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 .
Priority
Acknowledgment is made of applicant’s claim for foreign priority under 35 U.S.C. 119 (a)-(d).
Information Disclosure Statement
The information disclosure statement (IDS) submitted on 10/24/2024 was filed on or after the mailing date of the Application. The submission is in compliance with the provisions of 37 CFR 1.97. Accordingly, the information disclosure statement is being considered by the examiner.
Specification
The lengthy specification has not been checked to the extent necessary to determine the presence of all possible minor errors. Applicant’s cooperation is requested in correcting any errors of which applicant may become aware in the specification.
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.
Claims 5 and 15-18 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 applications subject to pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, the applicant), regards as the invention.
Regarding Claim 5, the recitation of “...wherein at least a part of the reactor corresponds to the second fan, at least a part of the electrical assembly corresponds to the second fan…”, renders the claim unclear. Specifically, it is not clear to the Examiner what association or structure Applicant intends when using the word “correspond”. The word correspond is generally understood as – to be in conformity or agreement – to compare closely or – to be equivalent or parallel. The Examiner is uncertain if this vague association is intended to recite spatial characteristics or characteristics of control and connectivity. The use of this vague language without additional context cannot be followed. Accordingly, this discrepancy makes the claim difficult to interpret and does not meet the threshold requirements of clarity and precision as outlined in MPEP 2173.02.II. Therefore, the claim is indefinite and is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 112(b) or pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, second paragraph.
Regarding Claim 5, the recitation of “...wherein the rotating ring is configured to spray a part of condensed water in the housing to the reactor and the electrical assembly…,” renders the claim unclear. For example, it is unclear as to what structure performs the recited function. MPEP 2173.05(g) requires the particular structure, materials or steps that accomplish a function be recited to indicate the scope of the subject matter claimed. The term “rotating ring” is interpreted using the plan meaning of the words (i.e. a ring that rotates), and the plain meaning implied by the limitation does not provide adequate structure capable of the claimed function of spraying condensed water. Therefore, the claim and all claims depending therefrom are indefinite and are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 112(b) or pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, second paragraph.
Regarding Claim 15, the recitation of “...a seventh hole…”, “…an eighth hole…”, “…a nineth hole…” and “…a tenth hole…” renders the claim unclear. Specifically, it is unclear as to how a seventh hole may exist without the existence of a first, second, or any other preceding hole. Accordingly, this discrepancy makes the claim difficult to interpret and does not meet the threshold requirements of clarity and precision as outlined in MPEP 2173.02.II. Therefore, the claim is indefinite and is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 112(b) or pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, second paragraph.
Regarding Claim 15, the recitation of “...a fourth fastener…” and “…a fifth fastener…” renders the claim unclear. Specifically, it is unclear as to how a fourth fastener may exist without the existence of a first, second, or any other preceding fastener. Accordingly, this discrepancy makes the claim difficult to interpret and does not meet the threshold requirements of clarity and precision as outlined in MPEP 2173.02.II. Therefore, the claim is indefinite and is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 112(b) or pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, second paragraph.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 102
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 (i.e., changing from AIA to pre-AIA ) 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.
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)(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.
Claims 1-4, 6, 9 and 11-16 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(2) as being anticipated by Seo et al. (US 20190003732 A1, hereinafter “Seo”).
Regarding Claim 1, Seo teaches a window air conditioner [10] [Figs. 1-13; ¶ 0043], comprising:
a housing [100] provided with an indoor air inlet [115, 116], an indoor air outlet [117], an outdoor air inlet [102], and at least one outdoor air outlet [109] [¶ 0045-0057; Figs. 12-13; apparent from inspection];
an indoor heat exchanger [140] provided in the housing [¶ 0096; Fig. 3];
an outdoor heat exchanger [130] provided in the housing [¶ 0064], wherein a first part of the window air conditioner is located indoors, and the first part of the window air conditioner at least comprises the indoor heat exchanger and is provided with the indoor air inlet and the indoor air outlet [¶ 0052-0053, 0095-0096; 140 is a constituent of the indoor-side body, wherein the front panel 110 is disposed on the front side adjacent to 140 and comprises the indoor air inlet/outlet], a second part of the window air conditioner is located outdoors, and the second part of the window air conditioner at least comprises the outdoor heat exchanger and is provided with the outdoor air inlet and the at least one outdoor air outlet [¶ 0045-0046, 0063-0065; 130 is a constituent of the outdoor-side body, wherein the case 100 comprises the outdoor air inlet/outlet], and wherein the indoor heat exchanger and the outdoor heat exchanger are arranged along a first direction [Referring to Fig. 2 of the prior art, a first direction may be the direction of the view plane VIII (i.e. Fig. 8);
a compressor [123] provided in the housing, wherein the compressor is connected to the indoor heat exchanger and the outdoor heat exchanger, respectively, to form a refrigerant cycle circuit [¶ 0003; the compressor, condenser and evaporator are successively connected to each other to form a refrigerant circuit];
a fan assembly [at least 133 or 160] provided in the housing, wherein the fan assembly is configured to introduce indoor air and outdoor air and discharge the indoor air and the outdoor air after heat exchange [¶ 0073; fan 133 may induce the flow of outdoor air through the case] [¶ 0099; fan 160 may induce the flow of indoor air through the device];
an electrical assembly [at least 200] provided in the housing and electrically connected to the fan assembly, wherein the electrical assembly is adjacent to a side of the housing in a second direction, and the second direction is perpendicular to the first direction [¶ 0065; control box 200 may be connected to the fans] [Referring to Fig. 8 of the prior art, a second direction may be the up-down direction or the front-back direction, while the first direction is left-right direction, assuming the isometric view is rotated to have the cut plane facing out of the page; thus providing a perpendicular direction]; and
a reactor [300] provided in the housing and electrically connected to the electrical assembly [¶ 0065; reactor 300 may be connected as part of the control components], wherein the reactor is adjacent to another side of the housing in the second direction [Referring to Fig. 8, 200 is next to the top wall while 300 is next to the bottom wall in the second direction].
