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 .
Information Disclosure Statement
The information disclosure statement (IDS) submitted on 7/25/2024 was filed on or after the mailing date of the application. The submission is in compliance with the provisions of 37 CFR 1.97. Accordingly, the information disclosure statement is being considered by the examiner.
Specification
Applicant is reminded of the proper content of an abstract of the disclosure.
A patent abstract is a concise statement of the technical disclosure of the patent and should include that which is new in the art to which the invention pertains. The abstract should not refer to purported merits or speculative applications of the invention and should not compare the invention with the prior art.
If the patent is of a basic nature, the entire technical disclosure may be new in the art, and the abstract should be directed to the entire disclosure. If the patent is in the nature of an improvement in an old apparatus, process, product, or composition, the abstract should include the technical disclosure of the improvement. The abstract should also mention by way of example any preferred modifications or alternatives.
Where applicable, the abstract should include the following: (1) if a machine or apparatus, its organization and operation; (2) if an article, its method of making; (3) if a chemical compound, its identity and use; (4) if a mixture, its ingredients; (5) if a process, the steps.
Extensive mechanical and design details of an apparatus should not be included in the abstract. The abstract should be in narrative form and generally limited to a single paragraph within the range of 50 to 150 words in length.
See MPEP § 608.01(b) for guidelines for the preparation of patent abstracts.
The abstract of the disclosure is objected to because the abstract contains the title of the invention. A corrected abstract of the disclosure is required and must be presented on a separate sheet, apart from any other text. See MPEP § 608.01(b).
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.
Claim(s) 1, 2, 5, 6, 7, 11, 12, 13, 16, 17 and 18 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Kim (KR20060005195A).
Regarding Claims 1 and 12, Kim teaches an air conditioner unit defining a vertical, a lateral, and a transverse direction [fig 1], and a base pan assembly [at 60; fig 3] for the air conditioner unit; the air conditioner unit comprising:
a bulkhead [the vertical portion of 56] mounted within a cabinet to define an indoor portion [A] and an outdoor portion [B; 0032; 0033; figs 2 &3];
an indoor heat exchanger [70] positioned within the indoor portion [0033];
an outdoor heat exchanger [80] positioned within the outdoor portion [0033]; and a base pan [60] positioned under the outdoor heat exchanger for collecting condensate that drips off the outdoor heat exchanger [0033], wherein the base pan defines a condensate collection reservoir directly below the outdoor heat exchanger and one or more pan holes [64] passing through the base pan within the condensate collection reservoir [0033; figs 2 & 3].
Regarding Claims 2 and 13, Kim teaches the invention of claims 1 and 12 above and Kim teaches wherein the one or more pan holes are positioned in front of a fan shroud [86; see fig 3 where the seating portion [65] of the heat exchanger 80 is forward of the shroud [86] and where the pan hole is forward of said seating portion].
Regarding Claims 5 and 16, Kim teaches the invention of claims 1 and 12 above and Kim teaches wherein the one or more pan holes are positioned such that the condensate flows unimpeded to one or more pan holes after falling from the outdoor heat exchanger [0033; 0035].
Regarding Claims 6 and 17, Kim teaches the invention of claims 1 and 12 above and Kim teaches wherein the one or more pan holes are positioned between lateral sides of the outdoor heat exchanger along the lateral direction [see fig 3].
Regarding Claims 7 and 18, Kim teaches the invention of claims 1 and 12 above and Kim teaches wherein the base pan further defines an elevated wall that defines the condensate collection reservoir surrounding the one or more pan holes [by inspection at fig 3].
Regarding Claim 11, Kim teaches the invention of claim 1 above and Kim teaches wherein the air conditioner unit is a single-package vertical unit (SPVU) or a package terminal air conditioner (PTAC) [see fig 1].
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.
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.
Claim(s) 3, 4, 8, 14, 15 and 19 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Kim (KR20060005195A) in view of Seto et al. (US2025/0122157).
Regarding Claims 3 and 14, Kim teaches the invention of claims 1 and 12 above but does not teach wherein the one or more pan holes are spaced apart from the outdoor heat exchanger by a hole spacing defined along the transverse direction, the hole spacing being less than 25 millimeters.
