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 .
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 12-16 are allowed.
The following is a statement of reasons for the indication of allowable subject matter: The closest prior art of record, Kwak (US 2007/0205293), Trescott et al. (US 2014/0306828), Fuller (US 2008/0035647), Schindler et al. (US 2018/0245801), and Acker (US 10,208,967), alone or in combination, does not disclose the method of evaluating fluid pressure in a closed loop heat transfer system with the claimed steps that include using a controller with a fluid mass model connected to a data network and the conduit loops, wherein the controller samples the fluid temperatures, the system pressures through local sensors while receiving one or more outside air temperatures through a data network and then calculating a calculated fluid pressure value which is compared to sensor measured values to determine if a deviation exists and if so providing a notification of the deviation.
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.
Claims 1-4 and 6-11 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Kwak (US 2007/0205293), Trescott et al. (US 2014/0306828), Fuller (US 2008/0035647), and Schindler et al. (US 2018/0245801).
Regarding claim 1, Kwak (K) discloses a method of detecting a leak in a closed loop heat transfer system, the method comprising: a. providing the closed loop heat transfer system (20-19, Figure 2), the heat transfer system including, an appliance for heating or cooling ([0039]), a circulator pump (16), an expansion tank (13), an air separator (10) with an air vent ([0049]), one or more heat transfer radiators ([0028]), a controller (26), a first conduit (19-20) fluidly connecting the appliance (@25), the circulator pump (16), the air separator (10) and the heat transfer radiators (@20) to form a circulation loop, a second conduit (Between 13 and 10, Figure 2) separate from the circulation loop for fluidly connecting the expansion tank to the air separator, one or more fluid temperature sensors located on the first conduit for measuring one or more fluid temperatures, the one or more fluid temperature sensors being in operative communication with the controller (7, [0044] above 19, 20).
Kwak does not disclose one or more ambient temperature sensors located outside the conditioned space and configured to measure one or more ambient temperatures of the outside air, the one or more environmental temperature sensors being in operative communication with the controller, at least one fluid pressure transducer located on the second conduit for measuring one or more system pressures, the at least one fluid pressure transducer being in operative communication with the controller, and a fluid contained within the first and second conduits for circulating therein or that the controller has a processor and memory accessible by the processor, the memory including a fluid mass model stored thereon, b. the controller sampling one or more of the fluid temperatures, one or more of the ambient temperatures, and one or more of the system pressures through the one or more fluid temperature sensors, the one or more ambient temperature sensors, and the at least one fluid pressure transducer respectively; c. the controller calculating a calculated fluid pressure value using the fluid mass model based on the one or more fluid temperatures and the one or more ambient temperatures; d. the controller comparing the calculated fluid pressure with the one or more system fluid pressures to determine a deviation exists between the one or more fluid pressures and the calculated fluid pressure; and e. the controller providing a notification of the deviation.
However, Trescott (T) discloses a leak detector (Abstract) HHwherein the closed loop heat transfer system further includes one or more ambient temperature sensors (704) located outside the conditioned space and configured to measure one or more ambient temperatures of the outside air, the one or more environmental temperature sensors being in operative communication with the controller ([0064]). It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art prior to the effective filing date of this application to utilize external temperature in determining the leak status of the system because extreme external temperatures would affect the pressure and temperature reading when water is added to the system due to the large temperature gradient.
Further, Fuller (F) discloses an expansion tank system (Abstract) with a first loop (47-49-47, Figure 3) and a second conduit (51-54-40) with a pressure gauge (36, the equivalent to a pressure transducer). It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art prior to the effective filing date of this application to monitor the pressure and temperature at the system at different locations to provide better diagnostics by having a plurality of inputs.
