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 .
Priority
Receipt is acknowledged of certified copies of papers required by 37 CFR 1.55.
Information Disclosure Statement
The information disclosure statement (IDS) submitted on 1/03/2025 was filed before the first Office action on the merits. The submission is in compliance with the provisions of 37 CFR 1.97. Accordingly, the information disclosure statement is being considered by the examiner.
Preliminary Amendment
Acknowledgment is made of the preliminary amendment filed on 1/03/2025. Accordingly, Claims 1-13 are pending for consideration on the merits in this Office Action.
Drawings
The drawings are objected to as failing to comply with 37 CFR 1.84(p)(4) because reference character “60” has been used to designate both second expansion valve and first expansion valve, see at least 0053 of Applicant Specification. 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. 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
Applicant is reminded of the proper language and format for an abstract of the disclosure.
The abstract should be in narrative form and generally limited to a single paragraph on a separate sheet within the range of 50 to 150 words in length. The abstract should describe the disclosure sufficiently to assist readers in deciding whether there is a need for consulting the full patent text for details.
The language should be clear and concise and should not repeat information given in the title. It should avoid using phrases which can be implied, such as, “The disclosure concerns,” “The disclosure defined by this invention,” “The disclosure describes,” etc. In addition, the form and legal phraseology often used in patent claims, such as “means” and “said,” should be avoided.
The abstract of the disclosure is objected to because the first line contains information given in the title. Further the use of :”may” in “may include a manifold plate” lacks clarity. A corrected abstract of the disclosure is required and must be presented on a separate sheet, apart from any other text. See MPEP § 608.01(b).
Claim Objections
Claims 1-13 are objected to because of the following informalities:
Regarding Claim 1, the recitation of “a gas-liquid separator” in line 6 should be - - the gas liquid separator - -.
Regarding Claims 2-13, the recitations of “a gas-liquid separator according to…” in the first line of each of claims 2-13 should be - - the gas-liquid separator according to… - -.
Appropriate correction is required.
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 and 13 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 Claim 7, the recitation of “the second expansion valve” has insufficient antecedent basis for the limitations in the claims.
Therefore, the claims are indefinite and are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 112(b) or pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, second paragraph.
Please amend the claim to recite - - a second expansion valve - - for clarity.
Regarding Claim 13, the recitations “the upper part of the manifold plate” and “the lower part of the manifold plate” lack antecedent basis in the claims.
Therefore, the claims are indefinite and are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 112(b) or pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, second paragraph.
For examination purposes the claim recitations are interpreted as - - an upper part of the manifold plate - - and - - a lower part of the manifold plate - - for clarity.
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.
Claims 1-3 and 7-10 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Xia (CN113650528A) in view of Korberstein et al. (US20210086587A1).
Regarding Claim 1, Xia teaches a manifold fluid module integrated with a gas-liquid separator [thermal management model 1 including gas separator 21, Figure 3], the manifold fluid module comprising:
a manifold plate [base 10, Figure 2] comprising a fluid passage formed internally [where base 10 has multiple pipes 40 inside, Figure 2];
a first expansion valve [expansion valve 28, Figure 2] coupled to the manifold plate and configured to block the flow of a first fluid [where in dehumidification ode the refrigerant flows from the condenser outlet through the second one-way valve and the third expansion valve into the evaporator inlet, annotated Figure 7; n0081] or expand the first fluid based on air conditioning mode [where in battery cooling mode the refrigerant flows through the fourth expansion valve, annotated Figure 7; n0081]; and
a gas-liquid separator [gas separator 21, Figure 3] coupled with the manifold plate to create an inflow space [installation interface 4401 base 10, Figure 5; n0066] for the first fluid expanded by the first expansion valve [where in battery cooling mode refrigerant passes through fourth expansion valve 28 into chiller unit 29 and then through gas separator 2, annotated Figure 7; n0081] and to separate the first fluid into gas and liquid phases [where gas separator 21 is a gas separator, annotated Figure 7].
Xia does not teach the gas-liquid separator is at least partially integrally formed with the manifold plate.