Regarding Claim 2, Seo teaches the window air conditioner according to claim 1 above and Seo further teaches comprising:
an indoor air duct assembly [at least 165, 191, 170, 173, 117; Fig. 13; see left-side airflow arrows from 140 through 117] provided in the housing and comprising an indoor air passage in communication with the indoor air inlet and the indoor air outlet [Fig. 13; apparent from inspection], and
wherein the reactor [300] is arranged between the outdoor heat exchanger [130] and the indoor air duct assembly, and the electrical assembly [200] is located on a side of the indoor air duct assembly in the second direction [Referring to Fig. 8 or 13, 200 is next to the top wall while 300 is next to the bottom wall in the second].
Regarding Claim 3, Seo teaches the window air conditioner according to claim 2 above and Seo teaches wherein a side of the reactor away from the electrical assembly in the second direction [the term “a side of the reactor away from” is given its broadest reasonable interpretation as any side of the reactor that is away from the electrical assembly in said second direction] is closer to the electrical assembly than a side of the indoor air duct assembly away from the electrical assembly in the second direction [the term “a side of the indoor air duct assembly away from” is given its broadest reasonable interpretation as any side of the air duct that is away from the electrical assembly in the second direction] [Fig. 13; apparent from inspection that a wall of the reactor 300 is closer to the box 200 than the a far wall of the indoor air duct to the left].
Regarding Claim 4, Seo teaches the window air conditioner according to claim 2 above and Seo teaches wherein
the fan assembly comprises:
a motor [180] configured to drive a first fan [160] and a second fan [133] to rotate [¶ 0089-0091];
the first fan provided at an end of the motor and located in the indoor air duct assembly [Fig. 13; motor shaft 181 rotates at least fan 160 in the indoor portion], wherein the first fan is configured to introduce the indoor air into the housing through the indoor air inlet and blow the indoor air after heat exchange indoors [¶ 0098-0100; fan 160 provides airflow through the indoor portion]; and
the second fan provided at another end of the motor [Fig. 13; another end of motor shaft 181 rotates at least fan 133 in the outdoor portion], wherein the second fan is configured to introduce the outdoor air into the housing through the outdoor air inlet and blow the outdoor air after heat exchange outdoors [¶ 0063-0065; fan 133 provides airflow through the outdoor portion],
wherein the window air conditioner further comprises a first bracket [at least 185 and 121] provided in the housing and comprising:
a bracket body [185] [¶ 0093-0094; motor mount 185 is supported by and protrudes from base 121], wherein the motor is provided on the bracket body [¶ 0092-0094; Fig. 13], and the reactor is located on a side of the bracket body away from the electrical assembly in the second direction [See Fig. 5; reactor 300 is on a side of the mount 185, away from 200 in the second direction]; and
an air guide portion [at least 135 or 150] connected to the bracket body [via 121] [¶ 0061-0062, 0110-0112; Fig. 3; shroud 135 and air guide 150 are part of the main body 120, wherein the main body is installed on base 121], the second fan being provided in the air guide portion; and
wherein a side of the reactor away from the electrical assembly in the second direction [the term “a side of the reactor away from” is given its broadest reasonable interpretation as any side of the reactor that is away from the electrical assembly in said second direction] is closer to the electrical assembly than a side of the air guide portion away from the electrical assembly in the second direction [the term “a side of the air guide portion away from” is given its broadest reasonable interpretation as any side of the air guide that is away from the electrical assembly in the second direction] [Fig. 13; apparent from inspection that a wall of the reactor 300 is closer to the box 200 than the a far wall of either possible air guide].
