fig. 5, col. 5, lines 4-14), which is arranged between the inlet of the bypass passage and the outlet of the bypass passage; and a second temperature sensor, in which a sensing head of the second temperature sensor is arranged in the bypass passage and between the throttling portion and the outlet of the bypass passage, and arranged adjacent to the outlet (35, Fig. 5, col. 5, lines 4-14).
Regarding claim 2, Barbier teaches the refrigeration system according to claim 1, wherein the refrigeration system comprises a controller (see Abstract which notes control systems), the controller is configured to determine a superheat degree of an inlet of the compressor based on sensing results of the first temperature sensor and the second temperature sensor (see Abstract, “The valve will then modulate to control superheat in response to the differences in the temperatures sensed by the sensors”).
Regarding claim 3, Barbier teaches the refrigeration system according to claim 2, wherein the controller is configured to determine the superheat degree of the inlet of the compressor based on a difference between the sensing results of the first temperature sensor and the second temperature sensor (see claim 1, “an electrical amplifier circuit connecting the sensors to the valve for modulation of the opening and closing of the valve in response to the differences in the temperatures sensed by the sensors”).
Regarding claim 4, Barbier teaches the refrigeration system according to claim 1, wherein the expansion valve comprises a valve body (11, Fig. 1, col. 3, lines 20-30) and a valve core (15, Fig. 1, col. 3, lines 20-30), the valve body has a first hole passage, the first hole passage has a valve port (13, Fig. 1, col. 3, lines 20-30), the valve core is movable relative to the valve port, the valve core is configured to regulate a flow area of the first hole passage (see col. 3, lines 20-30, “the valve body 11 includes a valve seat 15 in the chamber 12 between the inlet and outlet ports 13 and 14. A valve member 16 is reciprocatively mounted in the valve chamber 12 and cooperates with the valve seat 15 to control flow through the inlet and outlet ports 13 and 14”) , and the first hole passage is a part of the second passage (13, Fig. 1, further see Fig. 5).
Regarding claim 5, Barbier teaches the refrigeration system according to claim 4, wherein the valve body has a second hole passage, the second hole passage is a part of the first passage, and the first temperature sensor is fixedly connected to the valve body (14, Fig. 1, col. 3, lines 20-30, further see Fig. 5).
Regarding claim 6, Barbier teaches the refrigeration system according to claim 1, wherein the bypass passage is at least partially arranged between the expansion valve and the evaporator (see Fig. 5) or;
the bypass passage is at least partially arranged within the expansion valve (not required as the claim is claimed in the alternative), or the bypass passage is at least partially arranged within the evaporator (not required as the claim is claimed in the alternative), and a heat insulating portion is provided between the bypass passage and a main body portion of the evaporator (not required as the claim is claimed in the alternative).
Regarding claim 7, Barbier teaches the refrigeration system according to claim 6, wherein the bypass passage is at least partially arranged within the expansion valve, and the inlet of the bypass passage is closer to an inlet of the second passage relative to the throttling position of the second passage, or the inlet of the bypass passage is closer to an outlet of the second passage than the throttling position of the second passage (the limitation is not required as claim 6 is claimed in the alternative, and the recitation of the bypass passage being at least partially arranged within the expansion valve is not positively recited).
Regarding claim 15, Barbier teaches the refrigeration system according to claim 2, wherein the expansion valve comprises a valve body (11, Fig. 1, col. 3, lines 20-30) and a valve core (15, Fig. 1, col. 3, lines 20-30), the valve body has a first hole passage (13, Fig. 1, col. 3, lines 20-30), the first hole passage has a valve port, the valve core is movable relative to the valve port, the valve core is configured to regulate a flow area of the first hole passage, and the first hole passage is a part of the second passage(see col. 3, lines 20-30, “the valve body 11 includes a valve seat 15 in the chamber 12 between the inlet and outlet ports 13 and 14. A valve member 16 is reciprocatively mounted in the valve chamber 12 and cooperates with the valve seat 15 to control flow through the inlet and outlet ports 13 and 14”) , and the first hole passage is a part of the second passage (13, Fig. 1, further see Fig. 5).
Regarding claim 16, Barbier teaches the refrigeration system according to claim 3, wherein the expansion valve comprises a valve body (11, Fig. 1, col. 3, lines 20-30) and a valve core (15, Fig. 1, col. 3, lines 20-30), the valve body has a first hole passage (13, Fig. 1, col. 3, lines 20-30), the first hole passage has a valve port, the valve core is movable relative to the valve port, the valve core is configured to regulate a flow area of the first hole passage (see col. 3, lines 20-30, “the valve body 11 includes a valve seat 15 in the chamber 12 between the inlet and outlet ports 13 and 14. A valve member 16 is reciprocatively mounted in the valve chamber 12 and cooperates with the valve seat 15 to control flow through the inlet and outlet ports 13 and 14”), and the first hole passage is a part of the second passage (13, Fig. 1, further see Fig. 5).
Regarding claim 17, Barbier teaches the refrigeration system according to claim 2, wherein bypass passage is at least partially arranged between the expansion valve and the evaporator (see Fig. 5) or;
the bypass passage is at least partially arranged within the expansion valve (not required as the claim is claimed in the alternative), or the bypass passage is at least partially arranged within the evaporator (not required as the claim is claimed in the alternative), and a heat insulating portion is provided between the bypass passage and a main body portion of the evaporator (not required as the claim is claimed in the alternative).
Regarding claim 18, Barbier teaches the refrigeration system according to claim 3, bypass passage is at least partially arranged between the expansion valve and the evaporator (see Fig. 5) or;
the bypass passage is at least partially arranged within the expansion valve (not required as the claim is claimed in the alternative), or the bypass passage is at least partially arranged within the evaporator (not required as the claim is claimed in the alternative), and a heat insulating portion is provided between the bypass passage and a main body portion of the evaporator (not required as the claim is claimed in the alternative).
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 8 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Barbier, alone.
Regarding claim 8, Barbier teaches the refrigeration system according to claim 4, but does not teach that one end, in communication with the first passage, of the bypass passage is located in the valve body. However, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art, prior to the effective filing date, to provide the bypass passage located in the valve body, as it has been held that forming in one piece of an article which has formerly been formed in two pieces and put together involves only routine skill in the art.
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to NAEL N BABAA whose telephone number is (571)270-3272. The examiner can normally be reached M-F, 9-5 EST.
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/NAEL N BABAA/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3763