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 .
Claims 1-10 are pending in the application.
Examiner’s Note: The examiner has cited particular passages including column and line numbers, paragraphs as designated numerically and/or figures as designated numerically in the references as applied to the claims below for the convenience of the applicant. Although the specified citations are representative of the teachings in the art and are applied to the specific limitations within the individual claims, other passages, paragraphs and figures of any and all cited prior art references may apply as well. It is respectfully requested from the applicant, in preparing an eventual response, to fully consider the context of the passages, paragraphs and figures as taught by the prior art and/or cited by the examiner while including in such consideration the cited prior art references in their entirety as potentially teaching all or part of the claimed invention. MPEP 2141.02 VI: “PRIOR ART MUST BE CONSIDERED IN ITS ENTIRETY, INCLUDING DISCLOSURES THAT TEACH AWAY FROM THE CLAIMS."
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 05/23/2025 was filed after the mailing date of the first office action. The submission is in compliance with the provisions of 37 CFR 1.97. Accordingly, the information disclosure statement is being considered by the examiner.
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.
(a)(2) the claimed invention was described in a patent issued under section 151, or in an application for patent published or deemed published under section 122(b), in which the patent or application, as the case may be, names another inventor and was effectively filed before the effective filing date of the claimed invention.
Claim(s) 1, 5, 8-10 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Choi et al. US Pub. No. 2023/0116826 (“Choi”).
Regarding claim 1, Choi discloses an air conditioner [Fig. 1 to 2B, 3] comprising:
an outdoor unit [ODU];
a plurality of indoor units [IDU A…N (vanes 53 and fans 55 – see fig. 9)] disposed to correspond to a plurality of regions, respectively [See fig. 11 – S1a…S1d];
[0054] Referring to FIGS. 1 and 2, an air conditioner may include an outdoor unit ODU and an indoor unit IDU that are connected to each other by a refrigerant pipe. The air conditioner may include at least one outdoor unit OUD and a plurality of indoor units IUD. The plurality of indoor units (IDU: IDU A, IUD B, IUD C, ..., IUD N) may be connected to at least one outdoor unit OUD through a refrigerant pipe. The plurality of indoor units IDU may be installed to be spaced apart from each other in an indoor space, and may be disposed in the same indoor space or in a different indoor space.
temperature sensors [230a…n – fig. 3] sensing indoor temperatures for the plurality of regions corresponding to the plurality of indoor units, respectively; and
[0093] The indoor unit sensing unit 230 may include a plurality of sensors. The indoor unit sensing unit 230 may transmit data on a detection value detected through a plurality of sensors to the indoor unit controller 260. For example, the indoor unit sensing unit 230 may include a first temperature sensor 231 detecting an air temperature Ta of each indoor unit and a second temperature sensor 232 detecting a floor temperature Tb of each indoor unit. For example, the second temperature sensor 232 may be a thermopile sensor that detects a temperature distribution in a floor area corresponding to an indoor space in which the indoor unit IDU is disposed. The first temperature sensor 231 and the second temperature sensor 232 may be integrally formed as an integrated temperature sensor.
a controller [integrate controller 360] configured to:
set, when there is at least one first indoor unit in which an indoor temperature of a corresponding region is lower than a target temperature among the plurality of indoor units, any one of the first indoor units to a second indoor unit requiring an operation support, based on a difference between the target temperature and the indoor temperature,
[0102] For example, the integrated controller 360 may determine an indoor space in which each of the indoor units IDU is disposed through a similarity analysis of the distribution of the air temperature Ta of each of the indoor units IDU.
[0106] Accordingly, when a temperature imbalance occurs in any one indoor unit among a plurality of indoor units IDU disposed in an indoor space, the air conditioner may determine an indoor unit (target indoor unit) in which the temperature imbalance has occurred, indoor units (support indoor unit) adjacent to the target indoor unit, and the vane direction of the support indoor unit, through machine learning, and adjusts the vane 53 to perform a cooperative operation (support operation) for resolving temperature imbalance.
[0142] After S430, the air conditioner may determine whether an indoor unit that has an absolute value of difference, between an average air temperature Ta_avg of the indoor space and the indoor air temperature Ta, which is greater than a first reference temperature Tx1 exists among a plurality of indoor units IDU (S440). For example, the first reference temperature Tx1 may be 2° C.
[0143] When S440 is satisfied (Yes at S440), the air conditioner may designate an indoor unit that detects an indoor air temperature Ta which has a difference exceeding the first reference temperature Tx1 with respect to the average air temperature Ta_avg of the indoor space, among a plurality of indoor units IDU, as a target indoor unit (S441). In this case, the target indoor unit is an indoor unit in which a temperature imbalance occurs due to a cause excluding a user setting (e.g., radiant heat, concentration of personnel, presence of a heating element, etc.), and it is necessary to solve the temperature imbalance through cooperative operation (support operation) of indoor units adjacent to the target indoor unit.
set any one of indoor units which are adjacent to the second indoor unit [See fig. 14], and of which powers are off [does not operate (equivalence); See further par. 62] to a third indoor unit that supports an operation of the second indoor unit [See fig. 16], and
control the operation by turning on a power of the third indoor unit [step S471 – fig. 16].
[0138] Referring back to FIG. 5, when a temperature imbalance occurs in at least one indoor unit among a plurality of indoor units IDU, the air conditioner may perform a support operation for resolving the temperature imbalance by adjusting indoor units adjacent to the indoor unit in which the temperature imbalance occurs (S400).
