DETAILED ACTION
Amendments filed 25 June 2026 have been entered. Claim 22 was cancelled. Claims 18-21 and 23-34 are pending.
Drawings
The drawings are objected to under 37 CFR 1.83(a). The drawings must show every feature of the invention specified in the claims. Therefore, the
“carrier member of the vehicle” of claim 1,
“connecting parts are passable through the mounting holes of the carrier member and the mounting slots and fastenable in the mounting holes in the body of the volumetric air compressor, thereby securing the bottom portion, the body of the volumetric air compressor, and the carrier member together,” of claim 1.
must be shown or the feature(s) canceled from the claim(s). No new matter should be entered.
Corrected drawing sheets in compliance with 37 CFR 1.121(d) are required in reply to the Office action to avoid abandonment of the application. Any amended replacement drawing sheet should include all of the figures appearing on the immediate prior version of the sheet, even if only one figure is being amended. The figure or figure number of an amended drawing should not be labeled as “amended.” If a drawing figure is to be canceled, the appropriate figure must be removed from the replacement sheet, and where necessary, the remaining figures must be renumbered and appropriate changes made to the brief description of the several views of the drawings for consistency. Additional replacement sheets may be necessary to show the renumbering of the remaining figures. Each drawing sheet submitted after the filing date of an application must be labeled in the top margin as either “Replacement Sheet” or “New Sheet” pursuant to 37 CFR 1.121(d). If the changes are not accepted by the examiner, the applicant will be notified and informed of any required corrective action in the next Office action. The objection to the drawings will not be held in abeyance.
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.
Claims 18-21, 23-24 and 33-34 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Ota (JP-2013019300, citations to the attached translation).
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Annotations on Applicant’s fig 4
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Ota fig 3
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Ota fig 6
Claim 18, Ota discloses a compressor unit for a vehicle (fig 1, vehicle, pg 2), comprising: a volumetric air compressor (fig 6, compressor 1, pg 2);
an external heat insulation (outer housing 23, pg 7; outer housing may have heat insulation properties, pg 5; members 32 may have heat insulation properties, pg 8) for preventing condensation of water within the volumetric air compressor (applicant discloses that the thermal insulation that prevents transfer of heat from the compressor body during extreme cold weather will prevent condensation of water, applicant background; a person of ordinary skill would recognize that the heat insulating shell encloses the compressor; reasonably any degree of insulation that provides a barrier between outside temperatures and the compressor will protect against condensation caused by a colder outside temperature, which shows that the prevention of condensation is inherently accomplished by Ota’s insulation), wherein said external heat insulation is provided at least on a surface of a body of the volumetric air compressor (outer housing 23 is provided on the surface of the interior housing 11 of the compressor, pg 3) wherein the external heat insulation comprises an upper portion (fig 3, 202, pg 7) and a bottom portion (201, pg 7) formed separately from the upper portion (fig 3 shows the outer shell formed in two components), the upper portion comprises side portions extending downwardly from opposite sides of the upper portion (fig 3, side portions of 202 are the rounded connecting edges of the cylinder half of 202 to the cylinder 201 half), lower ends of the side portions being connected to the bottom portion (fig 3 show how these sides of 202 connect to 201), the bottom portion covers (fig 6, outer housing 201 surrounds compressor inner housing 11) and carries a bottom of the body of the volumetric air compressor (fig 6 shows outer housing surrounding bottom of compressor 11) and is configured to be disposed between the body of the volumetric air compressor and a carrier member (engagement portion 8, pg 4) of the vehicle (engagement portion 8 of a vehicle frame, pg 4), and the bottom portion comprises mounting slots (fig 3, holes 29A, pg 4; are analogous to applicants mounting slots 3, Applicant depicts mounting slots 3 as circular holes, See applicant’s fig 4) configured to align with mounting holes in the body of the volumetric air compressor (holes 29A in compressor housing 202; compressor housing 202 is the body of the air compressor under a BRI) and mounting holes of the carrier member (fig 3, holes 8A, 8B in engagement portion / carrier 8) such that connecting parts (bolts 89A, 89B, 89C) are passable through the mounting holes of the carrier member (holes 8A, 8B of 8) and the mounting slots (holes 29A 29B of 201) and fastenable in the mounting holes in the body of the volumetric air compressor (holes 29A, 29B of 202), thereby securing the bottom portion, the body of the volumetric air compressor, and the carrier member together (bolts fasten the compressor casing together and secure compressor 11 in place on the vehicle, pg 4-pg 5).
