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 .
Priority
Acknowledgment is made of applicant’s claim for foreign priority under 35 U.S.C. 119 (a)-(d). The certified copy has been filed in parent Application No. CN202010622355.X, filed on 6/30/2020.
Information Disclosure Statement
The information disclosure statement (IDS) submitted on 12/9/2022 was filed. The submission is in compliance with the provisions of 37 CFR 1.97. Accordingly, the information disclosure statement is being considered by the examiner.
Drawings
New corrected drawings in compliance with 37 CFR 1.121(d) are required in this application because the reference numbers in Figure 1 are not of sufficient quality to be reproducible. Applicant is advised to employ the services of a competent patent draftsperson outside the Office, as the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office no longer prepares new drawings. The corrected drawings are required in reply to the Office action to avoid abandonment of the application. The requirement for corrected drawings will not be held in abeyance.
The drawings are objected to under 37 CFR 1.83(a). The drawings must show every feature of the invention specified in the claims. Therefore, the power off control module, submodules and time determining module must be shown or the feature(s) canceled from the claim(s). No new matter should be entered.
Corrected drawing sheets in compliance with 37 CFR 1.121(d) are required in reply to the Office action to avoid abandonment of the application. Any amended replacement drawing sheet should include all of the figures appearing on the immediate prior version of the sheet, even if only one figure is being amended. The figure or figure number of an amended drawing should not be labeled as “amended.” If a drawing figure is to be canceled, the appropriate figure must be removed from the replacement sheet, and where necessary, the remaining figures must be renumbered and appropriate changes made to the brief description of the several views of the drawings for consistency. Additional replacement sheets may be necessary to show the renumbering of the remaining figures. Each drawing sheet submitted after the filing date of an application must be labeled in the top margin as either “Replacement Sheet” or “New Sheet” pursuant to 37 CFR 1.121(d). If the changes are not accepted by the examiner, the applicant will be notified and informed of any required corrective action in the next Office action. The objection to the drawings will not be held in abeyance.
Specification
The abstract of the disclosure is objected to because there are phrases that could be considered as referring to the purported merits such as “the heating control will be more accurate”. A corrected abstract of the disclosure is required and must be presented on a separate sheet, apart from any other text. See MPEP § 608.01(b).
The amendment filed 09 September 2022 is objected to under 35 U.S.C. 132(a) because it introduces new matter into the disclosure. 35 U.S.C. 132(a) states that no amendment shall introduce new matter into the disclosure of the invention. The added material which is not supported by the original disclosure is as follows:
The incorporation by reference in the international patent application PCT/CN2021/103103 and of the Chinese patent application No. CN202010622355.X is ineffective as it was added on the day of entry into the national phase, which is after the filing date of the Instant Application. The filing date of this national stage application is the filing date of the associated PCT, in this case 29 June 2021, see MPEP 1893.03(b). Therefore, the specification amendment of 09 September 2022 to include the incorporation by reference is new matter, per MPEP 608.01(p).
Applicant is required to cancel the new matter in the reply to this Office Action.
Claim Objections
Claims 1-11 are objected to because of the following informalities: “SOFC” is an abbreviation and needs to be expanded so the true meaning is visible. Appropriate correction is required.
Claim Interpretation
The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 112(f):
(f) Element in Claim for a Combination. – An element in a claim for a combination may be expressed as a means or step for performing a specified function without the recital of structure, material, or acts in support thereof, and such claim shall be construed to cover the corresponding structure, material, or acts described in the specification and equivalents thereof.
The following is a quotation of pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, sixth paragraph:
An element in a claim for a combination may be expressed as a means or step for performing a specified function without the recital of structure, material, or acts in support thereof, and such claim shall be construed to cover the corresponding structure, material, or acts described in the specification and equivalents thereof.
The claims in this application are given their broadest reasonable interpretation using the plain meaning of the claim language in light of the specification as it would be understood by one of ordinary skill in the art. The broadest reasonable interpretation of a claim element (also commonly referred to as a claim limitation) is limited by the description in the specification when 35 U.S.C. 112(f) or pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, sixth paragraph, is invoked.
