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 .
DETAILED ACTION
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 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.
CLAIM INTERPRETATION
The presence of claim limitations that are preceded by the phrases “wherein” often raises a question as to the limiting effect of the claim limitations (see MPEP §2111.04). The Examiner has interpreted the limitations following the phrase “wherein” as positively being claimed (i.e. the claim limitations are required and/or the claim limitations following the “wherein clause” limits the structure), where “wherein” is being used as a transitional phrase.
Priority
Receipt is acknowledged of certified copies of papers required by 37 CFR 1.55. The priority documents for JP 2022-047041 have been electronically retrieved by the USPTO.
Specification
The amendment to the specification received on January 27, 2026 is acceptable. The specification objections are hereby withdrawn.
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, 6, 7, and 19 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over FUKUDA (WIPO Publication WO 2021/200858 A1, part of the patent family is US Patent Publication US 2023/0015175 A1, which is considered to be an equivalent and English translation of the WIPO publication. The US reference is utilized in the rejection below, and is considered to be equivalent to the WIPO publication) in view of PANDE (U.S. Patent Publication US 2020/0300244 A1).
Regarding claim 1, FUKUDA discloses: a screw compressor comprising:
a casing (10) containing a cylinder portion (cylinder portion in (16));
an electric motor (5) disposed in the casing (see Figure 1);
a drive shaft (21) connected to the electric motor (see Figure 1, ¶0034), the drive shaft being configured to be driven to rotate axially (see Figure 1, ¶0034, ¶0037, ¶0039);
a screw rotor (40) disposed in the cylinder portion (see Figure 1), the screw rotor being connected to the drive shaft (see Figure 1, ¶0039); and
a gate rotor (50) having a gate (51) configured to mesh with a screw groove (41) of the screw rotor (see Figures 2, 4-10, 12-16, 18-19, and 22-25, ¶0041); and
a bearing portion (60, 61, 66, 65) fixed in the cylinder portion (see Figures 3 and 14) and supporting the drive shaft (see Figures 1, 3, and 14, that shows the drive shaft is supported by bearings (61))
a compression chamber being formed by the screw rotor and the gate in the cylinder portion (see Figures 6-10 and 14),
a suction-side end portion of the screw rotor being formed in a cylindrical shape so that an outer peripheral surface of the suction-side end portion is along an inner peripheral surface of the cylinder portion (see Figures 6, 9, and 14),
a seal portion ((91) see Figures 14 and 21, ¶0055) configured to reduce a flow of fluid, the seal portion being provided on a surface of the bearing portion that faces: the
outer peripheral surface (((91) see Figures 14 and 21, ¶0055) or
a first end surface of the suction-side end portion in an axial direction (this limitation is an alternative and therefore only one of the limitations is required to be met), and
FUKUDA discloses using a labyrinth seal (see Figures 14 and 21, ¶0055 that discloses a labyrinth seal).
FUKUDA fails to disclose the bearing portion being adjacent to the suction-side end portion where the seal portion faces the outer peripheral surface of the suction-side end portion, and the seal portion being provided on a surface of the bearing portion that faces the outer peripheral surface of the suction-side end portion where the seal portion is a labyrinth seal, since FUKUDA shows the bearing portion on the discharge-side end portion.
Regarding claim 1, PANDE teaches: bearing portions on both the suction-side end portion and the discharge-side end portion (see Figure 3 that shows bearings (28) located in a bearing support on both sides of the screw rotor (14)), the bearing portion being adjacent to the suction-side end portion (near (27), which is the suction-side end) where the seal portion faces the outer peripheral surface of the suction-side end portion (see Figure 2), and the seal portion being provided on a surface of the bearing portion that faces the outer peripheral surface of the suction-side end portion (see Figure 2, where the seal is shown as a separate component and provided on the bearing portion that faces the outer peripheral surface of the suction-side end portion), where the seal portion is a labyrinth seal (see Figure 2).