Claim 19, Ota discloses the compressor according to claim 18, wherein the external heat insulation comprises a protective layer (fig 6, outer shell 231, 232) and a heat insulation plate (members 32 may have heat insulation properties, pg 8; insulating material 32 may be made of “think sheet-like body” pg 8, sheet meets the plain meaning of plate), the protective layer is provided at least on the surface of the body of said volumetric air compressor, and the heat insulation plate is provided in a gap (fig 6 shows the gap which holds 32 between outer shell 231/232 and the inner shell of compressor) between the protective layer and the body of said volumetric air compressor (id.).
Claim 20, Ota discloses the compressor unit according to claim 18, wherein the body of said volumetric air compressor is mounted at a designated position in the vehicle via said external heat insulation (the compressor is mounted to engagement portion 8 of a vehicle frame, pg 4; any mounting position meets the plain meaning of “designated position” because the holes 8A and 8B in the frame designate the position).
Claim 21, Ota discloses the compressor unit according to claim 18, wherein the external heat insulation is provided with openings (fig 6 shows that insulation 32 has open ends at the ends of a cylinder), said openings being used for one or more of … pneumatic lines (fig 6 shows compressor suction and discharge lines 50 and 60; since these lines contain compressible gas, they fit the plain meaning of “pneumatic lines”; this is the second of four claim alternates )…
Claim 23, Ota discloses the compressor unit according to claim 18, wherein the external heat insulation comprises a plurality of portions formed separately (fig 6, external heat insulation comprises outer housing 201 and the intermediate members may be made of separate members 31 and 32, pg 8), said plurality of portions being detachably connected to each other to cover the surface of the body of said volumetric air compressor (pg 8, 31 and 32 and housing 201 are separable from each other, pg 7 bottom two paragraphs - pg 8).
Claim 24, Ota discloses the compressor unit according to claim 23, wherein the plurality of portions comprises: a front portion (fig 6, the first intermediate member 31 next to 29A) covering a front end of said volumetric air compressor body (the portion of the compressor surrounding the scroll 3c), an upper portion (fig 6, the middle intermediate member 32) covering an upper and side portions of said volumetric air compressor body (fig 6 shows 32 on the side of the compressor and at the upper portion of fig 6; since 32 encircles the compressor housing, either side of it can be considered the upper portion), and a bottom portion (fig 6, the second intermediate member 31, near the stator 5) covering a bottom portion of said volumetric air compressor body (portion of the compressor near the stator 5 is the bottom), and the front portion, the upper portion and the bottom portion are formed separately (fig 6 shows the top 31, 32 and the bottom 31 formed separately).
Claim 33, Ota discloses the compressor unit according to claim 18, further comprising a drive (fig 6, motor 5, pg 2) for driving said volumetric air compressor.
Claim 34, Ota discloses a vehicle (vehicle has mounted compressor 1, pg 1) comprising a compressor unit according to claim 18.
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 set forth in Graham v. John Deere Co., 383 U.S. 1, 148 USPQ 459 (1966), that are applied 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.
Claims 25-29 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Ota in view of Duppert (JP 2004150437).
Claim 25, Ota discloses the compressor unit according to claim 22.
Ota is silent on lubrication and an oil cartridge because the invention is focused on the outer housing and shell of an otherwise generic compressor; it is therefore silent on wherein the external heat insulation is provided with an opening exposing an oil removal cartridge of said volumetric air compressor, and the external heat insulation further comprises a cover adapted to detachably cover said opening.
Duppert teaches an analogous refrigerant compressor (abstract) that uses oil and includes a removable cartridge (54) that is removed on site and replaced with a new cartridge thereby simplifying maintenance of the compressor (abstract, pg 4).
