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`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
`PO. Box 1450
`Alexandria1 Virginia 22313-1450
`www.uspto.gov
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`15/023,386
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`03/20/2016
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`KENTARO KURODA
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`PIPMB—56 168
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`3147
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`”90
`52054
`1801 EAST 9TH STREET
`S UITE 1 200
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`“’03’20” —
`MALIK’ RAHEENA REHMAN
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`3744
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`NOTIFICATION DATE
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`DELIVERY MODE
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`11/03/2017
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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.
` 15/023,386 KU RODA ET AL.
`
`Examiner
`Art Unit
`AIA (First Inventor to File)
`Office Action Summary
`
`RAHEENA R. MALIK $2215 3744
`
`-- The MAILING DA TE of this communication appears on the cover sheet with the correspondence address --
`Period for Reply
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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 () 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 07/24/2017.
`El A declaration(s)/affidavit(s) under 37 CFR 1.130(b) was/were filed on
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`2b)|:l This action is non-final.
`2a)|Z| This action is FINAL.
`3)I: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 Claim(s) 13 4 and 8-10 is/are pending in the application.
`5a) Of the above claim(s)
`is/are withdrawn from consideration.
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`6)I:I Claim(s)
`is/are allowed.
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`7)|Z| Claim(s) 1 3 4 and8- 10 is/are rejected.
`8)|:I Claim(s)_ is/are objected to.
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`are subject to restriction and/or election requirement.
`9)I:I Claim((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
`hit
`:/'I’\WIIW.usnto. ovI’ atentS/init events/
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`
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`h/index.‘s or send 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 03/20/2016 is/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.
`SIXI 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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`
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`3) D Interview Summary (PTO-413)
`1) D Notice of References Cited (PTO-892)
`Paper No(s)/Mai| Date.
`.
`.
`4) I:I Other'
`2) I] InformatIon DIsclosure Statement(s) (PTO/SB/08a and/or PTO/SB/08b)
`Paper No(s)/Mai| Date
`US. Patent and Trademark Office
`PTOL—326 (Rev. 11-13)
`
`Office Action Summary
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`Part of Paper No./Mai| Date 20171027
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`

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`Application/Control Number: 15/023,386
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`Art Unit: 3744
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`Page 2
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`DETAILED ACTION
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`Notice of Pre-AIA or AIA Status
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`1.
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`The present application, filed on or after March 16, 2013, is being examined under the
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`first inventor to file provisions of the AIA.
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`Status of Claims
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`2.
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`This action is responsive to the amendment filed July 24, 2017. Claims 1,3, 4 and 8-10
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`are pending. Claims 1 and 3 are amended and claims 2 and 5-7 are cancelled.
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`Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 103
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`3.
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`The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 103 which forms the basis for all obviousness
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`rejections set forth in this Office action:
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`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.
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`4.
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`Claims 1, 3, 4 and 8-10 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over
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`Meyer et al. (US 6,862,892, herein Meyer) in view of Hall (US 2011/0197611).
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`In regards to claim 1, Meyer discloses
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`An air conditioning device for a vehicle (Fig.2), comprising:
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`a first water-refrigerant heat exchanger (67) that exchanges heat between a refrigerant of
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`low-temperature and low-pressure in a heat pump and an engine coolant flowing in an engine
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`coolant path (62) to vaporize the refrigerant;
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`a second water-refrigerant heat exchanger (70) that exchanges heat between the
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`refrigerant of high-temperature and high-pressure in the heat pump and the engine coolant to
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`condense the refrigerant; and
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`a first flow rate adjusting unit (Fig.1, 46) that is capable of adjusting a flow rate of the
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`engine coolant supplied to a flow path connecting with the first water-refrigerant heat exchanger,
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`

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`Application/Control Number: 15/023,386
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`Art Unit: 3744
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`Page 3
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`and a flow rate of the engine coolant supplied to a flow path bypassing the first water-refrigerant
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`heat exchanger (col.6 lines 3-8),
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`a control unit that controls the first flow rate adjusting unit (col.6 lines 3-8), wherein the
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`control unit switches the first flow rate adjusting unit to a state where the engine coolant is
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`supplied to a route bypassing the first water-refrigerant heat exchanger (at point 27) when a
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`pressure of the refrigerant of high-temperature and high-pressure discharged from a compressor
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`for compressing and discharging the refrigerant is a predetermined pressure or higher in a heat
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`pump heating mode where the refrigerant of the heat pump is supplied to both the first water-
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`refrigerant heat exchanger and the second water-refrigerant heat exchanger (Fig.2).
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`Meyer does not disclose that the second water-refrigerant heat exchanger receives the
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`engine coolant from an engine cooling portion of the vehicle and discharges the engine coolant to
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`a heater core of the vehicle, and the first water-refrigerant heat exchanger receives the engine
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`coolant from the heater core and discharges the engine coolant to the engine cooling portion.
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`Hall teaches an air conditioning device (Fig.2) for a vehicle, comprising a first water-
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`refrigerant heat exchanger (7 and 10) and a second water-refrigerant heat exchanger (6 and 11),
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`wherein the second water-refrigerant heat exchanger receives a coolant from a cooling portion
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`(15) and discharges the coolant to a heater core (13), and the first water-refrigerant heat
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`exchanger receives the coolant from the heater core and discharges the coolant to the cooling
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`portion (Fig.2).
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`It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing
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`date of the claimed invention to modify Meyer’s air conditioning device such that engine coolant
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`from the engine cooling portion is received by the second water-refrigerant heat exchanger,
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`discharged to a heater core and then discharged to the first water-refrigerant heat exchanger as
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`similarly taught by Hall in order to allow the engine coolant to discharge heat to the heater core
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`and provide further cooling to the engine through both the first and second water-refrigerant heat
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`exchangers.
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`