It would have been obvious to a person having ordinary skill in the art at the time of the invention was made to have the bearing portion being adjacent to the suction-side end portion where the seal portion faces the outer peripheral surface of the suction-side end portion, and the seal portion being provided on a surface of the bearing portion that faces the outer peripheral surface of the suction-side end portion where the seal is a labyrinth seal in the screw compressor of FUKUDA, in order to provide support on both sides of the screw rotor, as well as, providing sealing on both sides of the screw rotor. Furthermore, PANDE teaches having bearings on both sides of the screw rotor, and a labyrinth seal located on the bearing facing the suction-side end portion (see Figure 2) that is already well known in the art as disclosed by PANDE, and therefore, it requires only routine skill in the art to provide a bearing portion being adjacent to the suction-side end portion, and the seal portion being provided in the bearing portion, as well as, produces predictable results (i.e. supporting of the screw rotor, as well as, sealing of the working fluid between the screw rotor and the bearing).
Regarding claim 6, FUKUDA discloses: the gate rotor has a first gate rotor (50) and a second gate rotor (50) (see Figures 2, 4-10, 12-16, 18-19, and 22-25, ¶0041), and
the compression chamber includes
a first compression chamber (24), which is formed by the first gate rotor and the screw rotor and in which fluid at a suction pressure introduced into the casing is compressed to an intermediate pressure (see Figure 14, where the intermediate pressure is where it states “low-stage discharge (intermediate pressure)”, ¶0052), and
a second compression chamber (25), which is formed by the second gate rotor and the screw rotor and in which the fluid at the intermediate pressure is compressed to a discharge pressure (see Figure 14, ¶0052).
Regarding claim 7, FUKUDA further discloses: the gate rotor has a first gate rotor (50) and a second gate rotor (50) (see Figures 2, 4-10, 12-16, 18-19, and 22-25, ¶0041), and
the compression chamber includes
a first compression chamber (24), which is formed by the first gate rotor and the screw rotor and in which fluid at a suction pressure introduced into the casing is compressed to an intermediate pressure (see Figure 14, where the intermediate pressure is where it states “low-stage discharge (intermediate pressure)”, ¶0052), and
a second compression chamber (25), which is formed by the second gate rotor and the screw rotor and in which the fluid at the intermediate pressure is compressed to a discharge pressure (see Figure 14, ¶0052).
Regarding claim 19, FUKUDA discloses: a refrigeration apparatus including the screw compressor of claim 1 (see Figures 26 and 27, ¶0002, ¶0148, claim 22).
Claim 2-5, 8-10, and 15-18 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over the modified screw compressor of FUKUDA / PANDE as applied to claim 1 above, and further in view of SHIRAISHI (Japanese Patent Publication JP 2009/275567A, a machine translation was provided with the foreign reference in the IDS filed on 9/20/2025 and is utilized in the rejection below)).
Regarding claim 2, PANDE further teaches: that the seal is attached to the bearing portion (see Figure 2), however, fails to disclose that the seal portion is provided “in” the bearing portion.
Regarding claim 2, SHIRAISHI teaches: labyrinth seal (3, 4) that is “in” a component (2) (see Figures 2 and 3).
It would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art at the time the invention was made to have the seal portion in the bearing portion of the modified screw compressor of FUKUDA/ PANDE, since it has been held that forming in one piece an article which has formerly been formed in two pieces and put together involves only routine skill in the art. Furthermore, it is well known in the art to create a labyrinth seal in a component, as evidence by SHIRAISHI, and therefore, it would require only routine skill in the art to create a labyrinth seal in the bearing of the modified screw compressor of FUKUDA/ PANDE.
Regarding claim 3, the modified screw compressor of FUKUDA / PANDE fails to disclose the seal portion is provided on the surface of the bearing portion that faces the end surface of the suction-side end portion in the axial direction. PANDE teaches the seal portion facing the end surface along the axial direction.
Regarding claim 3, SHIRAISHI teaches: the seal portion is provided on the first surface of the bearing portion facing an end surface of the suction-side end portion in the axial direction (see Figures 1-3, Abstract, ¶0014-¶0023 that shows seals (C, 3, 4) that include a labyrinth sealing path (3) and a spiral groove (4), where (3) is in the axial direction).
It would have been obvious to a person having ordinary skill in the art at the time of the invention was made to have the seal portion is provided on the surface of the bearing portion that faces the end surface of the suction-side end portion in the axial direction in the modified screw compressor of FUKUDA / PANDE, in order to provide sealing of the working fluid that would leak along the gap between the bearing portion and the screw rotor, which has the benefit of improving the performance of the compressor (see ¶0010 of SHIRAISHI).
