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 .
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 112
The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 112(b):
(b) CONCLUSION.—The specification shall conclude with one or more claims particularly pointing out and distinctly claiming the subject matter which the inventor or a joint inventor regards as the invention.
The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), second paragraph:
The specification shall conclude with one or more claims particularly pointing out and distinctly claiming the subject matter which the applicant regards as his invention.
Claims 1-13 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 112(b) or 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), second paragraph, as being indefinite for failing to particularly point out and distinctly claim the subject matter which the inventor or a joint inventor (or for applications subject to pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, the applicant), regards as the invention.
Claim 1 includes language within parentheses such as “(n is an integer equal to or greater than 1)” and other language within parentheses. It is unclear if the language within the parentheses are claim limitations or are optional.
Claims 2-13 depend from claim 1 and thus inherit the deficiencies thereof.
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.
Claim(s) 1-10 and 13 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Lee, et al. (“Lee”) (U.S. Pub. 2014/0223942) in view of LG Electronics, Inc. (“LG”) (KR 2015 0124222).
Regarding claim 1, Lee discloses a cold-water tank (¶ [0003], Fig. 1), comprising:
a body part having an accommodation space for accommodating a fluid (Fig. 1);
an evaporator (30) disposed in the accommodation space of the body part wherein the evaporator comprises:
a plurality (m) of evaporation pipes (Fig. 1), wherein at least some of the evaporation pipes are arranged in a first direction (Fig. 2); and
m - 1 connection pipes connecting a kth evaporation pipe and a [k + 1]th evaporation pipe so that the [k + 1]th evaporation pipe forms a first offset with the kth evaporation pipe in a second direction perpendicular to the first direction and forms a second offset with the kth evaporation pipe in the longitudinal direction, and connecting the [k + 1]th evaporation pipe and a [k + 2]th evaporation pipe so that the [k + 2]th evaporation pipe forms a first offset with the [k + 1]th
evaporation pipe in a third direction, which is the reverse direction of the second direction, and forms a second offset with the [k + 1]th evaporation pipe in the longitudinal direction.
(Fig. 2 shows evaporator straight parts connected by curved parts so that it provides a first fluid direction and a second fluid reverse direction and an offset arrangement both in longitudinal as well as in a perpendicular direction).
Lee does not mention that a partition wall part composed of n partition walls that laterally divide the accommodation space of the body part into n + 1 zones (n is an integer equal to
or greater than 1); the evaporator is adapted to cool a fluid moving through then n + 1 zones, the evaporator sections are arranged to face the partition walls, wherein the partition wall comprises an opening through which the connection pipe passes.
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one with ordinary skill in the art, prior to the effective filing date of the claimed invention, to borrow the teaching of LG by including partition walls that laterally divide the accommodation space of the body part into n + 1 zones (n is an integer equal to or greater than 1); the evaporator is adapted to cool a fluid moving through then n + 1 zones, the evaporator sections are arranged to face the partition walls, wherein the partition wall comprises an opening through which the connection pipe passes to increase heat exchange and cooling capacity/efficiency.
Regarding claim 2, the combination is silent in regards wherein at least one evaporation pipe is disposed in each of the zones except for the uppermost zone and the lowermost zone among the zones of the accommodation space; however, it would have been obvious matter of design choice to one with ordinary skill in the art at the time the application was filed to choose a layout for the evaporation pipes, such as wherein at least one evaporation pipe is disposed in each of the zones except for the uppermost zone and the lowermost zone among the zones of the accommodation space, since the layout of the pipes has not been shown to be critical to its operation. In re Dailey, 357 F.2d 669, 149 USPQ 47 (CCPA 1966) MPEP 2144.04 IV. B.
Regarding claim 3, Lee discloses first and second connection pipes (the curved sections of the evaporator).
Regarding claims 4 and 5, Lee discloses are disposed at equal intervals on a first and
second planes (Fig. 2).
Regarding claim 6, the combination discloses (Fig. 9 of LG) shows the arrangement as specified in the claim, namely that the partition walls are positioned in correspondence of the connections.
Regarding claim 7, the combination discloses (Fig. 9 of LG) shows that the partitions walls are alternately arranged in the accommodation space as required in the claim.
Regarding claims 8 and 9, the combination doesn’t specify:
a third plane comprising any one of the plurality of first connection pipes and a plane comprising the partition wall part are formed to have an angle greater than 0° and less than 90° from each other; or
a fourth plane comprising any one of the plurality of second connection pipes and a plane comprising the partition wall part are formed to have an angle greater than 0° and less than 90° from each other.
However, it would have been obvious matter of design choice to one with ordinary skill in the art at the time the application was filed to choose a layout for the connection pipes, such as positioning the pipes at a desired angle, such as 0° to 90°, since the layout of the pipes has not been shown to be critical to its operation. In re Dailey, 357 F.2d 669, 149 USPQ 47 (CCPA 1966) MPEP 2144.04 IV. B.
Regarding claim 10, the combination discloses (Fig. 9 of LG) shows openings disposed at regular intervals as defined in the claim.
Regarding claim 13, Lee discloses a temperature sensor (230, Fig. 3).
Claim(s) 11 and 12 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Lee and LG as applied to claim 1 above, and further in view of Kim, et al. (“Kim”) (U.S. Pub. 2010/0163479).
Regarding claim 11, the combination is silent in regards to an air discharge part formed on an upper side of the body part and controlling whether the air inside the body part is discharged to the outside of the body part according to a water level of a fluid accommodated in the body part.
Kim discloses a cold-water tank (Fig. 3A) with an air discharge part (410) part formed on an upper side (near 210) of the body part and controlling whether the air inside the body part is discharged to the outside of the body part according to a water level (500 floats on the water level) of a fluid accommodated in the body part.
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one with ordinary skill in the art, prior to the effective filing date of the claimed invention, to borrow the teaching of Kim of an air discharge part formed on an upper side of the body part and controlling whether the air inside the body part is discharged to the outside of the body part according to a water level of a fluid accommodated in the body part to vent the air from the headspace to allow water to completely fill the tank.
Regarding claim 12, the combination, as modified by Kim, discloses a water level sensor (Fig. 3A: 500) disposed on an upper side of the body part and sensing the level of the fluid accommodated in the body part, wherein the water level sensor controls the air discharge part according to the level of the fluid accommodated in the body part.
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure. See form PTO-892, attached.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to MICHAEL J MELARAGNO whose telephone number is (571)270-7735. The examiner can normally be reached Mon - Fri: 8 am - 5 pm +/- flex.
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/MICHAEL J. MELARAGNO/ Examiner, Art Unit 3754
/FREDERICK C NICOLAS/ Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3754