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 Species A (Claims 1-5) in the reply filed on 07/08/2026 is acknowledged.
Information Disclosure Statement
The information disclosure statement (IDS) submitted on 05/29/2024 is in compliance with the provisions of 37 CFR 1.97. Accordingly, the information disclosure statement is being considered by the examiner.
Claim Interpretation Under 35 USC §112
The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 112(f):
(f) Element in Claim for a Combination. - An element in a claim for a combination may be expressed as a means or step for performing a specified function without the recital of structure, material, or acts in support thereof, and such claim shall be construed to cover the corresponding structure, material, or acts described in the specification and equivalents thereof.
The following is a quotation of pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, sixth paragraph:
An element in a claim for a combination may be expressed as a means or step for performing a specified function without the recital of structure, material, or acts in support thereof, and such claim shall be construed to cover the corresponding structure, material, or acts described in the specification and equivalents thereof.
This application includes one or more claim limitations that do not use the word “means,” but are nonetheless being interpreted under 35 U.S.C. 112(f) or pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, sixth paragraph, because the claim limitation(s) uses a generic placeholder that is coupled with functional language without reciting sufficient structure to perform the recited function and the generic placeholder is not preceded by a structural modifier. Such claim limitation(s) is/are: “an air conditioning device” and “a heat pump system” in claim 1.
Because this/these claim limitation(s) is/are being interpreted under 35 U.S.C. 112(f) or pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, sixth paragraph, it/they is/are being interpreted to cover the corresponding structure described in the specification as performing the claimed function, and equivalents thereof.
Claim limitation “a heat pump system” has/have been interpreted under 35 U.S.C.112(f) or pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, sixth paragraph, because it uses/they use a generic placeholder “system” coupled with functional language “heat pump” without reciting sufficient structure to achieve the function.
Claim limitation “an air conditioning device” has/have been interpreted under 35 U.S.C.112(f) or pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, sixth paragraph, because it uses/they use a generic placeholder “device” coupled with functional language “air conditioning” without reciting sufficient structure to achieve the function.
Since the claim limitation(s) invokes 35 U.S.C. 112(f) or pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, sixth paragraph, claim(s) 1 has/have been interpreted to cover the corresponding structure described in the specification that achieves the claimed function, and equivalents thereof.
A review of the specification shows that the following appears to be the corresponding structure described in the specification for the 35 U.S.C. 112(f) or pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, sixth paragraph limitation:
Heat pump system 20 treated as meaning includes a heat pump heat exchanger 24 that provides the cold or hot water by exchanging heat between a water and the refrigerant (see par. 72).
An air conditioning device 40 treated as meaning includes an air passageway 41, a heater core 43, and a cooler 44 disposed in the air passageway 4 (see par. 87).
If applicant wishes to provide further explanation or dispute the examiner’s interpretation of the corresponding structure, applicant must identify the corresponding structure with reference to the specification by page and line number, and to the drawing, if any, by reference characters in response to this Office action.
If applicant does not intend to have the claim limitation(s) treated under 35 U.S.C. 112(f) or pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112 , sixth paragraph, applicant may amend the claim(s) so that it/they will clearly not invoke 35 U.S.C. 112(f) or pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, sixth paragraph, or present a sufficient showing that the claim recites/recite sufficient structure, material, or acts for performing the claimed function to preclude application of 35 U.S.C. 112(f) or pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, sixth paragraph.
For more information, see MPEP § 2173 et seq. and Supplementary Examination Guidelines for Determining Compliance With 35 U.S.C. 112 and for Treatment of Related Issues in Patent Applications, 76 FR 7162, 7167 (Feb. 9, 2011).
Claim Rejections - 35 USC §103
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.
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 of this title, 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 1-5 are rejected under pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over
Amaral et al. (US 2004/0089003 A1) in view of SHIBO et al. (CN116330924 A, see
attached translation).
In regards to claim 1, Amaral discloses a cabin cooling/heating system (temperature regulation apparatus 10) for a vehicle, the vehicle including a front cabin (cabin H includes front portion), a rear cabin (cabin H includes rear portion), and a cabin floor of the rear cabin (cabin H includes a cabin floor of the rear cabin), the cabin cooling/heating system (10) comprising: a heat pump system (heat pump 12 and its components) configured to provide cold or hot water (coolant liquid such water; par. 37) by circulating a refrigerant (a refrigerant fluid; par. 37); an air conditioning device (an air conditioning unit 62) fluidly connected to the heat pump system (12) and configured to: receive the cold or hot water (via pumps 28 and 38) from the heat pump system (12), provide cold air or warm air by exchanging heat between inside air (air recycled from the cabin via inlet 66) or outside air (air from outside via inlet 64; par. 60) of the vehicle and the cold or hot water, and blow the cold air or the warm air to the front cabin;; and a line switching valve module (three-port valves 40, 42 and 44) configured to send the cold or hot water, which has passed through the air conditioning device (62), return the cold or hot water back to the heat pump system (12), wherein the cold or hot water returns back to the heat pump system (12). Amaral fails to explicitly teach a floor heat exchanger mounted in the cabin floor and fluidly connected to the air conditioning device, wherein the floor heat exchanger is configured to receive the cold or hot water from the air conditioning device, and cool or heat the cabin floor by circulating the cold or hot water through the cabin floor; the line switching valve module being disposed between the air conditioning device and the floor heat exchanger. SHIBO teaches a thermal management system (Fig. 1) wherein a floor heat exchanger (9) mounted in the cabin floor and fluidly connected to the air conditioning device (air conditioning heat pump 10), wherein the floor heat exchanger (9) is configured to receive the cold or hot water from the air conditioning device (10), and cool or heat the cabin floor by circulating the cold or hot water through the cabin floor (refer to par. 9, 14, 33 and 41); the line switching valve module (four-way valve) being disposed between the air conditioning device (10) and the floor heat exchanger (9).
