Appeal No. 2004-1125
Application No. 09/923,998
The present specification explains (paragraphs 2, 3, and
6):
During operation of an air conditioner or other
refrigerant cycle, lubricating oil in the compressor
may leak and mix with the refrigerant that circulates
through the air conditioning system. As the
refrigerant flows through the tubing of the
evaporating and condensing heat exchangers, the
lubricating oil coats and wets the inner surface of
the heat exchangers.
Often, the inner surface of the tubing of a heat
exchanger is provided with interstices to increase the
effective area for heat transfer. As the refrigerant
flows through the evaporator, the lubricating oil
mixed with the refrigerant is easily entrapped in the
interstices of the tubing, smoothing the inner surface
and reducing the effective area for heat transfer...
A thin coating of a lower surface energy material
in solution is applied on the inner surface of a
condenser or evaporator...
From this enlightenment, we determine that the claim
language “low surface energy” refers to a surface energy that is
lower than the surface energy of an otherwise uncoated inner
surface of the heat exchanger in which air conditioning
refrigerant is present. It follows then that the phrase
“reducing a wettability of oil” refers to any reduction in
wettability of the oil relative to an otherwise uncoated inner
surface of the heat exchanger in which air conditioning
refrigerant is present.
these claims only. See 37 CFR § 1.192(c)(7)(2003)(effective
Apr. 21, 1995).
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