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 9 is objected to because of the following informalities: Lines 1-2 recite “the water manifold has a main chamber that is housed in the tray”. Being dependent on claim 8, which already recites “a main chamber”, the recitations in question is suggested to be revised as “the . Appropriate correction is required.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 102
In the event the determination of the status of the application as subject to AIA 35 U.S.C. 102 and 103 (or as subject to pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 102 and 103) is incorrect, any correction of the statutory basis (i.e., changing from AIA to pre-AIA ) for the rejection will not be considered a new ground of rejection if the prior art relied upon, and the rationale supporting the rejection, would be the same under either status.
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) 1-5 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by US 4010733 A1 to Moore.
In reference to independent claim 1, Moore discloses:
A bay assembly configured to house solar devices comprising:
a tray (33) having a lip (22) extending along a perimeter of the tray (see Fig. 2);
a glass frame (27, 31 and 35) having a first slot (see annotations below) that holds a glass panel (25), and a second slot (35) that accommodates the lip (see annotations below) (see Figs. 2, 4);
wherein the glass frame is slidably connected to the tray (33) (see col. 2 at lines 58-61 and col. 3 at lines 2-6 and 20-23).
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In reference to dependent claim 2, Moore further discloses: the glass frame has an outer groove (see annotations above) along a perimeter of the glass frame (see Fig. 2).
In reference to dependent claim 3, Moore further discloses: tray (33) has a rectangular shape (see Fig. 2).
In reference to dependent claim 4, Moore further discloses: the tray houses a solar heating device (solar collector; see col. 3 at lines 7-13).
In reference to dependent claim 5, Moore further discloses: the tray houses a solar cooling device (see Background of The Invention).
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) 6 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Moore.
In reference to dependent claim 6, Moore is silent regarding the tray housing a photovoltaic device combined with a thermal backing plate device. However, it would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have substituted the solar collector (solar heating device) of Moore with a photovoltaic device combined with a thermal backing plate device as these devices are known equivalents, i.e. both are solar devices used for converting solar energy into other forms of useful energy. See MPEP 2144.06(II).
Claim(s) 7-8 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Moore in view of CN 106524527 A to Jiang.
In reference to dependent claim 7, Moore discloses a flow network of parallel fluid passages are formed from one end (inlet 16) to the other (outlet 17) are formed in the tray (see Fig. 3 and col. 2 at lines 21-32). However, Moore is silent regarding at least one evacuated tube having a metal rod extending through a center of the at least one evacuated tube.
Jiang teaches another solar collector, the collector of Jiang being an evacuated tube collector, having evacuated tubes (5) with metal rods (6) therein (see Fig. 3).
It would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have substituted the flow network of fluid passages in Moore with the system of evacuated tube system of Jiang as both are solar collectors using equivalent heat pipe systems and doing so would yield predictable result of using solar energy for heating.
In reference to dependent claim 8, Jiang further teaches a water manifold (see Figs. 1 and 6) connected to the rod (6) via a hollow cylindrical tube portion (5), and wherein the water manifold has a water supply line (13) and a water return line (14) connected to a main chamber (3) of the water manifold.
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 12-18 are allowed.
Claims 9-11 are objected to as being dependent upon a rejected base claim, but would be allowable if rewritten in independent form including all of the limitations of the base claim and any intervening claims.
The following is a statement of reasons for the indication of allowable subject matter: Regarding dependent claim 9, the prior art of record teaches bay assembly of the claimed invention including the tray, frame within first and second slots for accommodating a circumferential lip of the tray and a glass panel, the tray housing a solar heating device, e.g. a solar collector, or more specifically an evacuated tube solar collector, as set forth in the prior art rejections above. However, the prior art does not disclose or teach the main chamber of the water manifold being housed in the tray, and the main chamber is covered in a solar blanket. Regarding independent claim 12, the invention recited includes limitations recited in claims 1, 2, 7, 8, and 9. As such, independent claim 12 is allowable as the prior art of record does not disclose or teach the recitations of claim 9. Regarding claims 10 and 11, mounting methods for solar panels and/or solar collectors are known in the prior art. However, the prior art does not disclose or teach at least the following: placing a first hold down bar and a second hold down bar in contact with the glass frame, so that a protrusion on the first hold down bar and a protrusion on the second hold down bar contacts the outer groove on the perimeter of the glass frame and the first hold down bar is opposite the second hold down bar (emphasis added).
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to Ngoc T Nguyen whose telephone number is (571)272-7176. The examiner can normally be reached M-F 9:00 am - 5:00 pm.
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/NGOC T NGUYEN/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3799
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