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 “a circumferential length” of claim 11 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 under 37 CFR 1.83(a) because they fail to show “a circumferential length L4” in fig. 16 (see paragraph 176]) as described in the specification. Any structural detail that is essential for a proper understanding of the disclosed invention should be shown in the drawing. MPEP § 608.02(d). 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.
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.
Claim 11 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 112(b) or 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), second paragraph, as being indefinite for failing to particularly point out and distinctly claim the subject matter which the inventor or a joint inventor (or for applications subject to pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, the applicant), regards as the invention.
Claim 11 recites “the injection outlet is configured such that a radial length is greater than a circumferential length” which is indefinite. As best understood by examiner circumferential length of any circular object is always greater than its radius since C = 2лR where C is the circumferential length and R is the radial length. As such, circumferential length is always 2л times bigger than the radial length. As such, meets and bounds of the claim cannot be ascertained. Therefore, the claim is rejected for failing to particularly point out and distinctly claim the subject matter which the inventor or a joint inventor (or for applications subject to pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, the applicant), regards as the invention.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 102
In the event the determination of the status of the application as subject to AIA 35 U.S.C. 102 and 103 (or as subject to pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 102 and 103) is incorrect, any correction of the statutory basis (i.e., changing from AIA to pre-AIA ) for the rejection will not be considered a new ground of rejection if the prior art relied upon, and the rationale supporting the rejection, would be the same under either status.
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, 5, 7, 16-20 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by US 2002/0021972 to Vaisman.
Regarding claim 1, Vaisman discloses a rotary compressor comprising:
a casing (housing of compressor 1, fig. 1);
a main bearing and a sub bearing each disposed in an inner space of the casing (one of ordinary skill in the art would recognize that a rotary compressor will have bearing and sub bearing disposed within the casing to support vanes of the compressor);
a cylinder (compression part 1, fig. 1) disposed between the main bearing and the sub bearing to define a compression space;
a roller (rotor, fig. 1) disposed on a rotating shaft to be rotatable in an inner space of the cylinder and eccentrically located with respect to a center of the compression space to have a contact point close to an inner circumferential surface of the cylinder;
a plurality of vanes (vanes, fig. 1) slidably inserted into a plurality of vane slots disposed in the roller, respectively, and configured to rotate together with the roller to divide the compression space into a plurality of compression chambers; and
an injection passage (9, fig. 1) configured to inject a part of refrigerant having been discharged from the compression space and condensed into the compression space,
wherein the injection passage is disposed in at least one among the main bearing, the sub bearing, and the cylinder (shown in the cylinder of the compressor, fig. 1) to communicate with a corresponding compression chamber among the plurality of compression chambers, after a compression start angle of the corresponding compression chamber.
Regarding claim 5, Vaisman discloses the rotary compressor of claim 1, wherein the injection passage is disposed through an outer circumferential surface of the cylinder to an inner circumferential surface of the cylinder (fig. 1).
Regarding claim 7, Vaisman discloses the rotary compressor of claim 5, wherein the injection passage is configured such that an axial length is greater than a circumferential length (fig. 1; axial length of 9 is shown to be greater than the circumferential length).
Regarding claim 16, Vaisman discloses the rotary compressor of claim 1, wherein a valve accommodating space (space for valve8, fig. 1) is disposed in the injection passage, a valve support surface is disposed on an inner circumferential surface of the valve accommodating space (fig. 1), and an injection pipe is disposed at a side opposite to the valve support surface to communicate with the valve accommodating space (pipe that opens and closes by valve 8, fig. 1), and an injection check valve (8, fig. 1) is disposed between the valve support surface and the injection pipe to open or close the injection passage by sliding according to a pressure difference (Fig. 1).
Regarding claim 17, Vaisman discloses the rotary compressor of claim 1, wherein a valve accommodating groove (where valve 8 is installed in 1, fig. 1) in which an injection check valve configured to open or close the injection passage (passage of 9, fig. 1) is accommodated is disposed in an inner side surface defining the compression space in the main bearing, the sub bearing, and the cylinder to communicate with the injection passage (fig. 1), a valve support member having a valve support surface (fig. 1, where the valve sits) to fix one end of the injection check valve and limit an opening amount of another end of the injection check valve is inserted into the valve accommodating groove to have the injection check valve between the valve accommodating groove and the valve support member (fig. 1), and the injection passage is disposed to extend between an inner circumferential surface of the valve accommodating groove and an outer circumferential surface of the valve support member (fig. 1).
