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 .
Drawings
The drawings are objected to as failing to comply with 37 CFR 1.84(p)(5) because they include the following reference character(s) not mentioned in the description: Fig. 14, element 1410. Corrected drawing sheets in compliance with 37 CFR 1.121(d), or amendment to the specification to add the reference character(s) in the description in compliance with 37 CFR 1.121(b) 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. 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.
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.
Claim 14 is 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.
In claim 14, the statement “at least one port two or more times” is indefinite and unclear.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 103
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 35 U.S.C. 103 which forms the basis for all obviousness rejections set forth in this Office action:
A patent for a claimed invention may not be obtained, notwithstanding that the claimed invention is not identically disclosed as set forth in section 102, if the differences between the claimed invention and the prior art are such that the claimed invention as a whole would have been obvious before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to a person having ordinary skill in the art to which the claimed invention pertains. Patentability shall not be negated by the manner in which the invention was made.
Claim(s) 1, 2, 7, 8, 13 – 19 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Huang (CN 113193784) in view of Dietzel (US 2015/0240786).
Huang discloses, regarding,
Claim 1, A power generator, comprising: an intake stage; a flow treatment stage; a flow interface stage (see annotated Fig. 2 below); and a power processor (see abstract), wherein the flow treatment stage modifies the flow (via internal devices of flow treatment stage) of air and directs a modified flow of air into the flow interface stage, wherein the flow interface stage includes a flow interface chamber (chamber made-up of three devices; see below), one or more exhaust outlets 3, and a plurality of Helmholtz chambers 5, wherein each of the plurality of Helmholtz chambers includes a port (at exhaust outlet 3), a plurality of piezoelectric units 4, and a connector for delivering electrical power to the power processor (see abstract).
PNG
media_image1.png
499
887
media_image1.png
Greyscale
The problem to be solve is to control the fluid flow via blades or shutters. Such procedure is well-known in the present field and in many other fields.
For example, Dietzel discloses a fluid flow power generator wherein the intake stage 106 comprises a plurality of blades [0084] oriented to collect a flow of air from multiple directions (wind direction flowing from above or below the intake stage) and direct the flow of air to the flow treatment stage 108 (see Fig. 1).
Dietzel further discloses, regarding,
Claim 2, the flow treatment stage includes one of the following: a venturi inlet (see Fig. 2), a spiral inlet, or an inlet with a central inverted cone for pushing airflow to an outer edge of the flow interface chamber.
The Prior Art further discloses, regarding,
Claim 7, A generator, comprising: a plurality of blades for collecting a flow of air and directing the flow of air into a flow treatment stage; a flow interface chamber; a plurality of Helmholtz chambers, each of the plurality of Helmholtz chambers including a port, a plurality of piezoelectric units, and an electrical connection; one or more exhaust outlets; and a power processor (see rejection for claim 1 above).
Claim 8, the flow treatment stage includes one of the following: a venturi inlet (Deitzel, Fig. 2), a spiral inlet, or an inlet with an inverted central cone for pushing airflow to an outer edge of the flow interface chamber.
Claim 13, A method of using airflow to generate electrical power, the method comprising: capturing energy from an environment as a flow of air (at intake stage; Huang, Fig. 2); directing the flow of air through a flow treatment stage (see annotated Fig. 2 above); directing a modified flow of air from the flow treatment stage into a flow interface stage; using the modified flow of air to establish air pressure oscillations within a plurality of Helmholtz chambers located in the flow interface stage (Huang fig. 2); using the air pressure oscillations within each of the plurality of Helmholtz chambers to cause a plurality of piezoelectric units to generate electrical current (Huang, Fig. 2 and abstract); passing a flow of exhaust air out of the flow interface stage through one or more exhaust outlets (Huang, Fig. 2; Dietzel, Fig. 2); and processing the electrical current for use as a power source.
Claim 14, using the modified flow of air to generate a vortex airflow within a flow interface chamber; and directing the vortex airflow across a plurality of ports, wherein each of the plurality of ports corresponds to a Helmholtz chamber (Huang, Fig. 2), and wherein the vortex airflow flows across at least one port two or more times.
Claim 15, creating a modified flow of air within the flow treatment stage by one of the following: passing the flow of air though a venturi inlet (Dietzel, Fig. 2), passing the flow of air through a spiral inlet, or passing the flow of air through an inlet with an inverted central cone.
Claim 16, creating a modified flow of air within the flow treatment stage by passing the flow of air through a flow guide, and from the flow guide into two or more channels for delivering the modified flow of air to a flow interface chamber (Huang, Fig. 2).
Claim 17, directing the modified flow of air through a venturi section to create a vacuum in the flow interface chamber; and drawing air into the flow interface chamber to generate the vortex airflow (Huang, Fig. 2).
Claim 18, the one or more exhaust outlets is a pair of venturi outlets located on a centerline of the flow interface chamber (Huang, Fig. 2).
Claim 19, the modified flow of air is a laminar flow (Huang, Fig. 2; Dietzel, Fig. 2).
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 3 – 6, 9 – 12 are objected to as being dependent upon a rejected base claim, but would be allowable if rewritten in independent form including all of the limitations of the base claim and any intervening claims.
The cited prior art of record fails to disclose the structural description of the flow treatment stage and flow interface chamber as specifically described in claims 3, 4, 9, 10. Claims 5, 6, 11, 12 are dependent on claims 3, 9.
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure. Bernstein shows a Helmholtz chamber, having piezoelectric devices for using the fluid flow to make the piezoelectric devices produce electricity.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to Julio C. Gonzalez whose telephone number is (571)272-2024. The examiner can normally be reached M-F.
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.
If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Abdullah Riyami can be reached at 5712703119. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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.
/Julio C. Gonzalez/
Primary Examiner
Art Unit 2831
January 26, 2026