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 .
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 7, 8, and 14 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 7 recites “a second non-return valve” and “a third non-return valve” in lines 2-4, which is unclear as no first non-return valve has been established in the claims. For examining purposes the limitations will be treated under their merits.
Claim 8 recites “a fourth non-return valve” which is unclear as no first, second, or third non-return valve has been established in the claims. For examining purposes the limitation will be treated under its merits.
Claim 8 recites “the eight connection point” in line 3 which lacks proper antecedent basis and is unclear as no seventh connection point has been established in the claims. For examining purposes the limitation will be interpreted as --an eight connection point--.
Claim 14 recites “a second non-return valve” and “a third non-return valve” in lines 23-25, which is unclear as no first non-return valve has been established in the claims. For examining purposes the limitations will be treated under their merits.
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, 2, 4-7, 9, and 12-15 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by He et al. (U.S. Patent Publication No. 2019/0128573. “He”).
Regarding claim 1, He discloses a thermal conditioning system for a motor vehicle (fig 1), comprising a refrigerant fluid circuit configured to circulate a refrigerant fluid, the refrigerant fluid circuit having:
a main loop including, successively in the direction of circulation of the refrigerant fluid: a compressor (16),
a first heat exchanger (24) configured to exchange heat with a first heat transfer fluid,
a refrigerant fluid accumulation device (36, ¶0044),
a second heat exchanger (26) configured to exchange heat with an air stream outside a passenger compartment of the vehicle;
a first bypass branch (see annotated fig 1 below) connecting a first connection point (at 20) disposed on the main loop between the first exchanger and the refrigerant fluid accumulation device to a second connection point (at 40) disposed on the main loop between the second exchanger and an inlet of the compressor,
a second bypass branch (see annotated fig 1 below) connecting a third connection point (see annotated fig 1 below) disposed on the main loop between the first connection point and the refrigerant fluid accumulation device to a fourth connection point (see annotated fig 1 below) disposed on the main loop between the refrigerant fluid accumulation device and the second heat exchanger,
a third bypass branch (see annotated fig 1 blow) connecting a fifth connection point (see annotated fig 1 below) disposed on the main loop between the refrigerant fluid accumulation device and the fourth connection point to a sixth connection point disposed on the main loop between the second connection point and the inlet of the compressor,
wherein the main loop includes:
a first expansion (28) device disposed between the first connection point and an inlet of the refrigerant fluid accumulation device,
a second expansion device (42) disposed between the fifth connection point and the second heat exchanger,
and wherein the third bypass branch has a third expansion device (48) and a third heat exchanger configured to operate as an evaporator (¶0053).
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Regarding claim 2, He further discloses wherein the first heat transfer fluid is a heat transfer liquid, the thermal conditioning system further comprising a heat transfer liquid circuit (14) configured to circulate a heat transfer liquid, and wherein the first heat exchanger (24) is a two-fluid heat exchanger arranged jointly on the refrigerant fluid circuit and on the heat transfer fluid circuit so as to allow heat exchange between the refrigerant fluid and the heat transfer liquid.
Regarding claim 4, He further discloses wherein the first expansion device (28) is a calibrated orifice disposed on the main loop between the first connection point (see annotated fig 1 above) and the third connection point (see annotated fig 1 above), and wherein the second expansion device (42) is an electronic expansion valve disposed on the main loop between the fourth connection point (see annotated fig 1 above) and the second heat exchanger (26).
Regarding claim 5, He further discloses wherein the first expansion device (28) is an electronic expansion valve disposed on the main loop between the third connection point (see annotated fig 1 above) and an inlet of the refrigerant fluid accumulation device (36), and wherein the second expansion device (42) is an electronic expansion valve disposed on the main loop between the fifth connection point (see annotated fig 1 above) and the fourth connection point (see annotated fig 1 above).
