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 .
In the event the determination of the status of the application as subject to AIA 35 U.S.C. 102 and 103 (or as subject to pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 102 and 103) is incorrect, any correction of the statutory basis (i.e., changing from AIA to pre-AIA ) for the rejection will not be considered a new ground of rejection if the prior art relied upon, and the rationale supporting the rejection, would be the same under either status.
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, 5-10 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Gronval (US 2020/0408220 A1).
Regarding claim 1, Gronval teaches a compressor for a heating, ventilation, air conditioning, and refrigeration (HVAC&R) system, comprising:
an impeller, comprising:
a hub (Fig. 4 and Gronval, annotated FIG. 4 below);
a shroud (150) (Fig. 4, para. 0028);
a first blade portion (portion of blade 142 which is covered by shroud 150; Fig. 4) extending between the hub and the shroud (Fig. 4); and
a second blade portion (portion of blade 142 not covered by shroud 150) extending external to the shroud along a direction of extension of the first blade portion from the hub to the shroud (Fig. 4; para. 0028 states: “In an embodiment, the shroud may be a partial shroud that only extends along a portion of the 142 along the axial direction D1).
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Regarding claim 5, Gronval teaches all the claimed limitations as stated above in claim 1. Gronval further teaches the hub defines an impeller tip and the shroud extends to the impeller tip (Fig. 4 and Gronval, annotated FIG. 4 above).
Regarding claim 6, Gronval teaches all the claimed limitations as stated above in claim 1. Gronval further teaches the first blade portion and the second blade portion are integrally formed with one another to form a common blade piece of the impeller (Fig. 4 and Gronval, annotated FIG. 4 above).
Regarding claim 7, Gronval teaches all the claimed limitations as stated above in claim 1. Gronval further teaches a vane (160) positioned upstream of the second blade portion relative to a direction of a flow of working fluid through the impeller, wherein the vane is configured to guide the flow of working fluid toward the second blade portion, and impeller is configured to rotate relative to the vane during operation of the compressor (Fig. 4, para. 0027).
Regarding claim 8, Gronval teaches all the claimed limitations as stated above in claim 1. Gronval further teaches an additional shroud, wherein the second blade portion extends from the shroud to the additional shroud (Fig. 4 and Gronval, annotated FIG. 4 above).
Regarding claim 9, Gronval teaches all the claimed limitations as stated above in claim 1. Gronval further teaches the shroud terminates upstream of an impeller tip defined by the hub relative to a flow of working fluid through the impeller (Fig. 4 and Gronval, annotated FIG. 4 above).
Regarding claim 10, Gronval teaches all the claimed limitations as stated above in claim 1. Gronval further teaches the shroud forms an intake opening of the impeller (146A, Fig. 4), the impeller comprises a third blade portion (portion of blade 142 disposed in the inlet 146 A) within the intake opening and extending along the hub, and the third blade portion terminates upstream of the first blade portion and the second blade portion relative to a direction of working fluid flow through the impeller ((Fig. 4 and Gronval, annotated FIG. 4 above).
Claim(s) 12-15 and 17 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102 (a)(1) as being anticipated by Takeshi (JP 2013133748 A; reference provided in IDS filed on 06/19/2025).
Regarding claim 12, Takeshi teaches an impeller for a compressor of a heating, ventilation, air conditioning, and refrigeration (HVAC&R) system, wherein the impeller comprises:
a hub (26) (Fig. 1);
a shroud (30) (Fig. 1);
a first inlet configured to receive a first flow of working fluid (Fig. 1 and Takeshi, annotated FIG. 1 below);
a second inlet configured to receive a second flow of working fluid, separate from the first flow of working fluid (Fig. 1 and Takeshi, annotated FIG. 1 below); and
an impeller tip configured to discharge the first flow of working and the second flow of working fluid from the impeller (Fig. 1 and Takeshi, annotated FIG. 1 below).
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Regarding claim 13, Takeshi teaches all the claimed limitations as stated above in claim 12. Takeshi further teaches a first impeller passage extending from the first inlet to the impeller tip (passage including blades 32) (Fig. 1); and a second impeller passage (passage including blades 28) extending from the second inlet to the impeller tip, wherein the shroud separates the first impeller passage and the second impeller passage from one another (Fig. and Takeshi, annotated FIG. 1 above).
