CTNF 18/655,817 CTNF 89376 3763 DETAILED ACTION Notice of Pre-AIA or AIA Status 07-03-aia AIA 15-10-aia The present application, filed on or after March 16, 2013, is being examined under the first inventor to file provisions of the AIA. Election/Restrictions 08-25 AIA Applicant's election with traverse of Species II with regards to claims 1-10 in the reply filed on 04/17/2026 is acknowledged. The traversal is on the ground(s) that the language of claim 17 matches that of claim 1 and though Species I differs from Species II, there is no serious search and examination burden in examining all the claims . This is not found persuasive because Species I relates to a vehicle with passenger compartments, wheel, vehicle body and some parts of the air conditioning system of the vehicle without any details of the manifold, airflow paths, damper opening/closing arrangements, relative placement of blower, heat exchanger and other components of Species II (as shown in fig. 2), and without any of the structural arrangement of the airflow network along with the control connections (as seen in fig. 2) . The requirement is still deemed proper and is therefore made FINAL. Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 103 07-20-aia AIA 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. 07-23-aia AIA The factual inquiries for establishing a background for determining obviousness under 35 U.S.C. 103 are summarized as follows: 1. Determining the scope and contents of the prior art. 2. Ascertaining the differences between the prior art and the claims at issue. 3. Resolving the level of ordinary skill in the pertinent art. 4. Considering objective evidence present in the application indicating obviousness or nonobviousness. 07-21-aia AIA Claim (s) 1-5 and 7-10 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Nomura (US 2025/0115094 A1) and in view of Miyakoshi (US 2017/0274725 A1) . In regards to claim 1 , Nomura discloses a heat pump-based heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) system ( see abstract, fig. 1 and paragraph 10 ) for use in heating a defined space ( heating interior of vehicle ), comprising: an airflow manifold ( airflow manifold 50, 51 ) having an air inlet ( air inlet, see below annotated fig. 2 and paragraph 79 ), an air outlet ( air outlet through mixing space 56 into see fig. 2 and paragraphs 86, 35-36, through which air is supplied to the interior of the vehicle; Also see opening holes for blowing conditioned air in the vehicle interior, paragraph 88 ), a first conduit ( one of the airflow passage 55 or airflow passage through heat exchanger 13, see fig. 2 ) and a second conduit ( another of the airflow passage 55 or airflow passage through heat exchanger 13, see fig. 2 ), wherein the first conduit and the second conduit connect the air inlet to the air outlet ( see fig. 2 and paragraphs 81-83 ); a blower fan ( fan 52, see fig. 2 and paragraph 80 ) disposed within the inlet ( see fig. 2 ) and operable for moving a directed airflow into the first conduit and the second conduit ( blower 52 moving air through heat exchanger 13 and/or through bypass 55, see fig. 2 and paragraphs 52, 80-81 ); a refrigerant compressor ( compressor 11 ); a condensing heater ( condenser 13, see figs. 1-2 and paragraph 44 ) in fluid communication with the refrigerant compressor ( see fig. 1 ), wherein the first conduit passes over or through the condensing heater ( air passage through or over condenser HX 13, see fig. 2 ); a mixing door ( air mix door 54, see fig. 2 and paragraph 82 ) disposed between the first conduit and the second conduit ( see fig. 2 ); a door actuator ( door actuator, see paragraph 83 ) configured to move the mixing door anywhere between and inclusive of a fully-closed position and a fully-open position ( see fig. 2, which shows a mix door 54 position between fully-closed and fully-open positions, and paragraph 84 ), PNG media_image1.png 420 453 media_image1.png Greyscale the fully-closed position and the fully-open position respectively blocking the directed airflow in the first conduit and the second conduit ( see fully closed or open positions blocking airflow through heat exchanger 13 or passage 55, see paragraphs 203-204 and fig. 2, respectively ); and an electronic controller ( controller 60 ) configured, in response to input signals from one or more sensors ( signals from temperature/pressure sensors at compressor discharge 62a, 62b and conditioned supply air 65, see fig. 3 ) during a warm-up period of the defined space ( temperature and/or pressure sensors continuously measure discharge and conditioned air temperatures and pressures, see fig. 3 and paragraphs 91-93 and 110 ), to modulate a position of the mixing door and/or a rotary speed of the blower fan ( see blower 52 and air mix door modulation based on temperature and/or pressure measurements, see fig. 3 and paragraphs 82-85, 87; Also see paragraph 124 ), such that an amount of the directed airflow that is delivered through the first conduit to the condensing heater is adjusted during the warm-up period ( air mix door 54 switching to heating mode by opening passage of air through condenser 13, see paragraphs 85-86; wherein, temperature of the mixed air is adjusted by changing opening degree of the air mix door 54, see paragraphs 87 and 248 ), thereby affecting waste heat via the refrigerant compressor ( by closing air mix door 54, refrigerant discharge from compressor and passing through condenser 13 may not fully radiate heat of the discharged refrigerant to the ventilation air, see paragraphs 51-52; and this may result in increase of compressor head pressure ). In addition, Nomura teaches increasing the head pressure of the compressor ( see increased pressure difference across the compressor APO1, paragraphs 168-169; Also, see