Additionally, Schindler (S) discloses a controller (71, i.e. computer) has a processor and memory accessible by the processor, the memory including a fluid mass model stored thereon ([0044]), the controller sampling one or more of the fluid temperatures, one or more of the ambient temperatures, and one or more of the system pressures through the one or more fluid temperature sensors, the one or more ambient temperature sensors, and the at least one fluid pressure transducer respectively ([0034,0036,0046]), the controller calculating a calculated fluid pressure value using the fluid mass model based on the one or more fluid temperatures and the one or more ambient temperatures; d. the controller comparing the calculated fluid pressure with the one or more system fluid pressures to determine a deviation exists between the one or more fluid pressures and the calculated fluid pressure; and e. the controller providing a notification of the deviation ([0038]). It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art prior to the effective filing date of this application to sample temperatures and pressures among the system over time to determine leakage based on fluid mass modeling because by Boyle’s law pressure and temperature are related in a closed system, producing a more accurate monitoring model.
Regarding claim 2, Kwak (K), as modified, discloses the method of claim 1 further comprising the controller modeling the closed loop heat transfer system based on the one or more fluid temperatures, the one or more ambient temperatures ([0053-0054]) and the one or more system pressures ([0048]) and storing data generated therefrom in the fluid mass model ([0040-0044]).
Regarding claim 3, Kwak (K), as modified, discloses the method of claim 1, wherein the notification comprises at least one of a visual alarm, an audible alarm, an automated telephone call, and a text message ([0043]).
Regarding claim 4, Kwak (K), as modified, discloses the method of claim 1, wherein the notification comprises transmitting an electronic message over a data network to predetermined recipients (61,Figure 2, [0038]).
Regarding claim 6, Kwak (K), as modified, discloses the method of claim 1, wherein the heat transfer system further comprises one or more material surface temperature sensors located on or within the conditioned space (T-520, [0051], i.e., on the pipe surface), and wherein the controller samples one or more material surface temperatures from the one or more material surface temperature sensors, and uses the one or more material surface temperatures in said calculating a calculated fluid pressure value.
Regarding claim 7, Kwak (K), as modified, discloses the method of claim 1 further comprising the controller receiving one or more external temperatures (T- [0016]) through a data network connection from an external source, and wherein the controller uses the one or more external temperature values in said calculating a calculated fluid pressure value (T-[0045]).
Regarding claim 8, Kwak (K), as modified, discloses the method of claim 1, wherein the controller (T-102,Figure 1) is remotely located relative to a remainder of the closed loop heat transfer system.
Regarding claim 9, Kwak (K), as modified, discloses the method of claim 8, wherein the controller is a part of a server computer ([0022], i.e., IOT).
Regarding claim 10, Kwak (K), as modified, discloses the method of claim 8, wherein a fluid mass model comprises coefficients generated by prior collective heat transfer system history ([0031]).
Regarding claim 11, Kwak (K), as modified, discloses the method of claim 1, wherein the heat transfer system further comprises one or more inside air temperature sensors (K-[0057]) located within the conditioned space and remote from a remainder of the heat transfer system, and wherein the controller samples one or more inside air temperatures from the one or more inside temperature sensors, and uses the one or more inside air temperatures in said calculating a calculated fluid pressure value.
As a clarification, sensing the air temperature would be indicative of the performance of the system and the additional data points would improve accuracy.
Claim 5, is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Kwak (US 2007/0205293), Trescott et al. (US 2014/0306828), Fuller (US 2008/0035647), Schindler et al. (US 2018/0245801), and Acker (US 10,208,967).
Regarding claim 5, Kwak (K), as modified, discloses the method of claim 1, but not that the circulation loop further includes a plurality of zone loops, and a fluid temperature sensor of the one or more fluid temperature sensors is located on each zone loop of the plurality of zone loops.
However, Acker (A) discloses plumbing monitoring system (Abstract) wherein the circulation loop further includes a plurality of zone loops, and a fluid temperature sensor of the one or more fluid temperature sensors is located on each zone loop of the plurality of zone loops (C15, L1-25, Figure 3A). It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art prior to the effective filing date of this application to monitor a plurality of zones, so that portions could be isolated in the event of a leak, leaving the remainder of the heating system functioning.
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to JOHN E BARGERO whose telephone number is (571) 270-1770. The examiner can normally be reached Monday-Friday.
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/JOHN E BARGERO/Examiner, Art Unit 3762
/STEVEN B MCALLISTER/Supervisory Patent Examiner, Art Unit 3762