Regarding claim 14, Takeshi teaches all the claimed limitations as stated above in claim 12. Takeshi further teaches a common impeller passage (21) configured to receive the first flow of working fluid via the first inlet and to receive the second flow of working fluid via the second inlet, wherein the common impeller passage is configured to combine the first flow of working fluid and the second flow of working fluid upstream of the impeller tip and to discharge a combined flow of the first flow of working fluid and the second flow of working fluid from the impeller via the impeller tip (Fig. 1 and Takeshi, annotated FIG. 1 above).
Regarding claim 15, Takeshi teaches all the claimed limitations as stated above in claim 12. Takeshi further teaches a first plurality of first blade portions (28) extending from the hub toward the shroud in a direction of extension; and a second plurality of second blade portions (32) extending external to the shroud along the direction of extension (Fig. 1 and Takeshi, annotated FIG. 1 above).
Regarding claim 17, Takeshi teaches all the claimed limitations as stated above in claim 15. Takeshi further teaches each second blade portion of the second plurality of second blade portions extends from a corresponding first blade portion of the first plurality of first blade portions in the direction of extension, each first blade portion of the first plurality of first blade portions extends to the impeller tip, and each second blade portion of the second plurality of second blade portions extends to the impeller tip (Fig. 1).
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 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Gronval.
Gronval teaches all the claimed limitations as stated above in claim 1, including a first plurality of first blade portions comprising the first blade portion, a second plurality of second blade portions comprising the second blade portion, and a third plurality of third blade portions comprising the third blade portion but does not appear to explicitly disclose a quantity of the third plurality of third blade portions is different from a quantity of the second plurality of second blade portions and different from a quantity of the first plurality of first blade portions. However, a careful examination of the specification reveals that no criticality for the specific quantities has been shown nor any reason as to why the impeller of the applicant with the claimed quantities would operate any different than the impeller of Gronval, and Applicant has not disclosed that this design with the specific quantities provides an advantage, is used for a particular purpose, or solves a stated problem. Hence this design for the quantity of the third plurality of third blade portions is different from a quantity of the second plurality of second blade portions and different from a quantity of the first plurality of first blade portions is considered to be a design choice by the applicant. One of ordinary skill in the art, furthermore, would have expected the impeller of Gronval, and Applicant’s invention, to perform equally well with the different quantities taught by Gronval or the claimed quantities, because both would perform the same function.
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the application to use the claimed quantities with the impeller of Gronval in order to achieve a desired dimension, shape, or configuration, as they are a matter of design choice. Such a modification would have been considered a mere design consideration which fails to patentably distinguish over the prior art.
Claim(s) 1-10, 18-20 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Snell (WO 2022/026897 A1, reference provided in IDS filed on 06/19/2025. The corresponding US 2023/0272804 A1 is relied upon in the rejection) in view of Gronval.
Regarding claim 1, Snell teaches a compressor for a heating, ventilation, air conditioning refrigeration (HVAC&R) system, comprising: an impeller, comprising:
a hub (108) (Figs. 5-6; para. 0034-0035)
a shroud (130; Figs. 5-6; para. 0034-0035) and a blade (182) connected between shroud and the hub (Fig. 8, para. 0044).
Snell fails to teach the blade comprising a first blade portion extending between the hub and the shroud; and a second blade portion extending external to the shroud along a direction of extension of the first blade portion from the hub to the shroud.
However, Gronval teaches a compressor for a heating, ventilation, air conditioning, and refrigeration (HVAC&R) system, comprising:
an impeller, comprising:
a hub (Fig. 4 and Gronval, annotated FIG. 4 above);
a shroud (150) (Fig. 4, para. 0028);
a first blade portion (portion of blade 142 which is covered by shroud 150; Fig. 4) extending between the hub and the shroud (Fig. 4); and
a second blade portion (portion of blade 142 not covered by shroud 150) extending external to the shroud along a direction of extension of the first blade portion from the hub to the shroud (Fig. 4; para. 0028 states: “In an embodiment, the shroud may be a partial shroud that only extends along a portion of the 142 along the axial direction D1).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filling date of the claimed invention to modify Gronval such the blade includes a first blade portion extending between the hub and the shroud; and a second blade portion extending external to the shroud along a direction of extension of the first blade portion from the hub to the shroud as taught by Gronval as all claimed parts were known and would have yielded none but an expected result; namely pressurizing the working fluid with different pressures along the blade.