As explained in MPEP § 2181, subsection I, claim limitations that meet the following three-prong test will be interpreted under 35 U.S.C. 112(f) or pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, sixth paragraph:
(A) the claim limitation uses the term “means” or “step” or a term used as a substitute for “means” that is a generic placeholder (also called a nonce term or a non-structural term having no specific structural meaning) for performing the claimed function;
(B) the term “means” or “step” or the generic placeholder is modified by functional language, typically, but not always linked by the transition word “for” (e.g., “means for”) or another linking word or phrase, such as “configured to” or “so that”; and
(C) the term “means” or “step” or the generic placeholder is not modified by sufficient structure, material, or acts for performing the claimed function.
Use of the word “means” (or “step”) in a claim with functional language creates a rebuttable presumption that the claim limitation is to be treated in accordance with 35 U.S.C. 112(f) or pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, sixth paragraph. The presumption that the claim limitation is interpreted under 35 U.S.C. 112(f) or pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, sixth paragraph, is rebutted when the claim limitation recites sufficient structure, material, or acts to entirely perform the recited function.
Absence of the word “means” (or “step”) in a claim creates a rebuttable presumption that the claim limitation is not to be treated in accordance with 35 U.S.C. 112(f) or pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, sixth paragraph. The presumption that the claim limitation is not interpreted under 35 U.S.C. 112(f) or pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, sixth paragraph, is rebutted when the claim limitation recites function without reciting sufficient structure, material or acts to entirely perform the recited function.
Claim limitations in this application that use the word “means” (or “step”) are being interpreted under 35 U.S.C. 112(f) or pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, sixth paragraph, except as otherwise indicated in an Office action. Conversely, claim limitations in this application that do not use the word “means” (or “step”) are not being interpreted under 35 U.S.C. 112(f) or pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, sixth paragraph, except as otherwise indicated in an Office action.
This application includes one or more claim limitations that do not use the word “means,” but are nonetheless being interpreted under 35 U.S.C. 112(f) or pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, sixth paragraph, because the claim limitation(s) uses a generic placeholder that is coupled with functional language without reciting sufficient structure to perform the recited function and the generic placeholder is not preceded by a structural modifier. Such claim limitation(s) is/are:
Temperature obtaining module, vehicle control unit, time calculating module, heating control module in claim 6.
Power-off control module in claim 7.
Heater starting submodule, time obtaining submodule and heater control submodule in claim 8.
Time determining module in claim 9.
Because this/these claim limitation(s) is/are being interpreted under 35 U.S.C. 112(f) or pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, sixth paragraph, it/they is/are being interpreted to cover the corresponding structure described in the specification as performing the claimed function, and equivalents thereof. There is no corresponding structure in the specification for any of the terms interpreted under 112(f) as listed above.
If applicant does not intend to have this/these limitation(s) interpreted under 35 U.S.C. 112(f) or pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, sixth paragraph, applicant may: (1) amend the claim limitation(s) to avoid it/them being interpreted under 35 U.S.C. 112(f) or pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, sixth paragraph (e.g., by reciting sufficient structure to perform the claimed function); or (2) present a sufficient showing that the claim limitation(s) recite(s) sufficient structure to perform the claimed function so as to avoid it/them being interpreted under 35 U.S.C. 112(f) or pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, sixth paragraph.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 112
The following is a quotation of the first paragraph of 35 U.S.C. 112(a):
(a) IN GENERAL.—The specification shall contain a written description of the invention, and of the manner and process of making and using it, in such full, clear, concise, and exact terms as to enable any person skilled in the art to which it pertains, or with which it is most nearly connected, to make and use the same, and shall set forth the best mode contemplated by the inventor or joint inventor of carrying out the invention.
The following is a quotation of the first paragraph of pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112:
The specification shall contain a written description of the invention, and of the manner and process of making and using it, in such full, clear, concise, and exact terms as to enable any person skilled in the art to which it pertains, or with which it is most nearly connected, to make and use the same, and shall set forth the best mode contemplated by the inventor of carrying out his invention.
Claims 6-9 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 112(a) or 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), first paragraph, as failing to comply with the written description requirement. The claim(s) contains subject matter which was not described in the specification in such a way as to reasonably convey to one skilled in the relevant art that the inventor or a joint inventor, or for applications subject to pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, the inventor(s), at the time the application was filed, had possession of the claimed invention. The modules as described may be exclusively software and does not recite any physical structure at all. The modules could be cloud functions or other software implementations that have no physical structure. Without any physical structure recited for the modules, the water tank heating unit as claimed would not be considered as being direction to a statutory subject matter for an apparatus.
