DETAILED ACTION
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 1-20 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.
Each of the independent claims states that the evaporator warms the ambient air. This is in direct contradiction with the standard usage of an evaporator which specifically operates by removing heat from the non-refrigerant fluid (in this case air) passing through it. Nothing in the disclosure appears to physically enable such contrary operation as the relevant refrigerant circuitry is all standard. Correction is required.
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) 1-6, 8-9 and 14-20 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Mancini (US 2019/0070924).
Regarding claim 1, Mancini teaches a thermal management system for a motor vehicle with a vehicle body and passenger cabin (Fig. 1), comprising: a coolant reservoir configured to attach to the vehicle body and stow coolant fluid (as with the unillustrated “reservoir” in the applicant’s disclosure, the excess coolant stored in the tubes of the system, particularly portions which may be disconnected from use by valves, is treated as ‘stored’ in a ‘reservoir’); a coolant circuit fluidly coupled to the coolant reservoir and configured to attach to the vehicle body and circulate the coolant fluid (i.e. the circuit on which 214 compressor is located) having a high pressure (compressor and condenser sections) and low pressure (expansion valve, evaporator 218, and chiller 220 sections) circuit section; a cabin heating condenser (216) fluidly coupled to the HP circuit section (Fig. 3); an evaporator (218) fluidly coupled to the LP (Fig. 3); and an air passage (see 306, 222) fluidly connected to the evaporator and CHC configured to receive ambient air from outside the motor vehicle (as controlled by 1004), pass the ambient across the evaporator to thereby generate cooled ambient air and transmit the cooled ambient air into the CHC to thereby heat the vehicle passenger cabin (e.g. Fig. 5).
Regarding claim 1, Mancini teaches a thermal management system for a motor vehicle with a vehicle body (Fig. 1), road wheels (Fig. 1) and passenger cabin (Abstract) with a prime mover attached to the vehicle body (120) and operable to drive the wheels (via 140) and thereby propel the motor vehicle; an active thermal management system attached to the vehicle body and operable to regulate a cabin temperature of the passenger cabin (Abstract), including: a coolant reservoir configured to attach to the vehicle body and stow coolant fluid (as with the unillustrated “reservoir” in the applicant’s disclosure, the excess coolant stored in the tubes of the system, particularly portions which may be disconnected from use by valves, is treated as ‘stored’ in a ‘reservoir’); a coolant circuit fluidly coupled to the coolant reservoir and configured to attach to the vehicle body and circulate the coolant fluid (i.e. the circuit on which 214 compressor is located) having a high pressure (compressor and condenser sections) and low pressure (expansion valve, evaporator 218, and chiller 220 sections) circuit section; a cabin heating condenser (216) fluidly coupled to the HP circuit section (Fig. 3); an evaporator (218) fluidly coupled to the LP (Fig. 3); and a module housing with an air passage (see 306, 222) fluidly connected to the evaporator and CHC configured to receive ambient air from outside the motor vehicle (as controlled by 1004), pass the ambient across the evaporator to thereby generate cooled ambient air and transmit the cooled ambient air into the CHC to thereby heat the vehicle passenger cabin (e.g. Fig. 5); a first fluid valve fluidly coupled to the HP circuit upstream from the CHC and selectively fluidly connecting the evaporator to the CHC (320), a second fluid valve fluidly coupled to the LP section upstream from the evaporator and selectively fluidly connecting the CHC to the evaporator (314); and a system controller (see Fig. 30) programmed to concurrently open the first and second valves (e.g. Fig. 5).
Regarding claim 15, Mancini teaches a method of assembling a thermal management system for a motor vehicle with a vehicle body and passenger cabin (Fig. 1), comprising the steps of attaching the following components to the vehicle body: a coolant reservoir configured to attach to the vehicle body and stow coolant fluid (as with the unillustrated “reservoir” in the applicant’s disclosure, the excess coolant stored in the tubes of the system, particularly portions which may be disconnected from use by valves, is treated as ‘stored’ in a ‘reservoir’); a coolant circuit fluidly coupled to the coolant reservoir and configured to attach to the vehicle body and circulate the coolant fluid (i.e. the circuit on which 214 compressor is located) having a high pressure (compressor and condenser sections) and low pressure (expansion valve, evaporator 218, and chiller 220 sections) circuit section; a cabin heating condenser (216) fluidly coupled to the HP circuit section (Fig. 3); an evaporator (218) fluidly coupled to the LP (Fig. 3); and an air passage (see 306, 222) fluidly connected to the evaporator and CHC configured to receive ambient air from outside the motor vehicle (as controlled by 1004), pass the ambient across the evaporator to thereby generate cooled ambient air and transmit the cooled ambient air into the CHC to thereby heat the vehicle passenger cabin (e.g. Fig. 5).
