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 Objections
Claim 1 is objected to because of the following informalities:
“the microchannel heat exchanger of the present invention by comprising” in claim 1 should read –A microchannel heat exchanger, comprising:--.
“bottom plate plate” in claim 1 should read –bottom plate--.
Appropriate correction is required.
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 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Brenner (US Patent No. 5,911,273) in view of Prechtl (WO 03/071214 A1).
Regarding claim 1, Brenner discloses a microchannel heat exchanger (Fig. 1, “microchannel” is understood as a channel being subdivided into a plurality of channels but does not yield a distinct structure. The disclosure, 2nd paragraph on page 2 dated 6/14/2024, does not explicitly define the structure of the microchannel having the dimension of few millimeter or less) comprising: a housing part (a star shaped periphery of a plate stack 1); rectangular shaped heat exchange part with four corners integrally connected to an inner surface of the housing part, four fluid passages defined between the inner surface of the housing part and the heat exchange part (conduits 8a-8d); a lid plate (17, Fig. 5) that closes one end of the housing part (top side of the plate stack 1) and has four fluid inlets and outlets that are connected to each of the four fluid passages (openings 18a-d connect respectively conduits 8a-d); and a bottom plate (9, Fig. 2) shielding the other end of the housing part (the plate 9 has no openings that closes the openings of the plate stack 1),
wherein the heat exchange part has a first heat exchange passageway connecting two fluid passages (channels 6 on duct plate 2a connecting the conduits 8b to 8d) arranged opposite each other (top-bottom opposite) and a second heat exchange passageway connecting another two fluid passages (channels 6 on duct plate 2b connecting the conduits 8a to 8c) arranged opposite each other (left-right opposite), wherein the first heat exchange passageway and the second heat exchange passageway are arranged alternately orthogonal to each other (plates 2a and 2b are alternatively provided with a cover plate 3 therebetween, col. 3, lines 43-45) in the axial direction of the housing part (in a stacking direction of the plate stack 1),
wherein a first plate unit (connection cover plate 3, Fig. 4) comprises a frame part (14a-d) forming the housing part and a square-shaped closing plate part whose four corners are integrally connected with the frame part (an square covering center area 3a, where four corners of the area 3a connect to the frame part 14a-d), and has four fluid passage formation spaces between the frame part and the closing plate part to form the four fluid passages (openings 15a-15d),
wherein a second plate unit (duct plate 2, Fig. 3) comprises a frame part (10a-d) that forms the housing part and a rectangular heat exchange channel plate part whose four corners are integrally connected to the frame part (a rectangular part with channels 6 and webs 7, where four corners of the part connect to frame 10a-d and having long sides parallel to vertical direction of the Fig. 3 and short sides parallel to horizontal direction of Fig. 3) and whose short side is equal to one side of the closing plate part (the short side is equal to a length of the combs 16 on an edge of the square covering center area 3a, see the overlap view in Fig. 1), wherein the second plate unit has four spaces for forming the four fluid passages (openings 11a-d) between the frame part and the heat exchange channel plate part (see Fig. 3), and wherein the heat exchange channel plate has a plurality of microchannel openings (plurality of channels 6, “microchannel” is understood as a channel being subdivided into a plurality of channels) extending along a longitudinal direction thereof (vertical direction of the channels 6), and
wherein the housing part and the heat exchange part are composed of alternating layers of first and second plate units (duct plates 2a, 2b are separated from one another by the intermediate cover plate 3, col. 3, lines 43-45 and the intermediate/connection cover plate 3 follows again, col. 5, lines 14-25), and the second plate units are alternately rotated 90° (col. 3, line 45, duct plates 2a and 2b are offset to one another by 90°, and col. 5, lines 25-27, flow duct plate 2 rotated 90° with respected to preceding flow duct plate).
Brenner fails to disclose a cylindrical housing part; wherein a first plate unit comprises an annular frame part; and wherein a second plate unit comprises an annular frame part.
Prechtl, also directed to a cross flow heat exchanger with a square heat exchanging area, discloses a cylindrical housing part (a cylindrical plate stack in Fig. 3) wherein a first plate unit comprises an annular frame part (ring 20 in first plate 13); and wherein a second plate unit comprises an annular frame part (ring 20 in second plate 14).
Therefore, the star shaped heat exchanger of Brenner may be modified into a cylindrical shape as taught by Prechtl. Therefore, plate 9, lid plate 17, duct plates 2 and connection cover plates 3 that define the star shaped plate stack may be modified to a cylindrical or circular shape. As a result of the medication a first plate unit (connection cover plate 3) comprises an annular frame part (frame 14a-d becomes a ring where four corners of the square covering center area 3a connect to the ring); and a second plate unit (duct plates 2) comprises an annular frame part (frame 10a-d becomes a ring where four corners of the rectangular part connect to the ring).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art at the time of the invention to have provided a cylindrical housing part; wherein a first plate unit comprises an annular frame part; and wherein a second plate unit comprises an annular frame part in Brenner as taught by Prechtl, since it would have been an obvious matter of design choice to make the different portions of the housing part and frame part set forth in claim 1 in whatever form or shape was desired or expedient. A change in form or shape is generally recognized as being within the level of ordinary skill in the art, absent any showing of unexpected results. In re Dailey et al., 149 USPQ 47.
Brenner fails to explicitly disclose a microchannel heat exchanger; and a plurality of microchannel openings (after weighing in a structure that the channels having a dimension less than 1mm generally known in the art).
Prechtl further discloses channels having at least one dimensions in a sub millimeter range (page 11 of the translation).
Therefore, the channels 6 and combs 16 at edges of the center area 3b in Brenner may be modified into a sub millimeter range, so the channels 6 become microchannels and the plate heat exchanger of Brenner becomes a microchannel heat exchanger.
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art at the time of the invention to have provided a microchannel heat exchanger; and a plurality of microchannel openings in Bremmer as taught by Precht in order to increase a heat exchange area per volume so that increases a heat exchange efficiency.
Conclusion
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/JIANYING C ATKISSON/Supervisory Patent Examiner, Art Unit 3763
/F.K.L/Examiner, Art Unit 3763