DETAILED ACTION
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 1-8 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 claim 1, the metes and bounds of the negative limitation “not comprising a reserve tank inside” are unknown. “Reserve tank” has not been defined with sufficient clarity to determine if any feature in which water is contained does or does not constitute a ‘reserve tank’ when water is inside of it.
Claims 2-8 are also rejected for depending from claim 1.
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) 1-4 and 6 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Wolf (US 2020/0353811).
Regarding claim 1, Wolf teaches a cooling module comprising a manifold (Fig. 1) made of resin (Paras. [0024] and [0031]) and including a plurality of housings (3, 5) joined to each other, wherein the manifold includes a plurality of channels formed across at least two of a plurality of the housings (see Figs. 4-5).
Wolf further teaches that: first auxiliary units (7-13) and second auxiliary units (15, 17) control fluid flowing through the channels, wherein the housings include first (3) and second (5) housings joined together (Figs. 1-2) and the first auxiliary unit is mounted to the fist housing (mounted to openings 53, 55, 57, 59) and the second auxiliary unit is mounted to the second housing (via screws it is mounted to both housings 3 and 5; see Para. [0076]), per claim 2; the first housing is mounted to an upper side of the second housing in a vertical direction (see Fig. 1), the first housing includes a plurality of inflow ports communicating with a plurality of the respective channels (23, 25, 27, 29, 31, 33), and a plurality of the inflow ports are arranged side by side so that axes of the respective inflow ports are along the vertical direction and in the same plane (e.g. 27, 31, 33 in Fig. 6a), per claim 3; the first auxiliary units are rotary valves (7, 9, 11, 13) and a valve body is positioned in the second housing (inside 61, 63, 65, 67), per claim 4; the second auxiliary unit is a water pump (15, 17) pumping the fluid and the pump and second housing constitute a vortex chamber through which pumped fluid flows (85, 87), per claim 6.
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(s) 7-8 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Wolf in view of Nomura (US 10,648,395).
Regarding claim 7, Wolf teaches the use of the device in automotive systems, but does not specify precise connectivity between the various components.
Nomura teaches that such systems in use in automotive applications can be used to connect to first through third circulation paths containing a radiator (11), heater core (13), and battery (Col. 23:20) and that all such circulation paths are joined inside the device through a communication channel (as 250 is connected to 26 via the valve body; Fig. 4).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art to connect the devices to be cooled in Wolf, as taught by Nomura, as such connectivity is a mere matter of plumbing which the device is capable of and well within the ordinary skill.
Regarding claim 8, communication channels in Wolf (such as 47 and 49) are formed along a joining surface of each of a plurality of the housings (see 47a-b and 49a-b).
Claim(s) 5 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Wolf in view of Richardson (US 11,662,016).
Regarding claim 5, Wolf does not teach thicker mounting regions.
Richardson teaches that a plate (104) to which a pump is mounted (Fig. 9a, region of plate 30 in which pump is mounted, i.e. 108, is thickened compared to the rest of the plate) may be thicker than the rest of the plate.
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill to provide the mounting regions of Wolf with increased thickness, as taught by Richardson, in order to increase the strength of the device and deal with the stresses of operating said mounted equipment.
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to Devon Lane whose telephone number is (571)270-1858. The examiner can normally be reached M-Th, 9-4.
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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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/DEVON LANE/ Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3763
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