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 with traverse of Species B (claims 2 and 7-10) in the reply filed on 04/16/2026 is acknowledged. The traversal is on the ground(s) that “search and consideration of all Species can be carried out without much of a burden” (see
Applicant’s Response at page 2).
Specifically, Applicants argue that “claims do not merely require a "Further, while JP9-144657 is cited as allegedly teaching Applicants' claimed features, no evidence tending to show where this reference teaches each of the features recited in Applicants' claims pertaining to their claimed "first and second oil separator." In other words, Applicants' claims do not merely require a "first and second oil separator," and no evidence tending to show where each of Applicants' claimed limitations is taught in this reference is presented.” (see Applicants’ Response at page 1). More specifically, Applicants further argue that since “the Examiner states on the record that all species share the same technical feature”, and” thus, the Examiner must examine all claims, because sharing the same technical feature is evidence of no serious burden to examine all claims. This is because the Examiner's search and consideration of one Species will necessarily encompass search and consideration of the others” (see Applicant’s Response at page 2, first paragraph).
This is not found persuasive because the claimed inventions are indeed directed to a divergent subject matter and do require divergent searches in different classes and subclasses. Indeed, just because Wakamatsu demonstrates another arrangement of the
first and/or second separator and/or controller not envisioned by the Applicant, this do not discredit the
first and/or second separator and/or controller also disclosed by Wakamatsu. Where the group of inventions is claimed in one and the same international application, the requirement for unity of invention referred to in Rule 13.1 shall be fulfilled only when there is a technical relationship among those inventions involving one or more of the same or corresponding special technical features. The expression "special technical features" shall mean those technical features that define a contribution which each of the claimed inventions considered as a whole, makes over the prior art. The inventions listed as Species A; Species B and Species C do not relate to a single general inventive concept under PCT Rule 13.1 because, under PCT Rule 13.2, although they share the special technical feature, i.e. first and/or second separator and/or controller, this special technical feature does not define a contribution over the prior art for the following reasons: Claim 1 is either obvious or anticipated by Pub. No.: JP9-144657. Accordingly, the special technical feature linking the inventions, a first and/or second separator and/or controller does not provide a contribution over the prior art, and no single general inventive concept exists. Therefore, the restriction is appropriate. The requirement is still deemed proper and is therefore made FINAL
Specification
3. The disclosure is objected to because of the following informalities:
--An oil feed type compressor includes a compressor body (2) that compresses: a gas while oil is being injected therein, a first oil separator (6) that separates oil from the compressed gas delivered from the compressor body (2), a second oil separator (8) that further separates oil from the compressed gas from which the oil has been separated by the first oil separator (6), the second oil separator (8) having a reservoir (8bd) for storing the separated oil, a delivery pipe system (9) through which the compressed gas from which the oil has been separated by the second oil separator (8) flows, an oil discharge passage (10) that discharges the oil having been stored in the reservoir (8bd) from the reservoir (8bd), a valve body (10a) included in the oil discharge passage (10), and a controller (11) that controls the opening of the valve body (10a) over time.--.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 103
4. 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.
5. 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.
6. Claim 2 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Lowler et al. (hereinafter “Lowler”) (Patent No.: US 3,191,854) in view of Wakamatsu et al. (hereinafter “Wakamatsu”) (Pub. No.: JPH09144657A cited in IDS filed 02/20/2024).
Regarding claim 2, Lowler discloses an oil feed type compressor (as presented in column 1 lines 13-20) comprising: a compressor body (compressor body CB3/4 consisting of a low-pressure portion 2 and a high-pressure portion 3, as discussed in column 1 lines 26-35 and shown in annotated Figure 1) that compresses a gas or air while oil is being injected therein.
Particularly, Lowler performs the compressor portions 2&3, wherein, as stated in column 1 lines 40-50, the air compressed in the low pressure portion 2 of the compressor is conveyed through a chamber 11 to the high pressure portion 3 and from said high pressure portion a discharge conduit 12 conducts the compressed oil laden air over a spring loaded check valve 3 to a cyclone type oil separator 14 in which a first separation of the main portion of the oil in the compressed air takes place.
