DETAILED ACTION
This office action is a reply to the amendment dated August 1, 2025.
Claims 1-7 have been canceled; claims 8, 10, 13 and 22-25 have been amended.
Claims 8-27 remain pending in this application.
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) 8-17 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Wang et al. (CN 108661789 A), hereafter Wang.
Regarding claim 8, Wang discloses an internal combustion engine for a vehicle (Abstract), comprising: a crankshaft rotatably mounted on a cylinder block (Fig. 1 depicts crankshaft pulley – 1), with a rotation axis that extends in a vertical plane that distinguishes a first side of the engine and a second side of the engine; a first belt (5) configured to be driven by the crankshaft; an alternator (7) capable to be driven via the first belt; a pump (2) configured to be driven by the first belt; and a primary refrigerating compressor (12) mounted to the cylinder block, where the primary refrigerating compressor is arranged on the first side of the engine, and the alternator and the pump are arranged on the second side of the engine (shown in Fig. 1).
Wang doesn’t disclose the alternator directly linked through a first pulley and the first belt to the pump. It would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art at the time the invention was made to provide the pump of Wang adjacent to the alternator, since it has been held that rearranging parts of an invention involves only routine skill in the art. In re Japikse, 86 USPQ 70. In this instance both components are linked together with the same belt and indirectly function simultaneously dependent on the pulley they are mounted on, while provided on the same bracket. The applicant did not provide additional reasoning why the specific location of the pump is of importance and it appears that arrangement of Wang would perform equally well.
Regarding claim 9, Wang discloses the engine of claim 8, further comprising a first mounting bracket separately manufactured from the cylinder block, the first mounting bracket attached to the cylinder block (page 2, English Translation NPL).
Regarding claim 10, Wang discloses the engine of claim 9, wherein the alternator and the pump are mounted on the first mounting bracket (page 2, Fig. 1).
Regarding claim 11, Wang discloses the engine of claim 9, further comprising: a secondary refrigerating compressor (9) capable to be driven via the first belt (Fig. 1).
Regarding claim 12, Wang discloses the engine of claim 11, wherein the secondary refrigerating compressor is mounted to the first mounting bracket which is in turn attached to the cylinder block (Fig. 1, page 2).
Regarding claim 13, Wang discloses the engine of claim 8, wherein the first mounting bracket is formed as a single piece (page 2).
Regarding claim 14, Wang discloses the engine of claim 8, further comprising: a second belt (11); and wherein the primary refrigerating compressor (12) is capable to be driven via the second belt (pg. 4).
Regarding claim 15, Wang discloses the engine of claim 8, wherein the pump (2) is a hydraulic steering pump configured to convey a hydraulic medium for a hydraulic power steering of the vehicle (page 2).
Regarding claim 16, Wang discloses the engine of claim 9, further comprising: a first idler pulley (3) and a second idler pulley (6), each coupled to the first mounting bracket and configured to contact the first belt (Fig. 1, page 2).
Regarding claim 17, Wang discloses the engine of claim 9, wherein an entirety of the first mounting bracket is positioned on the second side of the engine (Fig. 1).
Claims 18-27 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Wang et al. (CN 108661789 A), in view of Huckey (US 9,631,546 B2).
Regarding claims 18-21, Wang is silent to an engine comprising: a second mounting bracket, and a third idler pulley coupled to the second mounting bracket and configured to contact the first belt, and, wherein the third idler pulley is positioned on the first side of the engine. Huckey discloses an engine comprising a compressor (537) coupled to a second mounting bracket (540) on the opposite side from where an alternator (534) and a power steering unit (533) are coupled on a first mounting bracket (541), and an idler pulley (536) mounted on the second bracket (Fig. 5D). It would have been obvious to a person having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to provide the second bracket and the third pulley of Huckey in the engine of Wang in order to arrange the engine accessories as needed and allow for retrofitting options.
Regarding claim 22, Wang discloses an internal combustion engine for a vehicle, comprising: a crankshaft (Fig. 1 depicts crankshaft pulley – 1) rotatably mounted on a cylinder block, with a rotation axis that extends in a vertical plane that distinguishes a first side of the engine and a second side of the engine (Fig. 1); a primary refrigerating compressor (12) mounted to the cylinder block, and arranged on the first side of the engine; a secondary refrigerating compressor (9) arranged on the second side of the engine (Fig. 1); a first mounting bracket (Fig. 1; page 2); and an alternator (7) mounted to the first mounting bracket.