The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 112(b):
(b) CONCLUSION.—The specification shall conclude with one or more claims particularly pointing out and distinctly claiming the subject matter which the inventor or a joint inventor regards as the invention.
The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), second paragraph:
The specification shall conclude with one or more claims particularly pointing out and distinctly claiming the subject matter which the applicant regards as his invention.
Claims 6-9 and 11 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 112(b) or 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), second paragraph, as being indefinite for failing to particularly point out and distinctly claim the subject matter which the inventor or a joint inventor (or for applications subject to pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, the applicant), regards as the invention.
Claim limitation “temperature obtaining module, vehicle control unit, time calculating module, heating control module, power-off control module, heater starting submodule, time obtaining submodule, heater control submodule and time determining module” invokes 35 U.S.C. 112(f) or pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, sixth paragraph. However, the written description fails to disclose the corresponding structure, material, or acts for performing the entire claimed function and to clearly link the structure, material, or acts to the function. There is no structural equivalent to the above limitations in the specification. Therefore, the claim is indefinite and is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 112(b) or pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, second paragraph.
Applicant may:
(a) Amend the claim so that the claim limitation will no longer be interpreted as a limitation under 35 U.S.C. 112(f) or pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, sixth paragraph;
(b) Amend the written description of the specification such that it expressly recites what structure, material, or acts perform the entire claimed function, without introducing any new matter (35 U.S.C. 132(a)); or
(c) Amend the written description of the specification such that it clearly links the structure, material, or acts disclosed therein to the function recited in the claim, without introducing any new matter (35 U.S.C. 132(a)).
If applicant is of the opinion that the written description of the specification already implicitly or inherently discloses the corresponding structure, material, or acts and clearly links them to the function so that one of ordinary skill in the art would recognize what structure, material, or acts perform the claimed function, applicant should clarify the record by either:
(a) Amending the written description of the specification such that it expressly recites the corresponding structure, material, or acts for performing the claimed function and clearly links or associates the structure, material, or acts to the claimed function, without introducing any new matter (35 U.S.C. 132(a)); or
(b) Stating on the record what the corresponding structure, material, or acts, which are implicitly or inherently set forth in the written description of the specification, perform the claimed function. For more information, see 37 CFR 1.75(d) and MPEP §§ 608.01(o) and 2181.
Claim 11 is indefinite because the scope of the claim inherently requires the limitations to be considered part of a SOFC system. Therefore, it is unclear how the subject matter of claim 10 is further limited.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 101
35 U.S.C. 101 reads as follows:
Whoever invents or discovers any new and useful process, machine, manufacture, or composition of matter, or any new and useful improvement thereof, may obtain a patent therefor, subject to the conditions and requirements of this title.
Claims 6-9 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 101 because the claimed invention is directed to non-statutory subject matter. The claim(s) does/do not fall within at least one of the four categories of patent eligible subject matter because the modules as described may be exclusively software and does not recite any physical structure at all. The modules could be cloud functions or other software implementations that have no physical structure. Without any physical structure recited for the modules, the water tank heating unit as claimed would not be considered as being direction to a statutory subject matter for an apparatus.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 102
In the event the determination of the status of the application as subject to AIA 35 U.S.C. 102 and 103 (or as subject to pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 102 and 103) is incorrect, any correction of the statutory basis (i.e., changing from AIA to pre-AIA ) for the rejection will not be considered a new ground of rejection if the prior art relied upon, and the rationale supporting the rejection, would be the same under either status.
The following is a quotation of the appropriate paragraphs of 35 U.S.C. 102 that form the basis for the rejections under this section made in this Office action:
A person shall be entitled to a patent unless –
(a)(1) the claimed invention was patented, described in a printed publication, or in public use, on sale, or otherwise available to the public before the effective filing date of the claimed invention.
Claim(s) 1-11 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Ogawa (US 20070003804).
