PATENT CLAIM ANALYSIS

Application Number: 15880651
Application Type: Utility
Filing Date: 2018-01
Publication Date: 2018-05
Patent Classification: ["062", "196100"]

Abstract:
Provided are a method and apparatus for reducing a refrigerant pressure difference within are HVAC system having a controller, one or more compressors, and at least two paths of refrigerant piping comprising alternative paths for refrigerant flow through the HVAC system. A valve is coupled to each refrigerant piping path for permitting, or preventing, refrigerant flow through each of the alternate paths of refrigerant piping. The controller may open at least one valve for a defined period of time in response to a triggering input to allow a refrigerant pressure difference within the HVAC system to dissipate across the opened valve.

Claim (Index 14):
A method of dissipating a refrigerant pressure difference within an HVAC system during non-operating time, the method comprising:\n coupling a compressor section to a first heat exchanger and a second heat exchanger, the compressor section comprising one or more compressors, wherein each compressor receives low pressure refrigerant from the first heat exchanger through a common suction pipe and discharges high pressure refrigerant to the second heat exchanger through a common discharge pipe during operating time of the HVAC system;\n coupling a first pipe to a common high pressure pipe at an inlet of the first pipe for receiving high pressure refrigerant from the second heat exchanger through the common high pressure pipe; \n coupling the first pipe to a common low pressure pipe at an outlet of the first pipe for routing low pressure refrigerant to the first heat exchanger through the common low pressure pipe; coupling a first valve to the first pipe, the first valve configured to permit refrigerant flow through the first pipe when in an open position and configured to prevent refrigerant flow through the first pipe when in a closed position; coupling a first metering device to the first pipe, the first metering device configured to throttle flow of refrigerant through the first pipe; coupling a second pipe to the common high pressure pipe at an inlet of the second pipe for receiving high pressure refrigerant from the second heat exchanger through the common high pressure pipe; coupling the second pipe to the common low pressure pipe at an outlet of the second pipe for routing low pressure refrigerant to the second heat exchanger through the common low pressure pipe; coupling a second valve to the second pipe, the second valve configured to permit refrigerant flow through the second pipe when in an open position and configured to prevent refrigerant flow through the second pipe when in a closed position; coupling a second metering device to the second pipe, the second metering device configured to throttle flow of refrigerant through the second pipe; operably coupling a controller to the first and second valves for switching each of the first and second valves between open and closed positions; selecting, using the controller, at least the first pipe as a refrigerant flow path for reducing a refrigerant pressure difference within the HVAC system; generating, using the controller, a first control signal opening at least the first valve permitting refrigerant to flow through the valve, dissipating any refrigerant pressure difference across the valve; maintaining, using the controller, at least the first valve open for a defined period of time; and generating, using the controller, a second control signal for switching the position of at least the first valve.

Metadata:
- Claim Count in Document: 23.0
- Percentile: 86.0
- Lexical Diversity: 1.89474
- Patent Class: 62.0
- Transitional Phrase Type: open
- Component Type: 1
- Foreign Priority: False
- Related Applications: ['14642728', '13645749', '11105557', '13030915', '10447960']

Analysis Scores:
- 35 USC 101 Eligibility (BERT): 0.8246907199297915
- 35 USC 102 Novelty (BERT): 0.4862151074654505
- Combined Prediction Score: 0.7908431586833574
- Mean Citation Score: 223.91851799999995
- Max Citation Score: 253.7062
- Similarity Product: 217.6927683977008

Labels:
- Claim Label 101: 1
- Claim Label 102: 0
- Claim Label 103: 1
- Claim Label 112: 0
- Combined Label: 0
- Label 101 Adjusted: 1

Dataset: test