Regarding claim 6, He further discloses wherein the second bypass branch (see annotated fig 1 above) comprises a first non-return valve (32) configured to block circulation of refrigerant fluid from the third connection point (see annotated fig 1 above) to the fourth connection point (see annotated fig 1 above).
Regarding claim 7, He further discloses wherein the main loop comprises a second non-return valve (51) configured to block circulation of refrigerant fluid from the sixth connection point to the second connection point (see annotated fig 1 above).
Regarding claim 9, He further discloses wherein the first expansion device (28) is an electronic expansion valve disposed on the main loop between the first connection point (see annotated fig 1 above) and the third connection point (see annotated fig 1 above), and wherein the second expansion device (42) is an electronic expansion valve disposed on the main loop between the fourth connection point (see annotated fig 1 above) and the second heat exchanger (26).
Regarding claim 12, He further discloses a three-way valve (20) disposed jointly on the main loop and the first bypass branch (see annotated fig 1 above)), the three-way valve being configured to selectively: allow circulation of the refrigerant fluid at the outlet of the first exchanger (24) to the third connection point and prevent circulation of the refrigerant fluid at the outlet of the first exchanger to the second connection point (at 40).
Regarding claim 13, He discloses a method of operation of a thermal conditioning system for a motor vehicle (fig 1), comprising a refrigerant fluid circuit configured to circulate a refrigerant fluid, the refrigerant fluid circuit having:
a main loop including, successively in the direction of circulation of the refrigerant fluid: a compressor (16),
a first heat exchanger (24) configured to exchange heat with a first heat transfer fluid,
a refrigerant fluid accumulation device (36, ¶0044),
a second heat exchanger (26) configured to exchange heat with an air stream outside a passenger compartment of the vehicle;
a first bypass branch (see annotated fig 1 below) connecting a first connection point (at 20) disposed on the main loop between the first exchanger and the refrigerant fluid accumulation device to a second connection point (at 40) disposed on the main loop between the second exchanger and an inlet of the compressor,
a second bypass branch (see annotated fig 1 below) connecting a third connection point (see annotated fig 1 below) disposed on the main loop between the first connection point and the refrigerant fluid accumulation device to a fourth connection point (see annotated fig 1 below) disposed on the main loop between the refrigerant fluid accumulation device and the second heat exchanger,
a third bypass branch (see annotated fig 1 blow) connecting a fifth connection point (see annotated fig 1 below) disposed on the main loop between the refrigerant fluid accumulation device and the fourth connection point to a sixth connection point disposed on the main loop between the second connection point and the inlet of the compressor,
wherein the main loop includes:
a first expansion (28) device disposed between the first connection point and an inlet of the refrigerant fluid accumulation device,
a second expansion device (42) disposed between the fifth connection point and the second heat exchanger,
and wherein the third bypass branch has a third expansion device (48) and a third heat exchanger configured to operate as an evaporator (¶0053), in a mode referred to as heating mode, wherein the method comprises:
circulating a flow of refrigerant fluid at low pressure in the compressor where it is brought to high pressure, and then circulating the flow successively in the first heat exchanger, giving up heat to the first heat transfer fluid (fig 1), in the first expansion device where it undergoes expansion to an intermediate pressure (¶0044), in the second heat exchanger, in the refrigerant fluid accumulation device (fig 1), in the second expansion device (42) where it is brought to low pressure (¶0057), in the second heat exchanger where it evaporates (fig 1), absorbing heat from the outside air stream, and returns to the compressor (fig 1).
