DETAILED ACTION
The present office action is in response to claims filed on 05/22/2024. Claims 1 –32 are pending in the application.
The present application, filed on or after March 16, 2013, is being examined under the first inventor to file provisions of the AIA .
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 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.
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.
(a)(2) the claimed invention was described in a patent issued under section 151, or in an application for patent published or deemed published under section 122(b), in which the patent or application, as the case may be, names another inventor and was effectively filed before the effective filing date of the claimed invention.
Claims 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 13, 14, and 18 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Yan et al. (Chinese Patent Publication CN211953024U, provided by Applicant on 05/22/2024, English Machine Translation provided herein and relied upon below).
Regarding Claim 1, Yan shows (Figures 5, 6, 8, 9, 12, 16, and 20):
A water pan (3) comprising:
a frame (the frame of 3, as illustrated in Figure 8) comprising an annular side wall (the exterior perimeter side wall, as illustrated in Figure 8) and a mounting groove body (as illustrated in Figure 8, there is a groove body in the frame of 3 located between the exterior perimeter side wall and the interior sidewall forming 31); and
a water tray (the tray of 3) arranged in (as illustrated in Figure 8) the mounting groove body (as illustrated in Figure 8, there is a groove body in the frame of 3 located between the exterior perimeter side wall and the interior sidewall forming 31), an annular air outlet (32, 33) surrounding (as illustrated in Figure 8, 32/33 surrounds the exterior side of the tray) the water tray (the tray of 3) being formed between (as illustrated in Figure 8) the annular side wall (the exterior perimeter side wall, as illustrated in Figure 8) and the water tray (the tray of 3).
Regarding Claim 2, Yan shows (Figures 5, 6, 8, 9, 12, 16, and 20):
The water tray (the tray of 3) comprises a water tray side wall (the exterior raised lip of the tray, on the interior side of 32/33, as illustrated in Figure 8), the annular air outlet (32, 33) being formed between the annual side wall (the exterior perimeter side wall, as illustrated in Figure 8) and the water tray side wall (the exterior raised lip of the tray, on the interior side of 32/33, as illustrated in Figure 8); and
the water tray side wall (the exterior raised lip of the tray, on the interior side of 32/33, as illustrated in Figure 8 being provided with a connection rib (as illustrated in Figure 8, the lip of the water tray includes a plurality of connection ribs that connect to the exterior perimeter side wall, thereby defining 32 and 33) at an outer periphery (the exterior periphery of the tray) of the water tray side wall (the exterior raised lip of the tray, on the interior side of 32/33, as illustrated in Figure 8, the connection rib being connected between the water tray side wall (the exterior raised lip of the tray, on the interior side of 32/33, as illustrated in Figure 8 and the annular side wall (the exterior perimeter side wall, as illustrated in Figure 8).
Regarding Claim 3, Yan shows (Figures 5, 6, 8, 9, 12, 16, and 20):
The connection rib (as illustrated in Figure 8, the lip of the water tray includes a plurality of connection ribs that connect to the exterior perimeter side wall, thereby defining 32 and 33) has a windward end (3001, on the left side of 4, as illustrated in Figure 20) and a leeward end (3002, on the bottom and right side of 4, as illustrated in Figure 20) with an air guide corner (303) and wherein the leeward end (3001) is formed as a sawtooth structure (sawtooth structure defining 301, 302, and 303, as illustrated in Figure 20).
Regarding Claim 4, Yan shows (Figures 5, 6, 8, 9, 12, 16, and 20):
The annual side wall (the exterior perimeter side wall, as illustrated in Figure 8) is partially connected to (via 105, as illustrated in Figure 8) the mounting groove body (as illustrated in Figure 8, there is a groove body in the frame of 3 located between the exterior perimeter side wall and the interior sidewall forming 31).