Regarding Claim 6, Seo teaches the window air conditioner according to claim 4 above and Seo teaches wherein
the first bracket further comprises a first fixing portion [at least 330], and the first fixing portion is provided on the air guide portion [¶ 0151-0154; Fig. 11; bracket 330 is connected to base 121 via coupling part 331, wherein the air guide and motor mount are installed onto the base 121]; and
the reactor comprises:
a reactor body [310]; and
a second fixing portion provided on the reactor body and connected to the first fixing portion [¶ 0152-0154; Fig. 11; reactor seating part 333 of 330 receives the reactor onto the coupling member].
Regarding Claim 9, Seo teaches the window air conditioner according to claim 2 above and Seo teaches wherein the compressor [123] is adjacent to the side of the housing in the second direction [¶ 0068; the compressor is installed on the base 121, considered a wall in the second direction, as the second direction is the up-down direction or the front-back direction in the figures] and is located between the outdoor heat exchanger and the indoor air duct assembly [Figs. 5 and 13; apparent from inspection].
Regarding Claim 11, Seo teaches the window air conditioner according to claim 1 above and Seo further teaches comprising a mounting frame [at least 330] provided at a bottom portion of the housing, wherein the reactor is provided on the mounting frame [¶ 0150-0154], the mounting frame comprises:
a frame body [330]; and
a first hole formed on the frame body [¶ 0151-0154; Fig. 11; apparent from inspection 330 comprises slots in 333 to receive the reactor 310]; and
the reactor comprises:
a reactor body [310]; and
a second hole formed at an end of the reactor body adjacent to the mounting frame [Fig. 11; apparent from inspection that 310 comprises through holes at the base], wherein the first hole corresponds to the second hole and a first fastener is fixed in the first hole and the second hole [¶ 0151-0154; while Seo does not explicitly describe a fastener between 310 and 330, it is considered commonsensical that the combination of Figure 11 (having obvious slots for fastening) and the prior arts disclosure of “seating” the reactor 310 onto bracket 330, would lead one of ordinary skill in the art to recognize that the reactor 310 may be fastened to the reactor bracket 330].
Regarding Claim 12, Seo teaches the window air conditioner according to claim 1, wherein the electrical assembly [200] is provided on a bottom portion of the housing [upon relative rotation of Figure 3 or 8 of the prior art, such that the front face 110 is rotated counter-clockwise about the first direction axis, under broadest reasonable interpretation, the electrical assembly 200 may be considered on a bottom portion of the housing], the electrical assembly is located on a side of the indoor heat exchanger in the second direction and is spaced from the indoor heat exchanger [Fig. 3; apparent from inspection 200 is on a side of the evaporator 140 in the second direction, such that it is spaced from it]; and
wherein the window air conditioner further comprises a connection plate [190], the connection plate is provided between the electrical assembly and the indoor heat exchanger and is respectively connected to the electrical assembly and the indoor heat exchanger [¶ 0081-0083, 0097-0100; 190 comprises part 150b, configured to connect the fixing bracket to the indoor body via air guide 150 (holding fan 160), thereby also connecting to evaporator 140 disposed within the indoor body], and the connection plate is configured to enhance a connection strength between the electrical assembly and the indoor heat exchanger in the second direction [¶ 0080-0083; 190 supports 200].
Regarding Claim 13, Seo teaches the window air conditioner according to claim 12 above and Seo teaches wherein the connection plate [190] comprises a plate body [Figs. 4 and 9], and the plate body comprises:
a first plate portion connected to the indoor heat exchanger [¶ 0081-0083, 0097-0100; 190 comprises part 150b, configured to connect the fixing bracket to the indoor body via air guide 150 (holding fan 160), thereby also connecting to evaporator 140 disposed within the indoor body;
a second plate portion [any generic portion of 190 between 135b and 250; see Fig. 4]; and
a third plate portion connected to the electrical assembly [¶ 0147-0149; fig. 9; the fixing bracket may be coupled to box bracket 250 supporting the control box 200]; and
wherein the first plate portion, the second plate portion, and the third plate portion are sequentially connected [Figs. 3-4; apparent from inspection], the second plate portion is provided between the first plate portion and the third plate portion, the third plate portion is located on a side of the first plate portion in the first direction and is spaced from the first plate portion in the first direction [Fig. 4; apparent from inspection that 190 runs at least in the first direction], and the third plate portion is closer to the electrical assembly than the first plate portion [Fig. 4; apparent from inspection that box bracket 250 is closer to the box 200 than the portion 150b of 190].
