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 .
Drawings
The drawings are objected to under 37 CFR 1.83(a). The drawings must show every feature of the invention specified in the claims. Therefore, the:
“first end of the housing” as appears in claims 3 and 18
“first portion of the cooling cavity”, “first portion”, “second portion of the cooling cavity”, and “second portion” as appears in claims 18-20
must be shown or the feature(s) canceled from the claim(s). No new matter should be entered.
Corrected drawing sheets in compliance with 37 CFR 1.121(d) are required in reply to the Office action to avoid abandonment of the application. Any amended replacement drawing sheet should include all of the figures appearing on the immediate prior version of the sheet, even if only one figure is being amended. The figure or figure number of an amended drawing should not be labeled as “amended.” If a drawing figure is to be canceled, the appropriate figure must be removed from the replacement sheet, and where necessary, the remaining figures must be renumbered and appropriate changes made to the brief description of the several views of the drawings for consistency. Additional replacement sheets may be necessary to show the renumbering of the remaining figures. Each drawing sheet submitted after the filing date of an application must be labeled in the top margin as either “Replacement Sheet” or “New Sheet” pursuant to 37 CFR 1.121(d). If the changes are not accepted by the examiner, the applicant will be notified and informed of any required corrective action in the next Office action. The objection to the drawings will not be held in abeyance.
The drawings are objected to as failing to comply with 37 CFR 1.84(p)(5) because they include the following reference character(s) not mentioned in the description:
“1005A” as appears in Fig. 10
Corrected drawing sheets in compliance with 37 CFR 1.121(d), or amendment to the specification to add the reference character(s) in the description in compliance with 37 CFR 1.121(b) are required in reply to the Office action to avoid abandonment of the application. Any amended replacement drawing sheet should include all of the figures appearing on the immediate prior version of the sheet, even if only one figure is being amended. Each drawing sheet submitted after the filing date of an application must be labeled in the top margin as either “Replacement Sheet” or “New Sheet” pursuant to 37 CFR 1.121(d). If the changes are not accepted by the examiner, the applicant will be notified and informed of any required corrective action in the next Office action. The objection to the drawings will not be held in abeyance.
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 1-11, 13, and 18-20 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.
Regarding claims 1, 11, 13, 18, and 20, the term “substantially” in "substantially constant flow" and “substantially parallel” is a relative term which renders the claim indefinite. the term “substantially” is not defined by the claim, the specification does not provide a standard for ascertaining the requisite degree, and one of ordinary skill in the art would not be reasonably apprised of the scope of the invention. Thus, as used to qualify the consistency of the flow of water and coolant, and the degree of parallelism between the toughs and cooling cavity, this term renders the same indeterminate and the claim indefinite with regard to the scope of protection sought thereby. In particular, it is not clear what amount of tolerance in the constant fluid flow or parallelism "substantially" allows for. For examination purposes, this will be interpreted as - - a constant fluid flow - - and - - parallel - -. Clarity is advised.
Claims 2-10 and 19 are rejected due to a dependance on a rejected claim.
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.
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.
Claims 1-5, 12-15, and 18-20 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Bortoletto et al. (US 20120324915 A1), Mowery (US 5749242 A), and Tanaka et al. (JP 2004278976 A).
Regarding claim 1, Bortoletto teaches:
A device (“ice maker 52”) for making clear ice (“an ice maker 52 utilized in clear ice making assembly 50”, paragraph 0016) comprising:
at least one housing (“housing 54”) containing:
a cooling source (“ice forming evaporator member 58”) and
a plurality of elongate troughs (“multiple vertical fluid channels 84A-84E”)
at least one fluid intake (“fluid inlet apertures 96A-96E”, “fluid inlet 94”, “top fluid channel 92”)
disposed to provide a flow of fluid into each of the plurality of elongate troughs (“Water fills upper fluid chamber 92 and flows downward into respective fluid channels 84A-84E through fluid inlet apertures 96A-96E”, paragraph 0020); and
at least one drain (“drain aperture 86A-86E”)
disposed to drain fluid from each of the plurality of elongate troughs (“Streams or sheets of water flow vertically through each of the respective vertical fluid channels 84A-84E and across ice forming members 72, with any of the fluid which reaches drain apertures 86A-86E draining through an opening 97”, paragraph 0020); wherein
at least a portion of each of the plurality of elongate troughs is in thermal communication with the cooling source (“Ice forming evaporator member 58 includes a refrigerant line 70 and a plurality of ice forming members 72 extending there from”, paragraph 0016, “ice forming member 72 extending into a respective one of the multiple vertical fluid channels 84A-84E”, paragraph 0018); wherein
the at least one fluid intake and the at least one drain are configured to provide a constant flow of fluid (“fluid streams flowing through vertical fluid channels 84A-84E will flow over chilled ice forming members 72, preferably in a laminar fashion, resulting in the continuous formation of successive, thin ice layers on the chilled ice forming members 72, which build up over time to form clear ice pieces. Advantageously, such thin ice layers prevent air bubbles from forming, and the constant flow of water over the forming ice pieces "cleans" the ice pieces as they form”, paragraph 0021) to
the plurality of elongate troughs (“multiple vertical fluid channels 84A-84E”)
during (“During an ice making cycle, fluid is continuously supplied to the upper fluid chamber, resulting in streams or sheets of fluid flowing through each of the substantially vertical fluid channels and cascading over the ice forming members therein”, paragraph 0006)
a freezing operation (“ice making cycle”, paragraph 0006) of
the device (“ice maker 52”),
the at least one fluid intake (“fluid inlet apertures 96A-96E”, “fluid inlet 94”, “top fluid channel 92”) comprising
an intake manifold cavity (“top fluid channel 92”) that
is fluidly connected to the plurality of elongate troughs (“Water fills upper fluid chamber 92 and flows downward into respective fluid channels 84A-84E through fluid inlet apertures 96A-96E”, paragraph 0020) through
