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 § 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 15-28 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Applicant’s admitted Prior Art (Figs. 1-2a, 2c, and 3) herein after called AAPR, in view of Kanemaru et al (US 2012/0214394).
Reg. Cl. 15, AAPR discloses; An air conditioning unit for a motor vehicle comprising: a casing with at least one first air inlet for intake of fresh ambient air and a second air inlet for intake of circulating air from a passenger compartment; and a first air guiding device for varying a flow cross section of the at least one first air inlet and a second air guiding device for varying a flow cross section of the second air inlet, wherein the first air guiding device and the second air guiding device are air flaps arranged movably mounted between two end positions.
AAPR fails to disclose; however, Kanemaru et al. teaches the very well-known use wherein a bypass flow duct (224) with a ram pressure air guiding device (258) is formed for the at least one first air inlet (220), wherein the ram pressure air guiding device is arranged as an air flap movably mounted between two end positions and fully closes the bypass flow duct in an end position.
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective
filing date of the claimed invention to modify the AAPR’s invention with the above teachings of Kanemaru et al mounted above the outside air inlet. Doing so would provide control of ram pressure as vehicle speed increases to maintain a predetermined airflow ratio and temperature between fresh air flowing into the housing via the exterior air intake aperture and recirculation air flowing into the housing via the interior air intake aperture.
Reg. Cl. 16, AAPR fails to discloses; however, Kanemaru et al. teaches wherein the bypass flow duct has a smaller flow cross section than the at least one first air inlet.
Reg. Cl. 17, AAPR fails to discloses; however, Kanemaru et al. teaches wherein the ram pressure air guiding device is movable independently of the first air guiding device for varying the flow cross section of the at least one first air inlet.
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective
filing date of the claimed invention to modify AAPR air conditioning unit for a motor vehicle with the above teachings of Kanemaru et al. Doing so would provide an alternate design for a particular application wherein ram air pressure is considered and controlled to adjust the air within a vehicles cabin area.
Reg. Cl. 18, AAPR as modified by Kanemaru et al. discloses; wherein the first air guiding device of the at least one first air inlet and/or the second air guiding device of the second air inlet and/or the ram pressure air guiding device for varying a flow cross section of the bypass flow duct is/are arranged pivotably mounted about an axis of rotation in each case.
Reg. Cl. 19, AAPR as modified by Kanemaru et al. discloses; wherein the ram pressure air guiding device is a centrally mounted rotary flap which is arranged pivotably mounted about the axis of rotation between a first end position "closed" and a second end position "fully open".
Reg. Cl. 20, AAPR discloses: wherein the first air guiding device for varying the flow cross section of the at least one first air inlet is a centrally mounted rotary flap which is arranged pivotably mounted about the axis of rotation between a first end position "closed" and a second end position "fully open".
Reg. Cl. 21, AAPR discloses: wherein the casing has a fan casing for accommodating a fan, and an air inlet casing with the at least one first air inlet and the second air inlet, as well as the bypass flow duct.
Reg. Cl. 22, AAPR as modified by Kanemaru et al. discloses wherein the ram pressure air guiding device is continuously alignable on a travel path between the two end positions in intermediate positions for opening a flow cross section of the bypass flow duct with different degrees of opening, wherein the ram pressure air guiding device in a first end position "closed" abuts the casing, in particular an air inlet casing of the casing and seals the bypass flow duct.
Reg. Cl. 23, AAPR discloses: wherein the second air guiding device for varying the flow cross section of the second air inlet is a rotary flap which is arranged pivotably mounted about the axis of rotation between a first end position "closed" and a second end position "fully open", wherein the axis of rotation is designed at a distance from a cross- sectional area of the second air inlet to be closed.
Reg. Cl. 24, AAPR discloses: wherein the first air guiding device and the second air guiding device are continuously alignable on a travel path between the two end positions in intermediate positions for opening the flow cross section of the at least one first air inlet and the second air inlet with different degrees of opening, wherein the first air guiding device and the second air guiding device in a first end position "closed" abut an air inlet casing and seal the at least one first air inlet and the second air inlet.
Reg. Cl. 25, AAPR as modified by Kanemaru et al. discloses; wherein the first air guiding device of the at least one first air inlet and the ram pressure air guiding device are each connected to a drive element or to a common drive element via a drive mechanism.
Reg. Cl. 26, AAPR as modified by Kanemaru et al. discloses; wherein the drive element is a servomotor (M (Fig. 3)).
Reg. Cl. 27, AAPR discloses; An air conditioning system for the motor vehicle with means for conveying, for cooling and for heating air, having the air conditioning unit according to claim 15.
Reg. Cl. 28, AAPR discloses; A method for operating the air conditioning unit for the motor vehicle wherein a composition of an air mass flow consisting of pure fresh ambient air, pure circulating air from the passenger compartment or a mixture of fresh air and circulating air sucked into the air conditioning unit is set by adjusting positions of the first air guiding device and the second air guiding device.
AAPR fails to disclose; however, Kanemaru et al. teaches the ram pressure air guiding device for independently varying the flow cross sections of the at least one first air inlet and the second air inlet and a flow cross section of the bypass flow duct, wherein in an operating mode of ram pressure compensation, a mass flow of the fresh air is throttled through the flow cross section of the bypass flow duct, in that the first air guiding device arranged in the flow cross section of the at least one first air inlet of the fresh air is brought into an end position "closed" and the ram pressure air guiding device arranged in the bypass flow duct independently of the first air guiding device of the at least one first air inlet of the fresh air is adjusted in such a way that an open gap is formed between a wall of the casing of the air conditioning unit and the ram pressure air guiding device and the flow cross section of the at least one first air inlet of the fresh ambient air is opened depending on an alignment of the ram pressure air guiding device.
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective
filing date of the claimed invention to modify AAPR air conditioning unit for a motor vehicle with the above mentioned teachings of Kanemaru et al.
Doing so would provide a channel with a ram air pressure valve that is a controlled movable independent circulating air valve to thereby control ram air pressure of air flowing through the exterior air inlet independently of the position of the circulating air valve.
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure. The Applicant is advised to review all the reference cited on the PTO-892.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to TERRELL L MCKINNON whose telephone number is (571)272-4797. The examiner can normally be reached Mon-Fri. 8:00 am to 4:30 pm..
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/TERRELL L MCKINNON/Supervisory Patent Examiner, Art Unit 3632
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