Regarding Claim 14, Seo teaches the window air conditioner according to claim 1 above and Seo teaches wherein
the fan assembly comprises:
a motor [180] configured to drive a first fan [160] and a second fan [133] to rotate [¶ 0089-0091];
the first fan provided at an end of the motor [Fig. 13; motor shaft 181 rotates at least fan 160 in the indoor portion], wherein the first fan is configured to introduce the indoor air into the housing through the indoor air inlet and blow the indoor air after heat exchange indoors [¶ 0098-0100; fan 160 provides airflow through the indoor portion]; and
the second fan provided at another end of the motor [Fig. 13; another end of motor shaft 181 rotates at least fan 133 in the outdoor portion], wherein the second fan is configured to introduce the outdoor air into the housing through the outdoor air inlet and blow the outdoor air after heat exchange outdoors [¶ 0063-0065; fan 133 provides airflow through the outdoor portion]; and
wherein the window air conditioner further comprises:
a first bracket [at least 185 and 121] provided in the housing and comprising:
a bracket body [185] [¶ 0093-0094; motor mount 185 is supported by and protrudes from base 121], wherein the motor is provided on the bracket body [¶ 0092-0094; Fig. 13]; and
an air guide portion [at least 135 or 150] connected to the bracket body [via 121] [¶ 0061-0062, 0110-0112; Fig. 3; shroud 135 and air guide 150 are part of the main body 120, wherein the main body is installed on base 121], the second fan being provided in the air guide portion [135], wherein the electrical assembly and the air guide portion are spaced apart in the first direction [Fig. 5; apparent from inspection that 200 is spaced from 135 in the first direction (left-right in Fig. 5)]; and
a second bracket [190] provided in the housing and located on a side of the motor in the second direction [Figs. 5 and 13; motor 180 is disposed at a side of 190 in the second direction], wherein the second bracket is connected between the electrical assembly and the air guide portion [¶ 0080-0083; Fig. 4; bracket 190 may be coupled to air guide 135 via coupling part 135b].
Regarding Claim 15, Seo teaches the window air conditioner according to claim 14 above and Seo teaches wherein
the second bracket comprises:
a supporting body [at least 190, 210 and 220; See Figs. 9-10];
a seventh hole formed at an end of the supporting body adjacent to the air guide portion [¶ 0081-0083; Fig. 4; portion 135b of 190 couples 190 to the shroud 135; and
an eighth hole [not labeled] formed at an end of the supporting body adjacent to the electrical assembly [¶ 0147-0149; Fig. 9; control box 200 comprises holes 252 configured to couple to bracket 190, necessitating that bracket 190 have holes for said coupling];
wherein the air guide portion has a nineth hole formed thereon [air guide portion of 135b], and the seventh hole corresponds to the nineth hole and a fourth fastener is fixed in the seventh hole and the nineth hole [¶ 0080-0083; shroud 135 couples to 190 via 135b]; and
wherein the electrical assembly further has a tenth hole formed thereon [at least 252], and the eighth hole corresponds to the tenth hole and a fifth fastener is fixed in the eighth hole and the tenth hole [¶ 0147-0149; fig. 9; coupling holes 252 fix to bracket 190].
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Regarding Claim 16, Seo teaches the window air conditioner according to claim 15 above and Seo further teaches comprising a first wire [not shown] connected between the electrical assembly and the motor [¶ 0137-0141; Seo discloses that wires pass through structure to commonsensically control components within the system], wherein the second bracket further comprises:
a wire passing portion [at least 214] provided on a side of the supporting body away from the electrical assembly and recessed toward a direction approaching the electrical assembly [Fig. 10; recesses 214 are formed in a wall portion of 210], the first wire being arranged extending through the wire passing portion [¶ 0145-0146];
a wire limiting portion [at least 228; See Annotated Fig. 10] provided on a side of the supporting body away from the motor [Fig. 10; supporting body is away from the motor], wherein the wire limiting portion comprises:
a first sub-wire limiting portion [either left or right rib of 228; see annotated Fig. 10] corresponding to an end of the wire passing portion in the first direction [¶ 0137-0146; 228 holes wires that run out of 214] and extending in a third direction, the third direction being perpendicular to the second direction and the first direction [Fig. 10; the ribs appear to protrude from 221 in three directions, therefore providing a third direction to either alternative second direction]; and
a second sub-wire limiting portion [the other rib of 228; see annotated Fig. 10], comprising: a first wire limiting section corresponding to another end of the wire passing portion in the first direction and extending in the third direction [Fig. 10; apparent from inspection that ribs 228 extend in the first, second, and third direction]; and
a second wire limiting section connected to an end of the first wire limiting section away from the wire passing portion and extending toward the first sub-wire limiting portion in the first direction; and
a wire limiting region [between ribs of 228; see annotated Fig. 10], formed by the first sub-wire limiting portion, the second sub-wire limiting portion and the supporting body [Fig. 10; apparent from inspection], wherein the wire limiting region is in communication with the wire passing portion, and the first wire extends through the wire limiting region and extends into the wire passing portion [¶ 0138-0146; ribs 228 contain a wire from the PCB, such that said wire may run out of 214].