Notably, in column 1 lines 40-60, Lowler teaches as how: The air compressed in the low-pressure portion 2 of the compressor is conveyed through a chamber 11 to the high-pressure portion 3 and from said high pressure portion a discharge conduit 12 conducts the compressed oil laden air over a spring-loaded check valve 3 to a cyclone type oil separator 14 in which a first separation of the main portion of the oil in the compressed air takes place. The separated oil is collected in an oil tank 15 on which the separator 4 is provided. A conduit 16 conveys oil laden air from the separator 14 to a second oil separator 17 which is disposed within an air receiver 18. The air receiver 18 is provided with an end cover 9 to which the conduit 16 is attached and which together with the oil separator 17 forms an admission chamber 20 in which some separation of oil is also produced. The oil laden air then passes through filter sections or discs 21 of the separator 17 which take care of most of the remaining oil in the compressed air.
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Lowler, in column 2 lines 8-20, then goes on to describe how: Two conduits 30 and 31 convey liquid oil accumulated at 32 in the admission chamber 20 and at 25 in the receiver chamber 22 to separate suction portions 33 and 34, respectively, of a gear pump 35 which pumps the oil back through a conduit 36 to the oil tank 15. The connections of the conduits 30, 31 to the pump 35 in the described manner makes it possible to duly consider the difference in pressure between the spaces 32 and 25. An oil pump 37 draws oil from the oil tank 15 through a conduit 38 and pumps oil through a conduit 39 to an oil cooler 40 provided with a suitable cooling fan 41 mounted on or driven from the main shaft 42 of the compressor.
In fact, as best seen immediately above, Lowler explicitly exhibits an oil discharge passage, which is defined by the conduits 30&31 and/or discharge conduit 12, that discharges the oil having been stored in the reservoir from the reservoir R22 and/or R15, as otherwise, the system cannot normally operate.
With reference to annotated Figure 1 again, Lowler evidently illustrates as how the spring-loaded check valve 13 and/or valve body of the valve 13 being included in the discharge oil discharge passage 12.
Essentially, with reference to annotated Figure 1, Lowler’s compressor is designed such that a first oil separator 14 that separates oil from the compressed gas or air delivered from the compressor body CB3/4 while a second oil separator 17 that further separates oil from the compressed gas from which the oil has been separated by the first oil separator 14, the second oil separator 17 having an admission chamber 20, which is designated as a reservoir, for storing the separated oil, as instantly claimed.
Lowler, in column 2 lines 57-63, expressly states that: A conduit 61 connects the air receiver 18 to a control valve 62 which is connected to the end of the housing 54 by a conduit 63. The control valve has a vent passage 64 to which the conduit 63 is connected when the control valve is in operative.
Clearly, Lowler, disclosing this conduit 61, specifically teaches a delivery pipe system through which the compressed gas or air from which the oil has been separated by the second oil separator 17 flows.
Furthermore, in column 2 lines 28-38, Lowler specifies that: A check valve 49 with a spring-loaded valve member 50 is provided in the conduit 45 which valve is loaded by a very weak spring and by the difference in pressure between the conduit 46 and the oil tank 15 which for this purpose is connected to the bottom of the valve casing 49 through a conduit 51. 52 is an adjustable spring-loaded by-pass check valve for the pump 37, the setting of which controls the pressure on the oil injected in the compression chambers of the compressor. Said valve also avoids excessive oil pressures when oil temperature is low or compressor speed high.
However, although Lowler discloses the majority of Applicant’s claimed elements, he does not explicitly disclose a controller configured to control an opening of the valve body.
