DETAILED ACTION
Claim Objections
Claims 8 and 9 are objected to because of the following informalities:
Claims 8 and 9 are presented as depending from claim 6; however, due to the language of the claims (“the control valve”), it appears that claims 8 and 9 were intended to depend from claim 7. For the purposes of Examination claims 8 and 9 are interpreted as depending from claim 7.
Appropriate correction is required.
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.
(a)(2) the claimed invention was described in a patent issued under section 151, or in an application for patent published or deemed published under section 122(b), in which the patent or application, as the case may be, names another inventor and was effectively filed before the effective filing date of the claimed invention.
Claims 1-10 and 14-15 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(2) as being anticipated by Brock et al. (US Pub No 2024/0317017).
In regard to claim 1, Brock discloses a coolant routing system for a vehicle (see the Abstract and Fig 2), the coolant routing system comprising:
at least two coolant circuits (circuits 22, 24, and 26, see Fig 2 and Paragraph 0058);
a coolant tank configured to store a coolant (coolant tank 32, see Fig 3 and Paragraph 0051);
a coolant manifold assembly (lower section 42L, see Fig 2 and Paragraph 0082) having at least two coolant tubes (46, 50, 54, and 56), which are each configured to form a part of one of the coolant circuits (best seen in Fig 5B: tube 46 forming part of circuit 24, tubes 50 and 54 forming part of circuit 22, and tub3 56 forming part of circuit 26);
at least one coolant pump (pumps 34 and 36, see Figs 2 and 3) configured to pump the coolant into at least one coolant circuit (Paragraph 0051: “pumps 34, 36 to supply the coolant fluid through the system 20”);
a coupler (upper section 42U, considered to be a couple as it attaches coolant tank 32 to lower section 42L) configured to introduce the coolant from the coolant tank (32) into the coolant circuits (via ports 32A and 32B, best seen in Fig 5; also see Paragraph 0071), the coupler at least partially formed by a wall of the coolant tank (tank wall lip 32L, see Fig 3 and Paragraph 0072: “the coolant tank 32 is formed to include a lip 32L that extends from the coolant tank 32 and is shaped to match the upper body section 42U”) and is coupled to both the at least one coolant pump (coupled to drive pump 34 via drive pump duck 74, see Fig 3 and Paragraph 0074) and the coolant manifold assembly (42L) so that coolant is adapted to be exchanged between an interior of the coupler (42U) and the at least one coolant pump (34, via inlet 35, see Fig 3 and Paragraph 0074) and between the interior of the coupler (42U) and the coolant manifold assembly (42L; portions 42U and 42L forming common cavities therebetween, see Figs 3 and 4 and Paragraph 0083: “the upper and lower body sections 42U, 42L cooperate with each other to define the different fluid cavities 58A-L”).
In regard to claim 2, Brock discloses the system of claim 1, wherein the coupler (42U) is at least partially formed by a planar wall of the coolant tank (the bottom planer surface of tank 32 forming the “lid” of 42U; see Figs 3 and 4 along with Paragraph 0072).
In regard to claim 3, Brock discloses the system of claim 1, wherein the coolant tank (32) is formed by at least two tank components, which are coupled to each other (as can be seen in Figs 1 and 3, tank 32 comprises a reservoir portion, 32R, and at least a cap/lid).
In regard to claim 4, Brock discloses the system of claim 1, wherein a tank component (tank wall lip 32L, Fig 3) of the coolant tank and the coupler (42U, a component of 40) are formed integrally with each other (made integral via welding, see Paragraph 0073: “The coolant tank 32 is welded to the tank dock 72 of the manifold 40 along the lip 32L to fix the coolant tank 32 to the manifold 40.”; also see Paragraph 0073: “the coolant tank 32 may be integrally formed with the manifold 40 instead of being welded to the manifold 40”).
In regard to claim 5, Brock discloses the system of claim 1, wherein the coolant routing system comprises a plurality of coolant channels (of circuits 22, 24, and 26, see Fig 2 and Paragraph 0058), and/or wherein each of the plurality of coolant channels is formed at least partially by structures integrally formed with the coupler (coolant channels 22, 24, and 26 connecting, respectively, to pipes 44, 48, and 52, see Fig 5A; each of pipes 44, 48, and 52 formed with and extending from 42U, see Fig 5A and Paragraph 0055).