Regarding claims 4 and 5, FUKUDA discloses: the bearing portion has a flange portion disposed between an inner surface of the cylinder portion and the outer peripheral surface of the discharge-side end portion (see Figures 3 and 14 that disclose the bearing portion having a flange disposed between an inner surface of the cylinder portion and the outer peripheral surface of the discharge-side end portion).
FUKUDA fails to disclose the bearing portion has a flange portion disposed between an inner surface of the cylinder portion and the outer peripheral surface of the suction-side end portion, and the seal portion is provided in the flange portion.
PANDE as discussed in the rejection above, utilizes bearings and seal portions on both the discharge-side end portion and the suction-side end portion.
It would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art to duplicate the bearing arrangement of FUKUDA on the suction-side end portion of FUKUDA, in order to provide similar parts at both sides of the screw rotor, where this combination would result in the bearing portion having a flange portion disposed between an inner surface of the cylinder portion and the outer peripheral surface of the suction-side end portion.
Regarding claims 4 and 5, SHIRAISHI teaches: a bearing portion (2) with a flange portion (see Figures 1-3), where the seal portion is provided portion is provided in the flange portion (see Figures 1-3, Abstract, ¶0014-¶0023 that shows seals (C, 3, 4) that include a labyrinth sealing path (3) and a spiral groove (4) that is in the flange portion of the bearing portion (2)).
It would have been obvious to a person having ordinary skill in the art at the time of the invention was made to have the seal portion is provided in the flange portion in the modified screw compressor of FUKUDA / PANDE, in order to provide sealing between the screw rotor and the bearing, which improves the performance of the compressor (see ¶0010 of SHIRAISHI).
Regarding claims 8-10, FUKUDA further discloses: the gate rotor has a first gate rotor (50) and a second gate rotor (50) (see Figures 2, 4-10, 12-16, 18-19, and 22-25, ¶0041), and
the compression chamber includes
a first compression chamber (24), which is formed by the first gate rotor and the screw rotor and in which fluid at a suction pressure introduced into the casing is compressed to an intermediate pressure (see Figure 14, where the intermediate pressure is where it states “low-stage discharge (intermediate pressure)”, ¶0052), and
a second compression chamber (25), which is formed by the second gate rotor and the screw rotor and in which the fluid at the intermediate pressure is compressed to a discharge pressure (see Figure 14, ¶0052).
Regarding claim 15, the modified screw compressor of FUKUDA / PANDE discloses the claimed invention above, however, fails to disclose the seal portion is a surface texture.
Regarding claim 15, SHIRAISHI teaches: the seal portion is a surface texture (see Figures 1-3, Abstract, ¶0014-¶0023 that shows seals (C, 3, 4) that include a labyrinth sealing path (3) and a spiral groove (4). The Examiner would like to note that the tortuous pathway that is formed in the bearing portion of SHIRAISHI is also considered as a surface texture since the grooves that form the seal portion are formed within the surface of the bearing portion, and therefore, are considered to be a surface texture).
It would have been obvious to a person having ordinary skill in the art at the time of the invention was made to have the seal portion is a surface texture in the modified screw compressor of FUKUDA / PANDE, in order to provide sealing between the screw rotor and the bearing, which improves the performance of the compressor (see ¶0010 of SHIRAISHI).
Regarding claims 16-18, SHIRAISHI further teaches: the seal portion is a surface texture (see Figures 1-3, Abstract, ¶0014-¶0023 that shows seals (C, 3, 4) that include a labyrinth sealing path (3) and a spiral groove (4). The Examiner would like to note that the tortuous pathway that is formed in the bearing portion of SHIRAISHI is also considered as a surface texture since the grooves that form the seal portion are formed within the surface of the bearing portion, and therefore, are considered to be a surface texture).
Response to Arguments
Applicant’s arguments with respect to independent claim 1 has been considered but are moot because the new ground of rejection. The Examiner has utilized PANDE that shows a seal at the suction-side end portion that was well-known in the art. The Examiner would like to note is that the arguments are with respect to ZIMMERN, which is no longer used in the rejection. In addition, the claimed limitations that are argued are met by PANDE.
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.
Communication
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to MARY DAVIS whose telephone number is (571)272-9965. The examiner can normally be reached M-F, 8 am-4pm.
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If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Essama Omgba can be reached at (469) 295-9278. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/Mary A Davis/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3746
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