wherein the cooling source is a pressurized (a person having ordinary skill in the art would understand the evaporator line of a refrigeration cycle to be pressurized, even if it is on the low pressure side of the pressurized circuit)
cooling cavity (cavity contained by “ice forming evaporator member 58”)
configured to control temperature for forming ice within the plurality of elongate troughs (“Ice forming evaporator member 58 includes a refrigerant line 70 and a plurality of ice forming members 72 extending there from”, paragraph 0016, “ice forming member 72 extending into a respective one of the multiple vertical fluid channels 84A-84E”, paragraph 0018, “fluid streams flowing through vertical fluid channels 84A-84E will flow over chilled ice forming members 72, preferably in a laminar fashion, resulting in the continuous formation of successive, thin ice layers on the chilled ice forming members 72, which build up over time to form clear ice pieces.”, paragraph 0021),
the cooling cavity being coupled to (Bortoletto Annotated Figure 3)
a coolant intake valve (“valve 102”, Bortoletto Annotated Figure 3)
for receiving coolant (“Preferably, one or more valves indicated at 102 and 103 (FIG. 3) is/are actuated to direct heated refrigerant gas from compressor 100 directly to ice forming evaporator member 58”, paragraph 22, Bortoletto Annotated Figure 3) and
coupled to (Bortoletto Annotated Figure 3)
at least one coolant outtake valve (“valve 103”, Bortoletto Annotated Figure 3)
disposed to remove the coolant from the cooling cavity (“Preferably, one or more valves indicated at 102 and 103 (FIG. 3) is/are actuated to direct heated refrigerant gas from compressor 100 directly to ice forming evaporator member 58”, paragraph 22, Bortoletto Annotated Figure 3).
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Bortoletto Annotated Figure 3
Bortoletto fails to teach:
a plurality of elongate troughs concentrically arranged around the cooling source and in parallel to the cooling source;
a porous flow straightener configured to direct a flow of fluid into a respective elongate trough in the plurality of elongate troughs;
However, Mowery teaches:
a plurality of elongate troughs (“spaces 26”)
concentrically arranged around (“A number of metallic fins 22 and 24 surround the outer tubular member 14 to provide segregated, open spaces 26”, description, column 2, lines 33-35)
the cooling source (“tubular member 14”) and
in parallel to the cooling source (figures 1-2);
Therefore, it would have been obvious to a person of ordinary skill in the art, before the effective filing date of the claimed invention, to modify the teachings of Bortoletto to include “a plurality of elongate troughs concentrically arranged around the cooling source and in parallel to the cooling source” in view of the teachings of Mowery ” to provide improved elements and arrangements thereof in an evaporator for the purposes described which is lightweight and uncomplicated in construction, inexpensive in manufacture, as well as dependable and fully effective in use” (Background/Summary, paragraph 10).
The combined teachings teach the device as described above but fail to teach:
a porous flow straightener configured to direct a flow of fluid into a flow pipe
However, Tanaka teaches:
a porous flow straightener (“porous flow straightening plate 72”)
configured to direct a flow of fluid into a flow pipe (“cylindrical flow pipe 54”)
Therefore, it would have been obvious to a person of ordinary skill in the art, before the effective filing date of the claimed invention, to modify the combined teachings to include “a porous flow straightener configured to direct a flow of fluid into a respective elongate trough in the plurality of elongate troughs” in view of the teachings of Tanaka such that “there is no drift in the cylindrical flow pipe 54, and cold water can be uniformly reduced and mixed” (paragraph 0034).
Regarding claim 2, the combined teachings teach the device of claim 1, as described above, and further teach:
wherein the cooling cavity (Bortoletto: cavity contained by “ice forming evaporator member 58”; Mowery: cavity contained by “body 12”) comprises
an inner cavity (Mowery: cavity contained by “inner tubular member 18”, Mowery Annotated Figure 2) and
an outer cavity (Mowery: cavity between “outer tubular member 14” and “inner tubular member 18, Mowery Annotated Figure 2).
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Mowery Annotated Figure 2
Regarding claim 3, the combined teachings teach the device of claim 2, as described above and further teach:
wherein the cooling cavity (Bortoletto: cavity contained by “evaporator member 58”; Mowery: cavity contained by “body 12”)
is configured to: receive (Bortoletto: “gaseous refrigerant, which is circulated through ice forming evaporator member 58”, paragraph 0022; Mowery: “refrigerant is supplied in a liquid phase through inlet tubular member 18 into the upright body 12”, Description, paragraph 22)
the coolant (Bortoletto: “refrigerant”, paragraph 0006; Mowery: “refrigerant”, Description, paragraph 3)
through (Bortoletto: “cooled refrigerant from a refrigerator evaporator 99 flows through refrigerant line 70 of ice forming evaporator member 58”, paragraph 0020)
the inner cavity (Bortoletto: cavity contained by “evaporator member 58”; Mowery: cavity contained by “inner tubular member 18”, Mowery Annotated Figure 2) of the cooling cavity at
the coolant intake valve (Bortoletto: “valve 102”, Bortoletto Annotated Figure 3),
the coolant intake valve being located adjacent (Bortoletto Annotated Figure 3)
a first end of (Bortoletto Annotated Figure 3; Mowery Annotated Figure 2)
the housing (Bortoletto: “housing 54”; Mowery: “body 12”) and
coupled to (Bortoletto: “Preferably, one or more valves indicated at 102 and 103 (FIG. 3) is/are actuated to direct heated refrigerant gas from compressor 100 directly to ice forming evaporator member 58”, paragraph 0022)
the inner cavity (Bortoletto: “Preferably, one or more valves indicated at 102 and 103 (FIG. 3) is/are actuated to direct heated refrigerant gas from compressor 100 directly to ice forming evaporator member 58”, paragraph 0022, Bortoletto Annotated Figure 2); and
remove the coolant through (Mowery: “The refrigerant then enters the open end 40 of the discharge tubular member and proceeds upwardly through the discharge tubular member where it is discharged from end 44”)
the outer cavity (Mowery: cavity between “outer tubular member 14” and “inner tubular member 18”, Mowery Annotated Figure 2) of the cooling cavity at
the coolant outtake valve (Bortoletto: “valve 103”, Bortoletto Annotated Figure 3),
the coolant outtake valve being located adjacent the coolant intake valve at the first end of the housing (Bortoletto Annotated Figure 3) and
coupled to (Bortoletto: “Preferably, one or more valves indicated at 102 and 103 (FIG. 3) is/are actuated to direct heated refrigerant gas from compressor 100 directly to ice forming evaporator member 58”, paragraph 0022, Bortoletto Annotated Figure 2) the outer cavity.
