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 .
Election/Restrictions
Applicant's election with traverse of species A, Figures 1-11, and claims 1-14 in the reply filed on December 31, 2025 is acknowledged. The traversal is on the ground(s) that species A-C are not mutually exclusive, and even though they do not completely overlap in scope, they substantially overlap in scope such that they should still be examined together because doing so would not impose an undue burden. Remarks 1-2. This is not found persuasive because the species are mutually exclusive. As shown in the Figures, each species has a different suction valve stopper design that is mutually exclusive form the other species. The stopper of species A comprises a plate having two stopper portions, the stopper of species B comprises a plate having a single stopper portion, and species C comprises two stopper portions mounted to the cylinder. These mutually exclusive features require a different search and separate consideration and therefore it would be an undue burden for them to be examined together. The requirement is still deemed proper and is therefore made FINAL. Claims 15-24 are withdrawn from further consideration pursuant to 37 CFR 1.142(b), as being drawn to a nonelected species, there being no allowable generic or linking claim.
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 7 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Korean Patent Publication KR20060035007(A) to Lee.
Referring to claim 7, Lee discloses a reciprocating compressor comprising:
a piston (15); a cylinder (17, 30) that accommodates the piston (15) and defines a compression chamber (18, 32) together with the piston (15) inserted in the cylinder (17, 30), wherein the piston (15) is configured to reciprocate relative to the cylinder (17, 30) (Figures 1-4, Fig. 2 annotated below; page 5, third paragraph of background art section, and pages 8-11);
a valve plate (60) that is coupled to a front-end surface of the cylinder (17, 30) and faces the piston (15), the valve plate (60) defining a suction port (62) and a discharge port (64) that are configured to fluidly communicate with the compression chamber (18, 32) (Figures 1-4, Fig. 2 annotated below; page 5, third paragraph of background art section, and pages 8-11);
a suction valve (50) comprising (i) a valve fixing portion (perimeter portion of 50) disposed between the cylinder (18, 32) and the valve plate (60) and coupled to the cylinder (18, 32) and (ii) a reed valve portion (52) configured to open and close the suction port (52), the reed valve portion (52) having a first end extending from the valve fixing portion and a second end configured to open and close the suction port (52) (Figures 1-4, Fig. 2 annotated below; page 5, third paragraph of background art section, and pages 8-11); and
a suction valve stopper (43) disposed between the suction valve (50) and the cylinder (18, 32) and configured to limit an opening amount of the suction valve (50), wherein the suction valve stopper (43) comprises: a stopper fixing portion coupled to the cylinder (18, 32) together with the valve fixing portion (perimeter portion of 50), and at least one stopper portion that extends from the stopper fixing portion toward a radial center of the suction port (62) and at least partially overlaps with the reed valve portion (52) along a reciprocating direction of the piston (15) (Figures 1-4, Fig. 2 annotated below; page 5, third paragraph of background art section, and pages 8-11).
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Annotation of Lee Figure 2.
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 and 2 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Korean Patent Publication KR20060035007(A) to Lee in view of U. S. Patent Publication 2005/0002811 to Froeslev.
The Examiner notes that all citations to Lee herein refer to the English language translation provided by the Applicant.
Referring to claim 1, Lee teaches a reciprocating compressor comprising:
a shell that defines an inner space therein (Figures 1-4, Fig. 2 annotated above; the title is for a hermetic compressor, which means there is a hermetic casing defining an inner space and the claims recite an enclosed compressor assembly, page 5, third paragraph of background art section, and pages 8-11);
a driving motor (5) disposed in the inner space of the shell, the driving motor (5) comprising a rotor (7); a drive shaft (9) coupled to the rotor (7) of the driving motor (5) (Figures 1-4, Fig. 2 annotated above; page 5, third paragraph of background art section, and pages 8-11);
a piston (15) coupled to the drive shaft (9) and configured to perform a reciprocating motion (Fig. 1; page 5, third-sixth paragraphs of background art section);
a cylinder (17, 30) that accommodates the piston (15) and defines a compression chamber (18, 32) together with the piston (15) inserted in the cylinder (17, 30), wherein the piston (15) is configured to perform the reciprocating motion relative to the cylinder (17, 32) (Figures 1-4, Fig. 2 annotated above; page 5, third paragraph of background art section, and pages 8-11);
a valve plate (60) that is coupled to a front-end surface of the cylinder (17, 30) and faces the piston (15), the valve plate (60) defining a suction port (62) and a discharge port (64) that are configured to fluidly communicate with the compression chamber (18, 32) (Figures 1-4, Fig. 2 annotated above; page 5, third paragraph of background art section, and pages 8-11);
a suction valve (50) disposed between the cylinder (18, 32) and the valve plate (60), the suction valve (50) comprising a reed valve portion (52) configured to open and close the suction port (52) based on an end of the reed valve portion (52) moving relative to another end of the reed valve portion (52) (Figures 1-4, Fig. 2 annotated above; page 5, third paragraph of background art section, and pages 8-11); and
a suction valve stopper (43) disposed between the suction valve (50) and the cylinder (18, 32), the suction valve stopper (43) configured to interfere with the reed valve portion (52) to thereby limit an opening amount of the reed valve portion (52) (Figures 1-4, Fig. 2 annotated above; page 5, third paragraph of background art section, and pages 8-11).
