UNITED STATES PATENT AND TRADEMARK OFFICE
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`UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
`United States Patent and Trademark Office
`Address: COMIVHSSIONER FOR PATENTS
`P.O. Box 1450
`Alexandria1 Virginia 22313-1450
`www.uspto.gov
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`15/479,324
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`04/05/2017
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`KENTARO KURODA
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`PIPMB-57430
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`8608
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`0102/2018 —PEARNE & GORDON LLP m
`7590
`52054
`1801 EAST 9TH STREET
`MA, KUN KAI
`SUITE 1200
`CLEVELAND, OH 441 14-3108
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`PAPER NUMBER
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`3744
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`NOTIFICATION DATE
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`DELIVERY MODE
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`04/02/2018
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`ELECTRONIC
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`Please find below and/or attached an Office communication concerning this application or proceeding.
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`The time period for reply, if any, is set in the attached communication.
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`Notice of the Office communication was sent electronically on above—indicated "Notification Date" to the
`following e—mail address(es):
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`patdocket @ pearne.c0m
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`PTOL—90A (Rev. 04/07)
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`

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`
`
`Applicant(s)
`Application No.
` 15/479,324 KU RODA ET AL.
`
`Examiner
`Art Unit
`AIA (First Inventor to File)
`Office Action Summary
`
`3744KUN KAI MA $2213
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`-- The MAILING DA TE of this communication appears on the cover sheet with the correspondence address --
`Period for Reply
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`
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`A SHORTENED STATUTORY PERIOD FOR REPLY IS SET TO EXPIRE g MONTHS FROM THE MAILING DATE OF
`THIS COMMUNICATION.
`Extensions of time may be available under the provisions of 37 CFR1.136(a).
`after SIX (6) MONTHS from the mailing date of this communication.
`If NO period for reply is specified above, the maximum statutory period will apply and will expire SIX (6) MONTHS from the mailing date of this communication.
`-
`- Failure to reply within the set or extended period for reply will, by statute, cause the application to become ABANDONED (35 U.S.C. § 133).
`Any reply received by the Office later than three months after the mailing date of this communication, even if timely filed, may reduce any
`earned patent term adjustment. See 37 CFR 1 .704(b).
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`In no event, however, may a reply be timely filed
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`Status
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`1)IZI Responsive to communication(s) filed on 04/05/2017.
`El A declaration(s)/affidavit(s) under 37 CFR 1.130(b) was/were filed on
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`2b)|ZI This action is non-final.
`2a)|:l This action is FINAL.
`3)|:I An election was made by the applicant in response to a restriction requirement set forth during the interview on
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`; the restriction requirement and election have been incorporated into this action.
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`4)|:| Since this application is in condition for allowance except for formal matters, prosecution as to the merits is
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`closed in accordance with the practice under Exparte Quay/e, 1935 CD. 11, 453 O.G. 213.
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`Disposition of Claims*
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`5)IZI CIaim(s)1;8is/are pending in the application.
`5a) Of the above claim(s) L6 is/are withdrawn from consideration.
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`is/are allowed.
`6 El Claim s)
`s) 1-2, 7-8 is/are rejected.
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`)
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`
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`is/are objected to.
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`are subject to restriction and/or election requirement.
`9)|:I C|aim(s)
`* If any claims have been determined allowable, you may be eligible to benefit from the Patent Prosecution Highway program at a
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`participating intellectual property office for the corresponding application. For more information, please see
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`
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`hit
`:ilwwwusnto. ov/ atentS/init events/
`h/index.‘s orsend an inquiry to PPI-iieedback{®usgtc.00v.
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`Application Papers
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`10)I:l The specification is objected to by the Examiner.
`11)|Xl The drawing(s) filed on 04/05/2017is/are: a)IXI accepted or b)|:l objected to by the Examiner.
`Applicant may not request that any objection to the drawing(s) be held in abeyance. See 37 CFR 1.85(a).
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`Replacement drawing sheet(s) including the correction is required if the drawing(s) is objected to. See 37 CFR 1.121 (d).
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`Priority under 35 U.S.C. § 119
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`12)IXI Acknowledgment is made of a claim for foreign priority under 35 U.S.C. § 119(a)-(d) or (f).
`Certified copies:
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`a)IZl All
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`b)|:l Some” c)I:l None of the:
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`1.IXI Certified copies of the priority documents have been received.
`2.|:l Certified copies of the priority documents have been received in Application No.
`3.|:| Copies of the certified copies of the priority documents have been received in this National Stage
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`application from the International Bureau (PCT Rule 17.2(a)).
`** See the attached detailed Office action for a list of the certified copies not received.
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`Attachment(s)
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`3) D Interview Summary (PTO-413)
`1) E Notice of References Cited (PTO-892)
`Paper No(s)/Mai| Date.
`.
`.
`4) I:I Other'
`2) E Information Disclosure Statement(s) (PTO/SB/08a and/or PTO/SB/08b)
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`Paper No(s)/Mai| Date .
`US. Patent and Trademark Office
`PTOL—326 (Rev. 11-13)
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`Office Action Summary
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`Part of Paper No./Mai| Date 20180327
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`