However, Korberstein teaches a heat pump module mounting manifold [0001] where the gas-liquid separator [a liquid-gas separator (“LGS”) valve 30, Figure 3] is at least partially integrally formed with the manifold plate [where the manifold 18 may also include a liquid-gas separator (“LGS”) valve 30 integrally formed, Figure 2;0043; for ease of assembly and reduction of leaks; 0004] where, as instant specification is silent to unexpected results, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art at the time the invention was made to have the gas-liquid separator at least partially integrally formed with the manifold plate since such modification would have involved making elements integral. Making elements integral is generally recognized as being within the level of ordinary skill in the art. In re Larson, 340 F.2d 965, 968, 144 USPQ 347, 349 (CCPA 1965).
Therefore, it would have been obvious to a person of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the invention to modify the assembly of Xia to have where the gas-liquid separator is at least partially integrally formed with the manifold plate in view of the teachings of Xia where making elements integral is generally recognized as being within the level of ordinary skill in the art. In re Larson, 340 F.2d 965, 968, 144 USPQ 347, 349 (CCPA 1965).
Regarding Claim 2, Xia, as modified, teaches the invention of claim 1 and further teaches where the gas-liquid separator [gas separator 21, Figure 3] is positioned on an upper part of the manifold plate [where gas separator 21 is mounted above third expansion valve 210 on base 10, Figure 2 and Figure 3].
Regarding Claim 3, Xia, as modified, teaches the invention of claim 1 and further teaches, wherein the gas-liquid separator [gas separator 21, Figure 3] is positioned on the outside of the manifold plate [where gas separator 21 is mounted on the external side of base 10 on second part 12, Figure 3 and Figure 4].
Regarding Claim 7, Xia, as modified, teaches the invention of claim 1, and further teaches where the first expansion valve [expansion valve 28, annotated Figure 7] expands the first fluid to move the expanded fluid to the gas-liquid separator [where refrigerant passes through fourth expansion valve and then the gas separator; n0081-n0083] in vapor injection heat pump mode [battery cooling mode, heating mode or battery heating mode; n0081-n0083] and remains closed in normal heat pump mode to allow the first fluid to flow toward the second expansion valve [expansion valve 210, annotated Figure 7; where refrigerant passes through third expansion valve into evaporator inlet in cooling mode, annotated Figure 7 and Figure 8; n0080].
Regarding Claim 8, Xia, as modified, teaches the invention of claim 1 and further teaches a second expansion valve [expansion valve 22, Figure 2] coupled to the manifold plate [base 10, via installation interface 4201, Figure 5; n0064] for expanding the liquid phase of the first fluid separated in the gas-liquid separator [where refrigerant enters compressor after passing through separator 21 and discharges to pass through the second expansion valve, annotated Figure 7; n0080]; and
a third expansion valve [expansion valve 210, Figure 2] coupled to the manifold plate [base 10, via installation interface 4304; n0065] for expanding the first fluid that has exchanged heat with an external heat exchanger [condenser 3, Figure 6; where in the dehumidification mode refrigerant from the condenser passes through the third expansion valve; n0084].
Regarding Claim 9, Xia, as modified, teaches the invention of claim 8 and further teaches a heat exchanger [water cooling condenser 24, Figure 3] coupled to the manifold plate [base 10, via interface 4301 and interface 4203, Figure 5] for heat exchange between the first fluid [where refrigerant passes water-cooled condenser 24, annotated Figure 7; n0080] and a second fluid [where condenser 24 is a water-cooled condenser, Figure 7;n0075], wherein the heat exchanger comprises:
a first heat exchanger [water cooling condenser 24, Figure 3] for heat exchange between the first fluid expanded by the second expansion valve [where refrigerant passes through expansion valve 22, annotated Figure 7] and the second fluid [where condenser 24 is a water-cooled condenser, Figure 7;n0075]; and
a second heat exchanger [chiller 29, Figure 2] for heat exchange between the first fluid expanded by the third expansion valve [refrigerant passes through expansion valve 210, annotated Figure 7] and the second fluid [where heat exchange is achieved with refrigerant; n00081; where cooling water circuit connection port 111 is provided on the first side of the base 10 at chiller 29, Figure 2 and Figure 4].
