CTNF 17/786,030 CTNF 78272 Notice of Pre-AIA or AIA Status 07-03-aia AIA 15-10-aia The present application, filed on or after March 16, 2013, is being examined under the first inventor to file provisions of the AIA. The Applicant’s amendment filed on November 19, 2025 was received. Claim 1 was amended. Claim 12 was canceled. Continued Examination Under 37 CFR 1.114 07-42-04 AIA A request for continued examination under 37 CFR 1.114, including the fee set forth in 37 CFR 1.17(e), was filed in this application after final rejection. Since this application is eligible for continued examination under 37 CFR 1.114, and the fee set forth in 37 CFR 1.17(e) has been timely paid, the finality of the previous Office action has been withdrawn pursuant to 37 CFR 1.114. Applicant's submission filed on 11/19/2025 has been entered. Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 102 The claim rejections under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Poirot-Crouvezier et al. (US 20090155670 A1) on claims 1-3,5,6,8 are withdrawn because the independent claim 1 has been amended. Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 103 The claim rejections under 35 U.S.C. 103 over Poirot-Crouvezier et al. (US 20090155670 A1) in view of Siber (US 2009013371) on claims 1-6,8 are withdrawn because independent claim 1 has been amended. 07-21-aia AIA Claim s 1-6,8 are rejected under 35 U.S.C 103 as being unpatentable over Poirot-Crouvezier et al. (US 20090155670 A1) in view of Siber (US 20090133371) and Son et al. (CN 1885608A) . Regarding claim 1 , Poirot-Crouvezier et al. teach a fuel cell housing (2) and multiple fuel cell stacks disposed within the housing. The fuel cell stacks have electrode membranes and bipolar plates (para. 5) and the housing has an inner side that face at least one of the fuel cell stacks. However, Poirot-Crouvezier et al. do not explicitly teach the inner side of housing comprising a plurality of ribbings. Siber teaches a housing with multiple ribbings which is used for filtering processing air for example in a fuel cell or other devices. The reinforcement ribs can increase the rigidity of the housing and use to collect moisture and remove particles deposited in the housing. See para.2,14,22. Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the invention to add reinforcement ribs onto the fuel cell housing of Poirot-Crouvezier because Siber teaches the use of ribs in the inner side of the housing to increase the rigidity and facilitate the collection of moisture and foreign particles. The combination of Poirot-Crouvezier et al. and Siber do not explicitly teach the individual bipolar plate within the fuel cell stack having a projecting portion. Son et al. teach a fuel cell stack comprising a plurality of electrolyte membrane and bipolar plates (110) wherein the bipolar plates having projecting portions (170, 170a). See Figure 2. The extensions of the bipolar plates are used to supply water via a water pump (P). See Para. 40. Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the invention to add projecting portions (extensions) to the bipolar plates of Poirot-Crouvezier because Son et al. teach the projecting portions, which form a chamber between the projecting portions and the housing, can be used to supply water to the electrode membranes of the fuel cell stacks. Regarding claims 2-4, Siber teaches the plurality of ribs on the inner side of the housing extend in a longitudinal direction, a traverse direction or a diagonal direction as shown in Figures 2 and 3. Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the invention to add reinforcement ribs disposed in different directions onto the fuel cell housing of Poirot-Crouvezier because Siber teaches the use of ribs in the inner side of the housing to increase the rigidity and facilitate the collection of moisture and foreign particles. In addition, the change in form or shape, without any new or unexpected results, is an obvious engineering design. See In re Dailey , 149 USPQ 47 (CCPA 1976). See MPEP 2144.04. Regarding claims 5,6,8 , Siber teaches the ventilation channels are formed by gaps as shown in Figures 2 and 3. Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the invention to add reinforcement ribs disposed in different directions onto the fuel cell housing of Poirot-Crouvezier because Siber teaches the use of ribs in the inner side of the housing to increase the rigidity and facilitate the collection of moisture and foreign particles . 07-22-aia AIA Claim s 7,9-11 are rejected under 35 U.S.C 103 as being unpatentable over Poirot-Crouvezier et al. (US 20090155670 A1) in view of Siber (US 20090133371) and Son et al. (CN 1885608) as applied to claim s 1-6,8 above, and further in view of Katayama (US 20190181486) . Regarding claims 7,10 , Poirot-Crouvezier et al., Siber and Son et al. teach a fuel cell system as described above in Paragraph 5. However, the combination of Poirot-Crouvezier et al., Siber and Son et al. do not disclose that an insulation layer disposed between the housing and the fuel cell stack. Katayama disclose a fuel cell housing comprising an insulating member (30) between the inner side of the housing and outer side of the fuel cell stacks in order to prevent the exposure of the high-voltage part for safety reasons. See Figure 3, para. 13-15. Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the invention to add insulation layer to the fuel cell housing of Poirot-Crouvezier et al. and Siber because Katayama teaches the use of insulating material to prevent the exposure of the high-voltage components in the fuel cell stacks. Regarding claim 9 , the addition of an insulating member (30) between the housing and the fuel cell stacks of Poirot-Crouvezier, Siber and Son et al. enable the projecting portion not contacting the inner side of the fuel cell housing. Regarding claim 11 , This is no evidence in the instant disclosure to show the change in relative thickness present unexpected results in comparison to the fuel cell stacks disclosed by Poirot-Crouvezier. The Federal Circuit held that, where the only difference between the prior art and the claims was a recitation of relative dimensions of the claimed device and a device having the claimed relative dimensions would not perform differently than the prior art device, the claimed device was not patentably distinct from the prior art device. In Gardner . See MPEP 2144.04 . Response to Arguments 07-37 AIA Applicant's arguments filed 11/19/25 have been fully considered but they are not persuasive. Applicant’s principal arguments are the bipolar plates are not taught in the Poirot-Crouvezier’s fuel cell system . In response to Applicant’s arguments: Applicant’s arguments are moot because they do not refer to the newly cited Poirot-Crouvezier et al., Siber and Son references as stated in Paragraph 5 above. Also, it is noted that bipolar plates are commonly disposed between a cathode and an anode of the adjacent fuel cells. See Poirot-Crouvezier et al. para. 5 and Figure 2 in Son et al. Conclusion Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to DAH-WEI YUAN whose telephone number is (571)272-1295. The examiner can normally be reached M-F 9am-5pm. Examiner interviews are available via telephone, in-person, and video conferencing using a USPTO supplied web-based collaboration tool. To schedule an interview, applicant is encouraged to use the USPTO Automated Interview Request (AIR) at http://www.uspto.gov/interviewpractice. Information regarding the status of published or unpublished applications may be obtained from Patent Center. Unpublished application information in Patent Center is available to registered users. To file and manage patent submissions in Patent Center, visit: https://patentcenter.uspto.gov. Visit https://www.uspto.gov/patents/apply/patent-center for more information about Patent Center and https://www.uspto.gov/patents/docx for information about filing in DOCX format. For additional questions, contact the Electronic Business Center (EBC) at 866-217-9197 (toll-free). If you would like assistance from a USPTO Customer Service Representative, call 800-786-9199 (IN USA OR CANADA) or 571-272-1000. /Dah-Wei D. Yuan/Supervisory Patent Examiner, Art Unit 1717 Application/Control Number: 17/786,030 Page 2 Art Unit: 1717 Application/Control Number: 17/786,030 Page 3 Art Unit: 1717 Application/Control Number: 17/786,030 Page 4 Art Unit: 1717
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