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 103
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 (i.e., changing from AIA to pre-AIA ) 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.
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 5 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Seo as applied to claim 1 above, and further in view of Yutaka (JP 2004226014 A).
Regarding Claim 5, Seo teaches the window air conditioner according to claim 4 above and Seo teaches, wherein at least a part of the reactor corresponds to the second fan, at least a part of the electrical assembly corresponds to the second fan [¶ 0085-0087; 200 and 300 are disposed within the outdoor-side air passage 195], and the second fan comprises:
a fan body [133].
Seo does not explicitly teach a rotating ring provided around the fan body and connected to the fan body, wherein the rotating ring is configured to spray a part of condensed water in the housing to the reactor and the electrical assembly as the fan body rotates.
However, Yutaka teaches an air conditioner [Figs. 1-28] comprising at least an indoor side [8] and an outdoor side [7], including an indoor fan [19 and an outdoor fan [18] [¶ 0014-0019]. Yutaka teaches that the fan [18] may comprise of at least a splash ring portion [18c] such that drain water from the bottom of the housing may be scattered into the airflow [¶ 0035]. Yutaka teaches that producing mist-like drain water to be sprayed onto components inside the air conditioner is known to cool the components and therefore improve the heat exchange efficiency of the vessel (While this Yutaka teaches that the spray water is primarily used to provide additional cooling to the outdoor heat exchanger, one of ordinary skill in the art would recognize that utilizing a mist made of drain water may provide cooling whatever device receives said misted air flow [¶ 0035]). Yutaka further teaches that this ring provides the water to the ceiling of the chamber whereby the droplet’s average falling speed colliding with the relative speed of the fan blade provides a relatively reduced noise level [¶ 0051-0055]. One of ordinary skill in the art could have combined the rotating ring as claimed by known methods and that in combination, the rotating ring would perform the same function as it did separately, and one of ordinary skills would have recognized that the results of the combination were predictable i.e. providing a means to cool components and reduce the noise level of water droplets hitting the fan blade, thereby reducing noise and improving the system [¶ 0035, 0051-0055].
Therefore, it is a simple mechanical expedient that would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the invention to modify the assembly of Seo to have a rotating ring provided around the fan body and connected to the fan body, wherein the rotating ring is configured to spray a part of condensed water in the housing to the reactor and the electrical assembly as the fan body rotates, in view of the teachings of Yutaka where the elements could have been combined by known methods with no change in their respective function and the combination would have yielded predictable results i.e. providing a means to cool components and reduce the noise level of water droplets hitting the fan blade, thereby reducing noise and improving the system.
Claims 7-8 and 10 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Seo as applied to claim 1 above.
Regarding Claim 7, Seo teaches the window air conditioner according to claim 4 above and Seo further teaches comprising a liquid storage tank [gas/liquid separator 124] connected to the compressor and configured to store refrigerant and supply the refrigerant to the compressor [¶ 0069]. While Seo teaches wherein the liquid storage tank is between the first and second fan in the first direction [Fig. 5; apparent from inspection], Seo does not explicitly teach wherein the liquid storage tank is located between the compressor and the motor in the second direction.
However, the specific limitation not covered by the prior art may be considered to be an obvious design choice regarding a rearrangement of Parts [MPEP 2144.04 VI.C]. Specifically, the structure of the prior art anticipates claim 7 except for the precise location of the liquid storage tank. The function of the claimed storage tank is to be connected to the compressor to store refrigerant and supply refrigerant to the compressor. Seo similarly discloses that the gas/liquid separator 124 is disposed at a side of the compressor and is configured to separate the gas refrigerant from the refrigerant to be suctioned to the compressor and provide only the gaseous refrigerant to the compressor (commonsensically also storing said liquid refrigerant not provided to the compressor) [¶ 0066-0069]. Thus, the location of the liquid storage tank would not appear to modify the function of the liquid storage tank in any significant manner. In the prior art, the second direction is taken in the up-down direction or the front-back direction, therefore the claim limitation may only require a simple change in elevation to an arbitrary height to satisfy the limitations in the claim. The general compact structure of an apparatus relies not only on the location of a single component, but on the arrangement and relation of all surrounding components. Therefore, since providing a compact passage configuration for smooth airflow is one of the mains goals of Seo’s invention [¶ 0014], rearranging the location of a component would have been obvious at the time of design if one of ordinary skill in the art had reason to believe doing so would aid in arriving at a more compact structure, as the nature of a compact structure commonsensically relies not only on the location of a single component, but it’s arrangement to all surrounding components also being compact.
