DETAILED ACTION
Notice of Pre-AIA or AIA Status
The present application, filed on or after March 16, 2013, is being examined under the first inventor to file provisions of the AIA .
Response to Amendment
This is a non-final office action in response to Applicant's remarks and amendments filed on 8/21/2025. Claims 1, 3, 7-9 and 13 are currently amended. Claims 6 and 10 are cancelled. Claims 14-15 are newly added. Claims 1-5, 7-9 and 11-15 are pending review in this action.
The 35 U.S.C. 102 rejections in the previous Office Action are withdrawn.
New grounds of rejection necessitated by Applicant's amendments are presented below.
Response to Arguments
Applicant’s arguments, see pg. 1-2, filed 8/21/2025, with respect to the amended claims 1 and 10 have been fully considered and are persuasive. The 35 USC 102 rejections of claims 1 and 10 has been withdrawn and are in condition for allowance.
Applicant's arguments with respect to failure of examiner to establish prima facie anticipation of claims 4-5 has been considered. Accordingly, applicant has introduced the subject matter of claims 4-5 into new claims 14-15 with claim 14 being independent and claim 15 being dependent therefrom. However, examiner admits that the omission of the 35 USC 102 rejection of claims 4-5 in the previous Office action was made in error. Thus, the current Office action addresses the error by presenting the rejections of new claims 14-15 below.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 102
The text of those sections of Title 35, U.S. Code not included in this action can be found in a prior Office action.
Claim(s) 14-15 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(2) as being anticipated by Oruc (US2021038529A1).
Regarding Claim 14, Oruc discloses a fuel cell component (bipolar plate 2), comprising: a plate body (separator plates 2a,2b) including,
an anode gas flow path (passages 13b) leading from an anode inlet 12b to an anode outlet 12b [par. 0095; Fig. 2];
a cathode gas flow path (passages 13c) leading from a cathode inlet 12c to a cathode outlet 12c [par. 0095; Fig. 2];
a coolant flow path (passages 13a,13d) leading from a coolant inlet 12a to a coolant outlet 12d [par. 0094; Figs. 2-12], the coolant flow path configured such that coolant is partially diverted from the coolant inlet (i.e., into bead interior 22) to a designated region of the plate body (connecting channels 28 or collection region 20) and mixes with an undiverted portion in the designated region, such that cooling capacity is enhanced in the designated region by the mixed coolant [pars. 0093,0103-135; Figs. 3-18],
wherein:
the coolant flow path is constructed as a corrugated flow path at least in the designated region, such that an overlap region is formed between at least two adjacent secondary flow paths of the coolant flow path, the at least two adjacent secondary flow paths in communication with each other in the overlap region (i.e., the distribution structures 21 of the collection region are defied by webs and channels extending between webs and delimited by webs) [par. 0093; Figs. 6-12]; and/or
the coolant flow path is constructed as a straight-through flow path in a region of the plate body other than the designated region, such that at least two adjacent secondary flow paths of the coolant flow path are isolated from each other (i.e., the distribution structures 21 in the collection region 20 are forms as straight channels) [Figs. 2-5].
Regarding Claim 15, Oruc discloses wherein, when the corrugated flow path is present, a first overlap region is formed between one set of adjacent secondary flow paths in the coolant flow path, and a second overlap region is formed between another set of adjacent secondary flow paths (i.e., the web-like distribution structure has first set of channels extending diagonally from one side edge of the plate towards the opening 11d and a second set of channels extending diagonally from the opposite side edge of the plate towards the opening 11d, the first and second set of channels form the web-like structure in an overlapping manner), the first overlap region different in area, shape and/or quantity from the second overlap region (i.e., it can be seen in the Figures that at least the areas and quantity of the number of channels of the first and second overlap regions are different) [Figs. 6-12].
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 1-5, 7-9 and 11-13 are allowed.
The following is an examiner’s statement of reasons for allowance: the claimed fuel cell component and heat management method for a fuel cell component are novel over the closest prior art – Oruc (US2021038529A1).
Oruc disclsoes wherein the bypass flow path of the coolant flow path is connected to a secondary flow path in the main flow via a merging part (i.e., fourth structures 25 and channels 28) and the secondary flow path has first and second cross-sectional areas upstream and downstream of the merging part respectively [Figs. 3-12], but fails to teach that the first cross-sectional area different from the second cross-sectional area.
The instant specification teaches that the following technical advantage is in particular realized by the above configuration: The diverted portion in most cases accounts for only a small proportion of the total coolant, so when the diverted portion is converged by convection, it might not be guided in accordance with the desired course. Thus, the sizes of the cross-sectional area of the flow path before and after the convergence point can be controlled so that the pressure drop in the fluid duct meets requirements, and in turn so that the diverted portion reaches the desired position as accurately as possible.
There is no suggestion in the Oruc reference to provide the fourth structures 25 or channels 28 from the upper and lower portions of the plate body to have different cross-sectional areas, nor does Oruc recognize the problem of pressure drop in the fluid ducts. Thus, there would have been no motivation in the art for an ordinary skilled artisan to have modified the fuel cell component of Oruc to have included the claimed feature wherein the first cross-sectional area different from the second cross-sectional area.
Any comments considered necessary by applicant must be submitted no later than the payment of the issue fee and, to avoid processing delays, should preferably accompany the issue fee. Such submissions should be clearly labeled “Comments on Statement of Reasons for Allowance.”
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to HAROON S SHEIKH whose telephone number is (571)270-0302. The examiner can normally be reached 9-6.
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If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, JONATHAN LEONG can be reached at (571) 270-1292. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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HAROON S. SHEIKH
Primary Examiner
Art Unit 1751
/Haroon S. Sheikh/ Primary Examiner, Art Unit 1751