Regarding claim 2, Snell as modified by Gronval teaches all the claimed limitations as stated above in claim 1. Snell as modified by Gronval further teaches the compressor is configured to receive a first flow of working fluid (110, Snell; Figs. 4-7 and disposed within a first impeller passage (passage of the first working fluid 110; Snell, Figs. 4-7. Note that the modification would place the first blade portion in the first impeller passage) of the impeller configured to receive the first flow of working fluid, and the second blade portion is disposed within a second impeller passage (passage of the second working fluid 118; Snell; Figs. 4-7. Note that the modification would place the first blade portion in the second impeller passage of the impeller configured to receive the second flow of working fluid.
Regarding claim 3, Snell as modified by Gronval teaches all the claimed limitations as stated above in claim 2. Snell as modified by Gronval further teaches the shroud separates the first impeller passage and the second impeller passage from one another (Snell, Figs. 4-7).
Regarding claim 4, Snell as modified by Gronval teaches all the claimed limitations as stated above in claim 2. Snell as modified by Gronval further teaches the compressor is configured to receive the first flow of working fluid from an evaporator (38; Snell para. 0032, Figs. 3) of the HVAC&R system, and the compressor is configured to receive the second flow of working fluid from an economizer (102, Snell, para. 0032, Figs. 4-5) of the HVAC&R system.
Regarding claim 5, Snell as modified by Gronval teaches all the claimed limitations as stated above in claim 1. Snell as modified by Gronval further teaches the hub defines an impeller tip and the shroud extends to the impeller tip (Fig. 4 and Gronval, annotated FIG. 4 above).
Regarding claim 6, Snell as modified by Gronval teaches all the claimed limitations as stated above in claim 1. Snell as modified by Gronval further teaches the first blade portion and the second blade portion are integrally formed with one another to form a common blade piece of the impeller (Fig. 4 and Gronval, annotated FIG. 4 above).
Regarding claim 7, Snell as modified by Gronval teaches all the claimed limitations as stated above in claim 1. Snell as modified by Gronval further teaches a vane (160) positioned upstream of the second blade portion relative to a direction of a flow of working fluid through the impeller, wherein the vane is configured to guide the flow of working fluid toward the second blade portion, and impeller is configured to rotate relative to the vane during operation of the compressor (Snell, Fig. 4, para. 0027).
Regarding claim 8, Snell as modified by Gronval teaches all the claimed limitations as stated above in claim 1. Snell as modified by Gronval further teaches an additional shroud, wherein the second blade portion extends from the shroud to the additional shroud (Fig. 4 and Gronval, annotated FIG. 4 above).
Regarding claim 9, Snell as modified by Gronval teaches all the claimed limitations as stated above in claim 1. Snell as modified by Gronval further teaches the shroud terminates upstream of an impeller tip defined by the hub relative to a flow of working fluid through the impeller (Fig. 4 and Gronval, annotated FIG. 4 above).
Regarding claim 10, Snell as modified by Gronval teaches all the claimed limitations as stated above in claim 1. Snell as modified by Gronval further teaches the shroud forms an intake opening of the impeller (146A, Fig. 4), the impeller comprises a third blade portion (portion of blade 142 disposed in the inlet 146 A) within the intake opening and extending along the hub, and the third blade portion terminates upstream of the first blade portion and the second blade portion relative to a direction of working fluid flow through the impeller (Fig. 4 and Gronval, annotated FIG. 4 above).
Regarding claim 18, Snell teaches a compressor for a heating, ventilation, air conditioning, and refrigeration (HVAC&R) system, comprising:
an impeller, comprising:
a hub (108) (Figs. 5-6; para. 0034-0035)
a shroud (130; Figs. 5-6; para. 0034-0035) and a blade (182) connected between shroud and the hub (Fig. 8, para. 0044).
a first inlet (112) configured to direct a first flow of working fluid from an evaporator (38) of the HVAC&R system to the blade (Figs. 4-7; para. 0026); and
a second inlet (120) configured to direct a second flow of working fluid from an economizer (102) of the HVAC&R system,
wherein the impeller is configured to discharge the first flow of working fluid and the second flow of working fluid into a diffuser passage (114) of the compressor.
Snell fails to teach the blade comprising a first blade portion extending between the hub and the shroud; and a second blade portion extending external to the shroud along a direction of extension of the first blade portion from the hub to the shroud.