Therefore, it is a simple mechanical expedient that would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the invention to modify the assembly of Seo to rearrange the elevation of the liquid storage tank to an arbitrary height, relative to the compressor and the motor, if one of ordinary skill in the art had reason to believe that modifying the height of the liquid storage tank would improve the compact nature of the device without modifying the function of the liquid storage tank itself, encouraged by the desire to provide a compact passage configuration for smoothly generated air, thereby improving the system.
Regarding Claim 8, Seo, as modified, teaches the window air conditioner according to claim 7 above and Seo teaches wherein the liquid storage tank faces an end of the first fan adjacent to the electrical assembly and an end of the second fan adjacent to the electrical assembly [Fig. 5; apparent from inspection that the first and second fans are adjacent to the electrical assembly; also apparent from inspection that tank 124 is cylindrical, and may therefore be considered to be facing each fan as it faces 360 degrees around the device].
Regarding Claim 10, Seo teaches the window air conditioner according to claim 1 above and Seo teaches wherein the at least one outdoor air outlet [at least 109, also see 104; ¶ 0045-0047] comprises a plurality of outdoor air outlets [Seo teaches a plurality of additional heat dissipation holes 104 disposed on either side of the top of the case; ¶ 0045-0047].
Seo does not explicitly teach wherein the plurality of outdoor air outlets are respectively formed on two side walls of the housing in the second direction, some of the plurality of outdoor air outlets formed on one side wall of the housing in the second direction are in communication with the electrical assembly, and some of the plurality of outdoor air outlets formed on another side wall of the housing in the second direction are in communication with the reactor.
However, Seo’s system conversely teaches a structure comprising a plurality of outdoor air inlets [102] wherein the inlets are disposed on either side of the case in the second direction [Fig. 3; ¶ 0045-0047], such that both inlets provide air to the outdoor assembly for cooling components in said assembly [¶ 0078-0079]. This configuration of the prior art is significantly similar to the structure of the instant application depicted in Figure 2 of the drawings, wherein the plurality of inlets 103 are provided on either side of the case in the second direction, while the outlet 104 is disposed on an end of the case in the first direction. The claim limitations are drawn to the structure depicted in Figure 26 of the drawings, paragraphs 0051 and 00171 of the application specification relate the outdoor inlet/outlets as interchangeable between Figures 2 and 26. Thus, the difference in structure between the prior art and the claims may be considered an obvious matter of design choice regarding at least a reversal of parts [MPEP 2144.04 VI.A]. Specifically, the prior inlet/outlet configuration provides cooling to the control components 200 and 300 via and induced airflow from the respective inlets/outlet via the rotation/orientation of the outdoor fan [Seo ¶ 0078-0079, 0089-0091]. The claimed invention also provides the same function of airflow in the outdoor unit between the inlets and outlets to cool components within the outdoor unit. Commonsensically, a simple reversal of direction of the fan blades in the prior art would effectively swap the inlets and outlets and it would not modify the operation of the outdoor unit in any significant or non-predictable manner. When there are a finite number of identified, predictable solutions, i.e. provide the outdoor to fan face the left or to provide the outdoor fan to face the right, a person of ordinary skill has a good reason to pursue the known options within his or her technical grasp. If this leads to the anticipated success, i.e. the induced airflow provides cooling to the components of the outdoor unit, it is likely the product is not of innovation but of ordinary skill and common sense. In that instance, the fact that a combination was obvious to try might show it was obvious under 35 U.S.C. 103 (KSR Int' l Co. v. Teleflex Incl, 127 S. Ct. 1727, 1742, 82 USPQ2d 1385, 1396 (2007)).
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art, at the time of the effective filing date of the claimed invention, to modify Seo, by trying to reverse the flow direction of the fan, since choosing from a finite number of identified, predictable solutions, with a reasonable expectation of success, is within the abilities of one having ordinary skill, and in combination with the similarities regarding a reversal of parts. See MPEP 2143(I)(E).
Claims 17-18 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Seo as applied to claim 1 above and further in view of Das (US 4945982 A).
Regarding Claim 17, Seo teaches the window air conditioner according to claim 16 above but Seo does not explicitly teach wherein the bracket body comprises a first wire restriction portion, a part of the first wire extends through the first wire restriction portion, the first bracket further comprises a restricting member connected between the bracket body and the air guide portion, the restricting member comprises a second wire restriction portion, and another part of the first wire extends through the second wire restriction portion.
