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 .
Election/Restrictions
Applicant’s election without traverse of Group I, species Ia, claims 1-7 and 12 in the reply filed on 2/19/26 is acknowledged.
Claims 8-11 are withdrawn, as they are directed to species Ib and Ic.
Specification
The disclosure is objected to because of the following informalities:
Para. 37, line 2: “a coating 8” appears to be a typo of “a coating 8”.
Para. 38, line 12: “a first layer 9´” and “a further layer 9” appear to be typos of “a first layer 9” and “a further layer 9´”.
Appropriate correction is required.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 102
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) 1-7 and 12 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Gago Rodriguez et al. (EP 3456866 A1, hereinafter Rodriguez, cited by applicant).
Re Claim 1. Rodriguez teaches a method for manufacturing a bipolar plate (Fig. 1, item 12) for an electrochemical cell comprising: providing a fluid impermeable carrier (item 26), applying a fluid-impermeable coating (item 30) over at least one subregion of a surface of the carrier, and forming a flow channel (item 14) on the surface of the carrier prior to applying the coating (P4), wherein the coating is applied by at least one of cold gas spraying (P3), and wherein the coating includes at least one of niobium, tantalum, tin, vanadium, silicon, or at least one of an oxide or a carbide thereof (P4).
Re Claim 2. Rodriguez teaches wherein the coating includes at least one of titanium, molybdenum, tungsten, or oxides or carbides thereof (P4).
Re Claim 3. Rodriguez teaches wherein the coating includes a titanium alloy, wherein the titanium alloy includes at least one of molybdenum, vanadium, or oxides or carbides thereof (P4).
Re Claim 4. Rodriguez teaches wherein the carrier is formed of an electrically conductive material (P5).
Re Claim 5. The method according to claim 1, wherein during the application of the coating, at least one of a composition of coating material applied to the surface is changed (P4).
Re Claim 6. Rodriguez teaches forming a plurality of flow channels on the surface of the carrier prior to applying the coating (Fig. 1, P4).
Re Claim 7. Rodriguez teaches wherein the coating is applied to elevations between the flow channels and depressions of the flow channels remain uncoated (Fig. 1, P4).
Re Claim 12. Rodriguez teaches applying particles (Fig. 2, item 32) to at least one of the surface of the carrier during applying the coating, wherein the particles include an electrically conductive material (P6)and reduce a contact resistance at the surface of the coated carrier.
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure. See PTO-892.
The rejections above rely on the references for all the teachings expressed in the text of the references and/or one of ordinary skill in the art would have reasonably understood from the texts. Only specific portions of the texts have been pointed out to emphasize certain aspects of the prior art, however, each reference as a whole should be reviewed in responding to the rejection, since other sections of the same reference and/or various combinations of the cited references may be relied on in future rejections in view of amendments.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to KEVIN E YOON whose telephone number is (571)270-5932. The examiner can normally be reached Monday-Friday 9 AM- 5 PM.
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/KEVIN E YOON/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 1735
3/2/2026
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