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 § 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 1-6 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 1, the claim recites “…refrigerant flowing out of the radiator closer to a target subcooling degree” and “the refrigerant flowing out of the evaporator closer to a target superheat degree” which renders the claim indefinite as the term “closer” is a relative term. The term “closer” in claim 1 is a relative term which renders the claim indefinite. The term “closer” is not defined by the claim, the specification does not provide a standard for ascertaining the requisite degree, and one of ordinary skill in the art would not be reasonably apprised of the scope of the invention. Clarification is requested. Claim 7 is rejected on the same basis noted above.
Claims 2-6 are rejected based on their dependency to claim 1.
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 1-7 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.
The following is a statement of reasons for the indication of allowable subject matter:
The closest prior art of record is Inagaki (US 2022/0136747) in view of Hikawa (US 2021/0341170).
The prior art of record when considered as a whole, either alone or in combination, does not anticipate or render obvious:
A refrigeration cycle device comprising:
a compressor configured to suck, compress and discharge a refrigerant;
a radiator configured to dissipate heat from the refrigerant that is discharged from the compressor;
an expansion valve configured to decompress and expand the refrigerant flowing from the radiator;
an evaporator configured to evaporate the refrigerant which has been decompressed and expanded by the expansion valve;
an accumulator configured to separate the refrigerant evaporated in the evaporator into gas and liquid; and
a controller configured to control an opening degree of the expansion valve, wherein
the controller includes at least one of a circuit and a processor having a memory, and is configured to:
determine an increase/decrease amount of the opening degree of the expansion valve, to a first amount, when a superheat degree of the refrigerant flowing out from the evaporator is equal to or lower than a predetermined superheat degree,
determine the increase/decrease amount of the opening degree of the expansion valve, to a second amount that is set to more suppress an increase of the superheat degree of the refrigerant flowing out from the evaporator, than that of the first amount, when the superheat degree of the refrigerant flowing out from the evaporator is higher than the predetermined superheat degree,
determine the first amount to cause a subcooling degree of the refrigerant flowing out from the radiator closer to a target subcooling degree, and
determine the second amount to cause the superheat degree of the refrigerant flowing out from the evaporator closer to a target superheat degree.
Ingaki in view of Hikawa teaches an analogous refrigeration cycle to the claimed invention, with Ingaki teaching the base structure required of the claim while Hikawa teaches superheat control with regard to suppressing the increase in superheat by controlling the opening of the expansion valve (HIkawa, paragraph [0122]). However, the combination fails to teach:
determine an increase/decrease amount of the opening degree of the expansion valve, to a first amount, when a superheat degree of the refrigerant flowing out from the evaporator is equal to or lower than a predetermined superheat degree,
determine the increase/decrease amount of the opening degree of the expansion valve, to a second amount that is set to more suppress an increase of the superheat degree of the refrigerant flowing out from the evaporator, than that of the first amount, when the superheat degree of the refrigerant flowing out from the evaporator is higher than the predetermined superheat degree,
determine the first amount to cause a subcooling degree of the refrigerant flowing out from the radiator closer to a target subcooling degree, and
determine the second amount to cause the superheat degree of the refrigerant flowing out from the evaporator closer to a target superheat degree.
In the Examiner’s opinion, it would not be obvious to further modify the prior art structures to arrive at the claimed invention, absent impermissible hindsight. Therefore, rendering independent claim 1 and 7, with dependent claims therefrom are considered allowable.
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to NAEL N BABAA whose telephone number is (571)270-3272. The examiner can normally be reached M-F, 9-5 EST.
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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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/NAEL N BABAA/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3763
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