It would have been obvious to a person of ordinary skill in the art prior to the effective filing date of the claimed invention to enable the generic compressor of Ota by as a conventional lubricated oil compressor with a replaceable oil cartridge (54) as taught by Duppert in order to lubricate the compressor, thereby reducing the wear of the compressor and improving its longevity, and use a replaceable oil cartridge in order remove particulate from the oil which maintains the oil’s lubrication effect, while also allowing the cartridge to be replaced during maintenance; thereby maintaining the filtering function in lubricant system.
Furthermore, it would have been obvious to a person of ordinary skill in the art to make separable and remove the external housing of Ota in order to do maintenance on the removable oil filter of the combination and/or access any portions of the inner compressor body blocked by the external housing of Ota (See MPEP 2144.04) The rule is that if it were considered desirable for any reason to obtain access within an holder, it would be obvious to make it removable for that purpose (In re Dulberg, 289 F.2d 522, 523, 129 USPQ 348, 349 (CCPA 1961) ). In this case, it would be desirable to be able to remove the outer casing in order to access a replaceable oil cartridge of the compressor, if it would ease replacement and maintenance of that compressor. Therefore, the combination meets the claimed limitation “wherein the external heat insulation (Ota outer housing 23) is provided with an opening exposing an oil removal cartridge of said volumetric air compressor (obvious to remove any portion of the outer housing 23 which blocks the removable oil filter of the combination), and the external heat insulation further comprises a cover adapted to detachably cover said opening (obvious to make separable as shown above).”
Claim 26, Ota in view of Duppert makes obvious the compressor unit according to claim 25, wherein the cover detachably covers (Ota, obvious to make separable and remove outer housing 23, comprising 201/202/31/32, to access replaceable oil cartridge for maintenance) said opening via a band member (Ota, fig 3, outer housing 202 is a thin curved cylinder shape which bends around the inner compressor, 202 includes holes 29A, this interpretation aligns with applicant’s disclosure, Applicant discloses their band member as 31 with fixing holes 41, applicant’s fig 7 and 8; 31 appears to be the portion of the outer housing which curves/bends around the inner compressor, see annotated figure below; this agrees with the plain meaning of band is a flat, thin strip or loop of material put through something).
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Annotations on Applicant’s fig 7, showing the claimed “band”
Claim 27, Ota in view of Duppert makes obvious the compressor unit according to claim 26, wherein the external heat insulation is provided with a first band fixing hole (Ota, fig 3, through holes 29A; first of three holes 29A on portion of outer housing 202) adjacent to one side of said opening and across said opening with a second band fixing hole on the opposite side of said opening (Ota, fig 3, holes 29a, on opposite housing 201), and fasteners (screws 89A, B, C) pass through retaining rings (Ota, fig 3 metal reinforcing portion 29B are ring shaped because of the hole 29B) at both ends of said band member aligned with said first band fixing hole (hole 29A in outer housing 202) and said second band fixing hole (hole 29A in outer housing 201), respectively, thereby the cover detachably covering said opening (obvious to make separable/detachable as shown in claim 25).
Claim 28, Ota in view of Duppert makes obvious the compressor unit according to claim 25, wherein the cover detachably covers said opening via fasteners (Ota, fig 3, screws 89A, B, C), the fasteners pass through a first fixing hole (Ota fig 3, hole 29A in outer housing 201) on said external heat insulation and a second fixing hole on said cover (Ota fig 3, hole 29A in outer housing 202).
Claim 29, Ota in view of Duppert makes obvious the compressor unit according to claim 28, wherein the external heat insulation is provided with a first protruding portion adjacent to one side of said opening (Ota, fig 3, mounting portions 201A, B, C on outer housing 201) and across said opening with a second protruding portion on the opposite side of said opening (Ota fig 3, mounting portion 202A, B, C, on outer housing 202), by attaching retaining rings (metal reinforcing portions 29B) at both ends of a band member (metal reinforcing portion 29B are on three edges of the outer housing 202; Ota’s outer housing 202 is a thin curved cylinder shape which bends around the compressor and meets the plain meaning and applicant’s disclosure of “band”, see claim 26) to said first protruding portion (fig 3 shows metal reinforcing portion 29B within mounting portion 201A,B,C) and said second protruding portion (mounting portions 202A,B,C), said cover detachably covers said opening (outer housing 202 covers the open half / opening of outer housing 201).
