DETAILED ACTION
Notice of Pre-AIA or AIA Status
1. The present application, filed on or after March 16, 2013, is being examined under the first inventor to file provisions of the AIA .
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 102
2. 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.
3. 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.
4. Claim(s) 1, 4, and 5 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Tamura (US 2010/0062294) as cited in IDS dated 1/30/25.
Regarding claim 1, Tamura discloses a fuel battery module unit (abstract) comprising: a fuel battery module including a reformer (main component of hydrogen generator 1, [0051]-[0052], Fig. 1) configured to generate fuel gas containing hydrogen by steam reforming raw fuel gas([0052], [0058]), and a fuel battery cell stack including multiple fuel battery cells configured to generate electricity from an electrochemical reaction of the fuel gas generated by the reformer and an oxidant(101, Fig. 6, [0109]); and a controller (20, Fig. 1) configured to increase a temperature of the reformer from startup until start of power generation in the fuel battery cell stack, and decrease the temperature of the reformer multiple times before the start of power generation in the fuel battery cell stack (claims 1 and 2, [0095]-[0097], Fig. 4).
Regarding claim 4, Tamura discloses a fuel battery device (Fig. 6, claim 12) comprising:
the fuel battery module unit according to claim 1(hydrogen generator 1, Fig. 6); and auxiliary equipment([0105]-[0111], Fig. 6).
Regarding claim 5, Tamura discloses a fuel battery device(Fig. 6, claim 12) comprising:
a fuel battery module including a reformer (main component of hydrogen generator 1, [0051]-[0052], Fig. 1) configured to generate fuel gas containing hydrogen by steam reforming raw fuel gas ([0052], [0058]), and a fuel battery cell stack including multiple fuel battery cells configured to generate electricity from an electrochemical reaction of the fuel gas generated by the reformer and an oxidant (101, Fig. 6, [0109]); and a controller (20, Fig. 1) configured to control the reformer and the fuel battery cell stack, wherein the controller increases a temperature of the reformer from startup until start of power generation in the fuel battery cell stack, and decreases the temperature of the reformer multiple times before the start of power generation (claims 1 and 2, [0095]-[0097], Fig. 4).
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 103
5. 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.
The text of those sections of Title 35, U.S. Code not included in this action can be found in a prior Office action.
The factual inquiries for establishing a background for determining obviousness under 35 U.S.C. 103 are summarized as follows:
1. Determining the scope and contents of the prior art.
2. Ascertaining the differences between the prior art and the claims at issue.
3. Resolving the level of ordinary skill in the pertinent art.
4. Considering objective evidence present in the application indicating obviousness or nonobviousness.
6. This application currently names joint inventors. In considering patentability of the claims the examiner presumes that the subject matter of the various claims was commonly owned as of the effective filing date of the claimed invention(s) absent any evidence to the contrary. Applicant is advised of the obligation under 37 CFR 1.56 to point out the inventor and effective filing dates of each claim that was not commonly owned as of the effective filing date of the later invention in order for the examiner to consider the applicability of 35 U.S.C. 102(b)(2)(C) for any potential 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(2) prior art against the later invention.
7. Claim(s) 2 and 3 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Tamura (US 2010/0062294) as cited in IDS dated 1/30/25 as applied to claim 1 above.
Regarding claim 2, Tamura discloses all of the claim limitations as set forth above. Tamura discloses that by intermittently carrying out combustion for heating the reformer until the temperature of an evaporator which supplies the steam to the reforming catalyst layer increases to a predetermined threshold or higher at the start-up of the hydrogen generator, the temperature of the reforming catalyst layer can be kept lower than the temperature at which the carbon deposition occurs([0003]). Tamura teaches a temperature of the reformer is kept to a predetermined temperature or lower([0007]). Tamura teaches when the temperature of the reformer becomes a predetermined temperature or lower (150 °C. or lower for example), the hydrogen generator 1 carries out the start-up operation, i.e., the first combustion operation of the combustor 4 is started, and ON and OFF of the combustion operation of the combustor 4 are carried out([0088]) but does not explicitly disclose wherein a magnitude of a second temperature drop of the reformer performed by the controller is greater than a magnitude of a first temperature drop of the reformer performed by the controller.
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art to modify the fuel battery module unit of Tamura with a magnitude of a second temperature drop of the reformer performed by the controller is greater than a magnitude of a first temperature drop of the reformer performed by the controller in order to balance the temperature of the reforming catalyst layer be kept lower than the temperature at which the carbon deposition occurs and hydrogen generation, since it has been held that where the general conditions of a claim are disclosed in the prior art, discovering the optimum or workable ranges involves only routine skill in the art. MPEP §2144.05 (II-A).
Regarding claim 3, Tamura discloses all of the claim limitations as set forth above. Tamura discloses that by intermittently carrying out combustion for heating the reformer until the temperature of an evaporator which supplies the steam to the reforming catalyst layer increases to a predetermined threshold or higher at the start-up of the hydrogen generator, the temperature of the reforming catalyst layer can be kept lower than the temperature at which the carbon deposition occurs([0003]). Tamura teaches a temperature of the reformer is kept to a predetermined temperature or lower([0007]). Tamura teaches when the temperature of the reformer becomes a predetermined temperature or lower (150 °C. or lower for example), the hydrogen generator 1 carries out the start-up operation, i.e., the first combustion operation of the combustor 4 is started, and ON and OFF of the combustion operation of the combustor 4 are carried out([0088]) but does not explicitly disclose a duration of a second temperature drop of the reformer performed by the controller is greater than a duration of a first temperature drop of the reformer performed by the controller.
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art to modify the fuel battery module unit of Tamura with a duration of a second temperature drop of the reformer performed by the controller is greater than a duration of a first temperature drop of the reformer performed by the controller in order to balance the temperature of the reforming catalyst layer be kept lower than the temperature at which the carbon deposition occurs and hydrogen generation, since it has been held that where the general conditions of a claim are disclosed in the prior art, discovering the optimum or workable ranges involves only routine skill in the art. MPEP §2144.05 (II-A).
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to VICTORIA HOM LYNCH whose telephone number is (571)272-0489. The examiner can normally be reached 7:30 AM - 4:30 PM EST M-F.
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/VICTORIA H LYNCH/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 1724