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`Application/Control Number: 15/479,324
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`Page 2
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`Art Unit: 3744
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`DETAILED ACTION
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`1.
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`The present application, filed on or after March 16, 2013, is being examined
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`under the first inventor to file provisions of the AIA.
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`Election/Restrictions
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`2.
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`Applicant’s election without traverse of Species A and Sub-species a reading
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`on claims 1-2 and 7-8 in the reply filed on 02/19/2018 is acknowledged.
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`3.
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`Note that claims 3-6 are considered non-elected. These claims would not be
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`examined in this Action.
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`Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 102
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`4.
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`The following is a quotation of the appropriate paragraphs of 35 U.S.C. 102 that
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`form the basis for the rejections under this section made in this Office action:
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`A person shall be entitled to a patent unless —
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`(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.
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`5.
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`Claim(s) 1-2 and 7-8 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being
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`anticipated by Meyer et al. (2005/0039878).
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`Regarding claim 1, Meyer discloses an air conditioning device for a vehicle (see
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`figures 4-7), the air conditioning device comprising:
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`a water-refrigerant condenser (70) that condenses a refrigerant at a high
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`temperature compressed by a compressor (72), by heat exchange with a coolant (see
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`figure 4-7);
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`Application/Control Number: 15/479,324
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`Page 3
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`Art Unit: 3744
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`a water-refrigerant evaporator (67) that evaporates the refrigerant expanded by
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`passing through a first expansion valve (95), by heat exchange with the coolant (see
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`figures 4-7);
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`a refrigerant passage switching portion (74) configured to switch a delivery route
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`of the refrigerant in the water-refrigerant condenser (70) between a first refrigerant
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`passage (77 and 59) leading to the water-refrigerant evaporator (67) and a second
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`refrigerant passage (75 and 140) leading to a cooling evaporator (38) that cools air to
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`be sent into a vehicle interior (24; see figures 4-7); and
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`a first water passage (69) that delivers the coolant in the water-refrigerant
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`condenser (70) to a radiator (paragraph [0026]) that radiates heat of the coolant to
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`outside air (paragraph [0026]),
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`wherein in a cooling mode, the delivery route of the refrigerant in the water-
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`refrigerant condenser (70) is switched to the first refrigerant passage (77 and 59), and
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`heat transferred from air to the refrigerant by the cooling evaporator (38) is transferred
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`from the refrigerant to the coolant by the water-refrigerant condenser (70) and radiated
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`from the coolant to outside air by the radiator (paragraph [0026]; see figures 4-7).
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`Regarding claim 2, Meyer discloses the air conditioning device further comprises
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`a first water passage switching portion (165) configured to switch a delivery route of the
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`coolant in the water-refrigerant condenser (70) between the first water passage (69) and
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`a second water passage (43) that is in communication with a heater core (44) that heats
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`air to be sent into the vehicle interior (24; see figures 4-7).
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`Application/Control Number: 15/479,324
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`Page 4
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`Art Unit: 3744
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`Regarding claim 7, Meyer discloses the air conditioning device further comprises
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`a second expansion valve (79) that is provided separately from the first expansion valve
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`(95) for expanding the refrigerant before the cooling evaporator (38; see figures 4-7).
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`Regarding claim 8, Meyer discloses the air conditioning device further comprises
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`a check valve (183) that prevents the refrigerant from flowing from the refrigerant outlet
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`port of the water-refrigerant evaporator (67) toward the refrigerant outlet port of the
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`cooling evaporator (38; see figures 4-7).
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`Conclusion
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`6.
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`The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to
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`applicant's disclosure.
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`Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the
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`examiner should be directed to KUN KAI MA whose telephone number is (571 )270-
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`3530. The examiner can normally be reached on Monday - Friday 9 am - 5:30 pm.
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`Examiner interviews are available via telephone, in-person, and video
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`conferencing using a USPTO supplied web-based collaboration tool. To schedule an
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`interview, applicant is encouraged to use the USPTO Automated Interview Request
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`(AlR) at http://www.uspto.gov/interviewpractice.
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`lf attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s
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`supervisor, Jianying Atkisson can be reached on (571) 270-7740. The fax phone
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`number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571 -
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`273-8300.
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`

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`Application/Control Number: 15/479,324
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`Page 5
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`Art Unit: 3744
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`
`/KUN KAI MA/
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`Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3744
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`