paragraph 179, where refrigerant compressor discharge capacity is increased, during heating modes ). However, Nomura does not explicitly teach amount of airflow reduced through the heater/heat exchanger, which may result in generating waste heat via compressor. Miyakoshi teaches a heat pump-based HVAC system ( see abstract and fig. 1 ) for use in heating a defined space in a vehicle ( see abstract ), comprising: a mixing door ( air mix damper 28, see fig. 1 ), an electronic controller ( controller 32, see fig. 2 ) configured to modulate a position of the mixing door ( adjusting opening degree of air mix damper 28, see fig. 3 and paragraphs 57, 82, 85 ) and/or a rotary speed of the blower fan, such that an amount of the directed airflow that is delivered through the first conduit to the condensing heater is reduced during the warm-up period ( air volume ratio SW of the air through the condenser 4 is decreased from the value of “1” during the heating mode, see paragraph 93-100 and fig. 8 ) in response to input signals from one or more sensors during a warm-up period of the defined space ( see air mix damper 28 and indoor fan 27 control based on sensor data, paragraphs 56 ), thereby generating waste heat via the refrigerant compressor ( compressor discharge pressure Pd increased due to decreasing air volume ratio SW from the value of “1,” see fig. 8 and paragraph 100 ). It would have been obvious for one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have reprogrammed the electronic controller of Nomura to modulate a position of the mixing door and/or a rotary speed of the blower fan, such that an amount of the directed airflow that is delivered through the first conduit to the condensing heater is reduced during the warm-up period, in response to input signals from one or more sensors during a warm-up period of the defined space, thereby generating waste heat via the refrigerant compressor based on the teachings of Miyakoshi in order to achieve a stable heating/dehumidifying operation without breaking the heat pump cycle and while supplying air through radiator/condenser during warm-up, heating or dehumidifying modes (see paragraph 103, Miyakoshi). In regards to claim 2 , Nomura as modified teaches the limitations of claim 1 and Miyakoshi further discloses that the electronic controller ( 32 ) is configured to generate the waste heat by selectively increasing a head pressure of the compressor ( increased compressor discharge pressure PD and compressor number of revolutions NC, see paragraph 100 ) via modulation of the position of the mixing door ( via decreasing air volume ratio SW from a value “1” to below “1,” see figs. 7-8 and paragraph 100; wherein decreasing the value of ratio SW below “1” represents decreasing opening degree of air mixing damper 28, see fig. 3 ). In regards to claim 3 , Nomura as modified teaches the limitations of claim 1 and further discloses that the electronic controller is configured to command the door actuator ( air mix door 54 via actuator, see paragraphs 83, 203 ) to move the mixing door to the fully-closed position upon initialization of the HVAC system ( air mix door 54 fully closed, see paragraphs 203-204 and 230 ), and to thereby provide a minimum amount of the directed airflow to the condensing heater ( minimum amount of airflow directed through condensing heater 13 while air mix damper is being closed, see fig. 2 and paragraphs 203 and 391 ). In regards to claim 4 , Nomura as modified teaches the limitations of claim 3 and further discloses that the electronic controller is configured to: set a speed of the compressor to a calibrated minimum compressor speed upon the initialization of the HVAC system ( at the beginning of the defrosting mode, compressor rotation speed decreased, see paragraph 298 ); and thereafter ( in the following heating/cooling operation ) operate the compressor until a head pressure of the refrigerant compressor reaches a maximum threshold pressure ( compressor speed adjusted, see paragraph 150, 165, until head pressure of refrigerant reaches a maximum threshold pressure of a8, see fig. 8 and paragraphs 250, 212 ). In addition, Miyakoshi teaches increasing the speed of the compressor ( compressor revolution NC increased until discharge pressure Pd of the compressor 2 is increased, see paragraphs 93 and 100 ). In regards to claim 5 , Nomura as modified teaches the limitations of claim 3 and further discloses that the electronic controller is configured to command the door actuator to move the mixing door from the fully-closed position toward the fully-open position at a calibrated ramp rate ( changing/adjusting opening degree of the air mix door 54 by the controller 60, see paragraphs 82-84, 87, and fig. 2, wherein changing the opening degree implies a rate at which the air mix door 54 is opened from closed position during endothermic defrosting mode, see paragraphs 203-204 ) until an outlet temperature of the condensing heater reaches a target outlet temperature ( controller 60 configured to adjust the opening degree of the air mix door 54 based on temperature of inside air 61a and temperature of conditioner air 65, see fig. 3; and the controller is configured to adjust the door 54 opening to reach the set temperature Tset or target TAO in the vehicle interior, see paragraphs 102-105, 109 and 118 ). In regards to claim 7 , Nomura as modified teaches the limitations of claim 1 and further discloses an additional airflow damper ( 53, see fig. 3 ), wherein, the additional airflow damper (53) is configured to translate between a pair of oppositely-disposed door stops ( see below annotated fig. 2 ). PNG media_image2.png 420 464 media_image2.png Greyscale It would have been obvious for one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have modified