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 .
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 112
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 1, 9-10, and their dependents 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 1 recites “an inductor with a magnetic core structure…” and subsequently “a gap in a core structure”; it is unclear if this refers to the same core structure or separate core structures.
Claim 9-10 recites the limitation "the conductive liquid metal coolant" in lines 2-3 respectively. There is insufficient antecedent basis for this limitation in the claim.
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) 1-2 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by RU 198,799 (herein Liability).
A machine translation of Liability was provided by applicant on 07/20/2023 and is relied upon herein.
Liability teaches:
limitations from claim 1, a system comprising (paragraph 17): an inductor (10) with a magnetic core structure and a gap in a core structure (FIG. 6; paragraph 81); and a magnetohydrodynamics pump (FIG. 1 and FIG. 9; paragraph 82, 111-112) comprised within the inductor;
limitations from claim 2, The system of claim 1, wherein the MHD pump is integrated into the inductor (FIG. 1-2; paragraphs 22, 82, 111-112);
Claim(s) 1 and 3 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Avanzini (US Patent No. 4,278,404).
Avanzini teaches:
limitations from claim 1, a system comprising (FIG. 1): an inductor (10) with a magnetic core structure and a gap in a core structure (FIG. 1; C. 4 Lines 17-22); and a magnetohydrodynamics pump (FIG. 1) comprised within the inductor (C. 4 Lines 23-35);
limitations from claim 3, further comprising at least one channel with a C-shape magnetic core (FIG. 1);
Claim(s) 1, 4, and 6 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Kidwell (US Patent No. 3,273,336).
Kidwell teaches:
limitations from claim 1, a system comprising (C. 1 Lines 9-12 and 45-50 for example): an inductor with a magnetic core (9, 15) structure and a gap in a core structure (FIG. 1-5); and a magnetohydrodynamics pump comprised within the inductor (C. 3 Lines 4-19 and 56-66);
limitations from claim 4, further comprising at least one channel with a rod magnetic core (FIG. 6);
limitations from claim 6, further comprising at least one channel with a toroidal magnetic core (9; FIG. 1-5);
Claim(s) 1 and 5 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Radchenko et al (US Patent No. 3,708,246).
Radchenko teaches:
limitations from claim 1, a system comprising (FIG. 1; C. 1 Lines 4-10): an inductor with a magnetic core (8) structure and a gap in a core structure (FIG. 1); and a magnetohydrodynamics pump comprised within the inductor (C. 1 Lines 4-10 and C. 2 Lines 16-32);
limitations from claim 5, further comprising at least one channel with an EI magnetic core (see FIG. 1 and core 8);
Claim(s) 7-12, and 16 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Ouyang et al (US Patent No. 8,336,611) as evidenced by RU 198,799 (herein Liability).
Ouyang teaches:
limitations from claim 7, a liquid metal cooling system (FIG. 4-6) comprising: an inductor (60; particularly FIG. 6D) comprising an integrated magnetohydrodynamics (ND) pump (62, 82, 84); a cooling pad (64 in FIG. 4B for example); a radiator (72); and a liquid coolant that carries heat from the cooling pad to the radiator (FIG. 5; C. 4 Lines 19-56);
Ouyang teaches that the fluid is a magnetic cooling fluid (C. 2 Lines 55-58, “MHD fluid”), but does not explicitly teach the fluid as a metal;
However, it is commonly known in the art of MHD pumps to utilize a metal coolant fluid in MHD circuits; as evidenced by Liability which teaches: a system comprising (paragraph 17): an inductor (10) with a magnetic core structure and a gap in a core structure (FIG. 6; paragraph 81); and a magnetohydrodynamics pump (FIG. 1 and FIG. 9; paragraph 82, 111-112) comprised within the inductor; in which the pumped fluid is a liquid metal (see abstract for example);
Ouyang further teaches:
limitations from claim 8, wherein the integrated MIH) pump is configured to utilize the magnetic field produced by the inductor (FIG. 20; C. 8 Lines 56-67);
limitations from claim 9, further comprising a single liquid channel that is clamped by a magnetic core (see FIG. 4-5, 6 and pipes 62 for example; C. 4 Lines 19-56), and wherein the inductor current flows through the conductive liquid metal coolant (FIG. 20; C. 8 Lines 56-67);