With regards to claim 1, Ogawa discloses a water tank heating method, for use in a water tank thawing controller in a water tank thawing system for an SOFC system (fuel cell system and protection method thereof, Title), the method comprising: obtaining the current temperature of a target object in a water tank in the case that SOFC system power-off information is received, wherein the SOFC system power-off information is generated by a vehicle control unit based on a received instruction of a pre-set sleep mode triggered by a user (a water temperature sensor 38 which detects the temperature of the water in the water storage tank 12 and a water amount sensor 39 which detects the water amount in the fuel cell stack 1 (specifically, the water amount in the water buffer in the fuel cell stack 1), together with time and data information from a clock 51, climatic information from a radio 52, and a system start signal and stop signal from a system start/stop switch 53, paragraph 0034, lines 6-10); determining that the current temperature is lower than a pre-set temperature threshold (In a step S3, it is determined whether or not the fuel cell temperature TEMPc has fallen below a predetermined temperature TEMPth0 (temperature in the vicinity of 0.degree. C., e.g., 5. degree. C. ) and calculating an actual thawing time needed for heating the target object in the water tank from the current temperature to a pre-set temperature according to water tank parameter information (When the fuel cell temperature TEMPc has fallen below the predetermined temperature TEMPth0, the water in the system may freeze, so the routine performs the system protection processing of a step S4 and subsequent steps, paragraph 0041, lines 1-6) ; determining a pre-set SOFC thawing time according to current stack outlet temperature (When it is determined that the fuel cell stack 1 has stopped, the routine proceeds to a step S2, and a fuel cell temperature TEMPc is read. The fuel cell temperature TEMPc may be the temperature of the fuel cell stack 1 itself wherein after the TEMPc has fallen below the predetermined TEMPth0 a restart time RST! Of the fuel stack 1 is estimated to prevent thawing, paragraph 0040, lines 2-4 and paragraph 0042, lines 1-2); and operating a heater in the water tank thawing system to heat the target object in the water tank for the pre-set SOFC thawing time or until a pre-set heating stop condition is met in the case that the actual thawing time is greater than a pre-set needed SOFC thawing time (it is calculated as the energy amount required to compensate the heat released from the fuel cell stack 1 to the outside by heating with the heater 21 and maintain the temperature the fuel cell stack 1 above 0.degree. C, paragraph 0045, lines 3-5).
With regards to claim 2, Ogawa discloses wherein operating the heater in the water tank thawing system to heat the target object in the water tank, the method further comprises: obtaining a remaining battery power (in the step S62, the remaining energy amount rE (remaining fuel amount, remaining battery amount) is detected, paragraph 0068, line 1); and controlling the water tank thawing system to be powered off in the case that the remaining battery power is lower than a pre-set threshold (when the remaining energy amount rE is less than the predetermined value rEth, the routine proceeds to a step S64, otherwise the routine proceeds to a step S68, paragraph 0068, lines 4-5).
With regards to claim 3, Ogawa discloses wherein operating the heater in the water tank thawing system to heat the target object in the water tank until a pre-set heating stop condition is met comprises: starting the heater in the water tank thawing system to heat the target object in the water tank; obtaining the actual thawing time in real time (controller 20 performs a method wherein the energy amount E1 required when the first protection mode is selected, it is calculated as the energy amount required to compensate the heat released from the fuel cell stack 1 to the outside by heating with the heater 21 and maintain the temperature the fuel cell stack 1 above 0.degree. C, paragraph 0045, lines 2-5); and stopping heating the water tank in the case that the difference between the pre-set needed SOFC thawing time and the actual thawing time meets a pre-set difference condition (controller 20 performs a method wherein it is calculated as the energy amount required to compensate the heat released from the fuel cell stack 1 to the outside by heating with the heater 21 and maintain the temperature the fuel cell stack 1 above 0.degree. C, paragraph 0045, lines 3-5).
With regards to claim 4, Ogawa discloses wherein determining the pre-set needed SOFC thawing time comprises: obtaining a correspondence between a pre-set stack outlet temperature and a reference thawing time (in step 3, TEMPc is compared to TEMPth0 in order to proceed to the step of estimating a restart time RST1, Fig. 2); and searching in the correspondence and obtaining a reference thawing time corresponding to the current stack outlet temperature (in step 3, TEMPc is compared to TEMPth0 in order to proceed to the step of estimating a restart time RST1, Fig. 2).
