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 .
Status of the Claims
The status of the claims as filed in the reply dated 5/9/2026 are as follows:
Claim 1 is amended,
Claim 6 is canceled.
Claims 1-5 and 7-14 are currently pending.
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.
Claim(s) 1-5 and 7-14 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Cao et al. (Chinese Patent Publication CN212658085U, “Cao”, previously cited) alone.
Regarding claim 1, Cao discloses a heat exchanger (figs 1, 2, and 6) comprising a first fin (20, see annotate fig 2 below) and a plurality of flat pipes parallel to each other and arranged at interval, wherein each of the plurality of flat pipes comprises a reserved pipe section (12), each of the plurality of flat pipes is bent at the reserved pipe section (fig 1), the first fin is connected to the reserved pipe section and is capable of covering gaps between a plurality of reserved pipe sections (see annotated fig 2 below);
wherein along an extending direction Y (see annotated fig 6 below) of the reserved pipe section, a width of the first fin is defined as W1 (see annotated fig 2 below), the number of the first fin is n, a length of the reserved pipe section is defined as L (see annotated fig 2 below).
wherein along a direction X (see annotated fig 6 below) perpendicular to the extending direction Y of the reserved pipe section, a height of the first fin is defined as h′ (see annotated fig 6 below), and the height h′ of the first fin decreases from the straight pipe section to the bent pipe section.
However, Cao does not explicitly disclose wherein the width W1 of the first fin, the number n of the first fin, the length L of the reserved pipe section satisfy following relationship: W1≤L/n. However, since Cao teaches providing a number of first fins with a width and reserved pipe section with a length, the exact range of these variables would be considered result-effective variables, i.e. variables with an expected result. In the case the number and widths of the first fins and the length of the reserved pipe section would directly affect the heat exchange capacity and efficiency of the device. It would not be inventive to a person of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention for Cao to have these variables meet the relationship of W1≤L/n in order to optimize the heat exchange capacity and efficiency of the heat exchanger.
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Regarding claim 2, Cao, as modified, discloses all previous claim limitations. Cao further discloses wherein a width of the reserved pipe (12) section is defined as W2 (see annotated fig 2 above), and the width W2 of the reserved pipe section and the width W1 of the first fin (20) satisfy following relationship:
W1≥W2 (as evident in annotated fig 2 above).
Regarding claim 3, Cao, as modified, discloses all previous claim limitations. Cao further discloses wherein a width of the reserved pipe section (12) is defined as W2 (see annotated fig 2 above), the width W2 of the reserved pipe section and the length L of the reserved pipe section satisfy following relationship:
L≥2W2 (as evident in annotated fig 2 above).
Regarding claim 4, Cao, as modified, discloses all previous claim limitations. Cao further discloses wherein the plurality of flat pipes further comprises a first pipe section (see annotated fig 2 below) and a second pipe section (see annotated fig 2 below), two ends of the reserved pipe section (12) are connected to the first pipe section and the second pipe section, respectively, the reserved pipe section comprises a straight pipe section (see annotated fig 2 below) and a bent pipe section (see annotated fig 2 below) connected to each other, an end of straight pipe section is connected to the first pipe section and the second pipe section, and two ends of the bent pipe section are connected to the straight pipe section, respectively.
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Regarding claim 5, Cao, as modified, discloses all previous claim limitations. Cao further discloses wherein a width of a part of the first fin (see annotated fig 2 below) connected to the straight pipe section (see annotated fig 2 below) is equal to a width of a part of the first fin (see annotated fig 2 below) connected to the bent pipe section (12).
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Regarding claim 7, Cao, as modified, discloses all previous claim limitations. Cao further discloses wherein a width of each of the plurality of flat pipes is defined as W3 (see annotated fig 6 above), and a maximum of the height h′ of the first fin is smaller than to the width W3 of each of the plurality of flat pipes (see annotated fig 6 above).
