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 § 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.
Claim(s) 1, 3-4, 7-9, 11 and 13 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Kim (KR 101934360) (cited by applicant) in view of Montgomery et al. (US 10787203) (Montgomery).
Kim discloses a reservoir tank (coolant reservoir tank, title) comprising: a tank body in which coolant is accommodated in a hollow inner space (any and all or the compartments 100, 200, 300, 400, see Fig. 4); and a coolant injection port (top inlet port 650, see Fig. 5) formed so that the coolant is injected into the inner space of the tank body, the inner space of the tank body is partitioned into a plurality of spaces (compartments 100, 200, 300, 400), and at least one space (compartment 100, see Fig. 3-7) is formed not to communicate with other spaces inside the tank body. Note that spaces 200, 300, 400 all communicate through holes 500, the plurality of spaces of Kim includes a first space, a second space, and a third space that are partitioned from each other, the first space (200) and the second space (300 or 400) communicate with each other (communication is through coolant inlet hole 500, see Fig. 3 and 5-8), and the third space (100) is formed as a space separated from and independently of the first space (200) and the second space (300 or 400).
Kim discloses the spaces 100, 200, 300, 400 in side-by-side configuration and none of the spaces is placed under or beneath another space. Kim fails to disclose that a maximum height of the third space is formed to be lower than a preset minimum water level in the first space and the second space. Montgomery teaches a hybrid energy storage device for a hybrid vehicle with a plastic enclosure 66 having a first compartment (first sealed chamber 68) for fuel and a second compartment (second sealed chamber 70) for a battery array, chamber 70 is formed beneath chamber 68 such that a maximum height of the chamber 70 is formed lower than a preset minimum level in the chamber 68. Insofar as the preset minimum level in the chamber 68 can be set at the level shown in Fig. 2, as the requirement of a preset minimum level may be that a predetermined amount of fuel corresponds to a predetermined range of travel for the vehicle.
It would have been obvious to a person having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the present invention to modify the position of the third space (and second unit body) to be beneath the first and second spaces and below the first unit body such that a maximum height of the third space is formed to be lower than a preset minimum water level in the first space and the second space (and first unit body) to provide adequate volume for all the coolant while allowing the plan view profile of the container to be decreased in the interest of freeing engine compartment space for other components or to provide more room for access to the engine or related components.
Re claim 3, the tank body is formed as one tank body, and the first space, the second space, and the third space are partitioned by a partition wall (all partition walls (PW), 110, 410, 310) provided in the inner space of the one tank body.
Re claim 4, when a partition wall (portion of PW 410 between first and second space) between the first space and the second space is referred to as a first partition wall (portion or PW 410) and a partition wall (PW 110) partitioning the third space is referred to as a second partition wall (PW 110),the first partition wall (portion of PW 410) is formed in a structure of a penetrated upper portion (see coolant inlet hole 500 as shown in top of Fig. 7, hole 500 penetrates through PW 410) so that the first space and the second space communicate with each other through the penetrated upper portion of the first partition wall, and an upper portion of the second partition wall (PW 110) is closed so that the third space is separated from the first space and the second space. There are two coolant inlet holes 500, they are both visible in Fig. 3, 5 and 6, one hole situated to allow communication between spaces 200 and 300 and the other to allow communication between spaces 200 and 400. The presence of the hole is shown by a darkly shaded area. Only the one inlet hole 500 allowing communication between spaces 200 and 400 is labeled.
Re claim 7, the tank body includes a first unit tank body (200, 300, 400) and a second unit tank body (100) that are formed by separating the inner space thereof, the first space (200) and the second space (300 or 400) are formed in an inner space of the first unit tank body, and the third space (100) is formed in an inner space of the second unit tank body.
Re claim 8, the partition wall (portion of PW 410 between first and second space) between the first space (200) and the second space (300 or 400) is formed in a structure of a penetrated upper portion (see Fig. 7, hole 500 penetrates through PW 410) so that the first space (200) and the second space (300 or 400) communicate with each other through the penetrated upper portion of the corresponding partition wall.