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`Application/Control Number: 15/023,386
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`Art Unit: 3744
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`Page 4
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`In regards to claim 3, Meyer discloses that the control unit switches the first flow rate adjusting
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`unit to a state where a part of the engine coolant discharged from the heater core (44) is supplied
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`to the route bypassing the first water-refrigerant heat exchanger (through point 27).
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`In regards to claim 4, Meyer discloses that the control unit allows the first flow rate adjusting unit
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`to increase a flow rate of the engine coolant flowing along the route bypassing the first water-
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`refrigerant heat exchanger in accordance with a rise in the pressure of the refrigerant of high-
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`temperature and high-pressure when the pressure of the refrigerant of high-temperature and
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`high-pressure refrigerant discharged from the compressor is the predetermined pressure or
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`higher (col.6 lines 3-8).
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`In regards to claim 8, Meyer discloses an evaporator (38) that exchanges heat between the
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`refrigerant of low-temperature and low-pressure and intake air to be supplied to a vehicle interior;
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`and
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`a condenser (76) that receives a flow of the refrigerant of high-temperature and high-
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`pressure, and releases heat from the refrigerant of high-temperature and high-pressure to outside
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`air, wherein a refrigerant path extending from the second water-refrigerant heat exchanger to the
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`first water-refrigerant heat exchanger is different from a refrigerant path extending from the
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`condenser to the evaporator (Fig.2).
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`In regards to claim 9, Meyer discloses a compressor (72) that compresses the refrigerant; and a
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`check valve (80) disposed between the compressor and the evaporator in a refrigerant circuit.
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`In regards to claim 10, Meyer discloses a first expansion unit that expands the refrigerant
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`delivered from the second water-refrigerant heat exchanger, and delivers the expanded
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`refrigerant to the first water-refrigerant heat exchanger (Abstract, second expansion device); and
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`a second expansion unit that expands the refrigerant condensed by the condenser, and
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`discharges the expanded refrigerant to the evaporator (Abstract, first expansion device).
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`Response to Arguments
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`5.
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`Applicant’s arguments with respect to claim 1 have been considered but are moot
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`because the arguments do not apply to any of the references being used in the current rejection.
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`

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`Application/Control Number: 15/023,386
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`Art Unit: 3744
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`Page 5
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`Conclusion
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`6.
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`Applicant's amendment necessitated the new ground(s) of rejection presented in this
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`Office action. Accordingly, THIS ACTION IS MADE FINAL. See MPEP § 706.07(a). Applicant
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`is reminded of the extension of time policy as set forth in 37 CFR 1.136(a).
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`A shortened statutory period for reply to this final action is set to expire THREE MONTHS
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`from the mailing date of this action.
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`In the event a first reply is filed within TWO MONTHS of the
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`mailing date of this final action and the advisory action is not mailed until after the end of the
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`THREE-MONTH shortened statutory period, then the shortened statutory period will expire on the
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`date the advisory action is mailed, and any extension fee pursuant to 37 CFR 1.136(a) will be
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`calculated from the mailing date of the advisory action.
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`In no event, however, will the statutory
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`period for reply expire later than SIX MONTHS from the date of this final action.
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`Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner
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`should be directed to RAHEENA R. MALIK whose telephone number is (571)272-2994. The
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`examiner can normally be reached on M-F 8:30-5:00.
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`Examiner interviews are available via telephone, in-person, and video conferencing using
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`a USPTO supplied web-based collaboration tool. To schedule an interview, applicant is
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`encouraged to use the USPTO Automated Interview Request (AIR) at
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`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 number for the
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`organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571 -273-8300.
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`Information regarding the status of an application may be obtained from the Patent
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`Application Information Retrieval (PAIR) system. Status information for published applications
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`may be obtained from either Private PAIR or Public PAIR. Status information for unpublished
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`applications is available through Private PAIR only. For more information about the PAIR system,
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`system, contact the Electronic Business Center (EBC) at 866-217-9197 (toll-free). If you would
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`

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`Application/Control Number: 15/023,386
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`Art Unit: 3744
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`Page 6
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`like assistance from a USPTO Customer Service Representative or access to the automated
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`information system, call 800-786-9199 (IN USA OR CANADA) or 571 -272-1000.
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`/R. R. M./
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`Examiner, Art Unit 3744
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`/GRANT MOUBRY/
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`Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3747
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