Regarding Claim 10, Xia, as modified, teaches the invention of claim 9 and further teaches where the first heat exchanger [water cooling condenser 24, Figure 3] is arranged on one side of the manifold plate [on the second part 12 of base 10, Figure 3 and Figure 4], and the second heat exchanger [chiller 29, Figure 2] is arranged laterally adjacent to the first heat exchanger [where chiller 29 is positioned on the first part 11 of base 10 to the left of water-cooled condenser 24 as viewed in Figure 2].
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Claims 4-6 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Xia (CN113650528A) in view of Korberstein et al. (US20210086587A1) as applied to claim 1 above and in further view of Huff et al. (US20130312376A1).
Regarding Claim 4, Xia, as modified, teaches the invention of claim 1 and further teaches where the gas-liquid separator comprises: a housing [structure of gas separator 21 visible in Figures 1-3] having an internal space through which the first fluid flows [where refrigerant passes through separator 21, annotated Figure 7; n00081];
a discharge outlet positioned at the upper part of the housing [at installation interface 4101 of first pipeline 41, Figure 4 and Figure 5; where in battery cooling mode refrigerant enter the suction side of the compressor after passing through gas separator; n0081] to discharge the gas phase of the first fluid and prevent the inflow of the liquid phase of the first fluid [where one of ordinary skill in the art would understand a gas separator upstream of a compressor as taught in Xia prevents liquid from entering the compressor, refer to pertinent art]; and
Xia, as modified, does not teach a discharge tube positioned in the upper part of the housing to discharge the gas phase of the first fluid and prevent the inflow of the liquid phase of the first fluid and a top cap coupled to the top of the housing to be positioned between the housing and the discharge tube.
However, Huff teaches the separation of a two-phase refrigeration flow into a liquid phase portion [0002] where a discharge tube [vapor outlet 66, Figure 2] is positioned in the upper part of the housing [where vapor outlet 66 penetrates through upper end cap of shell 80, Figure 2; 0034] to discharge the gas phase of the first fluid [where vapor outlet 66 establishes refrigerant flow communication between upper region of the interior volume within the flash tank 60 and an intermediate stage of the compression process; 0029] and prevent the inflow of the liquid phase of the first fluid [where liquid outlet 64 passes liquid phase refrigerant from the lower region of the flash tank 60 to the evaporator whereby the refrigerant is vaporize upstream compression device 30, Figure 1; 0028] and a top cap [upper end cap 84, Figure 2] coupled to the top of the housing to be positioned between the housing and the discharge tube [where vapor outlet 66 penetrates the upper end cap 84 to open through the upper end cap 84, Figure 2; 0034] where one of ordinary skill in the art could have combined the elements as claimed, a discharge tube and a top cap, by known methods and that in combination, each element would perform the same function as it did separately and one of ordinary skills would have recognized that the results of the combination were predictable i.e., providing a phase separation apparatus that is easy to manufacture, compact and lightweight, yet structurally durable [Huff;0008].
Therefore, it would have been obvious to a person of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the invention to modify the assembly of the combined teachings to have where a discharge tube positioned in the upper part of the housing to discharge the gas phase of the first fluid and prevent the inflow of the liquid phase of the first fluid and a top cap coupled to the top of the housing to be positioned between the housing and the discharge tube in view of the teachings of Huff where the elements could have been combined by known methods with no change in their respective functions, and the combination would have yielded predictable results i.e., to maximize coverage with multiple or large panels, i.e., providing a phase separation apparatus that is easy to manufacture, compact and lightweight, yet structurally durable [Huff;0008].
Regarding Claim 5, Xia, as modified, teaches the invention of claim 4 and further teaches where the housing is formed integrally with the manifold plate [where the manifold 18 may also include a liquid-gas separator (“LGS”) valve 30 integrally formed, Figure 2 and Figure 3;0043 of Korberstein, refer to the rejection of claim 1 above in view of Korberstein], and the top cap is separately fabricated to be coupled to the top of the housing [where upper end cap 84 is attached to the open upper end of cylindrical shell 80, Figure 2 of Huff, refer to the rejection of claim 4 above in view of Huff].
