Prosecution Insights
Last updated: April 19, 2026
Application No. 18/879,381

COMPRESSION MECHANISM AND SCROLL COMPRESSOR

Non-Final OA §102
Filed
Dec 27, 2024
Examiner
AYALA DELGADO, ANTHONY
Art Unit
3746
Tech Center
3700 — Mechanical Engineering & Manufacturing
Assignee
Copeland Climate Technologies (Suzhou) Co. Ltd.
OA Round
1 (Non-Final)
80%
Grant Probability
Favorable
1-2
OA Rounds
2y 6m
To Grant
98%
With Interview

Examiner Intelligence

Grants 80% — above average
80%
Career Allow Rate
553 granted / 696 resolved
+9.5% vs TC avg
Strong +18% interview lift
Without
With
+18.0%
Interview Lift
resolved cases with interview
Typical timeline
2y 6m
Avg Prosecution
30 currently pending
Career history
726
Total Applications
across all art units

Statute-Specific Performance

§101
3.4%
-36.6% vs TC avg
§103
39.7%
-0.3% vs TC avg
§102
30.8%
-9.2% vs TC avg
§112
23.4%
-16.6% vs TC avg
Black line = Tech Center average estimate • Based on career data from 696 resolved cases

Office Action

§102
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 § 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, 8, 23, 30, 32 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by US 2006/0233657 to Bonear et al. (Bonear). In Reference to Claim 1 Bonear discloses: [AltContent: textbox (A)][AltContent: connector][AltContent: rect] PNG media_image1.png 331 377 media_image1.png Greyscale PNG media_image2.png 649 502 media_image2.png Greyscale A compression mechanism comprising: a scroll component, comprising an orbiting scroll 60 and a fixed scroll 80 meshing with each other, the scroll component comprising a scroll end plate and a scroll blade formed on a side of the scroll end plate, wherein the scroll end plate comprises an orbiting scroll end plate 64 and a fixed scroll end plate 84, and the scroll blade comprises an orbiting scroll blade 62 formed on a side of the orbiting scroll end plate and a fixed scroll blade (82) formed on a side of the fixed scroll end plate, see fig. 1 above; wherein the orbiting scroll blade 62 and the fixed scroll blade 82 mesh with each other to form a series of compression chambers between the orbiting scroll and the fixed scroll, wherein the series of compression chambers comprise a central compression chamber A and a fluid compression chamber located at a radially outer side of the central compression chamber, see Fig.1; wherein the compression mechanism is provided with a discharge passage 86 and a discharge control mechanism 12, the discharge control mechanism allows the discharge passage to selectively provide fluid communication between a discharge fluid compression chamber 90 of the fluid compression chambers and an exterior of the compression mechanism; wherein the discharge control mechanism 12 is configured to provide a pressure difference, see paragraph [0042]; wherein the discharge control mechanism further comprises a movable blocking member 104, which is provided in the discharge passage and is movable under the action of the pressure difference between an open position at which the fluid communication is provided and a closed position at which the fluid communication is not provided; and wherein the discharge passage is provided in the scroll component and is configured to comprise a blocking member 104 passage portion extending through the scroll component substantially along an axis direction of the compression mechanism, and a liquid discharge portion 136 through which the blocking member passage portion is in communication with the exterior of the compression mechanism, wherein the blocking member passage portion comprises a blocking member passage 88 section for accommodating the movable blocking member and a liquid entry section 110 through which the blocking member passage section is in communication with the discharge fluid compression chamber, see Fig.1. In Reference to Claim 2 Bonear discloses: wherein the discharge fluid compression chamber is a suction chamber 112 of the fluid compression chambers or an intermediate compression chamber located close to the suction chamber of the fluid compression chambers. In Reference to Claim 4 Bonear discloses: wherein the discharge control mechanism is configured to generate the pressure difference by only using a fluid from the compression mechanism, see Fig.1, the discharge control mechanism 12 pressure is that of the compression mechanism (scroll) also see paragraph [0036]. In Reference to Claim 7 Bonear discloses: Wherein the discharge control mechanism further comprises a cover member 132 configured to cover and seal the blocking member passage section, so that a pressure control chamber formed in a region between the cover member 132 and the movable blocking member in the blocking member passage section. In Reference to Claim 8 Bonear discloses: wherein the discharge control mechanism is configured to passively generate the pressure difference; and; wherein the discharge control mechanism is provided with a throttling expansion structure 4-26, configured to expand and vaporize a liquid fluid from the compression mechanism to passively generate the pressure difference, see paragraph [0036]. In Reference to Claim 23 Bonear discloses: wherein the blocking member passage portion 88 is configured as a single passage, and the liquid discharge portion is configured as a single passage or multiple passages, and the liquid discharge portion is in communication with the blocking member passage portion through a corresponding liquid outlet 124 formed on a side part of the blocking member passage portion. In Reference to Claim 30 Bonear discloses: wherein the discharge passage is configured in such a way that, when viewed in the axis direction of the compression mechanism, a part of the liquid entry section is overlapped with a part, where the liquid entry section is formed, of the orbiting scroll blade of the orbiting scroll, or overlapped with a part, where the liquid entry section is formed, of the fixed scroll blade of the fixed scroll. In Reference to Claim 32 Bonear discloses: Wherein the scroll compressor comprises the compression mechanism according to claim 1. Allowable Subject Matter Claims 10-13, 15, 17-21, 27, 33 are 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, primarily