Regarding claim 4, the combined teachings teach the device of claim 2, as described above, and further teach:
wherein the inner cavity (Mowery: cavity contained by “inner tubular member 18”, Mowery Annotated Figure 2) comprises
an elongate cylinder having (Mowery: region with boundary defined by “tubular member 18”)
an inner tube (Mowery: “tubular member 18”)
in thermal communication (Mowery: “Since the interior of the body 12 is maintained at a reduced pressure by the action of the compressor, the refrigerant boils and expands in volume as it travels through the inlet tubular member 18. Absorbing heat and causing the outer tubular member 14 to become cold”, column 5, lines 30-37) with
the outer cavity (Mowery: cavity between “outer tubular member 14” and “inner tubular member 18”, Mowery Annotated Figure 2), the outer cavity having
an outer tube (Mowery: “outer tubular member 14”)
in thermal communication (Mowery: “The water is discharged through nozzles 102 onto the pyramidal portion 86 of cap 82 where such is evenly distributed onto the refrigerated surfaces of the upright body 12 including the outer tubular member 14 and fins 22 and 24. The water delivered to the upright body 12 transfers its heat to the refrigerant being circulated therein and collects as a deposit of ice in the spaces 26 between the fins 22 and 24”, Column 5, lines 52-59) with at least
one wall (Mowery: “longitudinal fin 24”) of each of
the plurality of elongate troughs (Bortoletto: “multiple vertical fluid channels 84A-84E”; Mowery: “open spaces 26”).
Regarding claim 5, the combined teachings teach the device of claim 4, as described above, and Mowery further teaches:
wherein a flow of coolant (“a refrigerant circulated through the body 12”, column 2, line 33) during
a freeze operation (although a freeze operation is not explicitly specified, a person having ordinary skill in the art would understand that the reversal of the standard operation into a thawing operation implies the existence of a freeze operation: “When the ice reaches a predetermined thickness, hot refrigerant discharge gas from the compressor may be caused to enter the evaporator 10”, column 5, lines 60-63) is provided in
a first direction (Mowery Annotated Figure 2) through
the inner cavity (cavity contained by “inner tubular member 18”, Mowery Annotated Figure 2) of
the cooling cavity (cavity contained by “body 12”) and in
a second direction (Mowery Annotated Figure 2) through
the outer cavity (cavity between “outer tubular member 14” and “inner tubular member 18”, Mowery Annotated Figure 2) of the cooling cavity,
the first direction being opposite the second direction (“Since the interior of the body 12 is maintained at a reduced pressure by the action of the compressor, the refrigerant boils and expands in volume as it travels through the inlet tubular member 18. Absorbing heat and causing the outer tubular member 14 to become cold, gaseous refrigerant swirls upwardly through the annulus between the outer tubular member 14 and the intermediate tubular member 20 due to the presence of the helical baffle plate 56. Upon reaching the open upper end 56 in the intermediate tubular member 20, the gaseous refrigerant reverses course and flows downwardly through the annulus between the intermediate tubular member 20 and the discharge tubular member 16.”, column 5, lines 30-43, Mowery Annotated Figure 2).
Regarding claim 12, Bortoletto teaches:
A device (“ice maker 52”) for making clear ice (“an ice maker 52 utilized in clear ice making assembly 50”, paragraph 0016) comprising:
at least one housing (“housing 54”) containing:
a cooling cavity (cavity contained by “evaporator member 58”),
a plurality of elongate troughs (“multiple vertical fluid channels 84A-84E”);
at least one fluid intake (“fluid inlet apertures 96A-96E”, “fluid inlet 94”, “top fluid channel 92”)
disposed to provide a flow of fluid into each of the plurality of elongate troughs (“Water fills upper fluid chamber 92 and flows downward into respective fluid channels 84A-84E through fluid inlet apertures 96A-96E”, paragraph 0020),
the at least one fluid intake comprising
a fluid intake manifold (“top fluid channel 92”) that defines
an intake manifold cavity (cavity inside “top fluid channel 92”) that
is fluidly connected to the plurality of elongate troughs through (“Water fills upper fluid chamber 92 and flows downward into respective fluid channels 84A-84E through fluid inlet apertures 96A-96E”, paragraph 0020)
“fluid inlet apertures 96A-96E”
configured to direct a flow of fluid into a respective elongate trough in the plurality of elongate troughs (“Water fills upper fluid chamber 92 and flows downward into respective fluid channels 84A-84E through fluid inlet apertures 96A-96E”, paragraph 0020);
and at least one drain (“drain aperture 86A-86E”)
disposed to drain fluid from each of the plurality of elongate troughs (“Streams or sheets of water flow vertically through each of the respective vertical fluid channels 84A-84E and across ice forming members 72, with any of the fluid which reaches drain apertures 86A-86E draining through an opening 97”, paragraph 0020)
Bortoletto fails to teach:
a cooling cavity defining an inner cavity and an outer cavity, wherein the inner cavity comprises an elongate cylinder having an inner tube in thermal communication with the outer cavity, a plurality of elongate troughs concentrically arranged around the cooling cavity and in parallel to the cooling cavity, wherein the outer cavity comprises an outer tube in thermal communication with at least one wall of each of the plurality of elongate troughs.
