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, Species A, claims 1-3 and 8-12 in the reply filed on 7/7/2026 is acknowledged. The traversal is on the ground(s) that the restriction shares the same or corresponding technical feature. This is not found persuasive because there is a lack of special technical features in the claims. As provided in the 5/7/2026 restriction requirement Groups I and II and Species A-J lack unity of invention because the groups do not share the same or corresponding technical feature. Unity of invention is lacking among Group I and II a priori as there is no subject matter common to all claims. The groups of inventions listed above do not relate to a single general inventive concept under PCT Rule 13.1 because, under PCT Rule 13.2, they lack the same or corresponding special technical features for the following reasons: Group I requires the technical feature a dehumidifier with a liquid condensing device including a contact area between two or more liquid condensing pipes in the second region and air in the first air channel being greater than a contact area between two or more liquid condensing pipes in the first region, and the contact area between two or more liquid condensing pipes in the second region and air in the first air channel being greater than the air in the first air channel and a contact area between two or more liquid condensing pipes in the third region and the air in the first air channel, not required for Group II, Group II requires the technical feature of a dehumidifier with a liquid condensing device including: a body; a first support plate; a second support plate, the first support plate and the second support plate being arranged at two ends of the body, respectively; a first air inlet cavity, a side of the first support plate away from the body being recessed, so as to constitute the first air inlet cavity, the first air inlet cavity being communicated with the second air channel and the body; and a second air inlet cavity, a side of the second support plate away from the body being recessed, so as to constitute the second air inlet cavity, the second air inlet cavity being communicated with the second air channel and the body, not required for Group I.
The requirement is still deemed proper and is therefore made FINAL.
Claims 4-7 and 13-20 are withdrawn from further consideration pursuant to 37 CFR 1.142(b), as being drawn to a nonelected invention and species, there being no allowable generic or linking claim. Applicant timely traversed the restriction (election) requirement in the reply filed on 7/7/2026.
Specification
The lengthy specification has not been checked to the extent necessary to determine the presence of all possible minor errors. Applicant’s cooperation is requested in correcting any errors of which applicant may become aware in the specification.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 112
The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 112(b):
(b) CONCLUSION.—The specification shall conclude with one or more claims particularly pointing out and distinctly claiming the subject matter which the inventor or a joint inventor regards as the invention.
The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), second paragraph:
The specification shall conclude with one or more claims particularly pointing out and distinctly claiming the subject matter which the applicant regards as his invention.
Claims 1-3, 8-12 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 112(b) or 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), second paragraph, as being indefinite for failing to particularly point out and distinctly claim the subject matter which the inventor or a joint inventor (or for applications subject to pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, the applicant), regards as the invention.
Claim 1 recites “air in the first air channel being greater than the air in the first air channel” which renders the claim indefinite because it’s unclear how the air in the first air channel being greater than the air in the first air channel. For examination purpose the limitation is interpreted to recite -- air in the first air channel being greater than the air in the second air channel --.
Claims 2-4, 8-12 are rejected based on dependency from a rejected claim.
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) 1, 9-12 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Chen (CN 206037370) in view of Xu et al (US 20180237980).
Regarding claim 1, Chen teaches a dehumidifier (fig. 1), comprising: a housing (10), a first air channel (A) and a second air channel (B) being disposed in the housing; an evaporator (30) disposed in the housing; a condenser (40) disposed in the housing, the evaporator and the condenser being arranged in sequence in a first direction (front to back, understood 10 would be 3 dimensional having a front to rear, fig. 1) and located in the first air channel (fig. 1); a liquid condensing device (70) disposed in the housing and located between the evaporator and the condenser (fig. 1), the liquid condensing device including a plurality of liquid condensing pipes (unnumbered pipes, fig. 1), and being communicated with the second air channel (fig. 1), and a fan (500 disposed in the housing and located on a side of the condenser away from the evaporator (location of 50 away from 30, fig. 1), the air in the first air channel passing through the evaporator, outer surfaces of the plurality of liquid condensing pipes, and the condenser in sequence (flow of A fig. 1), and then entering the fan and being discharged from the dehumidifier by the fan (fig. 1); and the air in the second air channel passing through an inner space of the plurality of liquid condensing pipes and the condenser in sequence (flow of B, fig. 1), and then entering the fan and being discharged from the dehumidifier by the fan (fig. 1) but fails to explicitly teach the plurality of liquid condensing pipes extending in a second direction; the plurality of liquid condensing pipes being located in a first region, a second region, and a third region, the first region, the second region, and the third region being arranged in sequence in a third direction, the first direction, the second direction, and the third direction being perpendicular to each other, a contact area between two or more liquid condensing pipes in the second region and air in the first air channel being greater than a contact area between two or more liquid condensing pipes in the first region, and the contact area between two or more liquid condensing pipes in the second region; and air in the first air channel being greater than the air in the second air channel and a contact area between two or more liquid condensing pipes in the third region and the air in the first air channel.