Regarding Claim 5, Yan shows (Figures 5, 6, 8, 9, 12, 16, and 20):
The water pan (3) has a water receiving groove (30) and an air inlet (31) surrounded by (as illustrated in Figure 8) the water receiving groove (30), and
a leeward surface (3002) of the water pan (3) has a notch groove (301) formed between the air inlet (31) and the water receiving groove (30) and in communication with (as illustrated by air flow arrows in Figure 20) the water receiving groove (30).
Regarding Claim 6, Yan shows (Figures 5, 6, 8, 9, 12, 16, and 20):
The annular air outlet (32, 33) is formed by a straight segment (32) and an arc segment (33).
Regarding Claim 7, Yan shows (Figures 5, 6, 8, 9, 12, 16, 20, 24, and 25):
A water receiving groove bottom surface (surface illustrated in Figure 25) having a recessed portion (303) and a drainage hole channel (302), the recessed portion (303) and the drainage hole channel (302) being spaced apart from each other (via 301, as illustrated in Figure 25), the recessed portion (303) being used for placement of a water suction opening (the suction opening of 8) of a drainage pump (8), and the drainage hole channel (302) being provided with a drainage plug (306).
Regarding Claim 8, Yan shows (Figures 5, 6, 8, 9, 12, 16, 20, 24, and 25):
A bottom (the bottom of 303) of the recessed portion (303) has a thickness ranging from 10mm to 18mm (the bottom of 303 has a thickness in the vertical direction in the range of 18mm, since the thickness is similar to d3, and d3 is 18mm, as recited in Page 9, line 33-43), and the drainage hole channel (302) has a depth equal to (as illustrated in Figure 20, the depth of the bottom of 302 is equal to the depth of the bottom of 303) the thickness of the bottom (the bottom of 303) of the recessed portion (303).
Regarding Claim 9, Yan shows (Figures 5, 6, 8, 9, 12, 16, 20, 24, and 25):
A recessed portion bottom surface (the bottom surface of 303, as illustrated in Figure 25) of the recessed portion (303) has a surface area greater than (as illustrated in Figure 25, the footprint of 303 is greater than the footprint of 8) an area of a vertical projection (the area of the vertical projection of 8, as illustrated by the footprint of 8 in Figure 25) of the drainage pump (8) on the recessed portion bottom surface (the bottom surface of 303, as illustrated in Figure 8).
Regarding Claim 10, Yan shows (Figures 5, 6, 8, 9, 12, 16, 20, 24, and 25):
An upper end (the right end of 302, as illustrated in Figure 25) of the drainage hole channel (302) is connected to (via 304) the water receiving groove bottom surface (the bottom surface of 303, as illustrated in Figure 25), and is connected to (as illustrated in Figure 25) the water receiving groove bottom surface (the bottom surface of 303, as illustrated in Figure 25) in an oblique transition (as 304 is curved, the transition from 302 to 303 via 304 is an oblique transition).
Regarding Claim 13, Yan shows (Figures 5, 6, 8, 9, 12, 13, , 14, 16, and 20):
An air guide ring assembly (3 and 6) comprising:
the water pan (3) according to claim 1 (see rejection of Claim 1 above);
an air guide ring (6); and
a connection device (connecting structure, Page 5, line 11) comprising a body (body of 34) and a locking portion (61), the body (body of 34) being disposed at (as illustrated in Figure 12) the water pan (3), and an end (the top end of 34, as illustrated in Figure 13) of the body (body of 34) having a connecting hole (the hole in 34, as illustrated in Figure 13), wherein
the locking portion (61) is disposed at (as illustrated in Figure 14) the air guide ring (6) and arranged at an end (in the assembled position, 61 is arranged through the end of 34) of the body (body of 34), the locking portion (61) being abutted with (in the assembled position) at least part of a side wall (the side wall defining the opening in 34) of the body (body of 34) in a circumferential direction (the circumference of the hole in 34) of the connection hole (the hole in 381, as illustrated in Figure 11).