the air mix damper of Nomura as modified by providing a pair of projections from the side walls of the duct/passage of air based on additional teachings of Nomura in order to provide a resting place for the air mix damper and allow flow of ventilation air to assist in fully closing or opening the air mix damper by apply airflow pressure on the air mix damper. In regards to claim 8 , Nomura as modified teaches the limitations of claim 1 and further discloses a supply of refrigerant ( refrigerant, see paragraph 37 ), wherein the supply of refrigerant includes R134a or R1234yf ( R134a, R1234yf, see paragraphs 321 and 37 ). In regards to claim 9 , Nomura as modified teaches the limitations of claim 1 and further discloses that the input signals include a head pressure of the refrigerant compressor ( discharge refrigerant pressure measured by pressure sensor 62a, see fig. 3 and paragraphs 91, 93 ) and an outlet temperature of the condensing heater ( conditioned air temperature measured by sensor 65, see fig. 3 and paragraphs 91, 101 ). In regards to claim 10 , Nomura as modified teaches the limitations of claim 9 and further discloses that the defined space includes a vehicle interior of a motor vehicle ( mixed air supplied to vehicle interior from mixing space 56, see paragraphs 101 and 31-32 ) having a human-machine interface (HMI) device ( operational panel 69 with switches, see fig. 3 and paragraph 102-103 ), and wherein a target climate is determined via a user input to the HMI device ( via temperature setting switch, see paragraph 103 ), the target climate being one of the input signals ( setting temperature for vehicle interior, see paragraph 104 ) . 07-22-aia AIA Claim (s) 6 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Nomura in view of Miyakoshi as applied to claim 5 above and further in view of Enomoto (US 2016/0109163 A1) . In regards to claim 6 , Nomura as modified teaches the limitations of claim 3 and further discloses that the electronic controller is configured to command the door actuator ( actuator for driving air mix door 54, see paragraph 83 ) to move the mixing door ( actuator opening mix door 54 as shown in fig. 2 ) to the fully-open position ( fully opened position of the air mix door 54, as shown in fig. 2 ). However, Nomura does not explicitly teach amount of airflow door/damper opening after outlet temperature of the condensing heater drops below the target value. Enomoto discloses a heat pump-based HVAC system ( see fig. 1 ), wherein an electronic controller ( controller 60 ) is configured to command the door actuator ( electric actuator for door 55, see paragraph 139 ) to move the mixing door ( door/damper 55, see fig. 1 ) to a fully-open position ( fully-open position of door 55, indicating MAX HOT state, see step S192, fig. 15 and paragraph 219 ) after the outlet temperature of the condensing heater ( temperature of coolant flowing to heater core 17, paragraph 236 ) drops below the target outlet temperature ( heat absorption mode S190, which includes MAX HOT state of fully opening air mix door 55, is executed, when temperature of heater core 17 drops below target temperature TAO, see step S170, fig. 8 and paragraphs 236, 254 ). It would have been obvious for one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have reprogrammed the electronic controller of Nomura as modified to command the door actuator to move the mixing door to the fully-open position after the outlet temperature of the condensing heater drops below the target outlet temperature based on the teachings of Enomoto in order to consistently supply sufficiently heated mixed air to the vehicle interior using the heater core in response to various conditions sensed by plurality of air/fluid temperature and pressure sensors (see paragraphs 508, 515 and fig. 7, Enomoto). Conclusion Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to MERAJ A SHAIKH whose telephone number is (571)272-3027. The examiner can normally be reached on M-R 9:00-1:00 pm. Examiner interviews are available via telephone, in-person, and video conferencing using a USPTO supplied web-based collaboration tool. To schedule an interview, applicant is encouraged to use the USPTO Automated Interview Request (AIR) at http://www.uspto.gov/interviewpractice. If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Jianying Atkisson can be reached on 571-270-7740. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300. Information regarding the status of an application may be obtained from the Patent Application Information Retrieval (PAIR) system. Status information for published applications may be obtained from either Private PAIR or Public PAIR. Status information for unpublished applications is available through Private PAIR only. For more information about the PAIR system, see http://pair-direct.uspto.gov. Should you have questions on access to the Private PAIR system, contact the Electronic Business Center (EBC) at 866-217-9197 (toll-free). If you would like assistance from a USPTO Customer Service Representative or access to the automated information system, call 800-786-9199 (IN USA OR CANADA) or 571-272-1000. /MERAJ A SHAIKH/Examiner, Art Unit 3763 /JIANYING C ATKISSON/Supervisory Patent Examiner, Art Unit 3763 Application/Control Number: 18/655,817 Page 2 Art Unit: 3763 Application/Control Number: 18/655,817 Page 3 Art Unit: 3763 Application/Control Number: 18/655,817 Page 4 Art Unit: 3763 Application/Control Number: 18/655,817 Page 5 Art Unit: 3763 Application/Control Number: 18/655,817 Page 6 Art Unit: 3763 Application/Control Number: 18/655,817 Page 7 Art Unit: 3763 Application/Control Number: 18/655,817 Page 8 Art Unit: 3763 Application/Control Number: 18/655,817 Page 9 Art Unit: 3763
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