DETAILED ACTION
Election/Restrictions
Applicant’s election without traverse of Species A (Fig. 2) in the reply filed on 2026 February 17 is acknowledged.
Applicant indicates that claims 1-12 and 14 are drawn to the elected embodiment. However, the Examiner finds that claim 11 is drawn to non-elected Species B.
Claims 11-20 are withdrawn from further consideration pursuant to 37 CFR 1.142(b) as being drawn to a nonelected species, there being no allowable generic or linking claim.
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.
Claims 1 and 2 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by US 2015/0300743 A1 (herein “Persson”).
Regarding claim 1.
Persson discloses a plate heat exchanger (Figs. 6a to 8) wherein:
a plurality of heat transfer plates (10);
a first fluid channel (channel formed between 1 and 7) and a second fluid channel (channel formed between 2 and 6) formed between adjacent heat transfer plates and fluidly isolated from each other, wherein the first fluid channel comprises a fluid channel upstream portion (at 12U) and a fluid channel downstream portion (at 12D) that are separated from each other (shown in Figs. 1 and 8);
an upstream outlet port (3) formed in each of the heat transfer plates and communicated to the fluid channel upstream portion of the first fluid channel , and a downstream inlet port (5) formed in each of the heat transfer plates and communicated to the fluid channel downstream portion of the first fluid channel; and
a fluid communication device (15), through which the upstream outlet port and the downstream inlet port are fluidly communicated with each other.
Regarding claim 2.
Persson discloses the plate heat exchanger according to claim 1, wherein:
an end plate (13, 16) disposed on an outer side of an outermost heat transfer plate and having an end plate outer recess that is recessed in a direction away from the outermost heat transfer plate (shown in Figs. 7 and 8; at 15/16), wherein the end plate outer recess is configured to form a chamber as the fluid communication device with a portion of the outermost heat transfer plate corresponding to the end plate outer recess (shown in Fig. 8 by flow arrows).
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.
Claims 3, 6-7, and 9-10 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Persson in view of US 5,511,612 A (herein “Tajima”).
Regarding claim 3.
Persson discloses the plate heat exchanger according to claim 2, wherein the end plate has first and second openings corresponding to the first and second openings of the heat transfer plates, which allow fluid to flow into and out of the recess at 15, with annular protrusions surrounding the openings (shown in Fig. 2);
but not – a sealing plate comprising first and second openings; wherein the sealing plate is disposed between the end plate and the outermost heat transfer plate.
Tajima discloses a plate heat exchanger (Fig. 3) comprising a plurality of heat transfer plates (35, 37); an end plate (55) disposed on an outer side of an outermost heat transfer plate to form a recess; and a sealing plate (47) comprising multiple openings to allow fluid to flow into and out of the recess; and states that the object of the invention is to provide an oil cooler with an improved mounting strength (abstract).
Therefore, in view of the teachings of Tajima, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art to modify the heat exchanger of Persson and arrive at the claimed invention.
Regarding claim 6.
Persson discloses the plate heat exchanger according to claim 2, wherein the end plate has openings corresponding to the openings of the heat transfer plates, which allow fluid to flow into and out of the recess at 15, with annular protrusions surrounding the openings (shown in Fig. 2);
but not – a sealing plate comprising an opening; wherein the sealing plate is disposed between the end plate and the outermost heat transfer plate.
Tajima discloses a plate heat exchanger (Fig. 3) comprising a plurality of heat transfer plates (35, 37); an end plate (55) disposed on an outer side of an outermost heat transfer plate to form a recess; and a sealing plate (47) comprising multiple openings to allow fluid to flow into and out of the recess; and states that the object of the invention is to provide an oil cooler with an improved mounting strength (abstract).
Therefore, in view of the teachings of Tajima, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art to modify the heat exchanger of Persson and arrive at the claimed invention.
Regarding claim 7.
The combined teachings of Persson and Tajima disclose the plate heat exchanger according to claim 6, wherein an annular edge surface portion of the sealing plate on a side of the sealing plate facing the end plate is in contact with an annular surface portion of the end plate surrounding the end plate outer recess so as to form a seal between the annular edge surface portion of the sealing plate and the annular surface portion of the end plate (Tajima: Fig. 3; at the left and right sides of 47), and the annular protrusion of the sealing plate is in contact with the annular surface portion around the upstream outlet port and downstream inlet port of the outermost heat transfer plate so as to form a seal between the annular protrusion of the sealing plate and the annular surface portion of the outermost heat transfer plate (Tajima: Fig. 3; annular portion of the openings in plate 47 contacted the annular portions of the outermost heat transfer plate.
Regarding claim 9.
The combined teachings of Persson and Tajima disclose the plate heat exchanger according to claim 3, wherein the end plate is configured to further have a step portion surrounding the end plate outer recess and recessed in a direction away from the outermost heat transfer plate, and the annular surface portion of the end plate surrounding the end plate outer recess is disposed on the step portion (Tajima: Fig. 3; step portion surrounding the left and right sides of 47).
Regarding claim 10.
The combined teachings of Persson and Tajima disclose the plate heat exchanger according to claim 3, wherein the sealing plate is formed of metal (Tajima: aluminum) and connected to the end plate and the outermost heat transfer plate through brazing respectively (Tajima: col. 4, ln. 34).
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 4, 5, and 8 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
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to Jon T. Schermerhorn Jr. whose telephone number is (571)270-5283. The examiner can normally be reached M-F 9am to 5pm.
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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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/JON T. SCHERMERHORN JR./Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3763
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