Regarding claim 18, Vaisman discloses the rotary compressor of claim 1, wherein a valve accommodating groove (where valve 8 is installed in 1, fig. 1) in which an injection check valve configured to open or close the injection passage (passage of 9, fig. 1) is accommodated is disposed in an inner side surface defining the compression space in the main bearing, the sub bearing, and the cylinder to communicate with the injection passage (fig. 1), a valve support member having a valve support surface (fig. 1, where the valve sits) to fix one end of the injection check valve and limit an opening amount of another end of the injection check valve is inserted into the valve accommodating groove to have the injection check valve between the valve accommodating groove and the valve support member (fig. 1), and an injection hole defining the injection passage is disposed in the valve support member (part of 1 supporting valve 8 also has injection hole for injection 9, fig. 1).
Regarding claim 19, Vaisman discloses a refrigeration cycle device comprising a compressor (1, fig. 1), a condenser (2, fig. 1), an expander (one of ordinary skill in the art would recognize that there will be an expander in a refrigeration system), and an evaporator (6, fig. 1), and having a rotary compressor applied to the refrigeration cycle device, wherein the compressor comprises:
a casing (housing of compressor 1, fig. 1);
a main bearing and a sub bearing each disposed in an inner space of the casing (one of ordinary skill in the art would recognize that a rotary compressor will have bearing and sub bearing disposed within the casing);
a cylinder (compression part 1, fig. 1) disposed between the main bearing and the sub bearing to define a compression space;
a roller (rotor, fig. 1) disposed on a rotating shaft to be rotatable in an inner space of the cylinder and eccentrically located with respect to a center of the compression space to have a contact point close to an inner circumferential surface of the cylinder;
a plurality of vanes (vanes, fig. 1) slidably inserted into a plurality of vane slots disposed in the roller, respectively, and configured to rotate together with the roller to divide the compression space into a plurality of compression chambers; and
an injection passage (9, fig. 1) configured to inject a part of refrigerant having been discharged from the compression space and condensed into the compression space,
wherein the injection passage is disposed in at least one among the main bearing, the sub bearing, and the cylinder (shown in the cylinder of the compressor, fig. 1) to communicate with a corresponding compression chamber among the plurality of compression chambers, after a compression start angle of the corresponding compression chamber.
Regarding claim 20, Vaisman discloses the refrigeration cycle device of claim 19, wherein an injection portion branched between the condenser and the expander to be connected to the injection passage is disposed (fig. 1), and an injection control valve (8, fig. 1) configured to selectively open or close the injection portion is disposed in the injection portion, and the injection control valve is controlled such that a pressure of a refrigerant injected into the corresponding compression chamber is 0.4 to 0.7 times a discharge pressure of a refrigerant discharged from the corresponding compression chamber (the valve is capable of being controlled in such a fashion).
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 103
In the event the determination of the status of the application as subject to AIA 35 U.S.C. 102 and 103 (or as subject to pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 102 and 103) is incorrect, any correction of the statutory basis (i.e., changing from AIA to pre-AIA ) for the rejection will not be considered a new ground of rejection if the prior art relied upon, and the rationale supporting the rejection, would be the same under either status.
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.
This application currently names joint inventors. In considering patentability of the claims the examiner presumes that the subject matter of the various claims was commonly owned as of the effective filing date of the claimed invention(s) absent any evidence to the contrary. Applicant is advised of the obligation under 37 CFR 1.56 to point out the inventor and effective filing dates of each claim that was not commonly owned as of the effective filing date of the later invention in order for the examiner to consider the applicability of 35 U.S.C. 102(b)(2)(C) for any potential 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(2) prior art against the later invention.
Claim(s) 2-4 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Vaisman.