Nonetheless, Wakamatsu in the same field of endeavor teaches another oil feed compressor, wherein, as stated in SOLUTION, A solenoid valve 31 which is opened/closed by a command from a controller 30 is interposed in a suction 19. The solenoid valve 31 is opened for a prescribed time after a time occupied to raise the oil surface of oil reserved in an oil pan 7A to a level L1 is passed, when the driving motor 28 of a compressor 1 is turned on. Oil reserved in the oil pan 7A is intaked into the compressor 1 following with air which flows over in an air feed pipe 4. The solenoid valve 31 is opened for a prescribed time, and it is closed for the other time, and thereby it is possible to prevent compressed air in an oil separator 6 from returning into the intake side of the compressor 1 passing the suction 19. It is possible to prevent reduction of an air discharging rate and prevent wastage of power.
Wakamatsu, as shown in annotated Figure 1, successfully performs as how the solenoid valve 31 can be opened and/or closed by a command from the controller 30 (see Paragraph [0012]).
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Clearly, with reference to annotated Figure 1, the controller 30 is being responsive to the signals or commands received from the compressor motor, thereby determining the load ratio based on the motor commands while controlling the valve 31 based on the compressor motor. In other words, the controller 30 is being configured to control an opening degree of the valve body on a basis of a load ratio and operating time of the compressor 1.
Hence, one of ordinary skill in the art would appreciate that applying an idea of controlling the valve within the oil feed circuit, as taught by Wakamatsu, to another oil feed circuit would be further improving efficiency and extending the component longevity.
Consequently, it would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to combine the teaching of using a controller, as taught by Wakamatsu, in the oil feed type compressor of Lowler as part of an obvious combination of known prior art structures, in this case the use of a controller in an oil feed type compressor to achieve predictable results, in this case, to further control the fluid flow through the system. See KSR; MPEP 2141 III A.
Thus modified, one skilled in the art would have been reasonably appraised that a valve body being included in the oil discharge passage and/or a controller would be further configured to further control an opening of the valve body on a basis of a load ratio and operating time of the compressor body, as instantly claimed.
7. Claims 7-10 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Lowler in view of Wakamatsu, and further in view of Ishiyama (Pub. No.: US 2021/0010725 A1).
Regarding claims 7-10, Lowler and Wakamatsu substantially disclose the oil feed type compressor, as claimed and detailed above.
Additionally, in Paragraph [0009], Wakamatsu specifically teaches that: the solenoid valve is opened for a predetermined period of time every set time, so that the oil accumulated in the oil pan is sucked into the compressor through the suction pipe and the solenoid valve. At other times, the solenoid valve is closed, so the compressed air in the oil separator does not flow through the suction pipe and return to the compressor.
More specifically, in Paragraphs [0014]-[[016], Wakamatsu also states: the predetermined time B is selected as the time required for the oil level in the oil pan 7A to drop from L1 to L2. When the predetermined time B has elapsed, the solenoid valve 31 is closed, and the above process is repeated every time the predetermined time C elapses. Note that the set time C is selected as the time required for the oil level in the oil pan 7A to rise from L2 to L1. Then, at the same time as the compressor 1 stops, the solenoid valve 31 is closed.
However, although Lowler and Wakamatsu disclose the vast majority of applicant’s elements, it is silent as to the fact that the controller keeps the valve body at a first opening while an integrated value of a product of the load ratio and the operating time of the compressor body is less than a predetermined value and/or keeps the valve body at a second opening larger than the first opening for a predetermined period when the integrated value of the product of the load ratio and the operating time of the compressor body has reached the predetermined value.
Nonetheless, Ishiyama in the same field of endeavor teaches another compressor 1, wherein, as stated in Paragraph [0049], controller 100 controls the degree of opening of the oil returning amount regulating valve (valve 13) to attain a large degree of opening or a fully opened state, controls the degree of opening of the oil storage amount regulating valve (valve 11) to attain a small degree of opening or a fully closed state, and controls the shutoff valve (valve 12) to attain a fully closed state.
