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 § 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.
Claim(s) 2-6, 8-14, and 16-17 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Ritchey (US20060101838).
Claim 2: Ritchey teaches an apparatus for condensing liquid water from ambient air having water vapor (Abstract teaches water condenser. [0002] teaches the invention cools water to make potable water.), the apparatus comprising: a water condensing unit having a pre-cooling section and configured to receive a flow of ambient air and to condense water vapor from the ambient air into liquid water (Figures 6a, 6b, 11, and 11a show there is moist ambient airflow going into the device having air-to-air and air-to-water heat exchangers. [0091] teaches that there is a pre cooling section before for the primary airflow. The rest of the unit is refrigerant evaporator 14 which condenses the water out as taught in [0073] and figure 2.); and a condensate collection tray operatively coupled to the water condensing unit and configured to receive the liquid water from the water condensing unit (Figures 2 and 3 show the collection plate/pan/trough 26 for the collection of water droplets as they are condensed out of the air.).
Claim 9: Ritchey teaches an apparatus for condensing liquid water from ambient air having water vapor (Abstract teaches water condenser. [0002] teaches the invention cools water to make potable water.), the apparatus comprising: a water condensing unit configured to be positionable in a transportable housing ([0034] teaches this is portable. This limitation is also considered to be intended usage as there is no further structure associated with this. Any housing is technically transportable as it can be moved.) and including a pre-cooling section and a condensing section, the water condensing unit configured to condense water vapor from a flow of the ambient air into the housing and through the pre- cooling section and the condensing section (Figures 6a, 6b, 11, and 11a show there is moist ambient airflow going into the device having air-to-air and air-to-water heat exchangers. [0091] teaches that there is a pre cooling section before for the primary airflow. The condensing section is refrigerant evaporator 14 which condenses the water out as taught in [0073] and figure 2.); and a condensate collection tray operatively coupled to the water condensing unit so as to receive the liquid water from the water condensing unit (Figures 2 and 3 show the collection plate/pan/trough 26 for the collection of water droplets as they are condensed out of the air.).
Claims 3 and 11: Ritchey teaches the water condensing unit includes a condensing section comprising: a plurality of coolant-containing conduits configured to cool the ambient air at least to its dewpoint ([0074] teaches that the plates are refrigerated by the evaporation of refrigerant flowing into the cooling coils 34a that cool the airflow below the dew point to condense water. In this case the conduits are the cooling coils 34a as seen in figure 2.); and an arrangement of water-collection surfaces operatively associated with the coolant- containing conduits and arranged so as to collect the liquid water condensed from the ambient air by the coolant-containing conduits (The plates 34 read upon the water collection surfaces. [0074] teaches that the water condenses onto the surface of the plates.).
Claims 4 and 12: Ritchey teaches the pre-cooling section of the water condensing unit is fluidly coupled to the condensing section of the water condensing unit so as to receive a portion of the liquid water, and wherein the pre-cooling section is located so that a portion of the ambient air is pre-cooled by the received portion of the liquid water before it passes through the condensing section of the water condensing unit ([0091] and figures 6b, 11, and 11a teach an air to water heat exchanger 90 that uses water collected in 26 for pre-cooling of the air.).
Claims 5 and 13: Ritchey teaches the water condensing unit includes at least one condenser, and each condenser has a plurality of condensing surfaces (Figures 2-3 shows the condensing coils 34a. Each of those have plates 34 which is the condensing surface.).
Claims 6 and 14: Ritchey teaches the condensing surfaces are arranged in a linear configuration (Figures 2 and 3 show this.).
Claims 8 and 16: Ritchey teaches the condensing surfaces are substantially perpendicular relative to the condensate collection tray (Figures 2 and 3 show the surface of plates 34 are perpendicular to the tray 26.).
Claim 17: Ritchey teaches apparatus for condensing liquid water from ambient air having water vapor (Abstract teaches water condenser. [0002] teaches the invention cools water to make potable water.), the apparatus comprising: a housing (The housing can be shown in figures 1-4.) having opposed first and second ends (This is the bottom and top of the device, by reference numbers 36 and 32.); first and second opposed side walls, each of the first and second side walls extending between the first and second ends of the housing (The side wall can be considered the front and back face between the top and bottom. In this case it would be the face facing the front in figure 4 and the face opposite that.); a first opening defined by one of the first or second ends (Figure 2 shows that the air enters through the bottom at arrow A in 18, so this reads upon an opening.); a second opening in one of the first or second opposed side walls (There is an opening for the air to leave via the fan 12 as seen in figures 1-4. This is on the side wall.); a water condensing unit disposed in the housing and including a pre-cooling section and a condensing section, the water condensing unit configured to form liquid water from water vapor in the ambient air as the ambient air flows between the first opening and the second opening such that the ambient air passes through the pre-cooling section and the condensing section (Figures 6a, 6b, 11, and 11a show there is moist ambient airflow going into the device having air-to-air and air-to-water heat exchangers. [0091] teaches that there is a pre cooling section before for the primary airflow. The condensing section is refrigerant evaporator 14 which condenses the water out as taught in [0073] and figure 2.); and a condensate collection tray operatively coupled to the water condensing unit, the condensate collection tray configured to receive liquid water from the water condensing unit (Figures 2 and 3 show the collection plate/pan/trough 26 for the collection of water droplets as they are condensed out of the air.).
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 103
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 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.
The factual inquiries for establishing a background for determining obviousness under 35 U.S.C. 103 are summarized as follows:
1. Determining the scope and contents of the prior art.
2. Ascertaining the differences between the prior art and the claims at issue.
3. Resolving the level of ordinary skill in the pertinent art.
4. Considering objective evidence present in the application indicating obviousness or nonobviousness.
This application currently names joint inventors. In considering patentability of the claims the examiner presumes that the subject matter of the various claims was commonly owned as of the effective filing date of the claimed invention(s) absent any evidence to the contrary. Applicant is advised of the obligation under 37 CFR 1.56 to point out the inventor and effective filing dates of each claim that was not commonly owned as of the effective filing date of the later invention in order for the examiner to consider the applicability of 35 U.S.C. 102(b)(2)(C) for any potential 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(2) prior art against the later invention.
Claim(s) 7 and 15 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Ritchey in view of Ogasawara (US5611209).
Claims 7 and 15: Ritchey does not explicitly teach the condensing surfaces are arranged in a zig-zag configuration. Ritchey teaches the plates being linear and straight.
Ogasawara teaches a dehumidifier to separate water from gas (abstract). It teaches the use of a zig zag shape for the condenser in order to enlarge the surface area to be cooled and enhance heat exchange effectiveness (Claims 10 and 20).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill before the effective filing date of the invention to use zigzag condensing surfaces as taught by Ogasawara in the device of Ritchey as Ogasawara teaches the benefits of enlarging the surface area to be cooled and to enhance heat exchange effectiveness.
Conclusion
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/P.Y.S/Examiner, Art Unit 1776 11/19/2025
/Jennifer Dieterle/Supervisory Patent Examiner, Art Unit 1776