Lee is silent as to the material of the stopper. Froeslev teaches a compressor wherein a valve stopper (17) is made of an elastic material (high-grade steel has an elasticity and therefore an elastic material) (Fig. 4; paragraphs [0018] and [0032], and claim 11).
It would have been obvious before the invention was effectively filed, to a person having ordinary skill in the art to make the suction valve stopper from an elastic material, as taught by Froeslev, in order to use a strong material that is durable, and since it has been held to be within the general skill of a worker in the art to select known material on the basis of its suitability for the intended use as a matter of obvious design choice. In re Leshin, 125 USPQ 416.
Referring to claim 2, Lee and Froeslev teach a reciprocating compressor comprising all the limitations of claim 1, as detailed above, but silent as to rigidity. However, it would have been obvious before the invention was effectively filed, to a person having ordinary skill in the art to make a rigidity of the suction valve stopper greater than or equal to a rigidity of the suction valve, since it cannot perform the function of stopping the suction valve if the stopper has a rigidity less than the suction valve, otherwise the stopper would just bend instead of performing the function of stopping the suction valve.
Claims 3-6 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Korean Patent Publication KR20060035007(A) to Lee in view of U. S. Patent Publication 2005/0002811 to Froeslev and U. S. Patent 4,778,360 to Ikeda.
Referring to claim 3, Lee and Froeslev teach a reciprocating compressor comprising all the limitations of claim 1, as detailed above, and Lee further teaches a compressor wherein:
the suction valve stopper (17) comprises at least one stopper portion that extends toward a radial center of the suction port (52) and overlaps with a side surface of the reed valve portion (52) (Figures 1-4, Fig. 2 annotated above; page 5, third paragraph of background art section, and pages 8-10).
Lee and Froeslev do not teach a stopper that is bent. Ikeda teaches a compressor wherein:
at least a portion of at least one stopper portion (11) is bent in a direction away from a reed valve portion (10) and spaced apart from the reed valve portion (10) (Fig. 1; col. 5 lines 30-33, and col. 6 lines 20-25).
It would have been obvious before the invention was effectively filed, to a person having ordinary skill in the art, to modify the compressor taught by Lee with the bent stopper taught by Ikeda in order to define the distance the valve can travel by providing a boundary to movement.
Referring to claim 4, Lee Froeslev and Ikeda teach a reciprocating compressor comprising all the limitations of claim 3, as detailed above, and Lee further teaches a compressor wherein:
the at least one stopper portion comprises: a fixing portion fixed to the front-end surface of the cylinder (17, 30) and disposed at a radial outer periphery of the compression chamber (18, 32); and a contact portion that is configured to contact the reed valve portion (52) based on the reed valve portion being opened (Figures 1-4, Fig. 2 annotated above; page 5, third paragraph of background art section, and pages 8-10).
Lee and Froeslev do not teach a stopper that is bent. Ikeda further teaches a compressor wherein:
a bent portion that extends from the fixing portion toward the radial center of the suction port (9) and is bent toward the compression chamber (1) in the direction away from the reed valve portion (10) and a contact portion that extends from the bent portion and wherein the bent portion is disposed radially between an inner circumferential surface of the compression chamber (1) and an outer circumferential surface of the reed valve portion (10) (Fig. 1, annotated below; col. 5 lines 30-33, and col. 6 lines 20-25).
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Annotation of Ikeda Figure 1.
Referring to claim 5, Lee Froeslev and Ikeda teach a reciprocating compressor comprising all the limitations of claim 4, as detailed above, but Lee and Froeslev do not teach a stopper that is bent. Ikeda further teaches a compressor wherein:
a distance from the bent portion to an end of the contact portion is less than a length of the reed valve portion (10) (Fig. 1, annotated above; col. 5 lines 30-33, and col. 6 lines 20-25).
Referring to claim 6, Lee Froeslev and Ikeda teach a reciprocating compressor comprising all the limitations of claim 4, as detailed above, and Lee further teaches a compressor wherein:
the suction valve stopper (43) defines a valve accommodating portion that faces the reed valve portion (52) and passes through the suction valve stopper (43), and wherein the contact portion is accommodated in the valve accommodating portion (Figures 1-4, Fig. 2 annotated above; page 5, third paragraph of background art section, and pages 8-10).
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 8-14 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. The following is a statement of reasons for the indication of allowable subject matter: the prior art does not teach a reciprocating compressor comprising all the limitations of claims 7 and 8, but more specifically wherein the at least one stopper portion comprises: a first stopper portion disposed at a first side of a longitudinal axis of the reed valve portion; and a second stopper portion disposed at a second side of the longitudinal axis of the reed valve portion and spaced apart from the first stopper portion, wherein the first stopper portion and the second stopper portion are symmetrical to each other with respect to the longitudinal axis of the reed valve portion.
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure. Sadakata, Baek and Yoon teach similar compressors, but do not teach the limitations of claim 8.
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/BRYAN M LETTMAN/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3746