Mancini further teaches: a first fluid valve (320) coupled to the HP section upstream from the CHC to selectively connect the evaporator to the CHC (Fig. 3), a second fluid valve (314) upstream from the evaporator to selectively couple the evaporator and the CHC; and a system controller (see Fig. 30) programmed to concurrently open both valves (e.g. Fig. 5) to pass coolant through the first valve, CHC, second valve, and evaporator during cabin heating (Fig. 5), per claims 2 and 16; the first valve is an electronic refrigerant flow valve (see Para. [0074]) between an evaporator outlet and the CHC inlet (see Fig. 3) and the second valve is also an electronic refrigerant flow valve (see Para. [0074]) between an evaporator inlet and CHC outlet (see Fig. 3), per claim 3; a fluid chiller (220) coupled to a first LP branch circuit to extract thermal energy from the coolant fluid (Fig. 3) with the evaporator coupled to a second LP branch connected in parallel to the first (fig. 3; they branch off from each other upstream of valves 314 and 316), per claims 4 and 17; a third valve on the LP section upstream from the chiller (316) selectively fluidly connecting the CHC to the chiller (Fig. 3) with the third valve configured to concurrently open the third fluid valve with the first and second valves so that coolant passes through the first valve, CHC, second and third valves, and the evaporator and fluid chiller (e.g. Fig. 5) during heating of the passenger cabin, per claims 5 and 18; an electric (Para. [0065]; “compressor drive circuit”) compressor (214) coupled to the coolant circuit between the evaporator and CHC (Fig. 3) configured to increase temperature and pressure of the coolant fluid (inherent in a compressor), per claims 6 and 19; an external condenser (335) fluidly coupled to a first HP branch (Fig. 3) to expel thermal energy into the ambient, wherein the CHC is coupled to a second HP branch in parallel to the first (Fig. 3), per claims 8 and 20; a fifth fluid valve (326) coupled to the HP section upstream from the external condenser selectively connecting the condenser to the evaporator (Fig. 3) wherein the controller (see Fig. 30) closes the fifth fluid valve concurrent with the opening of the first and second valves (e.g. Fig. 5) such that coolant does not pass through the external condenser during the heating of the vehicle passenger cabin, per claim 9.
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.
Claim(s) 10 and 7 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Mancini in view of Horn (US 7,240,725).
Regarding claim 10, Mancini does not teach the use of a receiver dryer.
Horn teaches that such systems with HP (16, 20) and LP (46, 30, 48, 32) sections may include a receiver dryer (22) downstream of the condenser (20) to remove moisture from the coolant.
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill to provide the device of Mancini with a receiver dryer, as taught by Horn, to prevent accumulation of water in the refrigerant.
Regarding claim 7, Mancini does not teach the check valve.
Horn teaches that it is old and well-known to provide a check valve immediately downstream of an evaporator (32, 38).
It would have been obvious to provide the device of Mancini with the check valve of Horn to prevent backflow.
Claim(s) 12-13 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Mancini in view of Ohta (US 2004/0123624).
Regarding claims 12-13, Mancini does not teach an internal heat exchanger between and thermally coupling the LP and HP sections.
Ohta teaches that it is old and well-known to provide an internal heat exchanger (80) between and thermally coupling the HP (left side of 80) and LP (right side of 80) sections; additionally, Ohta teaches the use of an accumulator (60) fluidly coupled to the LP circuit section (see Fig. 5) interposed between the evaporator (31, 32) and the IHX to selectively store therein a portion of the coolant fluid and thereby reduce a fluid pressure in the LP circuit section of the coolant circuit.
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill to provide the circuit of Mancini with the IHX and accumulator of Ohta in order to increase the efficiency of the device (via the additionally cooling of the high pressure coolant at 80) and to ensure no liquid is provide to the compressor (due to the accumulator).
Claim(s) 11 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Mancini in view of Horn and Liu (US 2024/0017585).
Mancini, as modified, does not teach check valves downstream of the condensers.
Liu teaches it is old and well-known to provide check valves downstream of condensers (801, 802; Fig. 2).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill to provide the device of Mancini, as modified, with the check valves of Liu, in order to prevent unwanted backflow.
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to Devon Lane whose telephone number is (571)270-1858. The examiner can normally be reached M-Th, 9-4.
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If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Jerry-Daryl Fletcher can be reached at 571.270.5054. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/DEVON LANE/ Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3763
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