With regards to claim 5, Ogawa discloses wherein calculating the actual thawing time needed for heating the target object in the water tank from the current temperature to the pre-set temperature according to water tank parameter information comprises: calculating the energy needed for heating the target object in the water tank from the current temperature to the pre-set temperature; obtaining the heating power of a heater in the water tank thawing system and the heat dissipating power of the water tank; calculating a difference between the heating power and the heat dissipating power; and determining the ratio of the energy to the difference as the actual thawing time needed for heating the target object in the water tank from the current temperature to the pre-set temperature (an energy amount E1 required when the system is protected in the first protection mode (protection by heating and maintaining temperature of water) until the restart estimation time RST1, and an energy amount E2 required when the system is protected in the second protection mode (protection by discharging water from the fuel cell stack 1 to the water storage tank 12) until the restart estimation time RST1, are respectively computed based on the outside air temperature shift data TPDATA generated in the step S5 and the restart estimation time RST1 of the fuel cell stack 1 estimated in the step S4, paragraph 0044, lines 1-6).
With regards to claim 6, Ogawa discloses a water tank heating unit for a water tank thawing controller in a water tank thawing system of an SOFC system (fuel cell system used in a vehicle, Fig. 1), comprising: a temperature obtaining module for obtaining the current temperature of a target object in a water tank when SOFC system power-off information is received (temperature sensor 38 for which detects the temperature of the water in the water storage tank 12, paragraph 0034, lines 6-8), wherein the SOFC system power-off information is generated by a vehicle control unit based on a received instruction of a pre-set sleep mode triggered by a user (The initial value RST0 is set to a suitable time (e.g., 12:00) when the vehicle is shipped from the factory or is delivered to the user, and is updated to a new value each time the fuel cell stack 1 restarts by a processing (learning processing) of a step S25 and subsequent steps, paragraph 0051, lines 1-3); a time calculating module for calculating an actual thawing time needed for heating the target object in the water tank from the current temperature to a pre-set temperature according to water tank parameter information when the current temperature is lower than a pre-set temperature threshold (the restart time estimation processing performed by the controller 20, paragraph 0050, lines 1-3); and a heating control module for operating a heater in the water tank thawing system to heat the target object in the water tank until a pre-set heating stop condition is met when the actual thawing time is greater than a pre-set needed SOFC thawing time, wherein the pre-set needed SOFC thawing time is determined according to current stack outlet temperature (controller 20 defines an energy amount E1 required when the system is protected in the first protection mode (protection by heating and maintaining temperature of water) until the restart estimation time RST1, and an energy amount E2 required when the system is protected in the second protection mode (protection by discharging water from the fuel cell stack 1 to the water storage tank 12) until the restart estimation time RST1, are respectively computed based on the outside air temperature shift data TPDATA generated in the step S5 and the restart estimation time RST1 of the fuel cell stack 1 estimated in the step S4, paragraph 0044, lines 1-6).
With regards to claim 7, Ogawa et al discloses a power-off control module for obtaining remaining battery power and controlling the water tank thawing system to be powered off in the case that the remaining battery power is lower than a pre-set threshold (controller 20 performs a method where in the step S62, the remaining energy amount rE (remaining fuel amount, remaining battery amount) is detected and when the remaining energy amount rE is less than the predetermined value rEth, the routine proceeds to a step S64, otherwise the routine proceeds to a step S68, paragraph 0068, lines 1-5).
With regards to claim 8, Ogawa et al discloses wherein the heating control module comprises: a heater starting submodule for starting the heater in the water tank thawing system to heat the target object in the water tank (controller 20 performs a method wherein the energy amount E1 required when the first protection mode is selected, it is calculated as the energy amount required to compensate the heat released from the fuel cell stack 1 to the outside by heating with the heater 21 and maintain the temperature the fuel cell stack 1 above 0.degree. C, paragraph 0045, lines 2-5); a time obtaining submodule for obtaining the actual thawing time in real time (controller 20 performs a method wherein the step S4, a restart time RST1 of the fuel cell stack 1 is estimated, paragraph 0042, line 1); and a heater control submodule for stopping heating of the water tank in the case that the difference between the pre-set needed SOFC thawing time and the actual thawing time meets a pre-set difference condition (controller 20 performs a method wherein it is calculated as the energy amount required to compensate the heat released from the fuel cell stack 1 to the outside by heating with the heater 21 and maintain the temperature the fuel cell stack 1 above 0.degree. C, paragraph 0045, lines 3-5).