Regarding claim 2, Vaisman discloses the rotary compressor of claim 1, but does not explicitly disclose that the injection passage satisfies θ ≤ an application area of the injection passage ≤ θ+360/n, where θ is the compression start angle and n is a number of the plurality of vanes. However, it would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art, before the effective filing date of the claimed invention, to have an injection passage satisfies θ ≤ an application area of the injection passage ≤ θ+360/n, since it has been held that rearranging parts of an invention involves only routine skill in the art. In re Japikse, 86 USPQ 70.
Regarding claim 3, Vaisman discloses the rotary compressor of claim 2, but does not explicitly disclose that a circumferential width of the injection passage is configured as 0.4 to 0.8 times a thickness of each of the plurality of vanes. However, it would have been an obvious matter of design choice to have a circumferential width of the injection passage configured as 0.4 to 0.8 times a thickness of each of the plurality of vanes, since such a modification would have involved a mere change in the size of a component. A change in size is generally recognized as being within the level of ordinary skill in the art. In re Rose, 105 USPQ 237 (CCPA 1955).
Regarding claim 4, Vaisman discloses the rotary compressor of claim 3, but does not explicitly disclose that the injection passage is disposed to communicate with the corresponding compression chamber within a range of 20° after the compression start angle with reference to a rotational direction of the roller. However, it would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art, before the effective filing date of the claimed invention, to have the injection passage disposed to communicate with the corresponding compression chamber within a range of 20° after the compression start angle with reference to a rotational direction of the roller, since it has been held that rearranging parts of an invention involves only routine skill in the art. In re Japikse, 86 USPQ 70.
Claim(s) 8 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Vaisman as applied to claim 1 above, and further in view of CN 107489619 to Wu (Machine translation has been used for translational purposes).
Regarding claim 8, Vaisman discloses the rotary compressor of claim 1, but does not explicitly disclose which Wu discloses:
the injection passage is disposed in at least one of the main bearing and the sub bearing (within bearings 27, figs. 1-3).
Therefore, it would have been obvious to the one with ordinary skill in the art, before the effective filing date of the claimed invention, to have the injection passage disposed in at least one of the main bearing and the sub bearing as taught by Wu in the compressor of Vaisman so as to achieve improved working performance (Abstract; Wu).
Regarding claim 9, Vaisman combined with Wu discloses the rotary compressor of claim 8, wherein the injection passage comprises an injection inlet (top part of injection 9, fig. 1; Vaisman) recessed from an outer circumferential surface of the main bearing or an outer circumferential surface of the sub bearing toward an inner circumferential surface (fig. 1; Vaisman) of the main bearing or an inner circumferential surface of the sub bearing by a preset depth, and an injection outlet in communication with the injection inlet to penetrate through a sliding surface (towards valve flap of 8, fig. 1; Vaisman) toward the compression space.
Regarding claim 10, Vaisman combined with Wu discloses the rotary compressor of claim 9, wherein the injection outlet is configured as one injection outlet (fig. 1; Vaisman).
Regarding claim 11, Vaisman combined with Wu discloses the rotary compressor of claim 9, wherein the injection outlet is configured such that a radial length is greater than a circumferential length (fig. 1; Vaisman).
Regarding claim 12, Vaisman combined with Wu discloses the rotary compressor of claim 9, wherein the plurality of vanes are disposed to be inclined at a preset angle with respect to a radial direction with reference to a rotation center of the roller (fig. 1; Vaisman), and the injection outlet is disposed to have a length in a direction in which the plurality of vanes are inclined (fig. 1; Vaisman).
Regarding claim 15, Vaisman combined with Wu discloses the rotary compressor of claim 8, wherein the injection passage comprises an injection hole penetrating through both axial side surfaces of the main bearing or the sub bearing (fig. 1; Vaisman), and an injection pipe connected into the injection hole from outside of the main bearing or the sub bearing (pipe connecting to 9, fig. 1; Vaisman).
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 6, 13-14 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.
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure.
US 9,181,947 to Lee et al.
US 9,039,390 to Lee et al.
US 2019/0271314 to Hill et al.
US 2010/0226796 to Kanayama et al.
All references above describe general state of art.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to DAPINDER SINGH whose telephone number is (571)270-1774. The examiner can normally be reached Monday to Friday from 8:00 AM to 5:30 PM.
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 Laurenzi can be reached at (571) 270-7878. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/DAPINDER SINGH/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3746
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