However, Xu teaches the plurality of liquid condensing pipes (fig. 6) extending in a second direction (understood the pipes would be orientated left to right, fig. 6); the plurality of liquid condensing pipes being located in a first region (13), a second region (14), and a third region (29), the first region, the second region, and the third region being arranged in sequence in a third direction (arranged in the up and down direction, fig. 6), the first direction, the second direction, and the third direction being perpendicular to each other (understood front to back, left to right and up and down would be perpendicularly arranged), a contact area (the interval distance of the heat exchanger fins of the first part 13 is larger than the interval distance of the heat exchanger fins of the second part 14, paragraph 0067) between two or more liquid condensing pipes in the second region and air in the first air channel being greater than a contact area (the interval distance of the heat exchanger fins of the first part 13 is larger than the interval distance of the heat exchanger fins of the second part 14, paragraph 0067) between two or more liquid condensing pipes in the first region (fig. 6), and the contact area between two or more liquid condensing pipes in the second region; and air in the first air channel being greater than the air in the second air channel and a contact area between two or more liquid condensing pipes in the third region and the air in the first air channel (the interval distance of the heat exchanger fins of the second part 14 is larger than the interval distance of the heat exchanger fins of the third part 29, paragraph 0067) to improve efficiency.
Therefore, it would have been obvious to a person skilled in the art before the effective filing date to modify the dehumidifier of Chen to include the plurality of liquid condensing pipes extending in a second direction; the plurality of liquid condensing pipes being located in a first region, a second region, and a third region, the first region, the second region, and the third region being arranged in sequence in a third direction, the first direction, the second direction, and the third direction being perpendicular to each other, a contact area between two or more liquid condensing pipes in the second region and air in the first air channel being greater than a contact area between two or more liquid condensing pipes in the first region, and the contact area between two or more liquid condensing pipes in the second region; and air in the first air channel being greater than the air in the second air channel and a contact area between two or more liquid condensing pipes in the third region and the air in the first air channel in view of the teachings of Xu to improve efficiency.
Regarding claim 9, the combined teachings teach at least one of the plurality of liquid condensing pipes includes an air inlet end (B into 70 of Chen) and an air outlet end (B out of 70 of Chen), the air in the second air channel flows into the liquid condensing pipe from the air inlet end and flows out of the liquid condensing pipe from the air outlet end (fig. 1 of Chen), and the liquid condensing device satisfies at least one of following: the air in the second air channel flows out from the air outlet end and is mixed with the air in the first air channel on a side of the condenser proximate to the evaporator (fig. 1 of Chen).
Regarding claim 10, the combined teachings teach the liquid condensing device further includes: a first support plate (upper wall of 70 of Chen) provided with a first air inlet cavity (understood an opening would be necessary to allow B into 70 of Chen) communicated with the plurality of liquid condensing pipes, first ends of the plurality of liquid condensing pipes being connected to a bottom wall (fig. 1 of Chen) of the first air inlet cavity; and a second support plate (bottom of 70 of Chen), second ends of the plurality of liquid condensing pipes being connected to the second support plate (fig. 1 of Chen), and the second ends of the plurality of liquid condensing pipes running through the second support plate (fig. 6 of Xu).
Regarding claim 11, the combined teachings teach the liquid condensing device satisfies at least one of following corners of an inner wall of the first air inlet cavity are rounded corners (fig. 1 of Chen); or the second ends of the plurality of liquid condensing pipes and a side of the second support plate away from the first support plate are located on a same plane (fig. 1 of Chen).
Regarding claim 12, the combined teachings teach a water collecting member disposed (60 of Chen) in the housing and located at bottoms of the evaporator, the condenser, and the liquid condensing device (fig. 1 of Chen).
Claim(s) 2-3, 8 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Chen (CN 206037370) in view of Xu et al (US 20180237980) as applied to claim 1 in further view of Li et al (CN 108731494).
Regarding claim 2, the combined teachings teach the invention as described above but fails to explicitly teach wherein a distance between the two adjacent liquid condensing pipes in the second region is less than a distance between the two adjacent liquid condensing pipes in the first region, and the distance between the two adjacent liquid condensing pipes in the second region is less than a distance between the two adjacent liquid condensing pipes in the third region.
However, Li teaches a distance between the two adjacent liquid condensing pipes in the second region is less than a distance (2, spacing between top and middle, fig. 4) between the two adjacent liquid condensing pipes in the first region, and the distance between the two adjacent liquid condensing pipes in the second region is less than a distance between the two adjacent liquid condensing pipes in the third region (2, spacing between middle and bottom , fig. 4) to provide an improved condenser.
Therefore, it would have been obvious to a person skilled in the art before the effective filing date to modify the dehumidifier of the combined teachings to include a distance between the two adjacent liquid condensing pipes in the second region is less than a distance between the two adjacent liquid condensing pipes in the first region, and the distance between the two adjacent liquid condensing pipes in the second region is less than a distance between the two adjacent liquid condensing pipes in the third region in view of the teachings of Li to provide an improved condenser.
Regarding claim 3, the combined teachings teach the second region has the first center plane (plans through middle, fig. 4 of Li), the first center plane is located in the center of the second region and perpendicular to the third direction (thought the middle would be perpendicular to up down direction, fig. 4 of Li), and the two or more liquid condensing pipes in the second region are symmetrically disposed with respect to the first center plane (2 disposed in middle, fig. 4 of Li).
Regarding claim 8, the combined teachings teach the liquid condensing device satisfies at least one of following: a distance between the two adjacent liquid condensing pipes in the first region is equal to a distance between the two adjacent liquid condensing pipes in the third region (fig. 4 of Li); or a number of the liquid condensing pipes in the first region is equal to a number of the liquid condensing pipes in the third region (fig. 4 of Li).
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to ELIZABETH J MARTIN whose telephone number is (571)270-3840. The examiner can normally be reached 8:30-3:00 CT pm M-F.
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If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Jerry-Daryl Fletcher can be reached at (571) 270-5054. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/ELIZABETH J MARTIN/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3763
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