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 Group I, Speices A in the reply filed on 12/29/2025 is acknowledged. The traversal is on the ground(s) that there is no search burden. This is not found persuasive because search burden is not a requirement for a unity of invention restriction.
The requirement is still deemed proper and is therefore made FINAL.
Priority
Acknowledgment is made of applicant’s claim for foreign priority under 35 U.S.C. 119 (a)-(d).
Information Disclosure Statement
The information disclosure statement(s) (IDS) submitted on 5/31/2024 was/were in compliance with the provisions of 37 CFR 1.97. Accordingly, the information disclosure statement(s) is/are being considered by the examiner.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 102
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.
(a)(2) the claimed invention was described in a patent issued under section 151, or in an application for patent published or deemed published under section 122(b), in which the patent or application, as the case may be, names another inventor and was effectively filed before the effective filing date of the claimed invention.
Claim(s) 1-8 and 11-13 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Jeon et al. (US 2020/0200462).
Per claim 1, Jeon teaches a storehouse comprising:
a first space (20a, 20b) configured to provide a space for storing goods, and having a first storage compartment (20a) and a second storage compartment (20b);
a second space (see annotated figure below) to accommodate a first heat exchanger (111), and to be fluidly connected to the first space (20a, 20b);
a third space (“S”, see figure 10) to accommodate a second heat exchanger (107);
a plurality of first walls (walls of 20a, 20b) that define the first space;
a second wall (see annotated figure below) that defines at least a portion of the second space; and
a third wall (see annotated figure below) that defines as least a portion of the third space;
wherein the plurality of first walls includes a rear first wall (see annotated figure below) and another first wall (see annotated figure below) that is recessed from the rear first wall (see annotated figure below), and wherein the second wall (see annotated figure below) and the third wall (see annotated figure below) form part of a device accommodation space (15) defined by the plurality of first walls, and the second wall is vertically arranged from the third wall (see annotated figure below).
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Per claim 2, Jeon meets the claim limitations as disclosed in the above rejection of claim 1. Further, Jeon teaches wherein the second wall (see annotated figure above) is arranged to face at least one of the plurality of first walls (upper most walls of 20a, 20b).
Per claim 3, Jeon meets the claim limitations as disclosed in the above rejection of claim 2. Further, Jeon teaches wherein the second wall is arranged to face a portion of the another first wall (upper region of the another first wall), and wherein the third wall is arranged to face another portion of the another first wall (lower region of the another first wall).
Per claim 4, Jeon meets the claim limitations as disclosed in the above rejection of claim 1. Further, Jeon teaches wherein the rear first wall (see annotated figure above) form a rear portion of the first space (see annotated figure above and figure 3 of Jeon), and the another first wall forms a body recess (see figures 2 and 3).
Per claim 5, Jeon meets the claim limitations as disclosed in the above rejection of claim 4. Further, Jeon teaches wherein the body recess includes a first part (see annotated figure below) recessed forward from the rear first wall and a second part (see annotated figure below) that extends downward, and wherein the first heat exchanger (111) is arranged to face the second part (the first heat exchanger is a three dimensional structure and faces in all directions including the second part).
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Per claim 6, Jeon meets the claim limitations as disclosed in the above rejection of claim 5. Further, Jeon teaches wherein the body recess includes a third part (see annotated figure above) recessed forward from the second part, and a fourth part (see annotated figure above) extending downward from the third part, and wherein the second heat exchanger (107) is arranged to face the fourth part (the second heat exchanger is a three dimensional structure and faces in all directions including the fourth part).
Per claim 7, Jeon meets the claim limitations as disclosed in the above rejection of claim 4. Further, Jeon teaches wherein the body recess includes a return hole (17a, 17b) to return cold air from the first space (20a, 20b) to the second space (see annotated figure above).
Per claim 8, Jeon meets the claim limitations as disclosed in the above rejection of claim 7. Further, Jeon teaches wherein the first storage compartment (20a) is partitioned from the second storage compartment (20b) by a partition (32), and wherein the return hole (17a, 17b) includes a first return hole (17a) fluidly connected to the first storage compartment (20a) and a second return hole (17b) fluidly connected to the second storage compartment (20b).
Per claim 11, Jeon meets the claim limitations as disclosed in the above rejection of claim 1. Further, Jeon teaches
a heat exchange device (figure 4) in which the second space (see annotated figure above) and the third space (“S”) are integrally formed, wherein insulation is to separate the first (111) and second heat exchangers (107) (see figure 3).
Per claim 12, Jeon meets the claim limitations as disclosed in the above rejection of claim 11. Further, Jeon teaches wherein the heat exchange device includes a device case (101) forming the second (see annotated figure above) and third spaces (“S”), wherein the device case includes: a first case (see annotated figure below) to accommodate the first heat exchanger (111) and to form the second space (see annotated figure above); and a second case (see annotated figure below) disposed in a vertical direction with respect to the first case, and to accommodate the second heat exchanger (107), and the second case to form the third space (“S”).
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Per claim 13, Jeon meets the claim limitations as disclosed in the above rejection of claim 12. Further, Jeon teaches wherein the second case is to accommodate a compressor (106) and a second heat exchanger fan (108) disposed adjacent to the second heat exchanger (107) , and wherein a tray (104) for collecting fluid generated in the first heat exchanger (111) is disposed between the first heat exchanger (111) and the compressor (106).
Allowable Subject Matter
Claim(s) 9-10, 14-18 is/are objected to as being dependent upon a rejected base claim, but would be allowable if rewritten in independent form including all of the limitations of the base claim and any intervening claims.
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure:
Tomoharu et al. (US 2020/0072526) teaches a refrigerator including a first, second, and third storage space.
Takase et al. (US 2019/0128586) teaches a refrigerator including a first, second, and third storage space.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to DAVID J TEITELBAUM whose telephone number is (571)270-5142. The examiner can normally be reached on Monday-Friday 8:00 am-4:30 pm EST.
If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, FRANTZ JULES can be reached on (571) 272-66816681. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/DAVID J TEITELBAUM/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3763