Regarding Claim 14, Yan shows (Figures 1, 5, 6, 8, 9, 12, 15, 16, and 20):
The locking portion (61) is provide with a countersunk hole (the hole in 61, as illustrated in Figure 15) arranged around an end (the top end) of the body (body of 34), the side wall (the side wall defining the opening in 34) of the body (body of 34) being abutted against (in the assembled position) a hole wall (the wall of 61) of the countersunk hole (the hole in 61).
Regarding Claim 18, Yan shows (Figures 1, 5, 6, 8, 9, 12, 16, and 20):
An indoor unit (100) comprising:
the water pan (3) according to Claim 1 (see rejection of Claim 1 above).
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 11, 12, 15, 16, 17, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, and 32 are objected to as being dependent on 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.
Regarding Claim 11, Yan shows the claimed invention except the drainage plug is disposed at a lower end of the drainage hole channel and comprises a covering portion and a blocking portion, the covering portion has a size greater than a size of the blocking portion, the blocking portion being configured to block the drainage hole channel, and the covering portion being located in the countersunk base.
Modifying Yan accordingly teaches away from the principle operation of Yan.
Claim 12 depends from Claim 11.
Regarding Claim 15, Yan shows the claimed invention except the locking portion further has an avoidance hole, the avoidance hole penetrating a bottom wall of the countersunk hole.
There is no motivation in the prior art to modify Yan accordingly.
Claims 16 and 17 depend from Claim 15.
Regarding Claim 19, Yan shows the claimed invention except a baffle assembly disposed at the water pan and comprising a first baffle, a second baffle, a first sealing plate, and a second sealing plate, each of the first sealing plate and the second sealing plate being located between the first baffle and the second baffle, the first sealing plate having an end connected to the first baffle and another end connected to the second baffle, the first sealing plate being connected to the second sealing plate, and a mounting hole being defined between a part of the first sealing plate and a part of the second sealing plate; and a bottom tray, the baffle assembly being mounted at the bottom tray, the bottom tray being located at a side of the baffle assembly facing away from the water pan, one of the first sealing plate and the bottom tray being provided with a catch, another of the first sealing plate and the bottom tray having a catch hole, and the catch being configured to be engaged within the catch hole.
Modifying Yan accordingly teaches away from the principle operation of Yan.
Claims 20 – 24 depend from Claim 19.
Regarding Claim 25, Yan shows (Figures 1, 5, 6, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 16, and 20):
the water pan (3) comprises a water pan lug (38, 381), and wherein the indoor unit (100) further comprises a casing assembly (casing assembly illustrated in Figure 6), the casing assembly (casing assembly illustrated in Figure 6) comprising: a casing (11) comprising a side plate (the side plate of 11).
However, Yan lacks showing the casing assembly further comprises a lifting lug comprising a lifting lug hook and a lifting sub-lug, the lifting sub-lug comprising a water pan connection portion and a side plate connection portion that are sequentially connected, wherein: the lifting lug hook is connected to the water pan connection portion; the side plate is connected to the side plate connection portion; the lifting lug hook and the lifting sub-lug are integrally formed; and the water pan lug is connected to the water pan connection portion.
Modifying Yan accordingly teaches away from the principle operation of Yan.
Claims 26 – 32 depend from Claim 25.
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure and is provided in the Notice of References Cited.
The following prior art teaches related indoor unit water pans:
Miyata et al. (U.S. Patent No. 11,131,479): see Figure 4
Hasegawa et al. (U.S. Patent No. 10,724,749): see Figure 3
Choi et al. (U.S. Patent No. 10,054,320): see Figure 5
Kim (U.S. Patent No. 8,715,047): see Figure 4
Koga et al. (U.S. Pre-Grant Publication No. 2009/0025414): see Figure 3
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/DANA K TIGHE/Examiner, Art Unit 3762
/AVINASH A SAVANI/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3762
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