In regard to claim 6, Brock discloses the system of claim 1, wherein an interior of the coolant tank (32) and an interior of the coupler (42U) are free of valves, pumps and control devices (pumps 34 and 36 and valve 38 provided as separate units, see Fig 3).
In regard to claim 7, Brock disclose the system of claim 1, further comprising a first control valve (multi-way valve 38, Fig 3) configured to control the introduction of coolant into a first coolant circuit (see Fig 5B and Paragraph 0051: “The multi-way valve 38 is configured to control the flow of coolant fluid to the different thermal fluid circuits of the thermal management system 20.”).
In regard to claim 8, Brock discloses the system of claim 7, wherein the control valve (38) comprises a rotary actuator (main valve rotor 90 and throttle valve rotor 92, see Fig 9 and Paragraph 0105).
In regard to claim 9, Brock discloses the system of claim 7, wherein the control valve (38) is configured to control the introduction of coolant into at least two coolant circuits (see Fig 5B and Paragraph 0051: “The multi-way valve 38 is configured to control the flow of coolant fluid to the different thermal fluid circuits of the thermal management system 20.”).
In regard to claim 10, Brock discloses the system of claim 9, wherein the control valve (38) comprises at least two valve sections (divider shells 106A, 106B, and 106C, see Figs 9 and 10) each configured to control the introduction of coolant into a respective one of the coolant circuits (see the valve position chart of Fig 15 along with Paragraphs 0113 and 0126) and each configured to be moved or rotated together (being mounted to a common disc, see Fig 10 and Paragraph 0113).
In regard to claim 14, Brock discloses the system of claim 1, wherein the coolant manifold assembly (42L) comprises a hose connection for a coolant hose (any of 46, 50, 54, and 56; see Figs 3 and 5).
In regard to claim 15, Brock discloses the system of claim 1, further comprising at least one temperature sensor configured to detect a temperature of a coolant in at least one of the coolant tubes (see Paragraph 0069: “In the illustrative embodiments, the manifold body 42 further includes temperature sensor docks 69A, 69B as shown in FIGS. 3 and 6. The temperature sensor docks 69A, 69B are configured to receive temperature sensors 17 to mount the temperature sensors 17A, 17B in fluid communication with the corresponding fluid cavities 58I, 58J. The temperature sensors 17A, 17B are configured to measure the temperature of the coolant fluid flowing back to the manifold 40 from the main fluid circuit 22 as shown in FIGS. 15A-D.”).
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 13 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Brock et al. (US Pub No 2024/0317017).
In regard to claim 13,
Brock discloses the system of claim 1.
Brock does not positively disclose wherein the coolant manifold assembly (42L) is releasably coupled to the coupler (42U).
Examiner notes that elements 42L and 42U are separate components (see Fig 3).
However, while even if Brock does not positively disclose that elements 42L and 42U may be couple releasably, configuring the elements 42L and 42U of Brock releasably coupled is considered to be a simple and obvious example of “Making Separable” (MPEP 2144.04 V C), and as such, would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art at the time the invention was made.
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 11-12 are objected to as being dependent upon a rejected base claim, but appear they would be allowable if rewritten in independent form including all of the limitations of the base claim and any intervening claims.
In regard to claim 11 (from which claim 12 depends), Examiner notes the following limitation (emphasis added): “further comprising a second control valve configured to control the introduction of coolant into a second coolant circuit.”.
Conclusion
The art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure.
The following pieces of art disclose cooling routing systems comprising elements configured similarly to those claimed:
Seo et al. (US Pub No 2024/0360782)
Yun et al. (US Pub No 2026/0160346)
Han et al. (US Pub No 2025/0188863)
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to JACOB M AMICK whose telephone number is (571)272-5790. The examiner can normally be reached Core Hours 10-6 M-F (First Fridays Off).
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If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Lindsay Low can be reached at (571) 272-1196. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/JACOB M AMICK/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3747