Wang discloses an additional idler pully (8) configured to contact the first belt. However Wang does not disclose a second mounting bracket; and idler pulley rotatably mounted to the second mounting bracket and configured to contact a first belt. Huckey discloses an engine comprising a compressor (537) coupled to a second mounting bracket (540) on the opposite side from where an alternator (534) and a power steering unit (533) are coupled on a first mounting bracket (541), and an idler pulley (536) mounted on the second bracket (Fig. 5D). It would have been obvious to a person having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to provide the second bracket and the third pulley of Huckey in the engine of Wang in order to arrange the engine accessories as needed and allow for retrofitting options.
Regarding claim 23, Wang discloses the engine of claim 22, wherein the first mounting bracket is separately manufactured from the cylinder block, the mounting bracket attached to the cylinder block (page 2, English Translation NPL).
Regarding claim 24, Wang discloses the engine of claim 23, wherein the secondary refrigerating compressor is mounted to the first mounting bracket; and wherein an entirety of the first mounting bracket is positioned on the second side of the engine (Fig. 1).
Regarding claim 25, Wang discloses the engine of claim 22, wherein the first belt (5) configured to be driven by the crankshaft; and wherein the secondary refrigerating compressor (9) is configured to be driven by the first belt (Fig. 1).
Regarding claim 26, Wang discloses the engine of claim 22, further comprising: a second belt (11) configured to be driven by the crankshaft; and wherein the primary refrigerating compressor (12) is configured to be driven by the second belt (pg. 4).
Regarding claim 27, Wang discloses a vehicle comprising the engine of claim 8, or the engine of claim 22 (abstract).
Response to Arguments
Applicant's arguments filed August 1, 2025 have been fully considered but they are not persuasive.
Applicant argues that prior art Wang does not disclose the alternator/generator directly linked to the primary compressor through a pulley and belt. Examiner determines that the particular amendment to further limit the location of the compressor is not found to be patentable, because in Wang’s accessory arrangement both components are linked together with the same belt and indirectly function simultaneously dependent on the pulley they are mounted on, while provided on the same bracket. The applicant did not provide additional reasoning why the specific location of the pump is of importance and it appears that arrangement of Wang would perform equally well. (It has been held that rearranging parts of an invention involves only routine skill in the art. In re Japikse, 86 USPQ 70).
Applicant further argues that prior art Huckey does not disclose a second mounting bracket and a pulley rotatably mounted to the second mounting bracket. Examiner asserts that claims are given their broadest reasonable interpretation consistent with the specifications. In this instance, prior art Huckey was applied as a reference that teaches a combination of separate brackets and components distributed on individual brackets. Huckey further teaches a bracket comprising a pulley and a compressor (534) arranged on a separate bracket from the alternator (534), as shown in Fig. 5E. In response to applicant's arguments against the references individually, one cannot show nonobviousness by attacking references individually where the rejections are based on combinations of references. See In re Keller, 642 F.2d 413, 208 USPQ 871 (CCPA 1981); In re Merck & Co., 800 F.2d 1091, 231 USPQ 375 (Fed. Cir. 1986).
Although the applicant has amended the claims to further narrow the scope, merely arranging engine’s accessories in a particular orientation in order to achieve a size and/or shape requirement of an engine compartment has been taught in prior art, and its not found to be patentable.
Conclusion
Applicant's amendment necessitated the new ground(s) of rejection presented in this Office action. Accordingly, THIS ACTION IS MADE FINAL. See MPEP § 706.07(a). Applicant is reminded of the extension of time policy as set forth in 37 CFR 1.136(a).
A shortened statutory period for reply to this final action is set to expire THREE MONTHS from the mailing date of this action. In the event a first reply is filed within TWO MONTHS of the mailing date of this final action and the advisory action is not mailed until after the end of the THREE-MONTH shortened statutory period, then the shortened statutory period will expire on the date the advisory action is mailed, and any nonprovisional extension fee (37 CFR 1.17(a)) pursuant to 37 CFR 1.136(a) will be calculated from the mailing date of the advisory action. In no event, however, will the statutory period for reply expire later than SIX MONTHS from the mailing date of this final action.
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/TEUTA HOLBROOK/
Examiner
Art Unit 3747
/LINDSAY M LOW/ Supervisory Patent Examiner, Art Unit 3747