With regards to claim 9, Ogawa et al discloses further comprising a time determining module for: obtaining a correspondence between pre-set stack outlet temperature and reference thawing time (the controller 20 performs a method wherein step 3, TEMPc is compared to TEMPth0 in order to proceed to the step of estimating a restart time RST1, Fig. 2), searching in the correspondence, and obtaining a reference thawing time corresponding to the current stack outlet temperature (the controller 20 performs a method wherein step 3, TEMPc is compared to TEMPth0 in order to proceed to the step of estimating a restart time RST1, Fig. 2).
With regards to claim 10, Ogawa et al discloses an electronic device, comprising a memory for storing programs and a processor for executing a program(controller 20 with memory, paragraph 0061, line 2) for: obtaining the current temperature of a target object in a water tank in the case that SOFC system power-off information is received, wherein the SOFC system power-off information is generated by a vehicle control unit based on a received instruction of a pre-set sleep mode triggered by a user (a water temperature sensor 38 which detects the temperature of the water in the water storage tank 12 and a water amount sensor 39 which detects the water amount in the fuel cell stack 1 (specifically, the water amount in the water buffer in the fuel cell stack 1), together with time and data information from a clock 51, climatic information from a radio 52, and a system start signal and stop signal from a system start/stop switch 53, paragraph 0034, lines 6-10); calculating an actual thawing time needed for heating the target object in the water tank from the current temperature to a pre-set temperature according to water tank parameter information in the case that the current temperature is lower than a pre-set temperature threshold (When the fuel cell temperature TEMPc has fallen below the predetermined temperature TEMPth0, the water in the system may freeze, so the routine performs the system protection processing of a step S4 and subsequent steps, paragraph 0041, lines 1-6); and operating a heater in the water tank thawing system to heat the target object in the water tank until a pre-set heating stop condition is met in the case that the actual thawing time is greater than a pre-set needed SOFC thawing time, wherein the pre-set needed SOFC thawing time is determined according to a current stack outlet temperature (it is calculated as the energy amount required to compensate the heat released from the fuel cell stack 1 to the outside by heating with the heater 21 and maintain the temperature the fuel cell stack 1 above 0.degree. C, paragraph 0045, lines 3-5).
With regards to claim 11, Ogawa et al discloses a fuel cell system (Fig. 1) having an electronic device, comprising a memory for storing programs and a processor for executing a program(controller 20 with memory, paragraph 0061, line 2) for: obtaining the current temperature of a target object in a water tank in the case that SOFC system power-off information is received, wherein the SOFC system power-off information is generated by a vehicle control unit based on a received instruction of a pre-set sleep mode triggered by a user (a water temperature sensor 38 which detects the temperature of the water in the water storage tank 12 and a water amount sensor 39 which detects the water amount in the fuel cell stack 1 (specifically, the water amount in the water buffer in the fuel cell stack 1), together with time and data information from a clock 51, climatic information from a radio 52, and a system start signal and stop signal from a system start/stop switch 53, paragraph 0034, lines 6-10); calculating an actual thawing time needed for heating the target object in the water tank from the current temperature to a pre-set temperature according to water tank parameter information in the case that the current temperature is lower than a pre-set temperature threshold (When the fuel cell temperature TEMPc has fallen below the predetermined temperature TEMPth0, the water in the system may freeze, so the routine performs the system protection processing of a step S4 and subsequent steps, paragraph 0041, lines 1-6); and operating a heater in the water tank thawing system to heat the target object in the water tank until a pre-set heating stop condition is met in the case that the actual thawing time is greater than a pre-set needed SOFC thawing time, wherein the pre-set needed SOFC thawing time is determined according to a current stack outlet temperature (it is calculated as the energy amount required to compensate the heat released from the fuel cell stack 1 to the outside by heating with the heater 21 and maintain the temperature the fuel cell stack 1 above 0.degree. C, paragraph 0045, lines 3-5).
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to THOMAS JOHN WARD whose telephone number is (571)270-1786. The examiner can normally be reached Monday - Friday, 7am - 4pm.
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If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, STEVEN CRABB can be reached at 5712705095. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/THOMAS J WARD/Examiner, Art Unit 3761
/EDWARD F LANDRUM/Supervisory Patent Examiner, Art Unit 3761