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 .
Election/Restrictions
Claims 6-8 and 13-19 are withdrawn from further consideration pursuant to 37 CFR 1.142(b) as being drawn to a nonelected invention, there being no allowable generic or linking claim. Election was made without traverse in the reply filed on 12/19/2025.
Applicant elected the species shown by figures 10 and 89. It was further clarified, in the interview conducted 1/7/2026, that the bottom cycle of the elected species is shown in figure 17.
Claim Objections
Claim 9 is objected to because of the following informalities: Claim 9 depends from claim 8, which is withdrawn.
Appropriate correction is required.
For the purpose of examination claim 9 will be treated as depending from claim 1.
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.
Claims 1-5, 9-12, and 20 are 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 1 recites “the steam generator” which lacks antecedent basis. For the purpose of examination the limitation will be treated as “the heated-fluid generator”.
Claim 3 introduces a steam generator which is regarded as the same recited in claim 1.
Claims depending from a rejected claim are rejected due to their dependency.
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.
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) 1-5 and 9 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Kanamaru et al (US 2014/0013786) in view of Berger et al (US 2008/02303179).
Regarding claim 1, Goransson discloses (references made to figure 1 unless otherwise noted) a method for generating steam ([0001]) using a cascading heat pump system comprising a heat transfer fluid cycle, a first heat pump cycle, and a second heat pump cycle, the method comprising:
circulating a heat transfer fluid through the heat transfer fluid cycle, wherein:
the heat transfer fluid cycle comprises a second heat exchanger (12),
the second heat exchanger (12) receives the heat transfer fluid and a first working fluid to transfer heat from the heat transfer fluid to the first working fluid;
circulating the first working fluid through the first heat pump cycle (3), wherein:
the first heat pump cycle comprises the second heat exchanger (12), a first compressor (9), a third heat exchanger (13), and a first expansion valve (11),
the first compressor compresses the first working fluid received from the second heat exchanger (12) and delivers the first working fluid to the third heat exchanger (13),
the third heat exchanger (13) receives the first working fluid and a second working fluid and transfers heat from the first working fluid to the second working fluid, and
the first expansion valve (11) expands the first working fluid received from the third heat exchanger (13) and delivers the first working fluid to the second heat exchanger (12); and
circulating the second working fluid through the second heat pump cycle (2), wherein:
the second heat pump cycle comprises the third heat exchanger (13), a second compressor (4), a heated-fluid generator (5), and a second expansion valve (6),
the second compressor (4) compresses the second working fluid received from the third heat exchanger (13) and delivers the second working fluid to the heated-fluid generator,
the steam generator (understood to be the heated-fluid generator) receives the second working fluid and a feed stream comprising water and transfers heat from the second working fluid to the feed stream thereby generating the steam ([0104]), and
the second expansion valve (6) expands the second working fluid received from the steam generator and delivers the second working fluid to the third heat exchanger (13).
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Kanamaru lacks the heat transfer fluid cycle including a pump, first heat exchanger, and additional heat exchanger/heat source sub unit. Rather Kanamaru discloses that the heat source fluid may be “a drain from a steam-utilizing facility, exhaust gas from a boiler, and the like” ([0100]).
Berger a method for producing hot water utilizing a heat pump including circulating a heat transfer fluid through the heat transfer fluid cycle, wherein:
the heat transfer fluid cycle comprises a first heat exchanger (12), an additional heat exchanger (10), a second heat exchanger (22), and a circulation pump (24) circulating the heat transfer fluid through at least one of the additional heat exchanger and the second heat exchanger,
the additional heat exchanger (10) is thermally coupled to a heat source subunit and transfers heat from the heat source subunit to the heat transfer fluid (heat source subunit is a solar collector), and
the second heat exchanger receives the heat transfer fluid and a first working fluid to transfer heat from the heat transfer fluid to the first working fluid (second heat exchanger 22 exchanges heat between the heat transfer fluid and refrigerant of the heat pump cycle);
circulating the first working fluid through the first heat pump cycle (heat pump cycle defined by 26, 28, 30, and 22).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art to have provided Kanamura with the heat transfer fluid cycle of Berger in order to utilize plural renewable energy sources thereby reducing energy consumption.
Regarding claim 2, Kanamura and Berger disclose the first heat exchanger (12 or Berger) receives an ambient air stream and transfers heat from the ambient air stream to the heat transfer fluid ([0053] discloses that 12 is an air heat exchanger).
Regarding claim 3, Kanamura discloses the heated-fluid generator is a steam generator, and the heated fluid is steam ([0111]).
Regarding claim 4, Kanamura discloses wherein: the heated-fluid generator is a hot-water generator, and the heated fluid is hot water ([0111] discloses steam is derived from water thus the water is heated to generate hot water; moreover the steam is saturated and thus includes hot water).