a porous flow straightener
However, Mowery teaches:
a cooling cavity (cavity contained by “body 12”) defining
an inner cavity (cavity contained by “inner tubular member 18”, Mowery Annotated Figure 2) and
an outer cavity (cavity between “outer tubular member 14” and “inner tubular member 18”, Mowery Annotated Figure 2), wherein
the inner cavity comprises an elongate cylinder (region with boundary defined by “tubular member 18”) having
an inner tube (“tubular member 18”)
in thermal communication with the outer cavity (“Since the interior of the body 12 is maintained at a reduced pressure by the action of the compressor, the refrigerant boils and expands in volume as it travels through the inlet tubular member 18. Absorbing heat and causing the outer tubular member 14 to become cold”, column 5, lines 30-37),
a plurality of elongate troughs (“spaces 26”, Mowery Annotated Figure 3)
concentrically arranged around the cooling cavity (“A number of metallic fins 22 and 24 surround the outer tubular member 14 to provide segregated, open spaces 26”, description, column 2, lines 33-35) and
in parallel to the cooling cavity (figures 1-2); wherein
the outer cavity comprises an outer tube (“outer tubular member 14”)
in thermal communication with at least (“The water is discharged through nozzles 102 onto the pyramidal portion 86 of cap 82 where such is evenly distributed onto the refrigerated surfaces of the upright body 12 including the outer tubular member 14 and fins 22 and 24. The water delivered to the upright body 12 transfers its heat to the refrigerant being circulated therein and collects as a deposit of ice in the spaces 26 between the fins 22 and 24”, Column 5, lines 52-59)
one wall (“longitudinal fin 24”) of each of the plurality of elongate troughs.
Therefore, it would have been obvious to a person of ordinary skill in the art, before the effective filing date of the claimed invention, to modify the teachings of Bortoletto to include “a cooling cavity defining an inner cavity and an outer cavity, wherein the inner cavity comprises an elongate cylinder having an inner tube in thermal communication with the outer cavity, a plurality of elongate troughs concentrically arranged around the cooling cavity and in parallel to the cooling cavity, wherein the outer cavity comprises an outer tube in thermal communication with at least one wall of each of the plurality of elongate troughs” in view of the teachings of Mowery ” to provide improved elements and arrangements thereof in an evaporator for the purposes described which is lightweight and uncomplicated in construction, inexpensive in manufacture, as well as dependable and fully effective in use” (Background/Summary, paragraph 10).
The combined teachings teach the device, as described above, but fail to teach:
a porous flow straightener
However, Tanaka teaches:
a porous flow straightener (“porous flow straightening plate 72”)
Therefore, it would have been obvious to a person of ordinary skill in the art, before the effective filing date of the claimed invention, to modify the combined teachings to include “a porous flow straightener” in view of the teachings of Tanaka such that “there is no drift in the cylindrical flow pipe 54, and cold water can be uniformly reduced and mixed” (paragraph 0034)
Regarding claim 13, the combined teachings teach the device of claim 12, as defined above, and Bortoletto further teaches:
wherein the at least one fluid intake (“fluid inlet apertures 96A-96E”, “fluid inlet 94”, “top fluid channel 92”) and
the at least one drain (“drain aperture 86A-86E”) are
configured to provide a constant flow of fluid (“fluid streams flowing through vertical fluid channels 84A-84E will flow over chilled ice forming members 72, preferably in a laminar fashion, resulting in the continuous formation of successive, thin ice layers on the chilled ice forming members 72, which build up over time to form clear ice pieces. Advantageously, such thin ice layers prevent air bubbles from forming, and the constant flow of water over the forming ice pieces "cleans" the ice pieces as they form”, paragraph 0021) to
the plurality of elongate troughs (“multiple vertical fluid channels 84A-84E”)
during (“During an ice making cycle, fluid is continuously supplied to the upper fluid chamber, resulting in streams or sheets of fluid flowing through each of the substantially vertical fluid channels and cascading over the ice forming members therein”, paragraph 0006)
a freezing operation (“ice making cycle”, paragraph 0006) of
the device (“ice maker 52”).
