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 .
Specification
Applicant is reminded of the proper content of an abstract of the disclosure (emphasis by examiner):
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 it discuss the purported merits of the invention (e.g. “increasing the overall travel distance of the vehicle by efficiently adjusting the temperature of the battery module for an optimal performance of the battery module”. 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).
The title of the invention is not descriptive. A new title is required that is clearly indicative of the invention to which the claims are directed.
Claim Objections
Claims 1 and 2 are objected to because of the following informalities:
In line 13 of claim 1 (as counted within the claim rather than by the page-wide line numbering presented in the claims as filed), the word “is” should be corrected to “are” in the phrase “a temperature of a vehicle interior and the battery module of the vehicle is adjusted”.
In line 6 of claim 2, the word “sby” should be corrected to “by”.
In line 4 of claim 2, the word “at” in the recitation of “coolant cooled at the radiator” should be corrected to “by” to agree with the phrasing equivalent and similar teachings in lines 6 and 9 of the same claim (i.e. “coolant cooled sby the radiator” (sic and see above), and “coolant cooled by the chiller”) and similar teachings in claim 3 in lines 3 and 6, claim 4 in lines 3 and 5, and claim 6 in lines 3 and 6, all of which use “by”.
Appropriate correction is required.
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.
Claim 2-8 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.
In line 4 of claim 2, the teaching of “the coolant cooled at the radiator” lacks antecedent basis. There is no recitation of such coolant earlier in claim 2 or in claim 1 from which claim 2 depends. Although claim 1 teaches in lines 4-5 “a first line… connected to the valve module to flow the coolant and including a radiator”, there is no teaching of “coolant cooled at the radiator” or of the radiator specifically performing a step or action of “cooling” coolant in the first line or elsewhere so that it is unclear whether the radiator acting to cool “the coolant” refers only to coolant flowing through the radiator in the first line or if some other arrangement (such as that of a multi-channel radiator) might fall within the scope of the claim in a manner that defines “the coolant cooled at the radiator”. For these reasons, the scope of claim 2 with regard to “the cooling cooled at the radiator” cannot be positively ascertained and the claim is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 112(b) as being indefinite.
Similar teachings to “the coolant cooled at the radiator” are presented elsewhere in claim 2 with “the coolant cooled sby the radiator” (sic and see above) in line 6, and “the coolant cooled by the chiller” in line 9. The teaching of “the coolant cooled by the radiator” further appears in claim 3 in lines 3 and 6, in claim 4 in lines 3 and 5, and in claim 5, lines 2-3, with “the coolant cooled by the chiller” further appearing in claim 5, lines 5-6. For the same reasons discussed above with regard to “the coolant cooled at the radiator”, each of these claims is found to be indefinite and is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 112(b).
Claims 6, 7, and 8 are rejected as depending on a base claim which has been rejected under 35 U.S.C. 112(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.
(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 10-12 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) and (a)(2) as being anticipated by US Publication No. 2022/0016955 A1 to Kim (hereafter “Kim 955”).
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Kim 955 teaches limitations from claim 1 in fig. 1, shown above and below, a heat pump system (air conditioner 50) for a vehicle (as taught in the abstract and ¶ 52), comprising:
a valve module (valve V) including a plurality of port (as shown in fig. 1) s through which a coolant is introduced or discharged (as taught in ¶ 65);
a first line (11, connecting to the valve V through the pump 14, electrical component 15, coolant heater 43, heater 40, condenser 53, radiator 12, and reservoir tank 16 along the bolded flow path shown in fig. 2) having a first end (at the top port of the valve V in figs. 1 and 2) and a second end (at the upper left port of the valve V in figs. 1 and 2) connected to the valve module (V, as shown) to flow the coolant and including a radiator (12) and an electrical component (15);
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a second line (including portions of lines 21, 32, and 34, connecting the valve V to the pump 23, battery module 24, coolant heater 26, and chiller 30 along the bolded flow path shown in fig. 6) having a first end (at the bottom port of the valve V in figs. 1 and 6) and a second end (connected to the lower right port of the valve V in figs. 1 and 6) connected to the valve module (V, as shown) to flow the coolant and including a battery module (24) and a chiller (30); and
a third line (including portions of the line 11 and the branch line 18, connecting to the valve V through the pump 14, electrical component 15, coolant heater 43, heater 40, condenser 53 and the branch line 18 along the bolded flow path shown in fig. 4) having a first end (at the top port of the valve V in figs. 1 and 4) and a second end (at the top right port of the valve V in figs. 1 and 4) connected to the valve (V, as shown) module to flow the coolant and including a condenser (53) and a heating core (40),
wherein the valve module (V) is configured to selectively connect at least two lines among the first to the third lines (for example in the arrangements shown in figs. 2, 4, and 6) to control a flow of the coolant based on at least one mode (such as those shown in figs. 2, 4, and 6) in which a temperature of a vehicle interior (for example via the heater 40 as taught in ¶ 83) and the battery module of the vehicle is adjusted (as taught in ¶ 53).
Kim 955 teaches limitations from claim 10 in figs. 1, 4 and 6, shown above, the heat pump system of claim 1, further comprising: a first water pump (23) disposed on the second line (on the line 21 as shown in figs. 1 and 6); and a second water pump (14) disposed on the third line (on the line 11 as shown in figs. 1 and 4).
