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 .
Status of Claims
This action is in reply to the HEAT ECHANGE MODULE filed on March 20, 2025.
Claims 1-8 are currently pending and have been examined.
Priority
Receipt is acknowledged of certified copies of papers required by 37 CFR 1.55.
Information Disclosure Statement
The information disclosure statements (IDS) submitted are in compliance with the provisions of 37 CFR 1.97. Accordingly, the information disclosure statements are being considered by the examiner.
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.
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(s) 1-8 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Fernades et al. (US 2019/0339028 A1), and thereinafter Fernades et al., in view of Stephens (US 2020/0132380 A1), and thereinafter Stephens.
In regard to claim 1, Fernades et al. discloses a heat exchange module (Figure 8) comprising:
a base member (Figure 9:14a having a flattened tubular shape (Figure 9:16, 18; [58]); and a heat exchanger branched from the base member (Figure 8:80; [83]);
the base member includes a flow passage (Figure 10) connecting a first end of the base member (Figure 9, open end on right side of 16) and a second end opposite to the first end (Figure 9, open end on left side of 18);
the flow passage extends in a flow direction (as shown in Figure 10 the flow is between the ends), and a direction orthogonal to the flow direction is a longitudinal direction (Figure 9, extending from element 20 towards element 79).
However, Fernades et al. does not teach multiple support posts arranged in the flow passage, a first support post, a second support post, the first support post and the second support post being separated from each other in the longitudinal direction, the first support post being separated from the second end, nor the second support post being separated from the first end.
Stephens, in the same field of endeavor, teaches multiple support posts (Figure 2:46; [0018-0021]) arranged in a flow passage (Figure 2:32; [0017]) having a first end (Figure 2, the left most vertical side of element 32) and a second end (Figure 2, the right most vertical side of element 32);
a first support post (Figure 2:46, the topmost left element 46) and a second support post (Figure 2:46, the topmost right element 46);
the first support post and the second support post being separated from each other in the longitudinal direction (See Figure 2:46, the longitudinal direction extending from element 20 towards element 14), the first support post being separated from the second end (See Figure 2:46), and the second support post being separated from the first end (See Figure 2:46).
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art, before the effective filing date of the claimed invention, to have modified the heat exchange module of Fernades et al. with the support posts of Stephens with a reasonable expectation of success. One of ordinary skill in the art would have been motivated to make this modification for the benefit of facilitating the mixing of a fluid as it flows through the flow passage (Stephens: [0020]).
In regard to claim 2, the combination of Fernades et al. and Stephens discloses all pervious claim limitations. Fernades at al., as modified by Stephens, further discloses wherein the first support post includes a portion located closer to the first end than the second support post is in the flow direction (Stephens Figure 2:46, left most portion of first support post 46; flow direction, see Stephens Figure 2), and the second support post includes a portion located closer to the second end than the first support post is in the flow direction (Stephens Figure 2:46, right most portion of second support post 46).
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art, before the effective filing date of the claimed invention, to make the modification utilizing the same motivation as in claim 1.
In regard to claim 3, the combination of Fernades et al. and Stephens discloses all pervious claim limitations. Fernades et al, as modified by Stephens, further discloses wherein: the base member includes a first side surface extending along a plane defined by the flow direction and the longitudinal direction (Fernades et al.; Figure 10, visible portion of base member 14a), and a second side surface opposing the first side surface (Fernades et al.; Figure 9, opposing side of first side surface); and each of the support posts connects the first side surface and the second side surface (Stephens [0018]).
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art, before the effective filing date of the claimed invention, to make the modification utilizing the same motivation as in claim 1.
In regard to claim 4, the combination of Fernades et al. and Stephens discloses all pervious claim limitations. Fernades et al., as modified by Stephens, further discloses wherein the base member includes a side surface extending along a plane defined by the flow direction and the longitudinal direction (Figure 10, visible portion of base member 14a), and the side surface includes a connecting portion to which the heat exchanger is connected (Figure 8).
In regard to claim 5, the combination of Fernades et al. and Stephens discloses all pervious claim limitations. Fernades et al., as modified by Stephens, further discloses wherein the flow direction is a direction in which a heat medium flows (Fernades et al., [89]), and each of the support posts is a rib extending in the flow direction (Stephens Figure 2:46). A rib is reasonably interpreted broadly as any shape extending in the flow direction, therefore, the support posts of Stephens reads as a rib.
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art, before the effective filing date of the claimed invention, to make the modification utilizing the same motivation as in claim 1.
In regard to claim 6, the combination of Fernades et al. and Stephens discloses all pervious claim limitations. Fernades et al., as modified by Stephens, further discloses wherein the first support post includes a third end in the flow direction (Stephens Figure 2:46, left side of first support post 46) and a fourth end opposite to the third end (Stephens Figure 2:46, right side of first support post 46), the second support post includes a fifth end in the flow direction (Stephens Figure 2:46, left side of second support post 46) and a sixth end opposite to the fifth end (Stephens Figure 2:46, right side of second support post 46), the third end of the first support post is closer to the first end of the base member than the fourth end is in the flow direction (See Stephens Figure 2), the sixth end of the second support post is closer to the second end of the base member than the fifth end is in the flow direction (See Stephens Figure 2), and the fourth end of the first support post and the fifth end of the second support post are located at the same position in the flow direction (See Stephens Figure 2, fourth and fifth ends both positioned inward).
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art, before the effective filing date of the claimed invention, to make the modification utilizing the same motivation as in claim 1.
In regard to claim 7, the combination of Fernades et al. and Stephens discloses all pervious claim limitations. Fernandes et al., as modified by Stephens, further discloses wherein the first support post is one of multiple first support posts (Stephens Figure 2:46, left column of 46), and the second support post is located between two of the first support posts in the longitudinal direction (See Stephens Figure 2).
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art, before the effective filing date of the claimed invention, to make the modification utilizing the same motivation as in claim 1.
In regard to claim 8, the combination of Fernades et al. and Stephens discloses all pervious claim limitations. Fernandes et al., as modified by Stephens, further discloses wherein the second support post is one of multiple second support posts (Stephens Figure 2:46, right column of 26), and the first support post is located between two of the second support posts in the longitudinal direction (See Stephens Figure 2).
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art, before the effective filing date of the claimed invention, to make the modification utilizing the same motivation as in claim 1.
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure. Schwalm et al. (US 2017/0211896 A1) teaches heat exchangers with a center manifold, JPH0914885 (A) teaches a heat exchanger header with support posts.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to AIDAN J KIM whose telephone number is (571)272-1097. The examiner can normally be reached 7:30 - 5:30.
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/AIDAN J KIM/ Examiner, Art Unit 3763 /JOEL M ATTEY/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3763
