Appeal No. 99-0196
Application 08/270,742
positions of the appellants and the examiner with regard to
the merits of this rejection.
Lawrence discloses a heat pump system 10. As described
in the reference,
[h]eat pump system 10 includes a fluid refrigerant
compressor 12 and two heat exchanger units 14 and
16. Heat exchanger unit 14 functions as a condenser
in the heating mode and as an evaporator in the
cooling mode of heat pump system 10 to heat or cool
an air space 18. Heat exchanger unit 16 functions
as an evaporator in the heating mode of operation
and as a condenser in the cooling mode of operation
of heat pump system 10 for receiving heat or
transferring heat to water circulating through heat
exchanger unit 16.
Water is supplied to heat exchanger unit 16 from
a water source 20. An important aspect of the
present invention is that water source 20 is
provided from a city, town or development water
main. The water is then returned directly into
water source 20 with no contamination or reduction
in volume taking place. Also, water source 20 may
comprise, for example, a well, stream or a body of
water such as an ocean or lake. Additionally, water
source 20 may comprise a closed system such as an
above ground or underground water storage tank or
underground piping loop system [column 3, lines 5
through 26].
As conceded by the examiner (see page 3 in the answer),
Lawrence does not meet the “retrofitting” limitations in claim
1 which require the steps of disconnecting the cooling water
supply to the condenser from a cooling tower and connecting
3
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