However, Das teaches a wire raceway [10] [Figs. 1-5; Col. 2, line 29 – Col. 4, line 14] wherein the raceway may be disposed within a motorized fan and control system [Fig. 1] comprising a control box [24], wires [26] from said control box running through the raceway such that the wires communicate to a motor [16] wherein the motor is configured to operate a fan [21], wherein the raceway is secured to the conical shaped orifice ring shroud [23]. Specifically, Das teaches the raceway having a portion [36] (first wire restriction portion) abutting against the motor, such that wires run therethrough, a main body [10] (restricting member) connected between the motor at an end [28] of the raceway and connected to the shroud [23] via at least notches [41], wherein the raceway comprises a second end [29] (second wire restriction portion) such that wires run therethrough from the control box. Das teaches that such a configuration to provide a pathway for wires from a control box to a fan motor reduces the expenses of assembly and reduces the possibility of pinching wires and causing shorts, thereby improving the system [Col. 1, 23-33]. One of ordinary skill in the art could have combined the wire restricting portions as claimed by known methods and that in combination, the wire restriction portions would perform the same function as it did separately, and one of ordinary skills would have recognized that the results of the combination were predictable i.e. to provide a pathway for wires from a control box to a fan motor with reduced expenses of assembly and reduced possibility of pinching wires and causing shorts, thereby improving the system [Col. 1, 23-33].
Therefore, it is a simple mechanical expedient that would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the invention to modify the assembly of Seo to have wherein the bracket body comprises a first wire restriction portion, a part of the first wire extends through the first wire restriction portion, the first bracket further comprises a restricting member connected between the bracket body and the air guide portion, the restricting member comprises a second wire restriction portion, and another part of the first wire extends through the second wire restriction portion, in view of the teachings of Das where the elements could have been combined by known methods with no change in their respective function and the combination would have yielded predictable results i.e. to provide a pathway for wires from a control box to a fan motor with reduced expenses of assembly and reduced possibility of pinching wires and causing shorts, thereby improving the system.
Regarding Claim 18, Seo, as modified, teaches the window air conditioner according to claim 17 above and Seo further teaches comprising a reactor wire connected between the electrical assembly and the reactor [¶ 0016; reactor assembly is part of the control components with the control box and commonsensically comprises a wire to communicate], wherein the bracket body comprises a reactor wire restriction portion, a part of the reactor wire extends through the reactor wire restriction portion, and another part of the reactor wire extends through the second wire restriction portion [While Seo does not explicitly disclose a reactor wire restriction portion of the bracket body, it may be considered an obvious design choice regarding duplication of parts [MPEP 2144.04 VI.B] in view of Das, wherein Das has already disclosed the benefit of providing a wire raceway (or wire restriction portion) reducing assembly costs and likelihood of shorts [Das Col. 1, 23-33]. Therefore, when considering the joint nature of the electrical box and the reactor disclosed in Seo (both being control components), one of ordinary skill in the art would likely realize that the wire raceway disclosed in Das may be duplicated provide a similar connection between the electrical box and the reactor because it would likely provide the same benefits (i.e. reduced expenses of assembly and reduced possibility of shorted wires), therefore arriving at the claimed invention. One of ordinary skill in the art could have combined the reactor wire restriction portion as claimed by known methods and that in combination, the reactor wire restriction portion would perform the same function as it did separately (for the connection between the control box and the motor), and one of ordinary skills would have recognized that the results of the combination were predictable i.e. to provide a pathway for wires from a control box to accompanying control components with reduced expenses of assembly and reduced possibility of pinching wires and causing shorts, thereby improving the system [Col. 1, 23-33].
Therefore, it is a simple mechanical expedient that would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the invention to modify the assembly of Seo to have wherein the bracket body comprises a reactor wire restriction portion, a part of the reactor wire extends through the reactor wire restriction portion, and another part of the reactor wire extends through the second wire restriction portion, in view of the teachings of Das, where applying a known technique to a known device (i.e. providing adequate wire accommodation) with no change in their respective function would improve the known device in a similar manner and the combination would have yielded predictable results i.e. to provide a pathway for wires from a control box to accompanying control components with reduced expenses of assembly and reduced possibility of pinching wires and causing shorts, thereby improving the system.
Claims 19-20 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Seo as applied to claim 1 above and further in view of Luo et al. (US 20210010691 A1, hereinafter “Luo”).
Regarding Claim 19, Seo teaches the window air conditioner according to claim 1, wherein the electrical assembly further comprises:
a case [at least 210, 220];
a cover [24] provided on the case and detachably connected to the case [¶ 0131];
While Seo generally discloses that the cover 240 may be coupled to the upper portion of box 210 [¶ 0145], Seo does not explicitly teach at least one first connecting portion connected to the case; at least one second connecting portion connected to the case, wherein the at least one first connecting portion and the at least one second connecting portion are respectively provided on two sides of the case in the first direction; at least one third connecting portion connected to the cover; and at least one fourth connecting portion connected to the cover, wherein the at least one third connecting portion and the at least one fourth connecting portion are respectively provided on two sides of the cover in the first direction, the at least one first connecting portion is connected to the at least one third connecting portion, and the at least one second connecting portion is connected to the at least one fourth connecting portion.