Regarding claim 14, the combined teachings teach the device of claim 12, as defined above and Bortoletto further teaches:
wherein the cooling cavity (cavity contained by “ice forming evaporator member 58”)
is pressurized (a person having ordinary skill in the art would understand the evaporator line of a refrigeration cycle to be pressurized, even if it is on the low pressure side of the pressurized circuit) and
configured to control temperature for forming ice (“Ice forming evaporator member 58 includes a refrigerant line 70 and a plurality of ice forming members 72 extending there from”, paragraph 0016, “ice forming member 72 extending into a respective one of the multiple vertical fluid channels 84A-84E”, paragraph 0018, “fluid streams flowing through vertical fluid channels 84A-84E will flow over chilled ice forming members 72, preferably in a laminar fashion, resulting in the continuous formation of successive, thin ice layers on the chilled ice forming members 72, which build up over time to form clear ice pieces.”, paragraph 0021)
within the plurality of elongate troughs (“multiple vertical fluid channels 84A-84E”),
the cooling cavity being coupled to (Bortoletto Annotated Figure 3)
a coolant intake valve (“valve 102”, Bortoletto Annotated Figure 3)
for receiving coolant (“Preferably, one or more valves indicated at 102 and 103 (FIG. 3) is/are actuated to direct heated refrigerant gas from compressor 100 directly to ice forming evaporator member 58”, paragraph 22, Bortoletto Annotated Figure 3) and
coupled to (Bortoletto Annotated Figure 3)
at least one coolant outtake valve (“valve 103”, Bortoletto Annotated Figure 3)
disposed to remove the coolant from the cooling cavity (“Preferably, one or more valves indicated at 102 and 103 (FIG. 3) is/are actuated to direct heated refrigerant gas from compressor 100 directly to ice forming evaporator member 58”, paragraph 22, Bortoletto Annotated Figure 3).
Regarding claim 15, the combined teachings teach the device of claim 12, as defined above and Mowery further teaches:
wherein a flow of coolant (“a refrigerant circulated through the body 12”, column 2, line 33)
during a freeze operation (“alternative freezing and harvesting phases”, column 1, line 12-13) is provided
in a first direction (Mowery Annotated Figure 2) through
the inner cavity (cavity contained by “inner tubular member 18”, Mowery Annotated Figure 2) of
the cooling cavity (cavity contained by “body 12”) and
in a second direction (Mowery Annotated Figure 2) through
the outer cavity of the cooling cavity (cavity between “outer tubular member 14” and “inner tubular member 18”, Mowery Annotated Figure 2),
the first direction being opposite the second direction (“Since the interior of the body 12 is maintained at a reduced pressure by the action of the compressor, the refrigerant boils and expands in volume as it travels through the inlet tubular member 18. Absorbing heat and causing the outer tubular member 14 to become cold, gaseous refrigerant swirls upwardly through the annulus between the outer tubular member 14 and the intermediate tubular member 20 due to the presence of the helical baffle plate 56. Upon reaching the open upper end 56 in the intermediate tubular member 20, the gaseous refrigerant reverses course and flows downwardly through the annulus between the intermediate tubular member 20 and the discharge tubular member 16.”, column 5, lines 30-43, Mowery Annotated Figure 2).
Regarding claim 18, Bortoletto teaches:
A method for making clear ice (“A method of forming ice with a clear ice making assembly”, claim 15), the method comprising:
providing at least one housing (“housing 54”) containing:
a cooling cavity (Bortoletto: cavity contained by “evaporator member 58”; Mowery: cavity contained by “body 12”) and
a plurality of elongate troughs (“multiple vertical fluid channels 84A-84E”), wherein
at least a portion of each of the plurality of elongate troughs is in thermal communication with the cooling cavity (“Ice forming evaporator member 58 includes a refrigerant line 70 and a plurality of ice forming members 72 extending there from”, paragraph 0016, “ice forming member 72 extending into a respective one of the multiple vertical fluid channels 84A-84E”, paragraph 0018);
at least one fluid intake (“fluid inlet apertures 96A-96E”, “fluid inlet 94”, “top fluid channel 92”)
disposed to provide a flow of fluid into each of the plurality of elongate troughs (“Water fills upper fluid chamber 92 and flows downward into respective fluid channels 84A-84E through fluid inlet apertures 96A-96E”, paragraph 0020), wherein
the at least one fluid intake comprises “fluid inlet apertures 96A-96E”
configured to direct a flow of fluid into a respective elongate trough in the plurality of elongate troughs (“Water fills upper fluid chamber 92 and flows downward into respective fluid channels 84A-84E through fluid inlet apertures 96A-96E”, paragraph 0020); wherein
at least a portion of each of the plurality of elongate troughs is in thermal communication with the cooling cavity (“Ice forming evaporator member 58 includes a refrigerant line 70 and a plurality of ice forming members 72 extending there from”, paragraph 0016, “ice forming member 72 extending into a respective one of the multiple vertical fluid channels 84A-84E”, paragraph 0018) (Examiner note: was this limitation meant to appear twice?);
receiving, through the at least one fluid intake, a constant flow of fluid to the plurality of elongate troughs during a freezing operation associated with the housing (“fluid streams flowing through vertical fluid channels 84A-84E will flow over chilled ice forming members 72, preferably in a laminar fashion, resulting in the continuous formation of successive, thin ice layers on the chilled ice forming members 72, which build up over time to form clear ice pieces. Advantageously, such thin ice layers prevent air bubbles from forming, and the constant flow of water over the forming ice pieces "cleans" the ice pieces as they form”, paragraph 0021);
receiving a constant flow of coolant (A person having ordinary skill in the art would understand the following disclosure of a refrigerant recirculation cycle would provide a constant flow of coolant while in operation:“refrigerant circulation system of the refrigerator”, paragraph 0006)
through (“cooled refrigerant from a refrigerator evaporator 99 flows through refrigerant line 70 of ice forming evaporator member 58”, paragraph 0020)
a first portion of the cooling cavity (Bortoletto Annotated Figure 3)
at (Bortoletto Annotated Figure 3)
a coolant intake valve (“valve 102”),
the coolant intake valve being located adjacent (Bortoletto Annotated Figure 3)
a first end of the housing (Bortoletto Annotated Figure 3) and
coupled to the first portion (Bortoletto Annotated Figure 3);
removing the coolant through (“cooled refrigerant from a refrigerator evaporator 99 flows through refrigerant line 70 of ice forming evaporator member 58”, paragraph 0020)
a second portion of the cooling cavity (Bortoletto Annotated Figure 3) at
a coolant outtake valve (“valve 103”),
the coolant outtake valve being located adjacent the coolant intake valve at the first end of the housing (Bortoletto Annotated Figure 3) and
coupled to the second portion (Bortoletto Annotated Figure 3); and
ejecting the clear ice from the housing upon completion of the freezing operation associated with the housing (“After a predetermined amount of time, or based on another known method for determining the end of an ice production cycle, ice forming members 72 are heated to melt the portions of the ice pieces in direct contact with chilled ice forming members 72 in order to release the ice pieces from the ice forming members 72”, paragraph 0022).
