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 .
Status
This Office Action is in response to the remarks and amendments filed on 04/21/2026. Claims 11-16 are new. Claims 1-16 remain pending for consideration on the merits.
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 § 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.
Claims 11-14 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Ota (JP 2005140380 A, hereinafter Ota).
Regarding claim 11, Ota teaches an outdoor unit (outdoor unit, abstract) of a refrigeration cycle device (air conditioner, abstract) comprising: a fan motor (fan motor 8) having a rotation shaft with an axis of rotation that extends in a front-rear direction (as shown on figure 1); support column members (support column 1) that each extend in a vertical direction (as shown on figure 1), and a motor support plate (fan motor mounting member 2) that is fixed to each support column member (as shown on figure 7), wherein the motor support plate (fan motor mounting member 2) has a motor insertion hole (fitting portion 2c), and a reinforcement protrusion (cut-and-raised portion 2f) arranged around the motor insertion hole (as shown on figures 1 and 3) and extending from the motor insertion hole towards each of the support column members (as shown on figures 1 and 3).
Regarding claim 12, Ota teaches wherein the reinforcement protrusion (cut-and-raised portion 2f) is configured as a continuous structural path (when attached to support column 1, as shown on figure 7) from the motor insertion hole (fitting portion 2c) to each of the support column members (support column 1).
Regarding claim 13, Ota teaches wherein the motor support plate (fan motor mounting member 2) comprises an annular protrusion (top portion of cut-and-raised portion 2f, figure 3) that extends along an inside edge of the motor insertion hole (extending along and towards the inner portion of fitting portion 2c, as shown on figure 3).
Regarding claim 14, Ota teaches wherein the reinforcement protrusion (cut-and-raised portion 2f) includes a side direction reinforcement protrusion portion (top portion of cut-and-raised portion 2f, as shown on figure 1) and a center reinforcement protrusion portion (center portion of cut-and-raised portion 2f, as shown on figure 1).
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 non-obviousness.
Claims 1-6, 8-10 and 15-16 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Kentaro (WO 2019193625 A1, hereinafter Kentaro) in view of Zhang (US 20220196281 A1, hereinafter Zhang) and Ota (JP 2005140380 A, hereinafter Ota).
Regarding claim 1, Kentaro teaches an outdoor unit (outdoor unit 100) of a refrigeration cycle device (figure 1) comprising: a fan motor (fan motor 32) having a rotation shaft (figure 8), of which a rotation axis that extends in a front-rear direction (figure 8) is a center thereof (figure 8); a rotating blade (propeller fan 31) that is fixed to the rotation shaft (figures 3-4 and 9); a pair of support column members (support column 41a) that extend in a vertical direction (figure 8), and that align in a left- right direction (figure 8), and a motor support plate (motor support portion 50) that is fixed to each support column member (figure 8) out of the pair of support column members at a support column fixing portion provided on each end in the left-right direction (as shown on figure 8), and that supports the fan motor between the pair of support column members (figures 8-9), wherein the motor support plate (motor support portion 50) has a first plate (front portion of portion 50, figure 8) that extends along a plane that is orthogonal with the front-rear direction (as shown on figure 8), the first plate has a motor insertion hole (insertion portion 52) which has the fan motor disposed on an inside thereof (figure 8), a plurality of motor fixing portions (screw 53) that are arranged along an inside edge of the motor insertion hole (figure 8), and that fix the fan motor (fan motor 32 is attached to the motor mounting portion 51 by inserting the fan motor 32 into the insertion portion 52 and screwing the male screw (not shown) inserted into the fan motor 32 into the female screw 53).
Kentaro teaches the invention as described above but fail to teach a protrusion that protrudes to one side of the front-rear direction, provided thereon, the protrusion has an annular protrusion that extends along the inside edge of the motor insertion hole, and that has each motor fixing portion of the plurality of motor fixing portions disposed thereon.
However, Zhang teaches a protrusion (protrusion rib 1315) that protrudes to one side of the front-rear direction (front rear direction, as shown on figure 4), provided thereon, the protrusion (protrusion rib 1315) has an annular protrusion (clamp space 13a, figure 4) that extends along the inside edge of the motor insertion hole (as shown on figure 4), and that has each motor fixing portion (mounting holes 1313a) of the plurality of motor fixing portions disposed thereon (as shown on figures 4-5).
Therefore, it would have been obvious to a person skilled in the art before the effective filing date of the invention to modify the unit in the teachings of Kentaro to include a protrusion that protrudes to one side of the front-rear direction, provided thereon, the protrusion has an annular protrusion that extends along the inside edge of the motor insertion hole, and that has each motor fixing portion of the plurality of motor fixing portions disposed thereon in view of the teachings of Zhang in order to yield the predictable result of realizing material savings in case of the guaranteed strength.
