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 .
Status of Application
Claims 1-3 are pending. Claims 4,5 are canceled. Claim 1 is currently amended.
Response to Arguments
Applicant’s arguments with respect to amended claim(s) 1 have been considered but are not found persuasive because the new ground of rejection does not rely on any reference applied in the prior rejection of record for any teaching or matter specifically challenged in the argument.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 103
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.
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.
Claim(s) 1-3 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Koji (JP2010287394A, IDS cited 02/16/2024, previously cited), in view of Mitsui (US20130337355A1, previously cited) and Kazuno (US20120288777A1).
Regarding claim 1, Koji discloses a fuel cell system (fuel cell system 10 in Fig 1; [0032]) comprising:
a stack in which fuel cells (composite stack 15 in Fig 1; [0032]) are laminated;
an anode system which supplies fuel gas to the stack (fuel gas supply source, such as a hydrogen cylinder (not shown), connected to supply hollow tube 90 in Fig 1 [0049, 0076]);
a cathode system which supplies oxidant gas to the stack oxidant gas supply source such as air compressor (not shown, connected to supply hollow tube 88 in Fig 1 [0049, 0076]);
a cooling system (radiator 210 and intercoolers 212, 214 “serving as a cooling means” [0070]; Fig 1) which cools a cooling target including at least any one among the stack, the anode system and the cathode system by way of coolant [0087, 0089, 0100],
Koji further discloses wherein the oxidant gas is supplied from the oxidant gas supply source [0076] but does not explicitly disclose:
the cathode system including a pump that pressure feeds the oxidant gas and a pump drive device that supplies drive voltage to the pump.
In this regard, Mitsui teaches wherein the fuel cell system 1 comprises a fuel cell 2, a fuel pump 3, an air pump 4, and an air pump power supply 17, wherein the air pump supplies air and the air pump power supply, such as a power storage device, serves as a power source to supply power to the air pump [0086, 0095,0096 Mitsui]. Thus, it would have been obvious for a person having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date to have added an air pump and a pump drive device in the cathode system, with a reasonable expectation to supply air and supply power to the air pump [0086,0096 Mitsui].
Koji does not disclose wherein the fuel cell system comprises “a voltage transformer that varies a voltage.”
In this regard, Mitsui is also directed to a fuel cell system 1 comprising a fuel cell 2, a fuel pump 3, air pump 4, and control unit 10 that adjusts the drive voltage by using a DC/DC converter or DC/AC invertor, thereby controlling air supply rate of the air pump [0102 Mitsui] (i.e., “varies a voltage” as claimed). It would have been obvious for a person having ordinary skill in the art to have added a voltage transformer in the fuel cell system, before the effective filing date, to adjust the drive voltage of the air pump and control air supply rate of the air pump [0102 Mitsui].
Koji further discloses:
wherein the anode system includes an anode system intake port (fuel gas supply holes 40, 42, 44 in Fig 2 [0036]) which flows the fuel gas into the fuel cell system,
wherein the cathode system includes a cathode system intake port (oxidant gas supply holes 34, 36, 38 in Fig 2; [0036]) which flows the oxidant gas into the fuel cell system, and a cathode system exhaust port (oxidant gas exhaust holes 52, 54, and 56 [0036]) which flows the oxidant gas out from the fuel cell system,
wherein the cooling system includes:
a cooling system inflow port (e.g., joint pipes 122, 126 flowing into the fuel cells according to direction of the arrows; [0100]) which flows the coolant into the fuel cell system, and
a cooling system outflow port (hollow joint pipes 120, 124 flowing out of the fuel cell according to direction of the arrows; [0055]) which flows the coolant out from the fuel cell system,
Modified Koji further discloses wherein the pump drive device may include a power storage device which stores power generated by the fuel cell [0095 Mitsui]. While modified Koji does not explicitly disclose wherein “the pump drive device includes a power-receiving port, the power-receiving port of the pump drive device receives electrical power from outside of the fuel cell system”, it would have been obvious for a person having ordinary skill in the art to have added a power-receiving port in the pump drive device to connect to the power storage device and supply power to the air pump [0095].
Modified Koji further discloses wherein the voltage transformer adjusts the drive voltage by using a DC/DC converter or DC/AC invertor [0102] but does not disclose wherein the voltage transformer includes a power-receiving port, the power-receiving port of the voltage transformer receives electrical power from outside of the fuel cell system.