However, Seto teaches a heat source unit having a heat exchanger [7] and drain plate [2; 0019; 0020; fig 2] where one or more drain plate holes [20] are spaced apart from the outdoor heat exchanger by a hole spacing defined along the transverse direction [0020; 0021; see at least fig 3]. Whereas Seto does not teach the hole spacing being less than 25 millimeters, Seto does teach where the position and number of holes are formed in consideration of strength of the drain plate and the efficiency of draining the drain water [0021; 0022; where one skilled in the art would recognize that hole spacing dictates the number of holes provided]. Thus, the hole spacing is recognized as a result-effective variable, i.e. a variable which achieves a recognized result. In this case, the recognized result is integrity of the drain plate and drainage efficiency.
Therefore, since the general condition of the claim is disclosed by the prior art reference, it is not inventive to discover the optimum hole spacing by routine experimentation, and it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the invention to provide wherein the hole spacing being less than 25 millimeters in order to achieve optimum integrity of the drain plate and optimal drainage efficiency.
Regarding Claims 4 and 15, Kim, as modified, teaches the invention of claims 3 and 14 above and Seto teaches wherein the hole spacing is less than 10 millimeters [0021; 0022; where Seto teaches where the position and number of holes are formed in consideration of strength of the drain plate and the efficiency of draining the drain water. Thus, the hole spacing is recognized as a result-effective variable, i.e. a variable which achieves a recognized result. In this case, the recognized result is integrity of the drain plate and drainage efficiency.
Therefore, since the general condition of the claim is disclosed by the prior art reference, it is not inventive to discover the optimum hole spacing by routine experimentation, and it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the invention to provide wherein the hole spacing is less than 10 millimeters in order to achieve optimum integrity of the drain plate and optimal drainage efficiency.
Regarding Claims 8 and 19, Kim teaches the invention of claims 1 and 12 and Seto teaches wherein the one or more pan holes are defined between the outdoor heat exchanger and an outdoor fan along the transverse direction [0021; 0022; where Seto teaches where the position and number of holes are formed in consideration of strength of the drain plate and the efficiency of draining the drain water. Thus, the hole spacing is recognized as a result-effective variable, i.e. a variable which achieves a recognized result. In this case, the recognized result is integrity of the drain plate and drainage efficiency.
Therefore, since the general condition of the claim is disclosed by the prior art reference, it is not inventive to discover the optimum hole spacing by routine experimentation, and it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the invention to provide wherein the one or more pan holes are defined between the outdoor heat exchanger and an outdoor fan along the transverse direction in order to achieve optimum integrity of the drain plate and optimal drainage efficiency.
Claim(s) 9 and 20 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Kim (KR20060005195A) in view of Quick (US2892324).
Regarding Claims 9 and 20, Kim teaches the invention of claims 1 and 12 above but does not teach a thermostatic drain valve operably coupled to the one or more pan holes.
However, Quick teaches a refrigeration system [fig 2] having a thermostatic drain valve [at least the assembly of thermostat 22a, valve 23a] operably coupled to the one or more pan holes [at outlet 31a; col 3, lines 17-63; fig 2] where one of ordinary skill in the art could have combined the elements as claimed by known methods and that in combination, each element would perform the same function as it did separately and one of ordinary skills would have recognized that the results of the combination were predictable i.e. provide an automatic drain system [col 4, lines 1-13].
Therefore, it would have been obvious to a person of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the invention to modify the assembly of Kim to have a thermostatic drain valve operably coupled to the one or more pan holes in view of the teachings of Quick where the elements could have been combined by known methods with no change in their respective functions, and the combination would have yielded predictable results i.e. provide an automatic drain system.
Claim(s) 10 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Kim (KR20060005195A) in view of AL Watban (US2010/0281896).
Regarding Claim 10, Kim teaches the invention of claim 1 above but does not teach wherein the base pan is formed from plastic.
However, AL Watban teaches a refrigeration cooler system [fig 1] having wherein a base pan [11, 12] is formed from plastic [0063; 0064; fig 1] where one of ordinary skill in the art could have combined the elements as claimed by known methods and that in combination, each element would perform the same function as it did separately and one of ordinary skills would have recognized that the results of the combination were predictable i.e. provide a base ban whose manufacture is flexible.
Therefore, it would have been obvious to a person of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the invention to modify the assembly of Kim to have a wherein the base pan is formed from plastic in view of the teachings of Al Watban where the elements could have been combined by known methods with no change in their respective functions, and the combination would have yielded predictable results i.e. provide a base ban whose manufacture is flexible.
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to LARRY L FURDGE whose telephone number is (313)446-4895. The examiner can normally be reached M-R 6a-3p; F 6a-10a.
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/LARRY L FURDGE/ Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3763