The combined teachings teach the invention as described above but fail to teach a reinforcement protrusion that extends towards the support column fixing portion, from the annular protrusion, a first imaginary line and a second imaginary line which extend in directions that differ from one another towards the support column fixing portion, from the motor fixing portion of the plurality of motor fixing portions, as seen from the front-rear direction, are assumed, and a side surface of the reinforcement protrusion has a first side surface that extends along the first imaginary line, and a second side surface that extends along the second imaginary line.
However, Ota teaches a reinforcement protrusion (cut-and-raised portion 2f) that extends towards the support column fixing portion (figure 1), from the annular protrusion (bent portion 2g), a first imaginary line (as illustrated below on figure 2a) and a second imaginary line (as illustrated below on figure 2a) which extend in directions that differ from one another (as illustrated below on figure 2a) towards the support column fixing portion (towards columns, figure 1), from the motor fixing portion of the plurality of motor fixing portions (from mounting hole 2d, figures 1-2), as seen from the front-rear direction (figure 1), are assumed, and a side surface of the reinforcement protrusion has a first side surface that extends along the first imaginary line (as illustrated below on figure 2a), and a second side surface that extends along the second imaginary line (as illustrated below on figure 2a).
Therefore, it would have been obvious to a person skilled in the art before the effective filing date of the invention to modify the unit in the combined teachings to include a reinforcement protrusion that extends towards the support column fixing portion, from the annular protrusion, a first imaginary line and a second imaginary line which extend in directions that differ from one another towards the support column fixing portion, from the motor fixing portion of the plurality of motor fixing portions, as seen from the front-rear direction, are assumed, and a side surface of the reinforcement protrusion has a first side surface that extends along the first imaginary line, and a second side surface that extends along the second imaginary line in view of the teachings of Ota in order to yield the predictable result of providing an outdoor unit for an air conditioner that can easily cope with the demand for noise reduction.
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Regarding claim 2, the combined teachings teach wherein the support column fixing portion (fan motor mounting member 2 of Ota) has a first fixing portion that is screw-fixed (via holes 2a, as shown on figure 1 of Ota) to a support column member out of the pair of support column members (towards columns 1, as shown on figure 1 of Ota), and the first imaginary line passes (as illustrated above on figure 2a of Ota) through the first fixing portion (as shown on above on figure 2a), as seen from the front-rear direction (figure 1 of Ota).
Regarding claim 3, the combined teachings teach wherein the first imaginary line (as illustrated above on figure 2a of Ota) extends parallel to the left-right direction (as illustrated above on figure 2a of Ota).
Regarding claim 4, the combined teachings teach wherein the support column fixing portion (fan motor mounting member 2 of Ota) has two second fixing portions (lower holes 2a, figure 2 of Ota) that are screw-fixed to the support column member (as shown on figure 1 of Ota), and the second imaginary line (as illustrated above on figure 2a of Ota) passes between the two second fixing portions (as illustrated above on figure 2a of Ota), as seen from the front-rear direction (figures 1-2 of Ota).
Regarding claim 5, the combined teachings teach wherein the plurality of motor fixing portions (figures 1-2 of Ota) include a first motor fixing portion (upper mounting hole 2d, figure 2a of Ota) and a second motor fixing portion (lower mounting hole 2d, figure 2a of Ota) that are disposed so as to align in the vertical direction (figure 2a of Ota), two second imaginary lines (as illustrated above on figure 2a of Ota), one that extends from the first motor fixing portion (as illustrated above on figure 2a of Ota) and another that extends from the second motor fixing portion (as illustrated above on figure 2a of Ota), intersect one another between the pair of second fixing portions (intersecting between holes 2a, figure 2a of Ota), and the side surface of the reinforcement protrusion (side portion of cut-and-raised portion 2f, figures 1-2 of Ota) has two second side surfaces that extend along each of the two second imaginary lines (two side surfaces of cut-and-raised portion 2f, as shown on figure 1 of Ota, extend along the front rear portion of the second imaginary lines, as shown on figure 2 of Ota).
Regarding claim 6, the combined teachings teach wherein the support column fixing portion (fan motor mounting member 2 of Ota) has a second fixing portion that is screw-fixed to the support column member (lower holes 2a screwed to column 1, as shown on figure 1 of Ota), and the second imaginary line passes through the second fixing portion (as illustrated above on figure 2a of Ota), as seen from the front-rear direction (figure 1 of Ota).
Regarding claim 8, the combined teachings teach wherein the first plate (front portion of portion 50, figure 8 of Kentaro) has the front-rear direction as a plate thickness direction thereof (as shown on figure 8 of Kentaro), the motor support plate (motor support portion 50 of Kentaro) has - a second plate (pair of leg portions 55 of Kentaro) that is provided on each end on the left-right direction of the first plate (as shown on figure 8 of Kentaro), and has the left-right direction as a plate thickness direction thereof (as shown on figure 8 of Kentaro), a second fixing portion (screw 53 of Kentaro) of the two second fixing portions (figure 8 of Kentaro) is provided on the first plate (front portion of portion 50, figure 8 of Kentaro), and the first fixing portion (hole 59 of Kentaro) is provided on the second plate (figure 8 of Kentaro).