Bortoletto fails to teach:
a plurality of elongate troughs concentrically arranged around the cooling cavity, and a plurality of elongate troughs concentrically arranged around the cooling cavity and parallel to the cooling cavity along a longitudinal axis,
a porous flow straightener
However Mowery teaches:
a plurality of elongate troughs (“spaces 26”, Mowery Annotated Figure 3)
concentrically arranged around the cooling cavity (“A number of metallic fins 22 and 24 surround the outer tubular member 14 to provide segregated, open spaces 26”, description, column 2, lines 33-35), and
a plurality of elongate troughs concentrically arranged around the cooling cavity (“A number of metallic fins 22 and 24 surround the outer tubular member 14 to provide segregated, open spaces 26”, description, column 2, lines 33-35) (Examiner note: was this limitation meant to appear twice?) and
parallel to the cooling cavity (figures 1-2) along
a longitudinal axis (Mowery Annotated Figure 2)
Therefore, it would have been obvious to a person of ordinary skill in the art, before the effective filing date of the claimed invention, to modify the teachings of Bortoletto to include “a plurality of elongate troughs concentrically arranged around the cooling source and in parallel to the cooling source” in view of the teachings of Mowery ” to provide improved elements and arrangements thereof in an evaporator for the purposes described which is lightweight and uncomplicated in construction, inexpensive in manufacture, as well as dependable and fully effective in use” (Background/Summary, paragraph 10).
The combined teachings teach the method, as described above, but fail to teach:
a porous flow straightener
However, Tanaka teaches:
a porous flow straightener (Tanaka: “porous flow straightening plate 72”)
Therefore, it would have been obvious to a person of ordinary skill in the art, before the effective filing date of the claimed invention, to modify the combined teachings to include “a porous flow straightener configured to direct a flow of fluid into a respective elongate trough in the plurality of elongate troughs” in view of the teachings of Tanaka such that “there is no drift in the cylindrical flow pipe 54, and cold water can be uniformly reduced and mixed” (paragraph 0034).
Regarding claim 19, the combined teachings teach the method of claim 18, as described above, and Mowery further teaches:
the first portion (Mowery Annotated Figure 2) comprises
an elongate cylinder (region with boundary defined by “tubular member 18”) having
an inner tube (“tubular member 18”)
in thermal communication with (“Since the interior of the body 12 is maintained at a reduced pressure by the action of the compressor, the refrigerant boils and expands in volume as it travels through the inlet tubular member 18. Absorbing heat and causing the outer tubular member 14 to become cold”, column 5, lines 30-37)
the second portion (Mowery Annotated Figure 2), the second portion having
an outer tube (“tubular member 14”)
in thermal communication with at least one wall of each of (“Since the interior of the body 12 is maintained at a reduced pressure by the action of the compressor, the refrigerant boils and expands in volume as it travels through the inlet tubular member 18. Absorbing heat and causing the outer tubular member 14 to become cold”, column 5, lines 30-35, “To produce ice on the exterior of the evaporator 10, a flow of water is delivered to the annular supply conduit 84 through an inlet 104. The water is discharged through nozzles 102 onto the pyramidal portion 86 of cap 82 where such is evenly distributed onto the refrigerated surfaces of the upright body 12 including the outer tubular member 14 and fins 22 and 24.”, column 5, lines 50-56)
the plurality of elongate troughs (“spaces 26”).
Regarding claim 20, the combined teachings teach the method of claim 18, as described above, and Mowery further teaches:
the constant flow of coolant during (A person having ordinary skill in the art would understand the following disclosure of a refrigerant recirculation cycle would provide a constant flow of coolant while in operation: “After leaving the discharge tubular member 14 at end 44, the gaseous refrigerant is recompressed, recooled and subsequently recirculated to the inlet tubular member 18”, column 5, lines 46-49)
the freezing operation (“alternative freezing and harvesting phases”, column 1, line 12-13) is provided in
a first direction (Mowery Annotated Figure 2)
through (“The body 12 is provided with an outer tubular member 14 and inner concentrically-positioned tubular members 16, 18 and 20 which define a tortuous flow path for a refrigerant circulated through the body 12”, column 2, lines 30-34)
the first portion (Mowery Annotated Figure 2) of
the cooling cavity (cavity contained by “body 12”) and in
a second direction (Mowery Annotated Figure 2)
through (“The body 12 is provided with an outer tubular member 14 and inner concentrically-positioned tubular members 16, 18 and 20 which define a tortuous flow path for a refrigerant circulated through the body 12”, column 2, lines 30-34)
the second portion of the cooling cavity (Mowery Annotated Figure 2),
the first direction being opposite the second direction (“Since the interior of the body 12 is maintained at a reduced pressure by the action of the compressor, the refrigerant boils and expands in volume as it travels through the inlet tubular member 18. Absorbing heat and causing the outer tubular member 14 to become cold, gaseous refrigerant swirls upwardly through the annulus between the outer tubular member 14 and the intermediate tubular member 20 due to the presence of the helical baffle plate 56. Upon reaching the open upper end 56 in the intermediate tubular member 20, the gaseous refrigerant reverses course and flows downwardly through the annulus between the intermediate tubular member 20 and the discharge tubular member 16.”, column 5, lines 30-43, Mowery Annotated Figure 2).