because the prior art of record cannot anticipate Applicant’s claimed invention by a single reference nor render Applicant’s claimed invention obvious by the combination of more than one reference. Furthermore, the prior art of record does not teach “wherein the discharge control mechanism further comprises a pressure control passage provided in the scroll component, one end of the pressure control passage is in communication with a second fluid compression chamber of the fluid compression chambers, and the other end of the pressure control passage is in communication with the pressure control chamber, the discharge fluid compression chamber is closer to a radially outer side of the compression mechanism than the second fluid compression chamber, and the throttling expansion structure is provided in the pressure control passage” as within the context of the claimed invention as disclosed and within the context of the other limitations present in claim 10; The prior art of record does not teach “wherein the discharge control mechanism is configured to actively generate the pressure difference; and wherein the discharge control mechanism further comprises a pressure control passage provided in the scroll component and a solenoid valve arranged in an exterior of the scroll component, the pressure control passage comprises a first pressure control passage and a second pressure control passage extending substantially in a direction transverse to the axis direction of the compression mechanism, the first pressure control passage is connected to the solenoid valve and is in communication with the pressure control chamber, and the second pressure control passage is connected to the solenoid valve and is in communication with the central compression chamber or the fluid compression chamber located close to the central compression chamber. ” as within the context of the claimed invention as disclosed and within the context of the other limitations present in claim 15; and The prior art of record does not teach “wherein the compression mechanism comprises a back pressure chamber, the scroll end plate comprises a first side on which the scroll blade is formed; the back pressure chamber is formed on a second side, opposite to the first side, of the scroll end plate to provide an axial sealing pressure to the scroll component, the back pressure chamber forms a pressure control chamber of the pressure control mechanism, a first end surface of the movable blocking member is exposed to the back pressure chamber, and a second end surface, opposite to the first end surface, of the movable blocking member is exposed to the discharge fluid compression chamber.” as within the context of the claimed invention as disclosed and within the context of the other limitations present in claim 18. The prior art of record does not teach “wherein the discharge passage comprises a plurality of discharge passages, and pressure control chambers within the plurality of discharge passages are in communication with each other through a communication groove” as within the context of the claimed invention as disclosed and within the context of the other limitations present in claim 27. The prior art of record does not teach “wherein the scroll compressor further comprises a controller, wherein the controller is configured to control a solenoid valve Therefore, the prior art of record cannot anticipate Applicant’s claimed invention by a single reference nor render Applicant’s claimed invention obvious by the combination of more than one reference. Any comments considered necessary by applicant must be submitted no later than the payment of the issue fee and, to avoid processing delays, should preferably accompany the issue fee. Such submissions should be clearly labeled “Comments on Statement of Reasons for Allowance.” Conclusion Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to ANTHONY AYALA DELGADO whose telephone number is (571)270-3452. The examiner can normally be reached on Mon-Fri 8:00-5:00. Examiner interviews are available via telephone, in-person, and video conferencing using a USPTO supplied web-based collaboration tool. To schedule an interview, applicant is encouraged to use the USPTO Automated Interview Request (AIR) at http://www.uspto.gov/interviewpractice. If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Mark III Laurenzi can be reached on (571) 270-7878. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300. Information regarding the status of an application may be obtained from the Patent Application Information Retrieval (PAIR) system. Status information for published applications may be obtained from either Private PAIR or Public PAIR. Status information for unpublished applications is available through Private PAIR only. For more information about the PAIR system, see http://pair-direct.uspto.gov. Should you have questions on access to the Private PAIR system, contact the Electronic Business Center (EBC) at 866-217-9197 (toll-free). If you would like assistance from a USPTO Customer Service Representative or access to the automated information system, call 800-786-9199 (IN USA OR CANADA) or 571-272-1000. /ANTHONY AYALA DELGADO/ Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3746
Read full office action

Prosecution Timeline

Dec 27, 2024
Application Filed
Jan 03, 2026
Non-Final Rejection — §102 (current)

Precedent Cases

Applications granted by this same examiner with similar technology

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2y 5m to grant Granted Apr 07, 2026
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Patent 12553370
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2y 5m to grant Granted Feb 17, 2026
Patent 12553435
TENSIONING DEVICE FOR A SCROLL COMPRESSOR
2y 5m to grant Granted Feb 17, 2026
Study what changed to get past this examiner. Based on 5 most recent grants.

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Prosecution Projections

1-2
Expected OA Rounds
80%
Grant Probability
98%
With Interview (+18.0%)
2y 6m
Median Time to Grant
Low
PTA Risk
Based on 696 resolved cases by this examiner. Grant probability derived from career allow rate.

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