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Regarding claim 14, He discloses a method of operation of a thermal conditioning system for a motor vehicle (fig 1), comprising a refrigerant fluid circuit configured to circulate a refrigerant fluid, the refrigerant fluid circuit having:
a main loop including, successively in the direction of circulation of the refrigerant fluid: a compressor (16),
a first heat exchanger (24) configured to exchange heat with a first heat transfer fluid,
a refrigerant fluid accumulation device (36, ¶0044),
a second heat exchanger (26) configured to exchange heat with an air stream outside a passenger compartment of the vehicle;
a first bypass branch (see annotated fig 1 below) connecting a first connection point (at 20) disposed on the main loop between the first exchanger and the refrigerant fluid accumulation device to a second connection point (at 40) disposed on the main loop between the second exchanger and an inlet of the compressor,
a second bypass branch (see annotated fig 1 below) connecting a third connection point (see annotated fig 1 below) disposed on the main loop between the first connection point and the refrigerant fluid accumulation device to a fourth connection point (see annotated fig 1 below) disposed on the main loop between the refrigerant fluid accumulation device and the second heat exchanger,
a third bypass branch (see annotated fig 1 blow) connecting a fifth connection point (see annotated fig 1 below) disposed on the main loop between the refrigerant fluid accumulation device and the fourth connection point to a sixth connection point disposed on the main loop between the second connection point and the inlet of the compressor,
wherein the main loop includes:
a first expansion (28) device disposed between the first connection point and an inlet of the refrigerant fluid accumulation device,
a second expansion device (42) disposed between the fifth connection point and the second heat exchanger,
and wherein the third bypass branch has a third expansion device (48) and a third heat exchanger configured to operate as an evaporator (¶0053), wherein the main loop comprises a second non-return valve (51) configured to block circulation of refrigerant fluid from the sixth connection point to the second connection point (see annotated fig 1 above), in a mode referred to as cooling mode, wherein:
circulating a flow of refrigerant fluid at low pressure in the compressor where it is brought to high pressure (fig 1), and then circulating successively in the first heat exchanger (24), giving up heat to the first heat transfer fluid (¶0042-0045), in the first bypass branch, in the second heat exchanger, in the second expansion device (42) where it undergoes expansion to an intermediate pressure, in the second bypass branch, in the refrigerant fluid accumulation device, in the third bypass branch, in the third expansion device where it is brought to low pressure, in the third heat exchanger (46) where it evaporates, absorbing heat, and returns to the compressor (fig 1, ¶0046).
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Regarding claim 15, He discloses a method of operation of a thermal conditioning system for a motor vehicle (fig 1), comprising a refrigerant fluid circuit configured to circulate a refrigerant fluid, the refrigerant fluid circuit having:
a main loop including, successively in the direction of circulation of the refrigerant fluid: a compressor (16),
a first heat exchanger (24) configured to exchange heat with a first heat transfer fluid,
a refrigerant fluid accumulation device (36, ¶0044),
a second heat exchanger (26) configured to exchange heat with an air stream outside a passenger compartment of the vehicle;
a first bypass branch (see annotated fig 1 below) connecting a first connection point (at 20) disposed on the main loop between the first exchanger and the refrigerant fluid accumulation device to a second connection point (at 40) disposed on the main loop between the second exchanger and an inlet of the compressor,
a second bypass branch (see annotated fig 1 below) connecting a third connection point (see annotated fig 1 below) disposed on the main loop between the first connection point and the refrigerant fluid accumulation device to a fourth connection point (see annotated fig 1 below) disposed on the main loop between the refrigerant fluid accumulation device and the second heat exchanger,
a third bypass branch (see annotated fig 1 blow) connecting a fifth connection point (see annotated fig 1 below) disposed on the main loop between the refrigerant fluid accumulation device and the fourth connection point to a sixth connection point disposed on the main loop between the second connection point and the inlet of the compressor,
wherein the main loop includes:
a first expansion (28) device disposed between the first connection point and an inlet of the refrigerant fluid accumulation device,
a second expansion device (42) disposed between the fifth connection point and the second heat exchanger,
and wherein the third bypass branch has a third expansion device (48) and a third heat exchanger configured to operate as an evaporator (¶0053), in a mode referred to as cooling mode, wherein:
circulating a flow of refrigerant fluid at low pressure in the compressor where it is brought to high pressure, and then circulating successively in the first heat exchanger, giving up heat to the first heat transfer fluid (¶0044), in the first bypass branch, in the second heat exchanger, in the second bypass branch, in the second expansion device where it is undergoes expansion to an intermediate pressure (¶0046), in the refrigerant fluid accumulation device, in the third bypass branch, in the third expansion device where it is brought to low pressure, in the third head exchanger (46) where it evaporates, absorbing heat, and returns to the compressor (¶0046).
