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 6 August, 2026 is being considered by the examiner.
Response to Amendment
Continued Examination Under 37 CFR 1.114
A request for continued examination under 37 CFR 1.114, including the fee set forth in 37 CFR 1.17(e), was filed in this application after final rejection. Since this application is eligible for continued examination under 37 CFR 1.114, and the fee set forth in 37 CFR 1.17(e) has been timely paid, the finality of the previous Office action has been withdrawn pursuant to 37 CFR 1.114. Applicant's submission filed on 4 August, 2026 has been entered.
Disposition of Claims
Claims 1-8 are pending.
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.
Claim(s) 1-8 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by KAWAGUCHI (US 2019/0277570 A1 – published 12 September, 2019).
As to claim 1, KAWAGUCHI discloses a honeycomb structure for a heat exchanger(abstract), the honeycomb structure comprising: an inner peripheral wall (6); and outer peripheral wall (7); and partition walls (5 defined by 5a and 5b) disposed between the inner peripheral wall and the outer peripheral wall (figure 2), the partition walls defining a plurality of cells (4) each extending (figure 1; par. 58) from a first end face(2 or 3) to a second end face (2 or 3),
wherein, in a cross section orthogonal to an extending direction of the cells (as shown in figure 2, by being a cross-section along a-a shown in figure 1; par. 57), the partition walls comprise one or more first partition walls extending in a radial direction (5a; figure 2), the inner peripheral wall has an inner diameter of more than 50mm and 75mm or less (par. 168), and the outer peripheral wall has an outer diameter of 60 to 100 mm (par. 168),
wherein a space on an inner side of the inner peripheral wall is entirely hollow from the first end face to the second end face (figure 1; par. 59).
Furthermore, KAWGUCHI expressly discloses wherein the honeycomb structure has an opening ratio of 0.15 or more, in view of the definition of the “opening ratio” being defined as “a value obtained by dividing the total area of the cells 14 defined by the partition walls 15 by an area (the total area of the inner peripheral wall 11, the outer peripheral wall 12, the partition walls 15, and cells 14) of one end face (the first end face 13a or the second end face 13b), in a cross section orthogonal to the extending direction of the cells 14”. See paragraph 24 of the originally-filed specification filed 20 February, 2024. Particularly, KAWAGUCHI sets forth the structural dimensions of the inner peripheral wall (6), the outer peripheral wall (7), the first partition walls(5a), second partition walls (5b), and the cells (4) within figures 1-2 and paragraphs 66, 71-75, and 168, at least. These structural dimensions can be summarized within Table 1, in addition to KAWAGUCHI setting forth any number of the first partitions may be provided (sixteen first partitions(5a) are shown in figure 2, but par. 72-75 and 97 allows for any number of first partitions, such that 35 first partitions (5a) are used in the calculations below; two second partitions (5b) are shown in figure 2). It will be noted, the shown second partitions (5b) of KAWAGUCHI must reside along radii that reside between the diameters/radii of the outer and inner peripheral walls. For example, it is being determined the inner second partition wall is set at a radius of 28mm and the outer second partition wall is set at a radius of 30mm. See Annotated Figure 2 of KAWAGUCHI.
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Annotated Figure 2 of KAWAGUCHI
Structural Dimensions (see KAWAGUCHI for citations)
inner peripheral wall thickness (mm; par. 66 )
diameter of inner peripheral wall (mm; par. 168)
radius of inner peripheral wall (mm; r=D/2)
outer peripheral wall thickness (mm; par. 66)
diameter of outer peripheral wall (mm; par. 168)
radius of outer peripheral wall (mm; r=D/2)
partition wall thickness (mm; par. 71)
second partition wall inner radius (mm; assume 28mm for inner second partition wall and 30mm for outer second partition wall)
0.3-10
52
26
0.3-10
70
35
0.1-1
28
30
TABLE 1
Further, in view of known geometry concepts, the opening ratio can be determined by finding: (1) area disposed between the inner(6) and outer(7) peripheral walls (representative of the total area of the inner peripheral wall, the outer peripheral wall, the partitions, and the cells, as these structure reside and define the total area of the inner to outer peripheral walls, and defined by the surface area of an annulus (
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)), (4) the total area of the cells defined by the partition walls (representative of the summation of the total surface area of the first and second partitions from the total area of the inner peripheral wall, the outer peripheral wall, the partitions, and the cells determined at (1)), and finally (5) the opening ratio, as defined, by dividing the value determined in (4) by the value determined in (1). These calculations are provided within Table 2, which shows, KAWAGUCHI discloses wherein the honeycomb structure, as disclosed, has an opening ratio of 0.15 or more.
Calculations
second partition wall outer radius (mm; inner second partition wall plus the partition wall thickness)
second partition wall outer radius (mm; outer second partition wall plus the partition wall thickness)
first partition wall surface area (mm²)
inner second partition wall surface area (mm²)
outer second partition wall surface area (mm²)
total area of the inner peripheral wall, the outer peripheral wall, the partitions, and the cells(mm²)
total area of the cells defined by the partition walls(mm²)
opening ratio
28.1
30.1
0.9
17.62
18.88
1724.73
1656.73
0.96
28.2
30.2
1.8
35.31
37.82
1588.60
0.92
28.3
30.3
2.7
53.06
56.83
1520.34
0.88
28.4
30.4
3.6
70.87
75.90
1451.96
0.84
28.5
30.5
4.5
88.75
95.03
1383.45
0.80
28.6
30.6
5.4
106.69
114.23
1314.82
0.76
28.7
30.7
6.3
124.69
133.49
1246.06
0.72
28.8
30.8
7.2
142.75
152.81
1177.17
0.68
28.9
30.9
8.1
160.88
172.19
1108.16
0.64
29
31
9
179.07
191.64
1039.03
0.60
TABLE 2
As to claim 2, KAWAGUCHI discloses wherein the partition walls further comprise one or more second partition walls (5b) extending in a circumferential direction in a cross-section orthogonal to an extending direction of the cells (figure 2).
As to claim 3, KAWAGUCHI discloses wherein the opening ratio is 0.30 or more (Table 2).
As to claim 4, KAWAGUCHI discloses wherein the opening ratio is 0.30 or more (Table 2).
As to claim 5, KAWAGUCHI discloses wherein the opening ratio of 0.60 or less (Table 2).
As to claim 6, KAWAGUCHI discloses wherein the opening ratio is 0.60 or less (Table 2).
As to claim 7, KAWAGUCHI discloses a heat exchanger comprising the honeycomb structure according to claim 1 (see rejection of claim 1, in view of abstract and par. 95).
As to claim 8, KAWAGUCHI discloses a heat exchanger comprising the honeycomb structure according to claim 2 (see rejection of claim 1, in view of abstract and par. 95).
Response to Arguments
Applicant’s arguments with respect to claim(s) 1-8 have been considered but are moot because the new ground of rejection does not rely on any reference applied in the prior rejection of record for any teaching or matter specifically challenged in the argument.
Inquiry
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/LEN TRAN/ Supervisory Patent Examiner, Art Unit 3763
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