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 Group I in the reply filed on 6/2/2026 is acknowledged. The traversal is on the ground(s) that there is no serious search burden. This is not found persuasive because the Examiner would have to perform a variety of different text searches to find the various features unique to each invention.
The requirement is still deemed proper and is therefore made FINAL.
Priority
Acknowledgment is made of applicant’s claim for foreign priority under 35 U.S.C. 119 (a)-(d).
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(s) 1-9 is/are 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 pre-AIA the applicant regards as the invention.
Claim 1 recites “a refrigerant-water heat exchanger provided to enable the compressor to suction the refrigerant therein,
wherein the refrigerant-water heat exchanger has a first heat exchanger provided therein and configured to perform heat exchange between the refrigerant and product water generated by a fuel cell and discharged from a fuel cell stack;
an accumulator provided to enable the compressor to suction the refrigerant therein,
wherein the accumulator has a second heat exchanger provided therein and configured to perform heat exchange between the refrigerant and the product water generated by the fuel cell”. It is unclear what “therein” is referring to. For purposes of examination “a refrigerant-water heat exchanger provided to enable the compressor to suction the refrigerant therein,
wherein the refrigerant-water heat exchanger has a first heat exchanger provided therein and configured to perform heat exchange between the refrigerant and product water generated by a fuel cell and discharged from a fuel cell stack;
an accumulator provided to enable the compressor to suction the refrigerant therein,
wherein the accumulator has a second heat exchanger provided therein and configured to perform heat exchange between the refrigerant and the product water generated by the fuel cell” will be considered - - a refrigerant-water heat exchanger provided to enable the compressor to suction the refrigerant in the compressor,
wherein the refrigerant-water heat exchanger has a first heat exchanger provided in the refrigerant-water heat exchanger and configured to perform heat exchange between the refrigerant and product water generated by a fuel cell and discharged from a fuel cell stack;
an accumulator provided to enable the compressor to suction the refrigerant in the compressor,
wherein the accumulator has a second heat exchanger provided in the accumulator and configured to perform heat exchange between the refrigerant and the product water generated by the fuel cell - - .
Claim 9 recites “wherein the refrigerant-water heat exchanger is a flash tank configured to separate gaseous refrigerant from liquid refrigerant therein”. It is unclear what “therein” is referring to. For purposes of examination “wherein the refrigerant-water heat exchanger is a flash tank configured to separate gaseous refrigerant from liquid refrigerant therein” will be considered - - wherein the refrigerant-water heat exchanger is a flash tank configured to separate gaseous refrigerant from liquid refrigerant in the flash tank - - .
Claim(s) 2-9 are rejected to as being dependent from a rejected claim.
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 1-9 would be allowable if rewritten or amended to overcome the rejection(s) under 35 U.S.C. 112(b) or 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), 2nd paragraph, set forth in this Office action.
Reasons For Allowance
The following is an examiner’s statement of reasons for allowance: The prior art does not anticipate nor render obvious the combination set forth in the independent claims, and specifically does not disclose the following: wherein the accumulator has a second heat exchanger provided in the accumulator and configured to perform heat exchange between the refrigerant and the product water generated by the fuel cell; wherein the flow control valve controls an opening state thereof so as to selectively supply the product water to one of the first heat exchanger or the second heat exchanger, or to both of the first heat exchanger and the second heat exchanger (claim 1).
Although the closest prior art of record Song et al. (US 20230040535) teaches a thermal management system for a fuel cell vehicle, the thermal management system comprising: a compressor (23) configured to compress refrigerant; a refrigerant-water heat exchanger (70) provided to enable the compressor to suction the refrigerant in the compressor, wherein the refrigerant-water heat exchanger (70) has a first heat exchanger (72) provided in the refrigerant-water heat exchanger (70) and configured to perform heat exchange between the refrigerant and product water generated by a fuel cell (32) and discharged from a fuel cell stack; an accumulator (23a) provided to enable the compressor (23) to suction the refrigerant in the compressor, a flow control valve (39) installed on a product water line configured to supply the product water; and a controller (100) configured to control the opening state of the flow control valve (39), there is no teaching in the prior art of record that would, reasonably and absent impermissible hindsight, motivate one of ordinary skill in the art to modify the teachings of the prior art to provide wherein the accumulator has a second heat exchanger provided in the accumulator and configured to perform heat exchange between the refrigerant and the product water generated by the fuel cell; wherein the flow control valve controls an opening state thereof so as to selectively supply the product water to one of the first heat exchanger or the second heat exchanger, or to both of the first heat exchanger and the second heat exchanger (claim 1), in combination with all other claimed features.
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure:
Dong et al. (US 20230382181) teaches a thermal management system including a compressor, an accumulator, a refrigerant-water heat exchanger, a flow control valve and a controller.
Kuroda et al. (US 20160209092) teaches a thermal management system including a compressor, a refrigerant-water heat exchanger, and a flow control valve and a controller.
Boger et al. (US 2019/0375270) teaches a thermal management system including a compressor, a refrigerant-water heat exchanger, and a flow control valve and a controller.
Oh et al. (US 2020/0353796) teaches a thermal management system including a compressor, a refrigerant-water heat exchanger, and a flow control valve and a controller.
Lee et al. (US 2021/0016625) teaches a thermal management system including a compressor, a refrigerant-water heat exchanger, and a flow control valve and a controller.
Jeong et al. (US 2022/0266651) teaches a thermal management system including a compressor, a refrigerant-water heat exchanger, and a flow control valve and a controller.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to DAVID J TEITELBAUM whose telephone number is (571)270-5142. The examiner can normally be reached on Monday-Friday 8:00 am-4:30 pm EST.
If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, FRANTZ JULES can be reached on (571) 272-66816681. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/DAVID J TEITELBAUM/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3763
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