Regarding claim 9, the combined teachings teach wherein the motor support plate (motor support portion 50 of Kentaro) has a bent plate (plate below screw 53, as shown on figure 8 of Kentaro) that is bent in the front-rear direction (as shown on figure 8 of Kentaro), from the inside edge of the motor insertion hole (inside portion of insertion portion 52, as shown on figure 8 of Kentaro).
Regarding claim 10, the combined teachings teach a refrigeration cycle device (figure 1) further comprising: the outdoor unit (outdoor unit 100) according to claim 1, and a circulation path having a refrigerant flow therein (it is interpreted that outdoor unit 100 will include an circulation path with refrigerant for cooling purposes).
Regarding claim 15, the combined teachings teach wherein the protrusion (cut-and-raised portion 2f of Ota) is formed in a stepped shape (raised shape, figures 1 and 3 of Ota) that rises towards the one side of the front-rear direction (as shown on figure 1 of Ota).
Regarding claim 16, the combined teachings teach wherein the plurality of motor fixing portions (top portion of cut-and-raised portion 2f where mounting hole 2d is located, as shown on figure 3 of Ota) is provided on a top surface of the protrusion (as shown on figure 1 of Ota), and the top surface is located on a tip end of the protrusion in the one side of the front-rear direction (upper tip end in the front-rear direction, as shown on figure 1 of Ota).
Claim 7 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Kentaro as modified by Zhang and Ota, as applied to claim 1 above, and in further view of Wakashima (JP 2009097727 A, hereinafter Wakashima).
Regarding claim 7, the combined teachings teach the invention as described above but fail to teach wherein a dimension in the vertical direction of the annular protrusion, is larger than a dimension in the vertical direction of the support column fixing portion.
However, Wakashima teaches wherein a dimension in the vertical direction of the annular protrusion (vertical dimension of fixing member main body 371 protruding from columns, as shown on figure 3), is larger than a dimension in the vertical direction of the support column fixing portion (is larger than the vertical dimension of fixing portions 36b-36e, as shown on figure 3).
Therefore, it would have been obvious to a person skilled in the art before the effective filing date of the invention to modify the unit in the combined teachings to include wherein a dimension in the vertical direction of the annular protrusion, is larger than a dimension in the vertical direction of the support column fixing portion in view of the teachings of Wakashima in order to yield the predictable result of securing the fan motor to the main body.
Response to Arguments
Applicant's arguments filed 04/21/2026 have been fully considered but they are not persuasive.
In response to the Applicant’s argument that “Since the mounting holder 13 in Zhang is not supported and fixed to two support columns, the specific claimed arrangement of the protrusion, annular protrusion and reinforcement protrusion is not needed nor is it contemplated or suggested by Zhang. The reinforcement ribs 1311 of Zhang would not work in the arrangement disclosed by Kentaro since Kentaro's arrangement includes the support plate arranged between column supports”, the Examiner disagrees. For clarity, Kentaro is used in the rejection as a primary reference to teach the motor mounting portion 51 is supported via the left/right columns 41a/b via leg portions 55/56 (as show on figure 4). Additionally, Zhang is used in the rejection as a secondary reference to modify the motor mounting portion 51 with mounting holder 13 which also includes support strips 1313 to facilitate mounting of the fresh air motor 13, further improving the stability of the fresh air motor 30 (as described in paragraph 0054). Therefore, the Applicant’s argument is not persuasive and the rejection is maintained.
In response to the Applicant’s argument that “Ota does not define the geometry of its reinforcing portion relative to motor fixing portions, nor does it disclose or suggest side surfaces aligned with imaginary lines extending from motor fixing portions toward support column fixing portions”, the Examiner disagrees. For clarity, Ota is used in the rejection as a secondary reference to teach the cut and raised portions 2f are extended towards left/right posts 1 (as shown on figures 1 and 3). Additionally, the inner portions of cut and raised portions 2f intersect first and second imaginary line, as illustrated above on figure 3. Therefore, the Applicant’s argument is not persuasive and the rejection is maintained.
Conclusion
THIS ACTION IS MADE FINAL. Applicant is reminded of the extension of time policy as set forth in 37 CFR 1.136(a).
A shortened statutory period for reply to this final action is set to expire THREE MONTHS from the mailing date of this action. In the event a first reply is filed within TWO MONTHS of the mailing date of this final action and the advisory action is not mailed until after the end of the THREE-MONTH shortened statutory period, then the shortened statutory period will expire on the date the advisory action is mailed, and any nonprovisional extension fee (37 CFR 1.17(a)) pursuant to 37 CFR 1.136(a) will be calculated from the mailing date of the advisory action. In no event, however, will the statutory period for reply expire later than SIX MONTHS from the mailing date of this final action.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to DARIO DELEON whose telephone number is (571)272-8687. The examiner can normally be reached Monday-Friday 9:00am-5:00pm.
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/DARIO ANTONIO DELEON/Examiner, Art Unit 3763
/JERRY-DARYL FLETCHER/Supervisory Patent Examiner, Art Unit 3763
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