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 § 102
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.
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, 4-9, 14-15 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by US 6,132,195 to Ikoma et al (Ikoma).
Regarding claim 1, Ikoma discloses a compressor comprising:
a housing (sealed container; col. 1, lines 16-20);
a cylinder (3, fig. 1) inside the housing and including a cylinder chamber formed therein;
a roller (5, fig. 1) configured to be rotatable in the cylinder chamber, the roller including a vane groove (6, fig. 1) formed on an outer surface of the roller and an oil guide (11, 12, fig. 1; 29, fig. 5) extending between the vane groove and an inner surface of the roller to guide oil within the vane groove; and
a vane (4, fig. 1) configured to be inserted and moved in the vane groove (figs. 19-20), wherein the vane and the roller together are configured to partition the cylinder chamber into an inlet chamber (where suction chamber 110 as labeled in fig. 6 is located) into which a refrigerant is introduced and a compression chamber (part of the chamber compressing liquid as shown in figs. 6-7) in which the refrigerant is compressed.
Regarding claim 2, Ikoma discloses the compressor of claim 1, further comprising: a rotating shaft (1, fig. 1) configured to provide rotational force to the roller and to penetrate the roller, wherein the oil guide guides oil to flow between the vane groove and an opening of the oil guide on the inner surface of the roller toward the rotating shaft (toward oil feed passage 8 of shaft 1, fig. 1).
Regarding claim 4, Ikoma discloses the compressor of claim 1, wherein the vane includes a first end in contact with a fixing portion of the cylinder (fig. 1) and a second end on an opposite side of the first end configured to pivot about the first end and move within the vane groove with the rotation of the roller (fig. 1).
Regarding claim 5, Ikoma discloses the compressor of claim 4, wherein the oil guide is configured to allow oil, which is pressurized by the second end of the vane within the vane groove, to flow along the oil guide (operation of the compressor).
Regarding claim 6, Ikoma discloses the compressor of claim 1, wherein the oil guide is recessed from an upper surface of the roller or a lower surface of the roller (figs. 2-3).
Regarding claim 7, Ikoma discloses the compressor of claim 1, wherein the oil guide is a top oil guide (11, figs. 1-3) recessed from the upper surface of the roller, and the roller further includes a bottom oil guide (12, figs. 1-3) below the top oil guide and recessed from the lower surface of the roller.
Regarding claim 8, Ikoma discloses the compressor of claim 1, wherein the vane groove extends along a first direction, and the oil guide extends along a second direction intersecting the first direction (figs. 2-3).
Regarding claim 9, Ikoma discloses the compressor of claim 1, wherein the vane groove has a first length along a vertical direction, and the oil guide has a second length less than the first length along the vertical direction (figs. 2-3).
Regarding claim 14, Ikoma discloses the compressor of claim 2, wherein the housing is provided to accommodate oil (col. 9, lines 20-25), and the rotating shaft includes: a shaft body forming an oil flow path (through 8, fig. 1; col. 9, lines 20-25),a suction hole (8, fig. 1) formed in a lower end of the shaft body and configured to draw oil accommodated in the housing into the oil flow path, and a discharge hole (10, fig. 1) configured to discharge oil flowing along the oil flow path to the outer surface of the shaft body.
Regarding claim 15, Ikoma discloses the compressor of claim 14, wherein the discharge hole of the rotating shaft is provided in plurality (fig. 1), and the plurality of discharge holes is spaced apart from each other along a longitudinal direction of the oil flow path (fig. 1).
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 103
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.
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.
This application currently names joint inventors. In considering patentability of the claims the examiner presumes that the subject matter of the various claims was commonly owned as of the effective filing date of the claimed invention(s) absent any evidence to the contrary. Applicant is advised of the obligation under 37 CFR 1.56 to point out the inventor and effective filing dates of each claim that was not commonly owned as of the effective filing date of the later invention in order for the examiner to consider the applicability of 35 U.S.C. 102(b)(2)(C) for any potential 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(2) prior art against the later invention.
Claim(s) 3 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Ikoma as applied to claim 2 above, and further in view of US 2005/0002814 to Kim et al (Kim).
Regarding claim 3, Ikoma discloses the compressor of claim 2, but does not explicitly disclose which Kim discloses:
a cam (41, 51., figs. 1-3; [38]) formed on an outer surface of the rotating shaft and configured to rotate the roller eccentrically ([38]).
Therefore, it would have been obvious to the one with ordinary skill in the art, before the effective filing date of the claimed invention, to have the cam of Kim with the device of Ikoma so as to allow the locking unit and the restraining unit to be mounted to the rotating shaft through the eccentric part ([22]; Kim).
Once teachings of Kim are applied to the device of Ikoma and the cam is added, the oil guide will guide oil to flow between the vane groove and the cam.
Claim(s) 12-13 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Ikoma as applied to claim 4 above, and further in view of US 2024/0167476 to Park et al (Park).
Regarding claim 12, Ikoma discloses the compressor of claim 1, but does not explicitly disclose which Park discloses:
a cylinder cover (132, figs. 1-2) arranged below the cylinder and provided to cover a lower side of the cylinder chamber, wherein the cylinder cover includes a support portion (figs. 1-2) provided to surround the rotating shaft, and a cover groove (126a, b, 127,1322a, 1322b, fig. 1; [76]-[77]) recessed from an inner surface of the support portion and provided to guide oil passing through the oil guide.
Therefore, it would have been obvious to the one with ordinary skill in the art, before the effective filing date of the claimed invention, to have the cylinder cover of Park with the device of Ikoma so as to achieve a rotary compressor capable of reducing friction loss and wear between an axial side surface of a vane and a main bearing or sub bearing facing the vane ([12]; Park).
Regarding claim 13, Ikoma discloses the compressor of claim 12, wherein the cover groove is configured to guide oil flowing along the cover groove downward (from 127 to 126a 126b and 1322a 1322b, fig. 1; [76]-[77]; Park).
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 10-11 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
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure.
US 6,409,4888 to Ikoma et al
The reference above can also be used to reject claims similar to reference US 6,132,195 used above.
US 11,448,216 to Park et al.
US 9,816,504 to Cho et al.
US 2021/0363991 to Park et al.
US 2002/0159904 to Ebara et al.
All references above describe general state of art.
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/DAPINDER SINGH/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3746