Regarding claim 5, Kanamura discloses the heat source is a waste heat ([0100]). As modified in view of Berger the heat source subunit includes a geothermal heat source or a solar thermal heat source ([0025]).
Regarding claim 9, Kanamura as modified discloses the method of claim 1, but lacks the subunit fluid. However, the examiner takes official notice that all of ammonia (NH3), water (H20), carbon dioxide (C02) pentane (CsH12), butane (C4H10), isobutane (HC(CH3)3), propane (C3H8), propene a hydrofluoro-olefin (HFO) fluid, and a hydrofluoro-chlorine (HFC) fluid, a hydrochlorofluoro-olefin (HCFO) fluid, or a natural refrigerant are known heat transfer fluids. It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art to have provided Kanamura with any of ammonia (NH3), water (H20), carbon dioxide (C02) pentane (CsH12), butane (C4H10), isobutane (HC(CH3)3), propane (C3H8), propene a hydrofluoro-olefin (HFO) fluid, and a hydrofluoro-chlorine (HFC) fluid, a hydrochlorofluoro-olefin (HCFO) fluid, or a natural refrigerant in order to take advantage of their particular fluid properties, e.g. heat capacity, operating temperature range, operating pressure range, availability, cost, etc.
Claim(s) 10 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Kanamaru et al (US 2014/0013786), in view of Berger et al (US 2008/02303179), and in further view of Nestler et al (EP2199671; provided by applicant 9/15/2025).
Regarding claim 10, Kanamura as modified discloses the method of claim 1, but lacks compressing the steam. Nestler discloses compressing steam produced from a cascade refrigeration cycle with a steam compressor (10). It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art to have provided Kanamura with a steam compressor in order to provide compressed steam to a utility at a useable pressure. Further, it has been held that where there exists an art recognized suitability for an intended purpose that it is obvious to apply the known means to the known purpose. MPEP 2144.07. In this instance Kanamura provides for supplying steam. Nestler evidences that compressing steam with a compressor is known. Merely applying the known steam production method of Kanamura to the known purpose of supplying a steam compressor is prima facie obvious yielding predictable results.
Claim(s) 11 and 12 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Kanamaru et al (US 2014/0013786), in view of Berger et al (US 2008/02303179), and in further view of Smith et al (US 2007/0271956)
Regarding claims 11 and 12, Kanamaru, as modified, discloses the method of claim 1, but lacks a motor coolant stream. Smith discloses cooling at least one of a refrigerant compressor (106 is the motor of compressor 302) using a motor coolant stream, comprising the working fluid of the refrigeration cycle. Smith further discloses cooling the motor coolant stream using an air cooler (134 is a heat exchanger which includes cooling by air in the “tower”).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art to have provided Kanamaru with the compressor cooling stream of Smith in order to cool the compressor and reduce windage losses in the compressor motor.
Claim(s) 20 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Kanamaru et al (US 2014/0013786), in view of Berger et al (US 2008/02303179), and in further view of Taras et al (US 2010/0147006).
Regarding claim 20, Kanamaru, as modified, discloses the method of claim 1, but lacks an economizer.
Taras discloses (references made to figure 7 unless otherwise noted) a first heat pump cycle (101 which is the bottom cycle) comprises a first economizer (120) that:
splits the first working fluid from the third heat exchanger (104) into a first sub-stream and a second sub-steam,
passes the first sub-stream through a first-economizer expansion valve (99),transfers heat from the second sub-steam to the first sub-stream received from the first- economizer expansion valve,
directs the first sub-stream to the first compressor (22), and direct the second sub-steam to the second heat exchanger (28).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art to have provided Kanamaru with the economizer circuit of Taras in order to improve system efficiency and provide subcooled refrigerant.
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure.
Roberts et al (US 12,449,121)
Callemo et al (US 11,067,296) multi-heat source heat pump.
Goransson (US 10,612,796) multi-heat source heat pump.
Olson (US 8,726,682) multi-heat source heat pump.
Olson (US 8,701,432) multi-heat source heat pump.
Manole (US 7,600,390) compressor cooling circuit.
Smith et al (US 7,439,702) compressor cooling circuit.
Butterworth et al (US 6,176,092) compressor motor and bearing cooling circuit.
Scheibel (US 4,028,079) cascade refrigeration system.
Sardo (US 2011/0309635) steam generation from heat pumps.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to CHRISTOPHER R ZERPHEY whose telephone number is (571)272-5965. The examiner can normally be reached M-F 7:00-4:00 PM.
Examiner interviews are available via telephone, in-person, and video conferencing using a USPTO supplied web-based collaboration tool. To schedule an interview, applicant is encouraged to use the USPTO Automated Interview Request (AIR) at http://www.uspto.gov/interviewpractice.
If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Jianying Atkisson can be reached at 5712707740. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/CHRISTOPHER R ZERPHEY/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3799