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, figs. 5-6 and claims 1-5 and 9-18 in the reply filed on 4/23/2026 is acknowledged.
Claims 6-8 and 19 are withdrawn from further consideration pursuant to 37 CFR 1.142(b) as being drawn to a nonelected species, there being no allowable generic or linking claim. Election was made without traverse in the reply filed on 4/263/2026.
Drawings
The drawings are objected to under 37 CFR 1.83(a). The drawings must show every feature of the invention specified in the claims. Therefore, the gasket seating groove 136 in claim 14 must be shown or the feature(s) canceled from the claim(s). No new matter should be entered.
Corrected drawing sheets in compliance with 37 CFR 1.121(d) are required in reply to the Office action to avoid abandonment of the application. Any amended replacement drawing sheet should include all of the figures appearing on the immediate prior version of the sheet, even if only one figure is being amended. The figure or figure number of an amended drawing should not be labeled as “amended.” If a drawing figure is to be canceled, the appropriate figure must be removed from the replacement sheet, and where necessary, the remaining figures must be renumbered and appropriate changes made to the brief description of the several views of the drawings for consistency. Additional replacement sheets may be necessary to show the renumbering of the remaining figures. Each drawing sheet submitted after the filing date of an application must be labeled in the top margin as either “Replacement Sheet” or “New Sheet” pursuant to 37 CFR 1.121(d). If the changes are not accepted by the examiner, the applicant will be notified and informed of any required corrective action in the next Office action. The objection to the drawings will not be held in abeyance.
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 1-5, and 9-18 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 recites the limitation "the groove portion " in line 12. There is insufficient antecedent basis for this limitation in the claim since it is unclear if “the groove portion” is referring to the plurality of groove portions or some other specific groove within the plurality of groove portions or some other groove portion.
Claim 3 recites the limitation "the other side" in lines 1 and 2-3. There is insufficient antecedent basis for this limitation in the claim since it is unclear what “the other side” is referring to.
Claims 10-11 recite the limitation "the tube" in lines 2-3 in claim 10 and line 2 in claim 11. There is insufficient antecedent basis for this limitation in the claim since it is unclear it “the tube” is referring to the dummy tube or the plurality of tubes or some other tube.
Claim 15 recites the limitation "a gasket seating groove" in line 9. There is insufficient antecedent basis for this limitation in the claim since it is unclear if it is referring to the previous gasket seating groove or an entirely different gasket seating groove.
Claims 2-5 and 9-18 are rejected as being dependent from claim 1.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 102
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 (i.e., changing from AIA to pre-AIA ) 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 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 1-5 and 9-18 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Choi et al. (US Publication No.: 2020/0271398 hereinafter “Choi”).
With respect to claim 1, Choi discloses a heat exchanger (Figs. 1a-1b) comprising: a pair of header tanks disposed to be spaced apart from one another (Figs. 1a-1b, header tanks 11 at opposite ends of tubes 13); and a plurality of tubes each having two opposite ends connected to the pair of header tanks (13), wherein the pair of header tanks each comprises: a header (Fig. 3, header 200) comprising a plurality of bent tabs spaced apart from one another along a periphery of the header (Fig. 3, bent tabs 240), the header having a plurality of groove portions formed between the plurality of bent tabs and concavely recessed from an end of the header (Fig. 5, grooves 220 and 230); and a tank having a lower end inserted into the header and coupled as the bent tabs are bent inward (Fig. 3, tank 100 and Para 0033), the tank being coupled to the header to define a flow space for a heat exchange medium (Fig. 3, tank 100 is coupled to header 200), and wherein first groove portions, which have a larger depth than the groove portion, are formed in the header of each of the pair of header tanks (Fig. 5, first groove 210 has a larger depth than 220 and 230).
With respect to claim 2, Choi discloses the heat exchanger of claim 1 as discussed above. Choi also discloses further comprising: one or more baffles coupled to any one of or both the header and the tank and configured to partition an internal space (Fig. 4, tank baffles 110), wherein the first groove portion is formed in the header of each of the pair of header tanks and positioned at a position corresponding to the baffle in a longitudinal direction (Fig. 3).
With respect to claim 3, Choi discloses the heat exchanger of claim 2 as discussed above. Choi also discloses wherein one side and the other side of the header tank are separated by the baffle (Figs. 3-4 baffles 110 separate the tank), and heat exchange media (Para 0041), which flow at one side and the other side separated from each other, have different temperatures (Para 0002-0003 and 0042).
With respect to claim 4, Choi discloses the heat exchanger of claim 2 as discussed above. Choi also discloses wherein the baffles are provided as a pair of baffles spaced apart from each other in the longitudinal direction (Fig. 3, pair of baffles 110), and the first groove portion is positioned between the pair of baffles in the longitudinal direction (Fig. 5 and Para 0043).