Regarding Claim 6, Xia, as modified, teaches the invention of claim 4 and further teaches where the housing [gas separator 21, Figure 3] comprises a fluid inlet path formed on one side of the upper part of the housing [installation interface 4401, Figure 5] for the first fluid expanded by the first expansion valve [expansion valve 28, annotated Figure 7; where refrigerant passes through fourth expansion valve and then the gas separator; n0081]; and
Xia, as modified, does not teach the fluid inlet path is configured to open tangentially for the first fluid to form a spiral vortex.
However, Huff teaches the separation of a two-phase refrigeration flow into a liquid phase portion [0002] where the fluid inlet path [fluid inlet 62, Figure 1] is configured to open tangentially for the first fluid to form a spiral vortex [where a helical spiral member 94 defines in association with the shell 80 a continuous spiral fluid flow passage, Figure 3; 0033; where the inlet tube may be configured within the interior volume so as to discharge the received two-phase fluid into the continuous spiral fluid flow passage 95 generally tangentially to a circumferentially directed path, Figure 7; 0036] where one of ordinary skill in the art would have been capable of applying this known technique to a known device that was ready for improvement and the results would have been predictable to one of ordinary skill in the art i.e., reducing sloshing and resultant intermixing of liquid and vapor phases in mobile refrigeration applications [Huff; 0038].
Therefore, it would have been obvious to a person of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the invention to modify the assembly of the combined teachings to have where the fluid inlet path is configured to open tangentially for the first fluid to form a spiral vortex in view of the teachings of Huff where this known technique could have been applied to a known device that was ready for improvement and the results would have been predictable i.e., reducing sloshing and resultant intermixing of liquid and vapor phases in mobile refrigeration applications [Huff; 0038].
Claims 11-13 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Xia (CN113650528A) in view of Korberstein et al. (US20210086587A1) as applied to claim 1 above and in further view of Li et al. (US20240017593A1).
Regarding Claim 11, Xia, as modified, teaches the invention of claim 9 and further teaches where the first expansion valve [expansion valve 28, Figure 2] and the second expansion valve [expansion valve 22, Figure 2] are positioned above the first heat exchanger [where expansion valves 28 and 22 are above water cooled condenser 24 on base 10, Figure 2 and Figure 3], allowing the first fluid flowing into the first and second heat exchangers to move from top to bottom, [where expansion valve 28 connects to base 10 by interface 4302 where refrigerant flows down pipe 433 to chiller 29 at interface 4303 and expansion valve 23 connects to base 10 by interface 4202 of pipeline 421 where refrigerant can flow down to condenser 24 at interface 4203, Figure 5; n0064; n0065],
and Xia, as modified, does not teach the third expansion valve is positioned above the second heat exchanger, allowing the first fluid flowing into the first and second heat exchangers to move from top to bottom.
However, Li teaches a valve group integration module [0002] where the third expansion valve [third expansion valve 33, Figure 5] is positioned above the second heat exchanger [motor heat exchanger 700, Figure 6], allowing the first fluid flowing into the first and second heat exchangers [where coolant flows from third expansion valve 33 to motor heat exchanger 700, Figure 8; 0068] to move from top to bottom [via flow channel 14], where one of ordinary skill in the art would have been capable of applying this known technique to a known device that was ready for improvement and the results would have been predictable to one of ordinary skill in the art i.e., where fluid grooves may be flexibly arranged to adapt to different vehicle models to facilitate maintenance of the external flow channel [Li; 0039]
Therefore, it would have been obvious to a person of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the invention to modify the assembly of Xia to have the third expansion valve is positioned above the second heat exchanger, allowing the first fluid flowing into the first and second heat exchangers to move from top to bottom in view of the teachings of Li where this known technique could have been applied to a known device that was ready for improvement and the results would have been predictable i.e., where fluid grooves may be flexibly arranged to adapt to different vehicle models to facilitate maintenance of the external flow channel [Li; 0039]
Regarding Claim 12, Xia, as modified, teaches the invention of claim 11 and Xia, as modified, does not teach a first direction switching valve and a second direction switching valve for controlling the direction of the first fluid discharged from the first heat exchanger, wherein the first direction switching valve is positioned below the second heat exchanger, and the second direction switching valve is positioned between the first heat exchanger and the second heat exchanger.