It would further have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify the system of Amaral such that a floor heat exchanger mounted in the cabin floor and fluidly connected to the air conditioning device, wherein the floor heat exchanger is configured to receive the cold or hot water from the air conditioning device, and cool or heat the cabin floor by circulating the cold or hot water through the cabin floor; the line switching valve module being disposed between the air conditioning device and the floor heat exchanger as taught by SHIBO in order to exchanges heat with the floor (refer to par. 33 of SHIBO).
In regards to claim 2, Amaral meets the claim limitations as set forth above in the rejection of claim 1. Further, Amaral teaches further comprising a water pump module (pumps 28 and 38) fluidly connected to the heat pump system (12) and configured to pump the cold or hot water to the heat pump system (12).
In regards to claim 3, Amaral meets the claim limitations as set forth above in the rejection of claim 1. Further, Amaral teaches wherein the heat pump system (12) comprises: a heat pump heat exchanger (first refrigerant/coolant heat exchanger 24 and second refrigerant/coolant heat exchanger 34) configured to provide the cold or hot water by allowing water to exchange heat with the refrigerant (refer to pars. 39-40); and a heat pump (12) configured to provide the hot water by supplying thermal energy to the water in the heat pump heat exchanger (39) by circulating the refrigerant via a refrigerant circulation line (line of refrigerant circuit 14) or provide the cold water by recovering thermal energy from the water in the heat pump heat exchanger (24), (refer to par. 39), wherein the air conditioning device (62) includes: an air passageway (connection duct 78) configured to allow the inside air or the outside air of the vehicle to communicate with the front cabin (H), the air passageway defining a passageway through which the inside air (via inlet 66) or the outside air (via inlet 64) of the vehicle flows to the front cabin (H), an air blower (fan device 80/82) configured to blow the inside air or the outside air of the vehicle into the air passageway (78), a heater core (hot heat exchanger 39) disposed in the air passageway (78) and configured to receive the hot water from the heat pump heat exchanger (34) and heat the inside air or the outside air of the vehicle in the air passageway, and a cooler (cold heat exchanger 32) disposed in the air passageway (78) and configured to receive the cold water from the heat pump heat exchanger (24) and cool the inside air or the outside air of the vehicle in the air passageway (78), and wherein the line switching valve module (40/42/44) includes: a first line switching valve (42) fluidly connected to the heater core (39) and configured to receive the hot water from the heater core (39) and selectively send the hot water to the floor heat exchanger (floor heat exchanger of SHIBO) or the heat pump heat exchanger (34), and a second line switching valve (42) fluidly connected to the cooler (32) and configured to receive the cold water from the cooler (32) and selectively send the cold water to the floor heat exchanger (floor heat exchanger of SHIBO) or the heat pump heat exchanger (24).
In regards to claim 4, Amaral meets the claim limitations as set forth above in the rejection of claim 3. Further, Amaral teaches wherein the air conditioning device (62) further comprises an air door (flaps 72, 74, 76) configured to selectively open or close the air passageway (78) through which the inside air (via inlet 66) or the outside air (via inlet 64) of the vehicle flows to the heater core (39).
In regards to claim 5, Amaral meets the claim limitations as set forth above in the rejection of claim 3. Further, Amaral teaches wherein the air conditioning device (62) is configured to cool or heat the front cabin (H) in response to an operation of the cabin cooling/heating system, and wherein whether to cool or heat the cabin floor by the floor heat exchanger (floor heat exchanger of SHIBO) is controlled by the line switching valve module (40/42/44).
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to MARTHA TADESSE whose telephone number is (571)272-0590. The examiner can normally be reached on 7:30am-5:00pm EST. If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner's supervisor, Frantz Jules can be reached on 571-272-6681. 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.
/M.T/
Examiner, Art Unit 3763 /FRANTZ F JULES/Supervisory Patent Examiner, Art Unit 3763
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