Claims 30-32 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Ota in view of Duppert in view of Trudeau (US 2014/0029178).
Claim 30, Ota in view of Duppert makes obvious the compressor unit according to claim 25. Ota is silent on wherein the cover detachably covers the opening via a snap connection.
Trudeau teaches a compressor with detachable a cap (fig 7, cap 244) with a band member (fig 7 shows that cap 244 has a rim of the cap that surrounds and sits in a groove on the base (42, 242, par 0091); with the cap’s (244) flexible tabs (338, par 0091).
It would have been obvious to a person of ordinary skill in the art prior to the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify the cover (202) of Ota to add the flexible tabs (338) of the cover of Trudeau, thereby increasing the sealing capability of the cap, and aid in the cap placement, and secure the attachment with tabs (338); thereby improving the sealing and fixing of the cap.
Claim 31, Ota in view of Duppert in view of Trudeau makes obvious the compressor unit according to claim 30.
Trudeau further teaches a compressor with a detachable cap (fig 9) the snap connection comprises resilient snap members (flex tabs 538, par 0094) provided on said cover and slots provided on the compressor outer body (440), and the resilient snap members of said cover engage said slots of said compressor outer body, thereby the cover detachably covering the opening (Cap can be removed from the base due to the flexible tabs, par 0094).
It would have been obvious to a person of ordinary skill in the art prior to the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify the cover (202) of Ota to include the flexible tabs of the cover of Trudeau, thereby increasing the sealing capability of the cap, and aid in the cap placement, and secure the attachment with tabs (338); thereby improving the sealing and fixing of the cap.
Furthermore, a person of ordinary skill would recognize that the outer housing (201, 202) of Ota are similar structures to the body (16) and cover of Trudeau, such that the fixing elements in Trudeau modified to function with Ota’s housing and cover as describe above use the tabs and groves attaching the cover and body of Ota in the same way in the combination that they are used in the reference individually; while the cover and body of Ota are also used in the combination in the same way they are used in the references individually.
Claim 32, Ota in view of Duppert in view of Trudeau, discloses the compressor unit according to claim 30.
Trudeau further teaches a compressor housing (fig 10) with tabs (fig 11, 659) extending from the compressor housing (16) outward to engage with a cover (fig 10, cover 644 shown engaged with tabs, par 0100); wherein the snap connection comprises resilient snap members (fig 11, flexible tabs 658, par 0100) slots provided on said cover (fig 9 shows typical slots, 96, 496, to receive a tab, for snapped engagement with cover, par 0100; the shape can plainly be called a slot in the housing because of its indentation from the outer wall), and the resilient snap members of said external heat insulation engage said slots of said cover, thereby the cover detachably covering the opening.
It would have been obvious to a person of ordinary skill in eth art prior to the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify the outer housings (201, 202) of Ota to include the flexible tabs (fig 11, 658) extending from the base housing (16) and insert into slots (96/496) of Trudeau, thereby increasing the sealing capability of the cap, and aid in the cap placement, and secure the attachment with tabs; thereby improving the sealing and fixing of the cap detachably.
Furthermore, a person of ordinary skill would recognize that the outer housing (201, 202) of Ota are similar structures to the body (16) and cover of Trudeau, such that the fixing elements in Trudeau modified to function with Ota’s housing and cover as describe above use the tabs and groves attaching the cover and body of Ota in the same way in the combination that they are used in the reference individually.
Response to Arguments
Applicant’s arguments with respect to claim(s) 18, 19, and 21-24 under Zhang (CN 108895570) have been considered but are moot because the new ground of rejection does not rely on any reference applied in the prior rejection of record for any teaching or matter specifically challenged in the argument.
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.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to GEOFFREY S LEE whose telephone number is (571)272-5354. The examiner can normally be reached Mon-Fri 0900-1800.
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/GEOFFREY S LEE/Examiner, Art Unit 3746
/DOMINICK L PLAKKOOTTAM/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3746
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