With respect to claim 5, Choi discloses the heat exchanger of claim 1 as discussed above. Choi also discloses wherein the first groove portions are formed at positions corresponding to two opposite widthwise sides of the header (Fig. 5 and Para 0043).
With respect to claim 9, Choi discloses the heat exchanger of claim 2 as discussed above. Choi also discloses further comprising: a dummy tube disposed between the tubes and having two opposite ends connected to the pair of header tanks (Para 0032), the dummy tube being connected between the pair of baffles (Para 0042-0043).
With respect to claim 10, Choi discloses the heat exchanger of claim 9 as discussed above. Choi also discloses wherein the dummy tube is formed so that no heat exchange medium flows in the dummy tube, and the dummy tube has the same shape as the tube (Para 0042-0043).
With respect to claim 11, Choi discloses the heat exchanger of claim 9 as discussed above. Choi also discloses wherein the first groove portion is positioned between the tubes adjacent to two opposite sides of the dummy tube (Fig. 3, 230 is between the tubes that are located in 250 on opposite sides of dummy tube).
With respect to claim 12, Choi discloses the heat exchanger of claim 11 as discussed above. Choi also discloses wherein the first groove portion is formed at a position corresponding to a position of the dummy tube (Para 0042-0043 and Fig. 3, 230 at a position corresponding to dummy tube).
With respect to claim 13, Choi discloses the heat exchanger of claim 4 as discussed above. Choi also discloses further comprising: gaskets formed in a shape corresponding to the header, the tank, and the pair of baffles, and the gaskets being tightly attached and interposed between the header and the tank and between the pair of baffles and the header (Fig. 3, gasket 300 between 200 and 100).
With respect to claim 14, Choi discloses the heat exchanger of claim 13 as discussed above. Choi also discloses wherein a gasket seating groove is formed in a rim portion of the header (Fig. 2b, gasket 14-3 is on seating groove on 14 and Fig. 3), wherein the gasket is inserted into the gasket seating groove (Figs. 2b-3), wherein a coupling part protruding outward is formed at a lower end of the tank (Fig. 3, coupling part 140 protrudes from lower end of tank 100), wherein the coupling part is inserted into the gasket seating groove of the header (Fig. 2b, coupling part 140 is on top of gasket 14-3 and in a seating groove on 14), and wherein the gasket is pushed and tightly attached between the gasket seating groove and the coupling part (Fig. 2b).
With respect to claim 15, Choi discloses the heat exchanger of claim 13 as discussed above. Choi also discloses wherein the gasket comprises: a peripheral portion formed in a shape corresponding to a gasket seating groove of the header (Fig. 3, gasket 300 is in a shape corresponding to groove on header 200); and a pair of bridges each having two opposite ends connected to two opposite widthwise sides of the peripheral portion (Fig. 3, bridges at 320), the pair of bridges being disposed to be spaced apart from each other in the longitudinal direction so as to correspond to positions of the pair of baffles (Fig. 3, 320 corresponds to baffles 110), wherein the peripheral portion is inserted into a gasket seating groove (Fig. 3, gasket 300 is inserted into a seating groove on 200), and wherein the pair of bridges is pushed and tightly attached between the pair of baffles and the header (Fig. 3, bridges 320 is between baffles 110 and header 200 at 230).
With respect to claim 16, Choi discloses the heat exchanger of claim 13 as discussed above. Choi also discloses wherein the first groove portion is positioned between the pair of bridges in the longitudinal direction (Figs. 3 and 6a, groove between bridges 321 and 322).
With respect to claim 17, Choi discloses the heat exchanger of claim 13 as discussed above. Choi also discloses wherein when a line made by extending ends of concave troughs of the groove portions is defined as a groove portion reference line, the groove portion reference line is farther from a bottom surface of the header than a contact surface between the tank and the gasket (Fig. 2b, bottom of groove portion below 14-3 is lower than a contact surface between tank 12 and gasket 14-3).
With respect to claim 18, Choi discloses the heat exchanger of claim 13 as discussed above. Choi also discloses wherein when a line made by extending ends of concave troughs of the first groove portions is defined as a first groove portion reference line, the first groove portion reference line is positioned to be closer to a bottom surface of the header than a contact surface between the tank and the gasket (Fig. 2b, bottom of groove portion below 14-3 is lower than a contact surface between tank 12 and gasket 14-3).
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to CLAIRE E ROJOHN III whose telephone number is (571)270-5431. The examiner can normally be reached 9:00-5:00 M-F.
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If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Len Tran can be reached at (571)272-1184. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/CLAIRE E ROJOHN III/ Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3763
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