Claims 8 and 17 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Bortoletto et al. (US 20120324915 A1), Mowery (US 5749242 A), and Tanaka et al. (JP 2004278976 A) as applied to claims 1 and 12 above, and further in view of Kim et al. (AU 2019380200 A1).
Regarding claim 8, the combined teachings teach the device of claim 1, as described above, and further teach:
Removing (Bortoletto: “After a predetermined amount of time, or based on another known method for determining the end of an ice production cycle, ice forming members 72 are heated to melt the portions of the ice pieces in direct contact with chilled ice forming members 72 in order to release the ice pieces from the ice forming members 72”, paragraph 0022)
a plurality of clear ice structures (Bortoletto: “clear ice pieces”, abstract)
the plurality of elongate troughs (Bortoletto: “multiple vertical fluid channels 84A-84E”)
after a freezing operation (Bortoletto: “After a predetermined amount of time, or based on another known method for determining the end of an ice production cycle, ice forming members 72 are heated to melt the portions of the ice pieces in direct contact with chilled ice forming members 72 in order to release the ice pieces from the ice forming members 72”, paragraph 0022)
The combined teachings fail to teach:
a detachably coupled end plate for removing a plurality of clear ice structures from the plurality of elongate troughs after a freezing operation.
However, Kim teaches:
a detachably (“when the lower assembly 200 rotates forward, the lower tray 250 may be spaced apart from the upper tray 150”, MODE-FOR-INVENTION, Coupling Structure of Lower heater, paragraph 141)
coupled (“In an ice making position, the elastic member 360 provide elastic force to the lower support 270 so that contact between the upper tray 150 and the lower tray 250 is maintained”, MODE-FOR-INVENTION, Lower case, paragraph 10)
end plate (“lower tray 250”)
for removing (“as the heat of the upper heater 148 is effectively transferred to a contact area of the upper tray 150 and the lower tray 250, the upper tray 250 can be effectively separated from the upper tray 150 in the ice separation process.”, MODE-FOR-INVENTION, Coupling Structure of Lower heater, paragraph 104)
a plurality (“Hereinafter, a structure in which three ice chambers are defined by the upper assembly 110 and the lower assembly 200 will be described as an example”, MODE-FOR-INVENTION, paragraph 22) of ice structures (“spherical ice”, MODE-FOR-INVENTION, paragraph 25) from
the plurality (“Hereinafter, a structure in which three ice chambers are defined by the upper assembly 110 and the lower assembly 200 will be described as an example”, MODE-FOR-INVENTION, paragraph 22) of elongate troughs (“ice chamber 111”)
after a freezing operation (“the ice making process”, MODE-FOR-INVENTION, Upper tray, paragraph 52).
Therefore, it would have been obvious to a person of ordinary skill in the art, before the effective filing date of the claimed invention, to modify the combined teachings include “a detachably coupled end plate for removing a plurality of clear ice structures from the plurality of elongate troughs after a freezing operation” in view of the teachings of Kim, as “the upper tray and the ice can be separated from each other and simultaneously the heat is focused on a local part of the ice to prevent some of the ice from being melted” (ADVANTAGEOUS-EFFECTS, paragraph 1).
Regarding claim 17, the combined teachings teach the device of claim 12, as defined above and further teach:
further comprising a detachably (Kim: “when the lower assembly 200 rotates forward, the lower tray 250 may be spaced apart from the upper tray 150”, MODE-FOR-INVENTION, Coupling Structure of Lower heater, paragraph 141)
coupled (Kim: “In an ice making position, the elastic member 360 provide elastic force to the lower support 270 so that contact between the upper tray 150 and the lower tray 250 is maintained”, MODE-FOR-INVENTION, Lower case, paragraph 10)
end plate (Kim: “lower tray 250”)
for removing (Kim: “as the heat of the upper heater 148 is effectively transferred to a contact area of the upper tray 150 and the lower tray 250, the upper tray 250 can be effectively separated from the upper tray 150 in the ice separation process.”, MODE-FOR-INVENTION, Coupling Structure of Lower heater, paragraph 104)
a plurality (Kim: “Hereinafter, a structure in which three ice chambers are defined by the upper assembly 110 and the lower assembly 200 will be described as an example”, MODE-FOR-INVENTION, paragraph 22)
of clear (Bortoletto: “clear ice pieces”, abstract)
ice structures (Kim: “spherical ice”, MODE-FOR-INVENTION, paragraph 25) from
the plurality (Kim: “Hereinafter, a structure in which three ice chambers are defined by the upper assembly 110 and the lower assembly 200 will be described as an example”, MODE-FOR-INVENTION, paragraph 22) of
elongate troughs (Bortoletto: “multiple vertical fluid channels 84A-84E”; Kim: “ice chamber 111”)
after a freezing operation (Bortoletto: “After a predetermined amount of time, or based on another known method for determining the end of an ice production cycle, ice forming members 72 are heated to melt the portions of the ice pieces in direct contact with chilled ice forming members 72 in order to release the ice pieces from the ice forming members 72”, paragraph 0022; Kim: “the ice making process”, MODE-FOR-INVENTION, Upper tray, paragraph 52)
Claim 9 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Bortoletto et al. (US 20120324915 A1), Mowery (US 5749242 A), and Tanaka et al. (JP 2004278976 A) as applied to claim 1 above, and further in view of Walker et al. (WO 2012031010 A1).