limitations from claim 10, further comprising a plurality of liquid channels (62) that are clamped by magnetic cores, and wherein the inductor current simultaneously flows through the conductive liquid metal coolant (see FIG. 4-5, 6 and pipes 62 for example; C. 4 Lines 19-56);
limitations from claim 11, wherein a Lorentz force generated by a perpendicular magnetic field and a current pushes the liquid metal coolant in one direction (see FIG. 8; C. 5 Lines 30-58 in which the electric current and magnetic field indicated by respective arrows results in a flow of the fluid);
limitations from claim 12, wherein a flow rate is automatically adjusted by load condition, wherein the higher the power handled by inductor, the higher the flow rate (see Claim 5 for example, wherein temperature is a load and the flow rate is adjusted accordingly; see also C. 5 Lines 59-67);
limitations from claim 16, further comprising a core structure (~60; FIG. 6, FIG. 8, and FIG. 20) that provides a close-loop path for magnetic flux (C. 8 Lines 56-67);
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 103
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) 17-18 and 20 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over RU 198,799 (herein Liability) in view of Bright (US PGPub No. 2010/0237716).
Liability teaches:
limitations from claim 17, a system comprising (paragraph 17): an inductor (10) with a core structure that provides a close-loop path for magnetic flux (see paragraphs 19 and 114-116 discussing the use of flux); and an integrated magnetohydrodynamics (MHD) pump (FIG. 1 and FIG. 9; paragraph 42, 82, 111-112);
Liability does not disclose particulars of the electric circuit, such as two blocks of circuits connected with the inductor;
Bright teaches:
limitations from claims 17-18 and 20, an MHD system (paragraph 2) using a power generating circuit (FIG. 5 for example) in which circuit blocks (~C1 and ~S1) are connected to an inductor (L1, L2; FIG. 5; paragraphs 57-62) in series (paragraph 13, 57) and/or parallel (paragraph 12, 52);
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art of MHD pumps at the time the invention was filed to utilize an electrical power generating circuit as taught by Bright, within the MD system of Liability, to achieve an improved waveform with reduced harmonics (paragraph 59); further the use of parallel and series circuitry allows for higher efficiency within the pump system (paragraphs 11-13).
Claim(s) 19 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over RU 198,799 (herein Liability) in view of Bright (US PGPub No. 2010/0237716) as applied to claim 17 above, and in further view of Hesselink et al (US PGPub No. 2019/0203660).
Liability and Bright disclose MHD systems in which series and parallel circuits are utilized to provide power (see FIG. 5 of Bright for example), but do not teach the use of Buck/Boost circuits;
Hesselink teaches a system useable with magnetohydrodynamic devices (paragraph 140), and wherein a power circuit utilizes a buck/boost circuit (paragraphs 141-142);
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art of MHD devices at the time the invention was filed to utilize a buck/boost circuitry in the system of Liability, as taught by Hesselink, in order to provide reliable voltage conditioning to the loads of the system.
Claim(s) 13-15 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Ouyang et al (US Patent No. 8,336,611) as evidenced by RU 198,799 (herein Liability) as applied to claim 7 above, and in further view of Bright (US PGPub No. 2010/0237716).
Ouyang does not disclose particulars of the electric circuit, such as two blocks of circuits connected with the inductor;
Bright teaches:
limitations from claims 13-15, an MHD system (paragraph 2) using a power generating circuit (FIG. 5 for example) in which circuit blocks (~C1 and ~S1) are connected to an inductor (L1, L2; FIG. 5; paragraphs 57-62) in series (paragraph 13, 57) and/or parallel (paragraph 12, 52);
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art of MHD pumps at the time the invention was filed to utilize an electrical power generating circuit as taught by Bright, within the MD system of Ouyang, to achieve an improved waveform with reduced harmonics (paragraph 59); further the use of parallel and series circuitry allows for higher efficiency within the pump system (paragraphs 11-13).
Conclusion
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/CHRISTOPHER S BOBISH/Examiner, Art Unit 3746
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