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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) 3, 8, and 11 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over He as applied to claim 1 above, and further in view of Durrani (U.S. Patent Publication No. 2020/0220236).
Regarding claim 3, He discloses all previous claim limitations. He further discloses wherein the first expansion device (28) is a calibrated orifice disposed on the main loop between the first connection point (see annotated fig 1 below) and the third connection point (see annotated fig 1 below), wherein the second expansion device (42) is an electronic expansion valve disposed on the main loop between the fifth connection point (see annotated fig 1 below) and the fourth connection point (see annotated fig 1 below).
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However, He does not explicitly disclose wherein the second bypass branch includes a fourth expansion device. Durrani, however, discloses a thermal system (fig 1) wherein a second bypass branch (see annotated fig 1 below includes a fourth expansion device (7). It would have been obvious to a person of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention for He to provide the fourth expansion device of Durrani in order to provide additional evaporator for the cooling of the cabin (see ¶0091 of Durrani).
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Regarding claim 8, He discloses all previous claim limitations. However, He does not explicitly disclose wherein the third bypass branch comprises a fourth non-return valve configured to block circulation of refrigerant fluid from an eighth connection point to the third heat exchanger. Durrani, however, teaches providing a non-return valve (16) directly downstream a third heat exchanger (10). Durrani teaches that the valve prevents a shorted circuit at respective pressure differences in the circuit. It would have been obvious to a person of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention for He to provide the non-return valve of Durrani in order to prevent a shorted circuit. This would result in the blockage of circulation of refrigerant fluid from an eighth connection point (see annotated fig 1 below) to the third heat exchanger (46).
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Regarding claim 11, He discloses all previous claim limitations. However, He does not explicitly disclose a fourth bypass branch in parallel with the third expansion device and the third heat exchanger, the fourth bypass branch having a fifth expansion device and a fourth heat exchanger, wherein the fourth heat exchanger is thermally coupled to an element of a drive train of a motor vehicle. Durrani, however, discloses a fourth bypass branch (see annotated fig 1 below) in parallel with a third expansion device (8) and a third heat exchanger (11), the fourth bypass branch having a fifth expansion device (9) and a fourth heat exchanger (12), wherein the fourth heat exchanger is thermally coupled to an element of a drive train of a motor vehicle (via 32, see ¶0097). It would have been obvious to a person of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention for He to provide the fourth bypass branch of Durrani in order to provide cooling to a drive train of the vehicle.
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Allowable Subject Matter
Claim 10 is 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.
The following is a statement of reasons for the indication of allowable subject matter:
The prior art does not teach the limitations of claim 10, specifically wherein the main loop comprises a first internal heat exchanger configured to allow heat exchange between the refrigerant fluid downstream of the first expansion device and the refrigerant fluid downstream of the second heat exchanger, and wherein the third bypass branch comprises a second internal heat exchanger configured to allow heat exchange between the refrigerant fluid upstream of the third expansion device and the refrigerant fluid downstream of the third heat exchanger. Brodie, considered the closest prior art teaches a main loop and third bypass branch, however fails to teach the first and second internal heat exchangers. The prior art fails to render this obvious and thus the claims contain allowable subject matter.
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to HARRY E ARANT whose telephone number is (571)272-1105. The examiner can normally be reached Monday-Friday 10-6 ET.
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If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Jianying Atkisson can be reached at (571)270-7740. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/HARRY E ARANT/ Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3763
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