However, Gronval teaches a compressor for a heating, ventilation, air conditioning, and refrigeration (HVAC&R) system, comprising:
an impeller, comprising:
a hub (Fig. 4 and Gronval, annotated FIG. 4 above);
a shroud (150) (Fig. 4, para. 0028);
a first blade portion (portion of blade 142 which is covered by shroud 150; Fig. 4) extending between the hub and the shroud (Fig. 4); and
a second blade portion (portion of blade 142 not covered by shroud 150) extending external to the shroud along a direction of extension of the first blade portion from the hub to the shroud (Fig. 4; para. 0028 states: “In an embodiment, the shroud may be a partial shroud that only extends along a portion of the 142 along the axial direction D1).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filling date of the claimed invention to modify Gronval such the blade includes a first blade portion extending between the hub and the shroud; and a second blade portion extending external to the shroud along a direction of extension of the first blade portion from the hub to the shroud as taught by Gronval as all claimed parts were known and would have yielded none but an expected result; namely pressurizing the working fluid with different pressures along the blade.
Note that the modification would locate the first blade portion in a flow passage having the first inlet and the second blade portion in a flow passage having the second inlet.
Regarding claim 19, Snell as modified by Gronval teaches all the claimed limitations as stated above in claim 18. Snell as modified by Gronval further teaches a first impeller passage comprising the first blade portion (passage with working fluid 110, Snell, Fig. 5); a second impeller passage comprising the second blade portion (passage with working fluid 118, Snell, Fig. 5); and an impeller outlet (at impeller tip 128), wherein the first impeller passage and the second impeller passage are separated by the shroud, and the shroud extends to the impeller outlet (Snell, Fig. 5).
Regarding claim 20, Snell as modified by Gronval teaches all the claimed limitations as stated above in claim 18. Snell as modified by Gronval further teaches the impeller comprises a common impeller passage (passage below tip 128 to a shroud tip 150, Snell, Fig. 5) , wherein the first blade portion and the second blade portion are disposed within the common impeller passage, the common impeller passage is configured to receive and combine the first flow of working fluid and the second flow of working fluid upstream of a tip of the impeller (working fluid 110 and working fluid 118 are combined in the passage from the tip of the shroud 150 to the tip 128 of the impeller, Snell, Fig. 5), and the impeller is configured to direct a combined flow of the first flow of working fluid and the second flow of working fluid into the diffuser passage via the tip of the impeller (Snell, Fig. 5).
Claim(s) 16 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Takeshi in view of Gronval.
Takeshi teaches all the claimed limitations as stated above in claim 15. Takeshi further teaches the shroud is a first shroud but fails to teach the impeller comprises a second shroud coupled to the second plurality of second blade portions, wherein the second shroud at least partially defines the second inlet.
However, an impeller, comprising:
a hub (Fig. 4 and Gronval, annotated FIG. 4 above);
a shroud (150) (Fig. 4, para. 0028);
a first blade portion (portion of blade 142 which is covered by shroud 150; Fig. 4) extending between the hub and the shroud (Fig. 4); and
a second blade portion (portion of blade 142 not covered by shroud 150) extending external to the shroud along a direction of extension of the first blade portion from the hub to the shroud (Fig. 4; para. 0028 states: “In an embodiment, the shroud may be a partial shroud that only extends along a portion of the 142 along the axial direction D1). Gronval further teaches the shroud is a first shroud and the impeller comprises a second shroud (additional shroud in Takeshi, annotated FIG. 1 above) coupled to the second plurality of second blade portions, wherein the second shroud at least partially defines the second inlet.
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filling date of the claimed invention to modify Takeshi such the such that the impeller comprises a second shroud coupled to the second plurality of second blade portions in order to strengthen the impeller. Note that by virtue of the modification, the second shroud would partially define the second inlet.
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure:
US 2019/0170155 A1 discloses an impeller comprising a first blade portion extending between a hub and a shroud and a second blade portion extending external to the shroud.
US 2020/0208642 A1 discloses a compressor for an HVAC&R system comprising an impeller, an evaporator and an economizer.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to MAXIME M ADJAGBE whose telephone number is (571)272-4920. The examiner can normally be reached M-F: 8-6.
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If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, NATHANIEL E WIEHE can be reached at 571-272-8648. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/MAXIME M ADJAGBE/Examiner, Art Unit 3745
/NATHANIEL E WIEHE/Supervisory Patent Examiner, Art Unit 3745
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