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 .
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(s) 1 and 5 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Honjo (US 20220221045 A1).
As to claim 1, Honjo discloses:
1. A vehicle temperature control system (Fig. 1) equipped in a vehicle V including a rotary electric machine 20, a transmission device 40, and a power conversion device 50 configured to control electric power supplied to the rotary electric machine, the vehicle temperature control system comprising:
a first temperature control circuit 61 in which a first pump 611 (par. 0030) is provided and a first temperature control medium (par. 0032-0033) circulates to control temperatures of the rotary electric machine 20 and the transmission device 40;
a second temperature control circuit 62 in which a second pump 621 (par. 0048) is provided and a second temperature control medium circulates to control a temperature of the power conversion device (par. 0048);
a heat exchanger 63 that exchanges heat between the first temperature control medium and the second temperature control medium;
a flow regulating valve 626 configured to regulate a flow rate of the second temperature control medium flowing through the heat exchanger; and
a control device ECU configured to control the flow regulating valve, wherein
the second temperature control circuit includes
a pumping flow path provided with the second pump and having one end provided with a branch portion 624 and the other end provided with a merging portion 625,
a first branching flow path provided with the power conversion device 50 and having one end connected to the branch portion and the other end connected to the merging portion, and
a second branching flow path provided with the heat exchanger 63 and the flow regulating valve 626, having one end connected to the branch portion and the other end connected to the merging portion, and formed in parallel with the first branching flow path,
the pumping flow path is provided with a radiator 622 configured to exchange heat between the second temperature control medium and outside air,
the control device includes
a first temperature control medium temperature detector 61a (0035, 0059) configured to detect a temperature of the first temperature control medium, and
a valve opening and closing controller configured to control opening and closing of the flow regulating valve (par. 0059), and
the valve opening and closing controller is configured to
cause the flow regulating valve to close, when the temperature of the first temperature control medium detected by the first temperature control medium temperature detector is lower than a predetermined temperature (par. 0058-0059), and
cause the flow regulating valve to open, when the temperature of the first temperature control medium detected by the first temperature control medium temperature detector becomes equal to or higher than the predetermined temperature while the flow regulating valve is closed (the valve is open when not below temperature, only closed when below temperature – see par. 0047, 0058-0059).
As to claim 5, Honjo discloses:
5. A vehicle V (Fig. 1), comprising:
a rotary electric machine 20;
a transmission device 40;
a power conversion device 50 configured to control electric power supplied to the rotary electric machine; and
a vehicle temperature control system (Fig. 1), wherein
the vehicle temperature control system includes
a first temperature control circuit 61 in which a first pump 611 (par. 0030) is provided and a first temperature control medium (par. 0032-0033) circulates to control temperatures of the rotary electric machine 20 and the transmission device 40;
a second temperature control circuit 62 in which a second pump 621 (par. 0048) is provided and a second temperature control medium circulates to control a temperature of the power conversion device (par. 0048);
a heat exchanger 63 that exchanges heat between the first temperature control medium and the second temperature control medium;
a flow regulating valve 626 configured to regulate a flow rate of the second temperature control medium flowing through the heat exchanger; and
a control device ECU configured to control the flow regulating valve, wherein
the second temperature control circuit includes
a pumping flow path provided with the second pump and having one end provided with a branch portion 624 and the other end provided with a merging portion 625,
a first branching flow path provided with the power conversion device 50 and having one end connected to the branch portion and the other end connected to the merging portion, and
a second branching flow path provided with the heat exchanger 63 and the flow regulating valve 626, having one end connected to the branch portion and the other end connected to the merging portion, and formed in parallel with the first branching flow path,
the pumping flow path is provided with a radiator 622 configured to exchange heat between the second temperature control medium and outside air,
the control device includes
a first temperature control medium temperature detector 61a (0035, 0059) configured to detect a temperature of the first temperature control medium, and
a valve opening and closing controller configured to control opening and closing of the flow regulating valve (par. 0059), and
the valve opening and closing controller is configured to
cause the flow regulating valve to close, when the temperature of the first temperature control medium detected by the first temperature control medium temperature detector is lower than a predetermined temperature (par. 0058-0059), and
cause the flow regulating valve to open, when the temperature of the first temperature control medium detected by the first temperature control medium temperature detector becomes equal to or higher than the predetermined temperature while the flow regulating valve is closed (the valve is open when not below temperature, only closed when below temperature – see par. 0047, 0058-0059).
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 2-4 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:
As to claims 2-4, the allowability resides in the overall structure and functionality of the apparatus as recited in the dependent claims 2-4, including all of the limitations of their base claims and intervening claims, and at least in part, because they recite the following limitations:
2. The vehicle temperature control system according to claim 1, wherein the control device further includes a vehicle speed detector configured to detect a vehicle speed of the vehicle; a gradient angle detector configured to detect a gradient angle of a road surface on which the vehicle travels, and an uphill travel determination unit configured to determine whether the vehicle is in uphill travel based on detection values of the vehicle speed detector and the gradient angle detector, and the valve opening and closing controller is configured to cause the flow regulating valve to open when the uphill travel determination unit determines that the vehicle is in uphill travel, even when the temperature of the first temperature control medium detected by the first temperature control medium temperature detector is lower than the predetermined temperature.
3. The vehicle temperature control system according to claim 1, wherein the control device further includes a slip determination unit configured to determine whether at least one wheel of the vehicle is spinning, and the valve opening and closing controller is configured to cause the flow regulating valve to open when the slip determination unit determines that at least one wheel of the vehicle is spinning, even when the temperature of the first temperature control medium detected by the first temperature control medium temperature detector is lower than the predetermined temperature.
4. The vehicle temperature control system according to claim 1, wherein the control device further includes a driving torque detector configured to detect a driving torque of the vehicle, and the valve opening and closing controller is configured to cause the flow regulating valve to open when the driving torque detected by the driving torque detector is equal to or greater than a predetermined value, even when the temperature of the first temperature control medium detected by the first temperature control medium temperature detector is lower than the predetermined temperature.
Gonze (US 20200263783 A1), Abe (US 20210221254 A1), and Honjo (US 20220224200 A1) disclose conventional related cooling systems.
However, none of the prior art, either alone or in combination, can be reasonably construed as adequately teaching the above claimed elements, in combination with the remaining claim limitations.
Further, Examiner has not identified any double patenting issues.
Any comments considered necessary by applicant must be submitted no later than the payment of the issue fee and, to avoid processing delays, should preferably accompany the issue fee. Such submissions should be clearly labeled “Comments on Statement of Reasons for Allowance.”
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to JACOB R CRUM whose telephone number is (571)270-7665. The examiner can normally be reached on Monday - Friday 9:00 am - 5:00 pm.
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If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Jayprakash Gandhi can be reached on (571) 272-3740. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/JACOB R CRUM/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2841
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