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 .
Specification
The title of the invention is not descriptive. A new title is required that is clearly indicative of the invention to which the claims are directed.
The following title is suggested: SCROLL COMPRESSOR WITH ARRANGEMENT FOR THREE SCROLL SIDE SUCTION PASSAGES
Claim Interpretation
The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 112(f):
(f) Element in Claim for a Combination. – An element in a claim for a combination may be expressed as a means or step for performing a specified function without the recital of structure, material, or acts in support thereof, and such claim shall be construed to cover the corresponding structure, material, or acts described in the specification and equivalents thereof.
This application includes one or more claim limitations that do not use the word “means,” but are nonetheless being interpreted under 35 U.S.C. 112(f) or pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, sixth paragraph, because the claim limitation(s) uses a generic placeholder that is coupled with functional language without reciting sufficient structure to perform the recited function and the generic placeholder is not preceded by a structural modifier. Such claim limitation(s) is/are: “anti-rotation mechanism” in claim 1.
Because this/these claim limitation(s) is/are being interpreted under 35 U.S.C. 112(f) or pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, sixth paragraph, it/they is/are being interpreted to cover the corresponding structure described in the specification as performing the claimed function, and equivalents thereof.
If applicant does not intend to have this/these limitation(s) interpreted under 35 U.S.C. 112(f) or pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, sixth paragraph, applicant may: (1) amend the claim limitation(s) to avoid it/them being interpreted under 35 U.S.C. 112(f) or pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, sixth paragraph (e.g., by reciting sufficient structure to perform the claimed function); or (2) present a sufficient showing that the claim limitation(s) recite(s) sufficient structure to perform the claimed function so as to avoid it/them being interpreted under 35 U.S.C. 112(f) or pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, sixth paragraph.
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.
Claim(s) 1- is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Yamashita (US20190301461A1).
Claim 1: Yamashita (Figs. 1-4) discloses a scroll compressor comprising a housing (11) including a suction chamber (note chamber connected to 11a) into which fluid is sucked; a driving shaft (31) provided in the housing, the driving shaft being rotatable around a driving axis (Fig. 1); a fixed scroll fixed (24) to the housing; and a movable scroll (26) provided in the housing, the movable scroll being connected to the driving shaft (Fig. 1), the housing having a fixed block (52) that is located between the suction chamber and a set of the fixed scroll and the movable scroll (Fig. 1), and through which the driving shaft is rotatably inserted (Fig. 1), the movable scroll and the fixed block being coupled to each other by an anti-rotation mechanism (57) that prevents the movable scroll from rotating on an axis of the movable scroll (Fig. 1), and the fluid being compressed in a compression chamber by the movable scroll orbiting relative to the fixed scroll (Fig. 1), the compression chamber being formed between the fixed scroll and the movable scroll (Fig. 1), wherein the fixed block has a block side suction passage (56) that communicates with the suction chamber and through which the fluid in the suction chamber flows toward the fixed scroll (Fig. 1), the fixed scroll has a scroll side suction passage (note one of 82/82b which forms passage/pathway for fluid) that is recessed in a direction in which the driving axis extends (Figs. 2-3), that faces the block side suction passage in the direction in which the driving axis extends and communicates with the block side suction passage (Figs. 1-3), and through which the fluid is sucked from the block side suction passage toward the compression chamber (Figs. 1-2), the block side suction passage consists of a first block side suction passage (note one of 82/82b), a second block side suction passage (note another of 82b), and a third block side suction passage (note another of 82b as there are four) that are arranged away from each other in a rotational direction of the driving shaft (Figs. 1-3), the scroll side suction passage consists of a first scroll side suction passage (note one of 85) that communicates with the first block side suction passage (Figs. 1-3), a second scroll side suction passage (note another of 85) that communicates with the second block side suction passage (Figs. 1-3), and a third scroll side suction passage (note a third of 85) that communicates with the third block side suction passage (Figs. 1-3), each of the first block side suction passage, the second block side suction passage, the first scroll side suction passage, and the second scroll side suction passage consists of a single passage (Figs. 1-3), the first scroll side suction passage and the second scroll side suction passage are disposed opposite to each other across the driving axis (Figs. 1-3, note opposing pairs), and the third scroll side suction passage is disposed at a position where pressure loss of the fluid that is sucked from the third scroll side suction passage toward the compression chamber is greater than pressure loss of each of the fluid that is sucked from the first scroll side suction passage toward the compression chamber and the fluid that is sucked from the second scroll side suction passage toward the compression chamber (Fig. 2, Examiner notes the suction passage at the lower left can be chosen as the third scroll side suction passage, whose opening will be partially obstructed by the tail end of the movable scroll, which obstruction will create the greatest pressure loss of the openings).
Claim 2: Yamashita further discloses that the fixed scroll (24) has a fixed scroll end plate and a fixed scroll spiral body that is integrally formed with the fixed scroll end plate and that has a spiral shape protruding toward the movable scroll (Fig. 3), the movable scroll (26) has a movable scroll end plate (25) that faces the fixed scroll spiral body and a movable scroll spiral body (27) that is integrally formed with the movable scroll end plate and that has a spiral shape protruding toward the fixed scroll end plate (Fig. 1), when an end of the movable scroll spiral body on a central side of the movable scroll end plate is defined as a leading end of a spiral of the movable scroll spiral body (Fig. 1), the movable scroll spiral body extends from the leading end of the spiral to a spiral end portion that includes a trailing end of the spiral (Fig. 1, note end portion of spiral in 27), and the third scroll side suction passage is located at a position that overlaps a movement range of the spiral end portion with rotation of the movable scroll in a radial direction of the fixed scroll (as can be appreciated from Figs. 1-2).
Claim 3: Yamashita further discloses that the third block side suction passage consists of a single passage (82/82b), and the third scroll side suction passage consists of a single passage (85).
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to NATHAN C ZOLLINGER whose telephone number is (571)270-7815. The examiner can normally be reached Generally M-F 9-4 EST.
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If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Essama Omgba can be reached at 469-295-9278. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/NATHAN C ZOLLINGER/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3746
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