In this regard, Kazuno also teaches a fuel cell system comprising fuel cell stack 40, an anode system comprising a hydrogen tank 44,a cathode system including air pump 60, a cooling system comprising water pump 80, and DC/DC converter which controls the electric power supplied from a high voltage battery 20 [Kazuno 0072]. As such, it would have been obvious for a person having ordinary skill in the art to have added a power-receiving port in the voltage transformer before the effective filing date, to receive and control any electric power supplied from outside of the fuel cell system, such as from a high voltage battery [Kazuno 0072].
Koji further discloses:
wherein respective ports among the anode system intake port (fuel gas supply holes 40, 42, 44), the cathode system intake port (oxidant gas supply holes 34, 36, 38), the cathode system exhaust port (oxidant gas exhaust holes 52, 54, 56), the cooling system inflow port (joint pipe 122, 126), the cooling system outflow port (joint pipe 120, 124) are all provided at a system side face serving as an end on a side in a horizontal direction of the fuel cell system (note: a system side face serving as an end” is broadly and reasonably interpreted as an end surface or outer surface of the fuel cell system; i.e., the ports are located along the outer surfaces of the fuel cell system. For example, the power-receiving port of the pump drive device would necessarily be provided on the pump drive device itself as opposed to a particular surface of the fuel cell stack itself where cathode or anode intake/exhaust ports would be provided).
However, modified Koji does not explicitly teach wherein the power-receiving port of the pump drive device, and the power-receiving port of the voltage transformer are all provided at a system side face serving as an end on a side in a horizontal direction of the fuel cell system, as claimed.
However, it would have been obvious for a person having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date to have provided the power-receiving port of the pump drive device (air pump power supply 17 of Mitsui) and the power-receiving port of the voltage transformer (DC-DC converter of Kazuno) at a system side face serving as an end on a side in a horizontal direction of the fuel cell system (note: broadly and reasonably interpreted as an end surface or outer surface of the fuel cell system), as the pump drive device (see air pump power supply 17 of Mitsui) and the voltage transformer (DC-DC converter of Kazuno) are provided on the outer surfaces of the fuel cell system.
Regarding Claim 2, modified Koji discloses the fuel cell system according to claim 1,
wherein the cooling system includes a first cooling system (radiator 210) and a second cooling system (first intercooler 212-Koji),
wherein the cooling system includes, as the cooling system inflow port, a first cooling system inflow port (joint pipe 122-Koji) and a second cooling system inflow port (joint pipe 126-Koji) separate from the first cooling system inflow port,
wherein the cooling system includes, as the cooling system outflow port, a first cooling system outflow port (joint pipe 120-Koji) and a second cooling system outflow port (joint pipe 124-Koji) separate from the first cooling system outflow port, and
wherein the respective ports including the first cooling system inflow port, the second cooling system inflow port, the first cooling system outflow port and the second cooling system outflow port are all provided at the system side face (see Fig 1 where joint pipes 122, 126, 120, 124 are on the same side surface-Koji).
Regarding Claim 3, modified Koji discloses the fuel cell system according to claim 1, wherein the system side face has four faces including a front face as a face to a side in a predetermined direction, a rear face as a face on an opposite side to the front face, a left face as a face on a left-hand side to the front face, and a right face as a face on an opposite side to the left face (see annotated Fig 1 below), and
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wherein respective ports are distributed to the four faces, which is “at least three faces among the four faces” as claimed.
Conclusion
Applicant's amendment necessitated the new ground(s) of rejection presented in this Office action. Accordingly, THIS ACTION IS MADE FINAL. See MPEP § 706.07(a). Applicant is reminded of the extension of time policy as set forth in 37 CFR 1.136(a).
A shortened statutory period for reply to this final action is set to expire THREE MONTHS from the mailing date of this action. In the event a first reply is filed within TWO MONTHS of the mailing date of this final action and the advisory action is not mailed until after the end of the THREE-MONTH shortened statutory period, then the shortened statutory period will expire on the date the advisory action is mailed, and any nonprovisional extension fee (37 CFR 1.17(a)) pursuant to 37 CFR 1.136(a) will be calculated from the mailing date of the advisory action. In no event, however, will the statutory period for reply expire later than SIX MONTHS from the mailing date of this final action. Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to TAEYOUNG SON whose telephone number is (703)756-1427. The examiner can normally be reached M-F 8-5pm.
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/T.S./Examiner, Art Unit 1751
/Haroon S. Sheikh/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 1751
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