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 .
Information Disclosure Statement
The information disclosure statement (IDS) submitted on 7/13/2025 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.
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, 2, 18 and 19 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Haasis, Jr. (US4338794).
Regarding Claims 1 and 18, Hassis teaches a system for capturing and transporting heat from equipment [fig 1] comprising:
a heat exchanger [at least coils 60, 62, 64, 66 at device 38] configured to be positioned in or adjacent a housing of an icemaker [col 3, line 56-col 4, line 4; figs 1-3];
a reservoir [at least metal pipe 82 at device 38] configured to receive water from the ice maker which water is excess water which was directed at a cooling plate for making ice in the ice maker [col 3, line 56-col 4, line 4; figs 1-3];
the heat exchanger configured to receive the water to cool the heat exchanger and the heat exchanger cools a second fluid which passes the heat exchanger, wherein the second fluid is fluid which enters the housing of the ice maker [col 3, line 56-col 4, line 4; figs 1-3; where the heat exchanger receives water for ice making].
For clarity, in regard to Claim 18, the method as claimed is carried out during the normal operation of the apparatus of Haasis.
Regarding Claims 2 and 19, Haasis teaches the invention of claim 1 above and Haasis teaches wherein the second fluid is incoming water for making ice [col 3, line 56-col 4, line 4; figs 1-3].
For clarity, in regard to Claim 19, the method as claimed is carried out during the normal operation of the apparatus of Haasis.
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) 3, 4, 20 and 21 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Haasis, Jr. (US4338794) in view of Shiojima et al. (JPH10227546A).
Regarding Claims 3 and 20, Haasis teaches the invention of claim 1 above but does not explicitly teach wherein the second fluid is air which is urged by a fan over a heated portion of the ice maker to cool the heated portion of the ice maker.
However, Shiojima teaches an ice making machine [at fig 1] having a heat exchanger [at 15] configured to receive drain water [0001; fig 3] having wherein a [second] fluid is air which is urged by a fan [19] over a heated portion of the ice maker [condenser 2] to cool the heated portion of the ice maker [0022; 0023; fig 3] where one of ordinary skill in the art could have combined the elements as claimed by known methods and that in combination, each element 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. improves the heat exchange rate of the condenser [0023].
Therefore, it would have been obvious to a person of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the invention to modify the assembly of Haasis to have wherein the second fluid is air which is urged by a fan over a heated portion of the ice maker to cool the heated portion of the ice maker in view of the teachings of Shiojima where the elements could have been combined by known methods with no change in their respective functions, and the combination would have yielded predictable results i.e. improves the heat exchange rate of the condenser.
For clarity, in regard to Claim 20, the method as claimed is carried out during the normal operation of the apparatus of Haasis, as modified above.
Regarding Claims 4 and 21, Haasis, as modified, teaches the invention of claim 3 above and Shiojima teaches wherein the heated portion of the ice maker is a condenser of the ice maker [0022; 0023].
For clarity, in regard to Claim 21, the method as claimed is carried out during the normal operation of the apparatus of Haasis, as modified above.
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 12-17 are allowed.
Claims 5-11 and 22 are objected to as being dependent upon a rejected base claim, but would be allowable if rewritten in independent form including all of the limitations of the base claim and any intervening claims.
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to LARRY L FURDGE whose telephone number is (313)446-4895. The examiner can normally be reached M-R 6a-3p; F 6a-10a.
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If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Jerry 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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/LARRY L FURDGE/ Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3763
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