Regarding claim 8, Cao, as modified, discloses all previous claim limitations. Cao further discloses wherein the first fin (20) is distributed on two sides of each of the plurality of reserved pipe sections (12, fig 2).
Regarding claim 9, Cao, as modified, discloses all previous claim limitations. Cao further discloses wherein the first fin (20) is provided with a plurality of grooves (see annotated fig 6 below), the plurality of grooves are arranged at interval along a length direction of the first fin, and at least part of each of the plurality of reserved pipe sections is located in one of the plurality of grooves.
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Regarding claim 10, Cao, as modified, discloses all previous claim limitations. Cao further discloses wherein the plurality of the reserved pipe sections (12) are corresponding to the plurality of grooves one by one (see annotated fig 6 above).
Regarding claim 11, Cao, as modified, discloses all previous claim limitations. Cao further discloses wherein the first fin (20) comprises a plurality of fin segments sequentially connected (see annotated fig 6 below), each of the plurality of fin segments is located between adjacent two of the plurality of reserved pipe sections (12), and a cross section of each of the plurality of fin segments is in a V shape.
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Regarding claim 12, Cao, as modified, discloses all previous claim limitations. Cao further discloses wherein a width of each of the plurality of flat pipes is defined as W3 (see annotated fig 6 below), a height of each of the plurality of fin segments along a width direction of each of the plurality of flat pipes is defined as h (see annotated fig 6 below) , the width W3 of each of the plurality of flat pipes and the height h of each of the plurality of fin segments satisfy the relationship: h>W3/2 (as evident in fig 6 below).
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Regarding claim 13, Cao, as modified, discloses all previous claim limitations. Cao further discloses wherein the first fin is made of composite aluminum foil (page 2, line 2).
Regarding claim 14, Cao, as modified, discloses all previous claim limitations. Cao does not explicitly disclose an air conditioning system comprising the heat exchanger of claim 1. However, the Examiner takes Official Notice that it is old and well known to provide tube and fin heat exchangers in air conditioning system and it would have been obvious to a person of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention for Cao, as modified, to provide the heat exchanger in an air conditioning system in order to provide cooling and heating to air.
Response to Arguments
Applicant's arguments filed 5/9/2026 have been fully considered but they are not persuasive.
Applicant argues (pages 7-8) that Cao only discloses, a height of the fin is defined along a thickness (a red arrow in FIG. 3) of the flat tube 10, the height of the fin may decrease from a top of the flat tube 10 to a bottom of the flat tube 10 (as shown in FIG. 3). However, in amended claim 1, a height h' of the first fin is defined along a direction X perpendicular to the extending direction Y of the reserved pipe section. Furthermore, the direction X is perpendicular to a thickness of the first fin. Thus, the height h' of the first fin of amended claim 1 is different from that of D1, i.e., the heat exchanger of amended claim is different from that of D1.The Examiner respectfully disagrees; as shown below in annotated fig 6 below; the height of the fins does extend along direction X. The claim language does not inhibit the direction Y and X as being interpreted as shown below.
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Conclusion
Applicant's amendment necessitated the new ground(s) of rejection presented in this Office action. Accordingly, THIS ACTION IS MADE FINAL. See MPEP § 706.07(a). Applicant is reminded of the extension of time policy as set forth in 37 CFR 1.136(a).
A shortened statutory period for reply to this final action is set to expire THREE MONTHS from the mailing date of this action. In the event a first reply is filed within TWO MONTHS of the mailing date of this final action and the advisory action is not mailed until after the end of the THREE-MONTH shortened statutory period, then the shortened statutory period will expire on the date the advisory action is mailed, and any nonprovisional extension fee (37 CFR 1.17(a)) pursuant to 37 CFR 1.136(a) will be calculated from the mailing date of the advisory action. In no event, however, will the statutory period for reply expire later than SIX MONTHS from the mailing date of this final action.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to HARRY E ARANT whose telephone number is (571)272-1105. The examiner can normally be reached Monday-Friday 10-6 ET.
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/HARRY E ARANT/ Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3763
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