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 .
Election/Restrictions
Applicant’s election without traverse of Group I (claims 1-17) in the reply filed on 6/1/2026 is acknowledged.
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.
Claims 1-4, 7-14, 17 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Synder (US 2019/0316850 – provided by Applicant in the IDS).
Regarding claim 1, Snyder teaches a method of controlling a temperature of a refrigerant, the method comprising:
pumping, with a pump (10, Fig. 5a, see paragraph [0029]), the refrigerant through an evaporator (5, Fig. 5a, see paragraph [0029]) in thermal communication with a heat load (see paragraph [0033]), thereby heating the refrigerant and causing at least some of the refrigerant to change from a liquid phase to a vapor phase (see, paragraph [0033], Fig. 2a);
cooling the refrigerant in a condenser fluidically downstream from the evaporator (20b, Fig. 5a, see paragraph [0056]), thereby causing at least some of the refrigerant to change from the vapor phase to the liquid phase before returning to the pump (see paragraph [0033]);
extracting a portion of the refrigerant in the vapor phase fluidically between the evaporator and the condenser (see branch after 60a and before 20b, to 65b to 30 to 15, Fig. 5a); and injecting the extracted portion of the refrigerant, in the vapor phase, fluidically between the pump and the evaporator, thereby increasing the temperature of the refrigerant entering the evaporator (see connection between 30 and 15 in Fig. 5a).
Regarding claim 2, Synder teaches the method of claim 1, wherein injecting the extracted portion of the refrigerant in the vapor phase comprises compressing, with a compressor, the extracted portion of the refrigerant in the vapor phase (60a, Fig. 5a, paragraph [0070]).
Regarding claim 3, Synder teaches the method of claim 2, further comprising separating the extracted portion of the refrigerant extracted between the evaporator and the condenser into the portion of the refrigerant in the vapor phase and a portion of the refrigerant in the liquid phase (15, Fig. 5a, paragraph [0053]).
Regarding claim 4, Synder teaches the method of claim 3, further comprising injecting the portion of the refrigerant in the liquid phase fluidically between the pump and the condenser (70, Fig. 5a, paragraph [0047]).
Regarding claim 7, Synder teaches the method of claim 2, further comprising controlling a valve fluidically downstream of the compressor according to the temperature of the refrigerant entering the evaporator.
Regarding claim 8, Synder teaches the method of claim 1, further comprising ensuring that the extracted portion of the refrigerant extracted between the evaporator and the condenser is in the vapor phase (70, see paragraph [0048]).
Regarding claim 9, Synder teaches the method of claim 1, further comprising ensuring that the extracted portion of the refrigerant extracted between the evaporator and the condenser is not in the liquid phase (see injection point in Fig. 5a which enters the vapor phase).
Regarding claim 10, Synder teaches the method of claim 1, further comprising minimizing single-phase cooling in the evaporator by controlling the temperature of the refrigerant entering the evaporator (see Synder, paragraph [0040]).
Regarding claim 11, Synder teaches a system, comprising:
a pump configured to pump (10, Fig. 5a, see paragraph [0029]) a refrigerant through an evaporator (5, Fig. 5a, see paragraph [0029]) in thermal communication with a heat load (see paragraph [0033]), thereby heating the refrigerant and causing at least some of the refrigerant to change from a liquid phase to a vapor phase (see, paragraph [0033], Fig. 2a);
a condenser in fluid communication with the pump and the evaporator (20b, Fig. 5a, see paragraph [0056]), the condenser being configured to cool the refrigerant fluidically downstream from the evaporator (see paragraph [0033]), thereby causing at least some of the refrigerant to change from the vapor phase to the liquid phase before returning to the pump (see paragraph [0033]); and
a controller (23, paragraph [0030]) configured to control a temperature of the refrigerant entering the evaporator to minimize single-phase cooling in the evaporator (see paragraph [0040]).
Regarding claim 12, Synder teaches the system of claim 11, further comprising a compressor configured to inject the refrigerant in the vapor phase fluidically between the pump and the evaporator (60a, Fig. 5a, paragraph [0070]).
Regarding claim 13, Synder teaches the system of claim 12, further comprising a separator configured to separate refrigerant extracted fluidically between the evaporator and the condenser into a portion of the refrigerant in the vapor phase and a portion of the refrigerant in the liquid phase (15, Fig. 5a, paragraph [0053]).
Regarding claim 14, Synder teaches the system of claim 13, wherein the separator is further configured to inject the portion of the refrigerant in the liquid phase fluidically between the pump and the condenser (70, Fig. 5a, paragraph [0047]).
Regarding claim 17, Synder teaches the system of claim 12, wherein the controller is further configured to control a valve downstream of the compressor according to the temperature of the refrigerant entering the evaporator (see paragraph [0040]).
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.
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.
This application currently names joint inventors. In considering patentability of the claims the examiner presumes that the subject matter of the various claims was commonly owned as of the effective filing date of the claimed invention(s) absent any evidence to the contrary. Applicant is advised of the obligation under 37 CFR 1.56 to point out the inventor and effective filing dates of each claim that was not commonly owned as of the effective filing date of the later invention in order for the examiner to consider the applicability of 35 U.S.C. 102(b)(2)(C) for any potential 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(2) prior art against the later invention.
Claims 5-6 and 15-16 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Synder in view of Vehr (US 2019/0092134).
Regarding claim 5, Synder teaches the method of claim 2, but does not teach controlling a speed of the compressor according to the temperature of the refrigerant entering the evaporator.
Vehr teaches that it is known to control the speed of the compressor on evaporator temperature (Vehr, paragraph [0149]). It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art, prior to the effective filing date, to provide Synder with controlling a speed of the compressor according to the temperature of the refrigerant entering the evaporator, as taught by Vehr, in order to maintain the desired temperature in the system.
Regarding claim 6, Synder as modified teaches the method of claim 5, further comprising monitoring the temperature and a pressure of the refrigerant entering the evaporator (see Synder, paragraph [0040]).
Regarding claim 15, Synder teaches the system of claim 12, but does not teach that the controller is further configured to control a speed of the compressor according to the temperature of the refrigerant entering the evaporator.
Vehr teaches that it is known to control the speed of the compressor on evaporator temperature (Vehr, paragraph [0149]). It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art, prior to the effective filing date, to provide Synder with controlling a speed of the compressor according to the temperature of the refrigerant entering the evaporator, as taught by Vehr, in order to maintain the desired temperature in the system.
Regarding claim 16, Synder as modified teaches the system of claim 15, wherein the controller is further configured to monitor the temperature and a pressure of the refrigerant entering the evaporator (see Synder, paragraph [0040]).
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to NAEL N BABAA whose telephone number is (571)270-3272. The examiner can normally be reached M-F, 9-5 EST.
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If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Jerry-Daryl Fletcher can be reached at (571)-270-5054. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/NAEL N BABAA/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3763
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