www.uspto.gov
`
`UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
`United States Patent and TrademarkOffice
`Address; COMMISSIONER FOR PATENTS
`P.O. Box 1450
`Alexandria, Virginia 22313-1450
`
`16/500,328
`
`10/02/2019
`
`Yoshiyuki FUTAGAMI
`
`20286.003 1USWO
`
`6703
`
`HAY
`
`M
`
`TLERS
`
`HAMRE, SCHUMANN, MUELLER & LARSON P.C.
`45 South Seventh Street
`Suite 2700
`MINNEAPOLIS, MN 55402-1683
`
`HU, XIAOTING
`
`3746
`
`PAPER NUMBER
`
`NOTIFICATION DATE
`
`DELIVERY MODE
`
`05/14/2021
`
`ELECTRONIC
`
`Please find below and/or attached an Office communication concerning this application or proceeding.
`
`The time period for reply, if any, is set in the attached communication.
`
`Notice of the Office communication was sent electronically on above-indicated "Notification Date" to the
`following e-mail address(es):
`PTOMail @hsml.com
`
`PTOL-90A (Rev. 04/07)
`
`

`

`Office Action Summary
`
`Application No.
`16/500,328
`Examiner
`XIAOTING HU
`
`Applicant(s)
`FUTAGAM etal.
`Art Unit
`AIA (FITF) Status
`3746
`Yes
`
`-- The MAILING DATEofthis communication appears on the cover sheet with the correspondence address --
`Period for Reply
`
`A SHORTENED STATUTORY PERIOD FOR REPLYIS SET TO EXPIRE 3 MONTHS FROM THE MAILING
`DATE OF THIS COMMUNICATION.
`Extensions of time may be available underthe provisions of 37 CFR 1.136(a). In no event, however, may a reply betimely filed after SIX (6) MONTHSfrom 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) MONTHSfrom 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, evenif timely filed, may reduce any earned patent term
`adjustment. See 37 CFR 1.704(b).
`
`Status
`
`
`
`1) Responsive to communication(s) filed on 02 October 2019.
`C) A declaration(s)/affidavit(s) under 37 CFR 1.130(b) was/werefiled on
`
`2a)L) This action is FINAL. 2b)¥)This action is non-final.
`3)02 An election was madeby the applicant in responseto a restriction requirement set forth during the interview
`on
`; the restriction requirement and election have been incorporated into this action.
`4\0) Since this application is in condition for allowance except for formal matters, prosecution as to the merits is
`closed in accordance with the practice under Exparte Quayle, 1935 C.D. 11, 453 O.G. 213.
`
`Disposition of Claims*
`1-5 is/are pending in the application.
`)
`Claim(s)
`5a) Of the above claim(s) ___ is/are withdrawn from consideration.
`C} Claim(s)
`is/are allowed.
`Claim(s) 1-5 is/are rejected.
`S)
`) © Claim(s)____is/are objected to.
`Cj) Claim(s
`are subjectto restriction and/or election requirement
`)
`S)
`* If any claims have been determined allowable, you maybeeligible to benefit from the Patent Prosecution Highway program at a
`participating intellectual property office for the corresponding application. For more information, please see
`http://www.uspto.gov/patents/init_events/pph/index.jsp or send an inquiry to PPHfeedback@uspto.gov.
`
`) )
`
`Application Papers
`10)() The specification is objected to by the Examiner.
`11) The drawing(s) filed on 10/02/2019 is/are: a)[¥) accepted or b)( 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).
`Replacement drawing sheet(s) including the correction is required if the drawing(s) is objected to. See 37 CFR 1.121 (d).
`
`Priority under 35 U.S.C. § 119
`12) Acknowledgment is made of a claim for foreign priority under 35 U.S.C. § 119(a)-(d)or (f).
`Certified copies:
`_—_c)L) None ofthe:
`b)L) Some**
`a)¥) All
`1.2 Certified copies of the priority documents have been received.
`2.2) Certified copies of the priority documents have been received in Application No.
`3.4 Copies of the certified copies of the priority documents have been receivedin this National Stage
`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.
`
`Attachment(s)
`
`1)
`
`Notice of References Cited (PTO-892)
`
`Information Disclosure Statement(s) (PTO/SB/08a and/or PTO/SB/08b)
`2)
`Paper No(s)/Mail Date
`U.S. Patent and Trademark Office
`
`3) (J Interview Summary (PTO-413)
`Paper No(s)/Mail Date
`(Qj Other:
`
`4)
`
`PTOL-326 (Rev. 11-13)
`
`Office Action Summary
`
`Part of Paper No./Mail Date 20210423
`
`