Then, in a step S102, Ishiyama states that the controller 100 compares an amount of increase of the operation frequency of compressor 1 with a defined amount of change. When the operation frequency of compressor 1 is increased by more than or equal to the defined amount of change (YES in S102), a large amount of refrigeration oil is required in compressor 1. Hence, in a step S103, controller 100 sets the operation mode to an oil returning operation mode (see Paragraph [0048]).
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Notably, in Paragraphs [0051]-[0052], Ishiyama discloses as how: when the amount of increase of the operation frequency of compressor 1 is less than the defined amount of change (NO in S102), controller 100 detects the frequency of compressor 1 in a step S104. Here, when the frequency is not zero and the amount of increase of the operation frequency of compressor 1 is less than the defined amount of change (NO in S104), the amount of required refrigeration oil in compressor 1 is a normal amount thereof. Hence, in a step S106, controller 100 sets the operation mode to the oil collection operation mode to decrease the degree of opening of the oil returning amount regulating valve (valve 13). In the oil collection operation mode, controller 100 controls the degree of opening of the oil returning amount regulating valve (valve 13) to attain a small degree of opening or a fully closed state, controls the degree of opening of the oil storage amount regulating valve (valve 11) to attain a large degree of opening or a fully opened state, and controls the shutoff valve (valve 12) to attain a fully opened state.
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Further, in Paragraph [0054], Ishiyama successfully demonstrates as how: controller 100 controls to fully close the oil returning amount regulating valve (valve 13), the oil storage amount regulating valve (valve 11), and the shutoff valve (valve 12) in step S105. By closing the valves while compressor 1 is non-operational, a flow path between oil reservoir 6 and refrigerant circuit 30 is shut off, whereby the refrigerant in refrigerant circuit 30 is not moved to oil reservoir 6. In this way, even when the temperature of the mixed liquid in oil reservoir 6 is decreased during the non-operational period of compressor 1, the refrigerant is prevented from being moved from refrigerant circuit 30 and being dissolved in the mixed liquid.
In fact, the controller 100 is continuously adjusting the degree of opening of a valve in an oil reservoir 6 which is depending on the quantity of in the reservoir.
Clearly, the controller 100 adjusts the degree of opening based on predetermined correlation stored in memory mapping oil volume levels to corresponding valve positions while corelates the amount of oi stored in the reservoir and the load ratio and operating time of the compressor, as otherwise the system cannot normally operate.
In other words, the controller surely executes a control algorithm that correlates the measured oil volume with respect to the valve opening.
Hence, one of ordinary skill in the art would appreciate that applying an idea of adjusting the degree of opening of a valve, as taught by Ishiyama, to another controller would improve efficiency and reliability of the compressor.
Consequently, in light of this advantages, it would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to combine the teachings of adjusting the degree of opening of a valve, as taught by Ishiyama, to the controller of Lowler/ Wakamatsu, in order to further increase of the operation frequency of compressor with a defined amount of change, as motivated by Ishiyama in Paragraph [0066].
Thus modified, one skilled in the art would have been reasonably appraised that the controller would be further keeping the valve body at a first opening while an integrated value of a product of the load ratio and the operating time of the compressor body being less than a predetermined value and/or would be further keeping the valve body at a second opening larger than the first opening for a predetermined period when the integrated value of the product of the load ratio and the operating time of the compressor body has reached the predetermined value and/or the controller would be further configured to close the valve body at the first opening and would be further configured to open the valve body at the second opening and/or an amount of oil would be further stored in the reservoir until the integrated value has reached the predetermined value being equal to or less than an allowable amount of oil that can be stored in the reservoir and/or the predetermined period would be further longer than a time taken for the oil to being discharged, the oil being stored in the reservoir until the integrated value has reached the predetermined value, as instantly claimed.
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to LILYA PEKARSKAYA whose telephone number is (571)272-1158. The examiner can normally be reached on Monday to Friday, 9:00-5:00 EST.
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If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Essama Omgba can be reached on 469-295-9278. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/L.P/Examiner, Art Unit 3746
/ESSAMA OMGBA/Supervisory Patent Examiner, Art Unit 3746
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