Re claim 11, each of the first space to the third space has a coolant inlet through which coolant is introduced and a coolant outlet through which the coolant is discharged. The spaces may be configured as follows: first space (200 and 300), second space (400) and third space (100); first space (200 and 300) allowing coolant inlet and outlet by ports 650, 350, 380; second space (400) allowing coolant inlet and outlet by ports 450, 480; and third space (100) allowing coolant inlet and outlet by ports 650, 150, 180 [see Fig. 3, 5 and 6].
Re claim 13, the three spaces each accommodates coolant and the intended use of the tank accommodates a configuration wherein coolant flowing through a power electronics (PE) cooling line is accommodated in the first space, coolant flowing through a battery cooling line is accommodated in the second space, and coolant flowing through a radiator circulation line is accommodated in the third space.
Claim(s) 6 and 10 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Kim in view of Montgomery as applied to claims 4 and 8 above, and further in view of Mark et al. (US 2019/0170053) (Mark).
Kim discloses the coolant injection port 650 is formed as one coolant injection port, and the one coolant injection port 650 is disposed on the upper portion of the tank body (and the first unit tank body as it is positioned at least partially over space 200) and a vertical upper portion of a partition wall (second partition wall 110 not first partition wall 410). Kim fails to disclose that the injection port is disposed on a vertical upper portion of the first partition wall (410). Mark teaches (1) that the injection port (fill port 120) may be placed over a partition wall that allows fluid to flow through the partition wall (dividing wall 148 with channeling wall 166 and opening 162 and see fill process discussed in paragraph [49]) and (2) that a fill port 222 may be either directly over a fluid-separating rib 210 or offset therefrom as stated in the last 4 lines of paragraph [58]. It would have been obvious to a person having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the present invention to modify the position of the coolant injection port to be over or on a vertical upper portion of the first partition wall (between the first space and the second space) to allow for a more efficient filling of the spaces on either side of the partition wall, even when a penetrated portion of a partition wall allows fluid to flow through the partition wall.
Claim(s) 12 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Kim in view of Montgomery as applied to claim 11 above, and further in view of Lee et al. (KR 10-2021-0058462) (Lee) (cited by applicant).
Kim fails to disclose the valve. Lee teaches valve (control valve 800) coupled to one side of a reservoir tank (600) (see Fig. 1 wherein two outlet ports are fed into valve 800 and paragraph [60]). It would have been obvious to a person having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the present invention to add a control valve as taught by Lee to regulate the flow from outlet ports. It would have been obvious to a person having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the present invention to duplicate the two outlet ports to more than two outlet ports and modify the valve to control more than two outlet ports as such duplication is well within the purview of a person having ordinary skill. The result is coolant outlets from the first, second and third spaces each being directly connected to one valve.
Response to Arguments
Applicant’s arguments with respect to the rejections have been fully considered and are persuasive. Therefore, the rejection has been withdrawn. However, upon further consideration, a new ground(s) of rejection is made in view of Montgomery.
Conclusion
Applicant's amendment necessitated the new ground(s) of rejection presented in this Office action. Accordingly, THIS ACTION IS MADE FINAL. See MPEP § 706.07(a). Applicant is reminded of the extension of time policy as set forth in 37 CFR 1.136(a).
A shortened statutory period for reply to this final action is set to expire THREE MONTHS from the mailing date of this action. In the event a first reply is filed within TWO MONTHS of the mailing date of this final action and the advisory action is not mailed until after the end of the THREE-MONTH shortened statutory period, then the shortened statutory period will expire on the date the advisory action is mailed, and any nonprovisional extension fee (37 CFR 1.17(a)) pursuant to 37 CFR 1.136(a) will be calculated from the mailing date of the advisory action. In no event, however, will the statutory period for reply expire later than SIX MONTHS from the mailing date of this final action.
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sjc/STEPHEN J CASTELLANO/ Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3733
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