However, Luo teaches an air conditioner [Figs. 1-20; ¶ 0109-0112] comprising an electric control box [30] disposed within said air conditioner [100], wherein the control boxes is formed by a box body [34] and a box cover [35] [¶ 0055; Fig. 10]. Luo further teaches a configuration wherein the body may comprise a first connection portion [113, 114, 115] protruding upwards to be received by a corresponding insertion projection [123] (third connecting portion) of cover [35] [¶ 0113-0119]. Luo further teaches wherein the opposite side of said connection portion comprises a snap protrusion [111] on the body side (second connecting portion) to be coupled with another snap protrusion [121] on the cover side (fourth connecting portion) [¶ 0108]. Luo teaches that configurations providing better seals of the electrical box reduce the amount of moisture that enters the interior of the box, thereby improving the reliability and stability of the control box, thus improving the invention [¶ 0086].
Therefore, it is a simple mechanical expedient that would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the invention to modify the assembly of Seo to have at least one first connecting portion connected to the case; at least one second connecting portion connected to the case, wherein the at least one first connecting portion and the at least one second connecting portion are respectively provided on two sides of the case in the first direction; at least one third connecting portion connected to the cover; and at least one fourth connecting portion connected to the cover, wherein the at least one third connecting portion and the at least one fourth connecting portion are respectively provided on two sides of the cover in the first direction, the at least one first connecting portion is connected to the at least one third connecting portion, and the at least one second connecting portion is connected to the at least one fourth connecting portion, in view of the teachings of Luo, where the elements could have been combined by known methods with no change in their respective function and the combination would have yielded predictable results i.e. providing better seals of the electrical box reduce the amount of moisture that enters the interior of the box, thereby improving the reliability and stability of the control box, thus improving the invention.
Regarding Claim 20, Seo teaches the window air conditioner according to claim 19 above and Luo teaches wherein the at least one first connecting portion comprises a plurality of first connecting portions, the at least one third connecting portion comprises a plurality of third connecting portions, the plurality of first connecting portions are spaced apart in a third direction, the plurality of third connecting portions are spaced apart in the third direction, the plurality of first connecting portions respectively correspond to the plurality of third connecting portions, and the third direction is perpendicular to the first direction and the second direction [Luo discloses that the portions 123 and 113/114/115 extend along a direction of the box, such that the cover is secured at more than a single point [¶ 0114-0116]. Therefore the limitations requiring a plurality of separate connections may be considered an obvious matter of design choice regarding making a separation of components [MPEP 2144.04 V.C]. Specifically, because Luo discloses a length of first and third connection portions, and not just single connection points, the first and third connection portions of Luo may be considered to be a plurality of connections, as simply providing an arbitrary gap in the elongated connection portion would satisfy the claim limitation as have a plurality of said connection portions. Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill to separate the single continuous connection portion into a plurality of connection portions, if one had a reason to do so at the time of design believing to likely still arrive at the expected result (i.e. improved moisture sealing of the electrical box)]; and
wherein the at least one second connecting portion comprises a plurality of second connecting portions, the at least one fourth connecting portion comprises a plurality of fourth connecting portions, the plurality of second connecting portions are spaced apart in the third direction, the plurality of fourth connecting portions are spaced apart in the third direction, and the plurality of second connecting portions respectively correspond to the plurality of fourth connecting portions [Luo discloses that the whole outer edge of the second sheet metal part 352 (of the cover) may be provided with the first flange 122, while the whole outer edge of the first sheet metal part 342 (of the box) may be provided with the second flange 112 [¶ 0107-0110]. Therefore the limitations requiring a plurality of separate connections may be considered an obvious matter of design choice regarding making a separation of components [MPEP 2144.04 V.C]. Specifically, because Luo discloses a length of second and fourth connection portions, and not just single connection points, the second and fourth connection portions of Luo may be considered to be a plurality of connections, as simply providing an arbitrary gap in the elongated connection portion would satisfy the claim limitation as have a plurality of said connection portions. Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill to separate the single continuous connection portion into a plurality of connection portions, if one had a reason to do so at the time of design believing to likely still arrive at the expected result (i.e. improved moisture sealing of the electrical box].
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure.
(CN 213300296 U) discloses a bracket similar to that of the disclosed invention.
(CN 216293828 U) discloses a plurality of wiring harnesses providing separate wire containment configurations to a motor and/or a reactor from an electrical control box
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/KEITH STANLEY MYERS/Examiner, Art Unit 3763
/JERRY-DARYL FLETCHER/Supervisory Patent Examiner, Art Unit 3763
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