[0146] For example, as support priority information, the priority score of the support indoor unit may be added with a certain score (e.g. one point), in the case of an indoor unit that is adjacent to at least one target indoor unit when a plurality of target indoor units exist in the same indoor space, and does not perform support operation. In addition, as for the priority score of the support indoor unit, a certain score (e.g. one point) may be added for the target indoor unit, when an absolute value of a difference between a set temperature of the support indoor unit and the indoor air temperature of the support indoor unit is less than a certain temperature (e.g., 2° C.). In addition, as for the priority score of the support indoor unit, a certain score (e.g., one point) may be added to the target indoor unit, when the cooling or heating rated capability of the indoor unit is 0.5 or less. In addition, as for the priority score of the support indoor unit, when the indoor air temperature of the support indoor unit is formed as the set temperature of the support indoor unit and the support indoor unit does not operate, a certain score (e.g., one point) may be added to the target indoor unit.
[0147] Accordingly, the support operation priority of the support indoor units may be calculated in proportion to the priority score of the support indoor unit. That is, the support indoor unit having a higher accumulated priority score of the support indoor unit may have a higher priority of support operation.
Regarding claim 5, Choi discloses when there are a plurality of indoor units which are adjacent to the second indoor unit, and of which powers are off, the controller is configured to determine, as the third indoor unit, a fifth indoor unit having a largest capacity among the plurality of indoor units which are adjacent to the second indoor unit, and of which powers are off. [See par. 146].
Regarding claim 8, Choi discloses a target temperature of the third indoor unit is lower than the target temperature of the second indoor unit corresponding thereto during a cooling operation, and the target temperature of the third indoor unit is higher than the target temperature of the second indoor unit corresponding thereto during a heating operation. [See par. 171-174, 178-181].
Regarding claim 9, Choi discloses the controller is configured to: control an operation of the third indoor unit during a predetermined control cycle, determine a change degree of an indoor temperature of a region corresponding to the second indoor unit for the control cycle when the control cycle elapses, and set any one of indoor units which are adjacent to the second indoor unit, and of which powers are off to a sixth indoor unit that additionally supports the operation of the second indoor unit when the change degree is less than a predetermined reference [See steps in fig. 16].
Regarding claim 10, Choi discloses release the setting for the second indoor unit when an indoor temperature of a predetermined region corresponding to the second indoor unit reaches the target temperature of the second indoor unit, and turn off a power of the third indoor unit [See par. 62 and fig. 16]
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.
The factual inquiries for establishing a background for determining obviousness under 35 U.S.C. 103 are summarized as follows:
1. Determining the scope and contents of the prior art.
2. Ascertaining the differences between the prior art and the claims at issue.
3. Resolving the level of ordinary skill in the pertinent art.
4. Considering objective evidence present in the application indicating obviousness or nonobviousness.
Claim(s) 2 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Choi as applied to claim 1 above, and further in view of Jinsung Kim et al. KR20190059582 (“Kim”).
Regarding claim 2, Choi does not teach the controller is configured to determine a fourth indoor unit in which the difference between the target temperature and the indoor temperature is the largest to the second indoor unit among the plurality of first indoor units.
Kim teaches another air-conditioning system comprises a plurality of indoor units placed in different spaces where a controller configured to receive information on a set temperature difference of the first indoor unit 10a, the set temperature difference of the second indoor unit 10b, and the set temperature difference of the third indoor unit 10c and control the compressor through the information. Specifically, Kim teaches configured to determine a fourth indoor unit in which the difference between the target temperature and the indoor temperature is the largest to the second indoor unit among the plurality of first indoor units.
Based on the information received by the indoor information receiving unit 110, the indoor unit having the largest set temperature difference is extracted (S40). That is, one of the indoor units having the largest value is selected by comparing the set temperature difference of the first to third indoor units 10a, 10b, and 10c. If there are a plurality of indoor units having the largest value, one indoor unit can be selected in a predetermined order. For example, it is assumed that the first indoor unit 10a has the largest set temperature difference. [page 2]
Before the effective filing date of the claimed invention, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art to modify the system of Choi with determine a fourth indoor unit in which the difference between the target temperature and the indoor temperature is the largest to the second indoor unit among the plurality of first indoor units of Kim. Prioritizing the largest temperature differences constitutes a predicable optimization of resource allocation that improves temperature regulation and energy efficiency while making more effective use of the available adjacent indoor unit.
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 3-4, 6-7 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: Claims 3-4, 6-7 are considered allowable since, when reading the claims in light of the specification, none of the references of record alone or in combination disclose or suggest the combination of subject matter specified in the dependent claim(s).
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure.
U.S. Patent No. 11,306,934 to Hamada et al. teach an air-conditioning system control apparatus comprising: an influence-degree calculation unit configured to calculate a degree of influence between air-conditioning indoor units that are selected from a plurality of air-conditioning indoor units, based on operation data on the selected air-conditioning indoor units; a room determination unit configured to determine whether the selected air-conditioning indoor units are present in the same space or not based on the degree of influence calculated by the influence-degree calculation unit; and a position estimation unit configured to estimate a positional relationship between the selected air-conditioning indoor units, which are determined by the room determination unit to be present in the same space, based on the degree of influence between the selected air-conditioning indoor units; wherein the air-conditioning system control apparatus automatically operates the selected air-conditioning indoor units based on the degree of influence and the positional relationship between the selected air-conditioning indoor units.
US Pub. No. 2023/0109940 to Choi et al. teach an air conditioner that searches for a target indoor unit in which a temperature imbalance has occurred and performs a cooperative operation for resolving the temperature imbalance in a space by adjusting a support vane of a support indoor unit adjacent to the target indoor unit, and a method of controlling an air conditioner relating to the above cooperative operation.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to VINCENT HUY TRAN whose telephone number is (571)272-7210. The examiner can normally be reached M-F 7:00-4:00.
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If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Kamini S Shah can be reached at 571-272-2279. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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VINCENT H TRAN
Primary Examiner
Art Unit 2115
/VINCENT H TRAN/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2115
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