Appeal No. 2006-0934
Application No. 10/327,852
support members 66, with these elements being operatively associated with each other
and the stacked array as shown in Figures 7, 8 and 10.1
Cotter teaches that the various components of the heat exchanger are joined to
one another by adhesive bonding (see, for example, column 8, lines 6-22 and 44-68;
column 9, lines 60-62; and column 10, line 56-59).
Tran, the examiner’s secondary reference, discloses a heat exchanger 10
comprising four headers 12, 14, 16 and 18, top and bottom plates 36 and 38, and a
stacked array of heat exchange cells 20, with these components being arranged as
shown in Figures 1 and 5. Each of the headers 16 and 18 consists of two end panels
46 and 48 and a side plate 50. The end panels include slots 52 for receiving flanges 54
on the stacked array. In contrast to Cotter, Tran teaches that the elements of the heat
exchanger are attached to one another by soldering, welding or brazing (see, for
example, column 3, lines 61-64; and column 4, lines 54-57).
Having determined that Cotter does not respond to the limitations in independent
claim 1 requiring the end plate to be in contact with and welded to the flat portions of the
heat transfer members received therein, the examiner submits that it would have been
obvious in view of Tran to provide Cotter’s heat exchanger with these features (see
pages 5 and 6 in the answer).
1 Figure 11 depicts a header which is similar in essential respects to the header shown in Figures
7, 8 and 10.
5
Page: Previous 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Next
Last modified: November 3, 2007