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 based on a Japanese application 2021-114920 filed in Japan on July 12, 2021. Acknowledgment is made of applicant's claim for filing of this U.S. National Stage under 35 USC 371 and international filing date on March 15, 2022.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 112
The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 112(d):
(d) REFERENCE IN DEPENDENT FORMS.—Subject to subsection (e), a claim in dependent form shall contain a reference to a claim previously set forth and then specify a further limitation of the subject matter claimed. A claim in dependent form shall be construed to incorporate by reference all the limitations of the claim to which it refers.
Claims 2, 5, and 6 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 112(d) as being of improper dependent form for failing to further limit the subject matter of the claim upon which it depends, or for failing to include all the limitations of the claim upon which it depends. In claim 2, the steps (b) and (c) are replaced with steps (b’) and (c’) and thus does not further narrow claim 1. Replacing steps is not further narrowing of those steps and may even be broadening of claim 1. Claims 5 and 6 depend from claim 2, and therefore are also rejected under 35 USC 112(d). Applicant may cancel the claim(s), amend the claim(s) to place the claim(s) in proper dependent form, rewrite the claim(s) in independent form, or present a sufficient showing that the dependent claim(s) complies with the statutory requirements. A phone call and a recorded message was made on July 8, 2026 to attorney of record, Joseph Berenato III regarding a possible Examiner’s amendment, but not return phone call was received.
Examiner's Statement of Reasons for Allowance
The following is an examiner’s statement of reasons for allowance:
All claims, 1 – 7, would be allowable if claim 2 was rewritten to overcome the 35 U.S.C. §112(d) rejection above. Reasons for allowance will be held in abeyance pending final recitation of the claims. The inventors have claimed a method of controlling a temperature using a plurality of air handling units for a plurality of spaces. The independent claim 1 discloses a 5 steps (a) – (f) using various parameters such as cooling capacity (H); air delivery volume (Q); outside air temperature (To); relative humidity; supply air temperature (Ts); return air temperature (Tr); supply air temperature (Ts); indoor-load heat quantity (Sc); outside air-load specific enthalpy change amount (∆i.o), a psychrometric chart; outside air-load heat quantity (Od); space-load heat quantity (Pc); space-load specific enthalpy change amount (∆iLx); and corrected supply air temperature (Tsx). The air handling units are controlled using the corrected supply air temperature (Tsx) calculated from or associated with the specific enthalpy value (isx) in each of the spaces from the psychrometric chart. The third step (c) sums the indoor-load heat quantity (Sc) and the outside air-load heat quantity (Od) to calculate a space-load heat quantity (Pc), and converting the space-load heat quantity (Pc) calculated into a space-load specific enthalpy change amount (∆iLx). The first and second steps, (a) and (b), calculates the indoor-load heat quantity (Sc) and outside air-load heat quantity (Od) from a psychrometric chart. No Prior art could be found that uses the various parameters of calculating the supply air temperature for an air handling unit using steps and parameters for (a) – (d) and then controlling the air handling units by the correct supply air temperature in step (e).
The claimed invention is distinguished over the following prior art:
Adjusting a supply air temperature, as claimed, is not new. Given a search string identified in search string L30 and L45, numerous results were found that teach adjusting the supply air temperature in an air handing unit. One reference of Coogan (US PG Pub. No. 20190203964) teaches in paragraph 0014: “The slopes are simple to gather from knowing how much air each air terminal uses and if the air terminal is heating or cooling the air. Knowing the total quantity of air being reheated at the terminals, the dynamic data needed to optimize the system is provided. The conditions at the terminals drive the slope of total energy use. By adjusting the supply air temperature from the AHU based on the slope, a zero or near zero slope region representing optimized energy usage trade-off between AHU and terminal operations is found.” On point with the instant application, a psychrometric chart is used as shown in figure 2 of Coogan. Paragraphs 0014 and 0064 teach using the slopes of the chart. However, the details of claim 1 is not taught in Coogan such as using a heat quantity, enthalpy change, or air-load heat quantity to calculate the corrected supply air temperature.
Japanese patent application Ino Toshiro (JP 2006064258 A) teaches an air conditioning system that adjusts a temperature of air supply of an air conditioning unit. Page 5, Par. 1 teaches: “…the first amount adjustment adjusts the amount of the first conditioned air based on the value detected by the first detection unit. For this reason, when the of the first target air is adjusted to a predetermined by the preparation device, the amount of by the first amount adjustment unit is adjusted, thereby changing the air conditioning load in the first area. Corresponding air conditioning can be performed.” Toshiro also teaches enthalpy that is related to the air conditioning units. As stated above, Toshiro also does not teach the details of claim 1 such as using a heat quantity, enthalpy change, or air-load heat quantity to calculate the corrected supply air temperature.
The applicant' s invention is novel and non-obvious over the prior art of record and stated herein. Any comments considered necessary by the applicant must be submitted no later than the payment of the issue fee, and to avoid processing delays, should preferably accompany the issue fee. Such submissions should be clearly labeled “Comments on Statement of Reasons for Allowance.”
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to CHAD G ERDMAN whose telephone number is (571)270-0177. The examiner can normally be reached Mon - Fri 7am - 3pm or 4pm EST..
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If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Kenneth Lo can be reached at (571) 272-9774. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/CHAD G ERDMAN/ Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2116
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