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.
Claim 18 is 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.
Claim 18 recites “the partition part” in line 6, which lack proper antecedents, for examining purposes the limitation will be interpreted as --a partition part--.
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) 1-10, 13, and 14 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Hanabusa (Japanese Patent Publication JP3395038B2).
Regarding claim 1, Hanabusa discloses a heat exchanger (figs 1-3) comprising:
a core part in which flow paths, through which a heat exchange medium flows, are formed between heat exchange plates by stacking a plurality of heat exchange plates (2, 3, 3A, 3C), and an inflow part (7), through which the heat exchange medium is introduced, and an outflow part (6), through which the heat exchange medium is discharged, are formed; and
an isolation flow part (10a) disposed in the inflow part or the outflow part of the core part and configured to divide an internal space of the inflow part or the outflow part of the core part to form a separate flow path through the heat exchange medium flows,
wherein an inlet, through which the heat exchange medium is introduced into the inflow part, and an outlet, through which the heat exchange medium is discharged from the outflow part, are disposed at one side of the core part (see annotated fig 1 below).
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Regarding claim 2, Hanabusa further discloses a partition part (12, 14) disposed in the inflow part (7) of the core part and configured to divide the internal space, wherein a plurality of passes is formed when a flow of the heat exchange medium passing through the heat exchange medium flow path in a direction toward one side or the other side is a pass (fig 2).
Regarding claim 3, Hanabusa further discloses wherein the heat exchange medium introduced into the core part flows through the isolation flow part (10a) and then is introduced into a first pass region (5a).
Regarding claim 4, Hanabusa further discloses wherein the passes are formed as three passes (5a, 5b, 5c).
Regarding claim 5, Hanabusa further discloses wherein the inlet (10), through which the heat exchange medium is introduced into the inflow part (7), and the outlet (11), through which the heat exchange medium is discharged from the outflow part (6), are disposed at the same side in a direction in which the plurality of heat exchange plates of the core part is stacked (see annotated fig 1 below).
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Regarding claim 6, Hanabusa further discloses wherein the partition part (12, 14) is formed to intersect a longitudinal direction in which the heat exchange medium flows along the inside of the inflow part (7), and the internal space of the inflow part is divided by the partition part (fig 2).
Regarding claim 7, Hanabusa further discloses wherein the isolation flow part (10a) is formed to correspond to a longitudinal direction in which the heat exchange medium flows along the inside of the inflow part (7), and the internal space of the inflow part is divided by the isolation flow part (fig 2).
Regarding claim 8, Hanabusa further discloses wherein the isolation flow part (10a) divides a partial region of the inflow part (7) in the longitudinal direction in which the heat exchange medium flows along the inside of the inflow part (fig 2).
Regarding claim 9, Hanabusa further discloses wherein the partition part comprises:
a blocking part (12, 30) configured to block a part of the inside of the inflow part (7); and
a baffle part (25) disposed at a position spaced apart from the blocking part in a longitudinal direction and configured to divide and block the inside of the outflow part (7).
Regarding claim 10, Hanabusa further discloses wherein the isolation flow part (10a) comprises an internal pipe inserted into the inflow part (7) and having one longitudinal side inserted and coupled into the inlet (10) of the inflow part, and the other longitudinal side inserted and coupled into the blocking part (12, 30).
Regarding claim 13, Hanabusa further discloses wherein the blocking part (12, 30) comprises: a first extension portion (12) extending in a radial direction from the inside of the inflow part (7) toward the internal pipe (10a); and a second extension portion (30) extending from an end of the first extension portion in a direction in which the internal pipe is inserted.
Regarding claim 14, Hanabusa further discloses wherein a portion where the first extension portion (12) and the second extension portion (30) of the blocking part are connected is formed in a rounded shape (as they encircle the internal pipe 10a).
Regarding claim 16, Hanabusa further discloses wherein the plurality of heat exchange plates (2, 3, 3A, 3C) of the core part has cup portions protruding (see annotated fig 2 below), in a direction in which the heat exchange plates are stacked, from peripheries of through-holes penetrating two opposite surfaces of each of the plurality of heat exchange plates and configured to allow the heat exchange medium to flow therethrough, and wherein the blocking part (12, 30) integrally extends from an end of the cup portion of the heat exchange plate (see annotated fig 2 below).
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Regarding claim 17, Hanabusa further discloses wherein the plurality of heat exchange plates (2, 3, 3A, 3C) of the core part has through-holes penetrating two opposite surfaces of each of the plurality of heat exchange plates and configured to allow the heat exchange medium to flow therethrough (fig 2), and wherein the baffle part (25) is integrally formed in a shape in which a portion corresponding to the through-hole of the heat exchange plate is blocked (fig 2).
Regarding claim 18, Hanabusa further discloses wherein the core part has flow paths through which a plurality of heat exchange media flows between the heat exchange plates (2, 3, 3A, 3C) by stacking the plurality of heat exchange plates, and has the inflow parts (7) and the outflow parts (8) through which the plurality of heat exchange media is introduced and discharged, and wherein a partition part (12, 14) and the isolation flow part (10a) are formed in the inflow part or the outflow part through which any one of the plurality of heat exchange media flows.
Regarding claim 19, Hanabusa further discloses wherein the core part is formed by stacking a plurality of first heat exchange plates (2) and a plurality of second heat exchange plates (3, 3A, 3C), wherein the partition part comprises:
a blocking part (12, 30) configured to block a part of the inside of the inflow part; and
a baffle part (25) disposed at a position spaced apart from the blocking part in a longitudinal direction and configured to divide and block the inside of the outflow part, wherein the blocking part (12, 30) is integrated with the first heat exchange plate at a corresponding position, and wherein the baffle part is integrated with the first heat exchange plate and the adjacent second heat exchange plate at a corresponding position.
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) 11 and 12 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Hanabusa as applied to claim 10 above, and further in view of Beddome et al. (European Patent Publication EP0702201A1, “Beddome”).
Regarding claim 11, Hanabusa discloses all previous claim limitations. However, Hanabusa does not explicitly disclose an inlet flange coupled to the inlet side of the inflow part of the core part and having a communication flow path into which one side of the internal pipe is inserted and coupled to communicate with the communication flow path. Beddome, however, discloses a heat exchanger wherein an inlet flange (32, fig 7) coupled to the inlet side of an inflow part (18) of a core part and having a communication flow path into which one side of an internal pipe (22) is inserted and coupled to communicate with the communication flow path. It would have been obvious to a person of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention for Hanabusa to provide the inlet flange of Beddome in order to provide a more a reliable connection between the internal tube and inflow part.
Regarding claim 12, the combination of Hanabusa and Beddome discloses all previous claim limitations. Hanabusa, as modified, further discloses wherein a catching groove (36, Beddome) is concavely formed in an inner peripheral surface of the communication flow path of the inlet flange (32, Beddome), a catching protrusion protrudes (28, Beddome) from an outer peripheral surface of one side of the internal pipe (22, Beddome), and the catching protrusion is inserted and coupled into the catching groove (fig 7, Beddome).
Allowable Subject Matter
Claim 15 is 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 HARRY E ARANT whose telephone number is (571)272-1105. The examiner can normally be reached Monday-Friday 10-6 ET.
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/HARRY E ARANT/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3763
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