`

`Application/Control Number: 16/500,328
`Art Unit: 3746
`
`Page 2
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`DETAILED ACTION
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`Notice of Pre-AIA or AIA Status
`
`1.
`
`The present application, filed on or after March 16, 2013, is being examined underthe
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`first inventor to file provisions of the AJA.
`
`Response to Amendment
`
`2.
`
`Receipt and entry of Applicant’s Preliminary Amendmentfiled on 10/02/2019 is
`
`acknowledged. Claims 4-5 have been amended. Claims 1-5 are pending in this application.
`
`Claim Objections
`
`3.
`
`The claims below are objected to because of the following informalities:
`
`a.
`
`b.
`
`In claim 1, “in which” should read “wherein”;
`
`In claim 4, “the intake portion ofat least the fixed scroll” should read “the intake
`
`portion of atteast the fixed scroll” for consistency.
`
`Appropriate correction is required.
`
`Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 102
`
`4,
`
`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 madein this Office action:
`
`A personshall be entitled to a patent unless —
`
`(a)(1) the claimed invention waspatented, 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.
`
`

`

`Application/Control Number: 16/500,328
`Art Unit: 3746
`
`Page 3
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`5.
`
`Claim(s) 1-5 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by
`
`Ramshankar et al. US 5,240,391.
`
`6.
`
`Regarding claim 1, Ramshankar discloses:
`
`A scroll compressor 10 comprising:
`
`a partition plate 14 for dividing an interior of an airtight container 12 into a high-pressure
`
`space 16 and a low-pressure space (below) (“vertical, low side, hermetic scroll compressor”col.
`
`2, 1. 42);
`
`a fixed scroll 28 which is adjacent to the partition plate 14;
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`an orbiting scroll 24 which is meshed with the fixed scroll 28 and which forms a
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`compression chamber;
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`a rotation-suppressing member26 for preventing the orbiting scroll from rotating; and
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`a main bearing 20 for supporting the orbiting scroll 24; in which
`
`the fixed scroll 28, the orbiting scroll 24, the rotation-suppressing member26 and the
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`main bearing 20 are placed in the low-pressure space, and
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`the fixed scroll 28 and the orbiting scroll 24 are placed betweenthe partition plate 14 and
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`the main bearing 20, wherein
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`a refrigerant intake tube 34 for making the low-pressure space suck refrigerantis
`
`providedin the airtight container 12, and
`
`the scroll compressorincludesa straightening plate 42 against which refrigerant
`
`introduced from the refrigerant intake tube 34 collides, and a shielding plate 44 provided at a
`
`height position between the partition plate 14 and an intake portion of the fixed scroll 28 (Fig. 1).
`
`7.
`
`Regarding claim 2, Ramshankar discloses:
`
`

`

`Application/Control Number: 16/500,328
`Art Unit: 3746
`
`Page 4
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`wherein the shielding plate 44 is provided on an inner wall 112 of the airtight container
`
`(see Fig. 3).
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`8.
`
`Regarding claim 3, Ramshankar discloses:
`
`wherein the shielding plate 44 is provided in the fixed scroll 28 (see Fig. 1).
`
`9.
`
`Regarding claim 4, Ramshankar discloses:
`
`wherein the shielding plate 44 covers an upper opening 42-6 ofthe straightening plate 42
`
`and covers an opening range ofthe intake portion ofat least the fixed scroll 28 (see Figs. 1-2).
`
`10.
`
`Regarding claim 5, Ramshankar discloses:
`
`wherein the straightening plate 42 and the shielding plate 44 are integrally formed
`
`together (“single piece”, see col. 4, 1. 6-7 and Fig. 3).
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`Pertinent Prior Art
`
`11.
`
`The prior art made of record and notrelied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's
`
`disclosure. The remainderofthe cited prior art also disclose various scroll compressors having
`
`straightening plates and shielding plates.
`
`Conclusion
`
`Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the
`
`examiner should be directed to XIAOTING HU whosetelephone numberis (571)272-9222. The
`
`examiner can normally be reached on M-F 9am-S5pm EST.
`
`

`

`Application/Control Number: 16/500,328
`Art Unit: 3746
`
`Page 5
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`
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`
`encouraged to use the USPTO Automated Interview Request (AIR) at
`
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`
`If attempts to reach the examinerby telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s
`
`supervisor, MARK LAURENZI can be reached on (571)270-7878. The fax phone numberfor
`
`the organization wherethis application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
`
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`
`1000.
`
`/XIAOTING HU/
`Examiner, Art Unit 3746
`05/10/2021
`
`