However, Li teaches a valve group integration module [0002] where a first direction switching valve [switching valve 24, Figure 6] and a second direction switching valve [switching valve 25, Figure 5] for controlling the direction of the first fluid discharged from the first heat exchanger [where valve 24 and valve 25 open and close to direct coolant from heat exchanger 300, Figure 7], wherein the first direction switching valve is positioned below the second heat exchanger [heat exchanger 300, where an outlet of the sixth switching valve 26 is connected to the inlet of the heat exchanger 300 and valve 24 is below valve 26, Figure 5], and the second direction switching valve is positioned between the first heat exchanger and the second heat exchanger [where valve 25 is between the heat exchanger 300 outlet at valve 26 and the heat exchanger 700, Figure 5] where one of ordinary skill in the art could have combined the elements as claimed by known methods and that in combination, each element would perform the same function as it did separately and one of ordinary skills would have recognized that the results of the combination were predictable i.e., achieving multiple heat management modes through breaking actions of valves [Li; 0063]
Therefore, it would have been obvious to a person of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the invention to modify the assembly of the combined teachings to have a first direction switching valve and a second direction switching valve for controlling the direction of the first fluid discharged from the first heat exchanger, wherein the first direction switching valve is positioned below the second heat exchanger, and the second direction switching valve is positioned between the first heat exchanger and the second heat exchanger in view of the teachings of Li where the elements could have been combined by known methods with no change in their respective functions, and the combination would have yielded predictable results i.e., achieving multiple heat management modes through breaking actions of valves [Li; 0063]
Regarding Claim 13, Xia, as modified, teaches the invention of claim 12 and further teaches where the gas-liquid separator [gas separator 21, Figure 3], the first expansion valve [expansion valve 28, Figure 2], the second expansion valve [expansion valve 22, Figure 2], and the third expansion valve [where third expansion valve 33 is above heat exchanger 700 on body 10, Figure 6 of Li, refer to the rejection of claim 11 above in view of Li] are arranged on an upper part of the manifold plate [the area of base 10 above chiller 29, Figure 2],
the first heat exchanger [water-cooled condenser 24, Figure 3] is arranged on one side [second part 12 of base 10, Figure 3 and Figure 4] of a lower part of the manifold plate [the area of base 10 below valve 28, Figure 2 and Figure 3], and the second heat exchanger [chiller 29, Figure 2] is arranged on the other side [first part 11 of base 10, Figure 3 and Figure 4] of the lower part of the manifold plate [the area of base 10 below valve 28, Figure 2],
Xia, as modified, does not teach where the first direction switching valve and the second direction switching valve are arranged on the other side of the lower part of the manifold plate.
However, Li teaches a valve group integration module [0002] where the first direction switching valve [switching valve 24, Figure 6] and the second direction switching valve [switching valve 25, Figure 5] are arranged on the other side of the lower part of the manifold plate [where valves 24 and 25 are on the lower part of branch body 1 of body 10 with heat exchanger 700, Figure 1 and Figure 5] where one of ordinary skill in the art could have combined the elements as claimed by known methods and that in combination, each element would perform the same function as it did separately and one of ordinary skills would have recognized that the results of the combination were predictable i.e., where fluid grooves may be flexibly arranged to adapt to different vehicle models to facilitate maintenance of the external flow channel [Li; 0039]
Therefore, it would have been obvious to a person of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the invention to modify the assembly of the combined teachings to have where the first direction switching valve and the second direction switching valve are arranged on the other side of the lower part of the manifold plate in view of the teachings of Li where the elements could have been combined by known methods with no change in their respective functions, and the combination would have yielded predictable results i.e., where fluid grooves may be flexibly arranged to adapt to different vehicle models to facilitate maintenance of the external flow channel [Li; 0039]
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure. Xu (CN107187295A) discusses how gas-liquid separators are a technology developed to address the issue of a short compressor lifespan by preventing direct backflow caused by insufficient vaporization of refrigerant which can lead to liquid slugging and damage the compressor, 0004.
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/KEONA LAUREN BANKS/Examiner, Art Unit 3763
/ELIZABETH J MARTIN/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3763
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