Regarding claim 9, the combined teachings teach the device of claim 1, as described above, and further teach:
wherein the at least one housing (Bortoletto: “housing 54”; Mowery: “body 12”) further contains
the plurality of elongate troughs (Bortoletto: “multiple vertical fluid channels 84A-84E”; Mowery: “spaces 26”, Mowery Annotated Figure 3)
The combined teachings fail to teach:
wherein the at least one housing further contains a plurality of elongate apertures between each of the plurality of elongate troughs, wherein each of the plurality of elongate apertures is blocked by a flow blocking cap to prevent fluid from entering the respective elongate apertures.
However, Walker teaches:
wherein the at least one housing (“barrier tube 110”) further contains
a plurality of elongate apertures (“voids 122”) between each of
the plurality of elongate troughs (“fluid transporting tubes 112”),
wherein each of the plurality of elongate apertures is blocked (“the voids 122 are not in fluid communication with each other (i.e. the voids are isolated from each other)”, paragraph 0037) by
a flow blocking cap (“circular end caps”, paragraph 0037)
to prevent fluid from entering the respective elongate apertures (a person having ordinary skill in the art would understand that the purpose of a void space left intentionally devoid of fluid would have the aforementioned structures to prevent fluid from entering the void space).
Therefore, it would have been obvious to a person of ordinary skill in the art, before the effective filing date of the claimed invention, to modify the combined teachings to include “such that a cross-section of the respective elongate trough has a tapered U-shape defined by the first side wall having an interior angle greater than or equal to about 0 degrees and less than or equal to about 15 degrees from upright” in view of the teachings of Walker because “the void space 122 serves as a leak containment space and the two heat transfer fluids 330, 332 do not mix. This leak-capturing feature is important in any use of the heat exchanger conduit where it would be problematic or dangerous to have the first 330 and second 332 fluids mix.” (paragraph 0043)
Claim 10 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Bortoletto et al. (US 20120324915 A1), Mowery (US 5749242 A), and Tanaka et al. (JP 2004278976 A) as applied to claim 1 above, and further in view of Harris (US 3020730 A).
Regarding claim 10, the combined teachings teach the device of claim 1, as described above, and Mowery further teaches:
wherein each of the plurality of elongate troughs (“spaces 26”, Mowery Annotated Figure 3) include
a base wall (“tubular member 14”, Mowery Annotated Figure 3),
a first side wall (“metallic fins 24”, Mowery Annotated Figure 3), and
a second side wall (“metallic fins 24”, Mowery Annotated Figure 3)
defining a respective elongate trough
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media_image3.png
357
431
media_image3.png
Greyscale
Mowery Annotated Figure 3
The combined teachings fail to teach:
such that a cross-section of the respective elongate trough has a tapered U-shape defined by the first side wall having an interior angle greater than or equal to about 0 degrees and less than or equal to about 15 degrees from upright.
However, Harris teaches:
such that a cross-section of the respective elongate trough (“mold portions 22”)
has a tapered (“The mold portions are tapered”, column 3, line 33) U-shape (figure 2) defined by
the first side wall having an interior angle greater than or equal to about 0 degrees and less than or equal to about 15 degrees from upright (it can be seen that the taper is between 0 and 15 degrees in figure 2).
Therefore, it would have been obvious to a person of ordinary skill in the art, before the effective filing date of the claimed invention, to modify the combined teachings to include “such that a cross-section of the respective elongate trough has a tapered U-shape defined by the first side wall having an interior angle greater than or equal to about 0 degrees and less than or equal to about 15 degrees from upright” in view of the teachings of Harris ” to enable removal of the ice blocks from the molds by flotation” (column 1, lines 43-44).
Claim 11 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Bortoletto et al. (US 20120324915 A1), Mowery (US 5749242 A), and Tanaka et al. (JP 2004278976 A) as applied to claim 1 above, and further in view of Broadbent (US 4990169 A).
Regarding claim 11, the combined teachings teach the device of claim 1, as described above, but fail to teach:
Wherein the constant flow of fluid is provided at a velocity of at least about 0.09 m/s through each of the plurality of elongate troughs.
However, Broadbent teaches that controlling the speed of the water flow will affect the clarity of the ice being generated (“When a flowing stream of water is frozen quickly, the impurities and gases in the water become trapped in the ice and cause it to be white or cloudy. When a flowing stream water is frozen more slowly, these impurities and gases are washed away and the ice formed is clear or transparent. The formation of clear or cloudy ice is also affected by the velocity of water relative to the freezing surface. By controlling the rate of heat transfer and the velocity of water, it is possible to freeze water such that the cloudy and clear ice form desirable patterns in the ice.”, column 4, lines 20-30).
Therefore, the cool storage material charging ratio is recognized as a result-effective variable, i.e. a variable which achieves a recognized result. In this case, the recognized result is that a lower fluid flow velocity affects a greater clarity of the created ice.Therefore, since the general conditions of the claim, i.e. that the fluid flow velocity, was disclosed in the prior art by Broadbent, it is not inventive to discover the optimum workable range by routine experimentation, and it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art at the time of the invention to provide a fluid flow velocity is 0.09m/s.
Conclusion
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/JOSHUA M STICKEL/Examiner, Art Unit 3763
/ELIZABETH J MARTIN/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3763