Kim 955 teaches limitations from claim 11 in figs. 1 and 4, shown above, the heat pump system of claim 1, wherein an electric heater (43, taught as “a second coolant heater 43” in ¶ 87 and as an electric heater in ¶ 89) is further disposed on the third line (and particularly on the line 11) such that the coolant sequentially passes through the condenser and the electric heater (while circulating in the arrangement of fig. 4, coolant passes through the condenser 53, valve V, pump 14, electrical component 15, and the heater 43).
Kim 955 teaches limitations from claim 12 in figs. 1 and 4, shown above, the heat pump system of claim 11, wherein the electric heater (43) is disposed on the third line (on line 11) separately from the condenser (53, as shown in figs. 1 and 4) or .
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.
Claim 9 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Kim 955 as applied to claim 1 above, and further in view of US Publication No. 2019/0070924 A1 Mancini et al.
Regarding claim 9, Kim 955 teaches a heat pump system for a vehicle, the system having a central valve controlling the flow of coolant through a plurality of flow paths, including one which includes a radiator and an electrical component, one which includes a battery module and a chiller, and one which includes a condenser and a heater core. Kim 955 further teaches 9 limitations from claim 9 in figs. 1, 2, 4, and 6, shown above, the heat pump system of claim 1, wherein the valve module (V) comprises:
a first port (the top port of the valve V as oriented in the figures of Kim 955) connected the first end of the first line (at the inlet of the pump 11 as the inlet of the first line);
a second port (the upper left port of the valve V) connected the second end of the first line (at the outlet of the reservoir 16 as the outlet of the first line);
a third port (the bottom port of the valve V) connected the first end of the second line (at the inlet of the pump 23 as the inlet of the second line);
a fourth port (the lower right port of the valve V) connected the second end of the second line (at the outlet of the chiller 30 as the outlet of the second line); …
and
a sixth port (the upper right port of the valve V) connected the second end of the third line (at the outlet of the branch line 18 as the outlet of the third line.)
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Kim 955 does not teach the valve including a fifth port connected to the first end of the third line (the line which includes the condenser and heater core) as a separate structure from the other ports discussed above, as Kim 955’s equivalents to the claimed first and third lines overlap in some structure (particularly the portion of the line 11 between the pump 14 and the outlet of the condenser 53). Although Mancini does not explicitly teach such an arrangement, Mancini does teach in fig. 12, shown above, a vehicle heat pump having a central valve (shown but not numbered) connecting to a variety of coolant lines such that each line comprises as small number of non-overlapping elements which may be grouped into longer flow paths by the positioning of the valve, the valve having ports for opening and closing each of these coolant lines. In light of the teachings of Mancini, It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the application was effectively filed to modify Kim with separated coolant line sections with dedicated valve ports as taught by Mancini in order to allow versatility in the connection and pairing of these individual coolant line sections into longer flow circuits to meet diverse heating and cooling needs of the system and reduce the dependence of these coolant lines on one another (e.g. the requirement that coolant flowing from the electronic component of Kim 955 to the first radiator also pass through the heater and condenser, even if they are not needed in the instant temperature control operation).
Claim 13 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Kim 955 as applied to claim 1 above, and further in view of US Publication No. 2022/0088990 A1 to Kim et al. (hereafter Kim 990).
Regarding claim 13, Kim 955 teaches a heat pump system for a vehicle, the system having a central valve controlling the flow of coolant through a plurality of flow paths, including one which includes a radiator and an electrical component, one which includes a battery module and a chiller, and one which includes a condenser and a heater core. Kim 955 further teaches in ¶ 58 that the electrical component (15) arranged in the coolant circuit of their invention may be an autonomous driving controller. Kim 955 does not teach this controller to be arranged in the second line (the line which includes the battery module and chiller). Kim 990 teaches in fig. 1, shown above, a heat pump system for a vehicle in which an autonomous driving controller (26) is arranged on the same branch of the coolant circuit (coolant line 21 of second cooling apparatus 20) as a battery module (25). It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the application was effectively filed to modify Kim 955 with the placement of the autonomous driving controller in the same coolant line as the battery module as taught by Kim 990 in order to allow both of these heat generating devices to be cooled together by a flow of coolant in a single line rather than requiring that coolant be divided to flow through two separate lines, thus increasing the cooling capacity available to these components by reducing the range of other structures and devices that must be provided with coolant to allow coolant to flow to both the battery module and the autonomous driving controller.
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Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 2-8 are considered to read over the prior art of record because the prior art of record does not teach or suggest the claimed combination of features including the six different and specific operating modes required for the heat pump system by the teachings of claim 2, upon which claim 3-8 depend. However, this claim cannot be considered "allowable" at this time due to the rejections under 35 U.S.C. 112(b) set forth in this Office Action. Specifically, claims 2-5 are each rejected based on the lack of antecedent basis of “the coolant cooled by the radiator” and similar recitations and claims 6-8 are rejected based on their dependency upon claim 2. Therefore upon the claims being rewritten or amended to overcome the rejection(s) under 35 U.S.C. 112 set forth in this Office Action, further consideration of this claim with respect to the prior art will be necessary.
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to DANIEL C COMINGS whose telephone number is (571)270-7385. The examiner can normally be reached Monday - Friday, 8:30 AM to 5 PM.
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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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/DANIEL C COMINGS/Examiner, Art Unit 3763
/JERRY-DARYL FLETCHER/Supervisory Patent Examiner, Art Unit 3763
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