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 .
Claim Objections
Claims 1-3 are objected to because of the following informalities:
Claim 1 is objected to because of the recitation “the stack assembly is surrounded from at least three sides of both sides in the front/rear direction and a lower side, by the two connectors and the frame” in lines 12-15 of said claim. For the purpose of this office action, the limitation has been interpreted to read “the stack assembly is surrounded from at least three sides, wherein the at least three sides include both sides of the front/rear direction by the connectors and a lower side by the frame”.
Further, claim 1 recites the limitation “at least a predetermined portion of the electrical device is surrounded from four sides of both sides in the front/rear direction and both above and below, by the frame and the stack assembly” in lines 16-18 of said claim. For the purpose of this office action, the limitation has been interpreted to read “ at least a predetermined portion of the electrical device is surrounded from both sides by the frame in the front/rear direction, from above by the stack assembly and from below by the frame”.
Claim 2 is objected to because of the recitation “is surrounded from four sides of both sides in the left/right direction and both sides above and below, by the frame first parts, the frame second part and the stack assembly” in lines 5-8 of said claim. For the purpose of this office action, the recitation has been interpreted to read “is surrounded by the frame first parts in the left/right direction; from above by the stack assembly and from below by the frame second parts”.
Claim 3 is objected to because of the recitation “is surrounded from four sides of both sides in the left/right direction and both sides in the front/rear direction, by the frame first parts and the connectors” in lines 2-4 of said claim. For the purpose of this office action, the claim has been interpreted to read “is surrounded by the frame first parts in the left/right direction and by the connectors in the front/rear direction”.
Appropriate corrections are required.
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.
The text of those sections of Title 35, U.S. Code not included in this action can be found in a prior Office action.
Claims 1-4, 7 & 10 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Mizuno (EP 1266783 A2) in view of Nishiumi (US 20020187382 A1) and further in view of Yanagiuchi (US 20200119387 A1)
Regarding Claim 1, Mizuno teaches a fuel cell system (fuel cell system 100 – col 2, [0016], line 54-55, Figure 1) comprising: a stack assembly (fuel cell stack 200, [0020]) including a stack (fuel cell stack, [0020]); an anode system which supplies fuel gas (hydrogen gas tank 300 which supplies hydrogen to the fuel cell 200 - col 2, [0016], lines 57-58) to the stack (fuel cell stack, [0020]); a cathode system which supplies oxidant gas (an oxidizing gas supplying channel 501 which supplies oxygen gas to the fuel cell – col 4, [0025], lines 46-49) to the stack (fuel cell stack, 200); an electrical device (pumps 602 and 606 – Figure 1, motor 800 – Figure 3a, compressor 504 - Figure 2) installed below the stack assembly (fuel cell stack 200, see Figure 1 insert below). Mizuno further teaches a frame (suspension frame 910 - col 10, [0051], Figure 3b) below the electrical device (pumps 602 and 606 – Figure 1, motor 800 – Figure 3a, compressor 504 - Figure 2).
Mizuno is silent on a stack in which fuel cells are laminated. Further, while Mizuno teaches a frame (suspension frame 910 - col 10, [0051], Figure 3b) below the electrical device (pumps 602 and 606 – Figure 1, motor 800 – Figure 3a, compressor 504 - Figure 2), Mizuno is silent on the frame having both ends in a front/rear direction as a predetermined horizontal direction extending upwards; and two connectors which connect the both ends in the front/rear direction of the frame to the stack assembly, wherein a horizontal direction orthogonal to the front/rear direction is defined as a left/right direction, in a side view viewed in the left/right direction, the stack assembly is surrounded from at least three sides of both sides in the front/rear direction and a lower side, by the two connectors and the frame, and at least a predetermined portion of the electrical device is surrounded from four sides of both sides in the front/rear direction and both above and below, by the frame and the stack assembly.
Nishiumi teaches a fuel cell system with a stack assembly with cells laminated
wherein, “fuel-cell stack 124 consists of a first stack 126 and a second stack 128 which are arranged in parallel with each other. Each of the first and second stacks 126, 128 is a stack of cells 125 in the form of plates laminated on each other” (see [0028]).
Therefore, it would have been obvious before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to a person having ordinary skill in the art to design a fuel cell system with electrode stacks made via a unique method of lamination which embodies all of the above features taught by Mizuno to achieve precise control of the layer thickness and uniformity in electrode stacking (Nishiumi [0028]).
Yanagiuchi teaches a fuel cell module 1 housed in a frame (frame structure 11, [0028], [0052] –[0054] & Figures 2-4) and further teaches that the frame structure 11 comprises connectors (transverse members 14A & 14C, [0052] & annotated Figure 4). Yanagiuchi further teaches the frame (frame structure 11) having both ends in a front/rear direction as a predetermined horizontal direction extending upwards (see position of longitudinal frames 12A, 12B, 12C & 12D positioned along the x-axis in Figure 4). Yanagiuchi further teaches that the rectangular prism-shaped frame structure having structural members of high strength can provide protection against external effects from rain and wind for the fuel cell device (see [0004]) and further teaches that auxiliary machines such as pumps are housed within the frame structure (see [0003] & [0041]).
Mizuno and Yanagiuchi are analogous art to the claimed invention as both references are in the same field of fuel cell systems. It therefore would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have replaced the frame structure of Mizuno with the frame structure of Yanagiuchi which is able to house both a fuel cell device and auxiliary machines such as pumps and further provide protection to the fuel cell device from rain and wind.
Therefore, modified Mizuno teaches a frame (frame structure 11 of Yanagiuchi) installed below the electrical device (pumps 602 and 606 – Figure 1, motor 800 – Figure 3a of Mizuno, compressor 504 - Figure 2) wherein a horizontal direction orthogonal to the front/rear direction (x-axis, see Figure 3 of Yanagiuchi) is defined as a left/right direction (see y-axis in Figure 3 of Yanagiuchi), in a side view viewed in the left/right direction (y-axis direction, see Figure 3 of Yanagiuchi), the stack assembly (fuel cell stack 200, [0020] of Mizuno) is surrounded from at least three sides, wherein the at least three sides include both sides of the front/rear direction by the connectors (surrounded by transverse members 14A & 14C, see annotated Figure 4 of Yanagiuchi) and a lower side by the frame (surrounded from below by transverse frame 15, see annotated Figure 4 of Yanagiuchi), and at least a predetermined portion of the electrical device (pumps 602 and 606 – Figure 1, motor 800 – Figure 3a, compressor 504 - Figure 2 of Mizuno) is surrounded from both sides by the frame in the front/rear direction (surrounded on both sides by longitudinal members 12A, 12 B, 12C & 12D, see annotated Figure 4 of Yanagiuchi), from above by the stack assembly (surrounded from above by fuel cell stack 200, see Figure 3A of Mizuno) and from below by the frame (surrounded from below by transverse frame 15, see annotated Figure 4 of Yanagiuchi).
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Regarding Claim 2, modified Mizuno teaches all of the limitations as set forth above and further teaches wherein the frame (frame structure 11, Figure 2 of Yanagiuchi) includes frame first parts arranged in parallel with a space in the left/right direction (transverse frame 15, see annotated Figure 4 of Yanagiuchi), and a frame second part (transverse frame 15 & bottom plate 26, see annotated Figure 4 of Yanagiuchi & [0028]) linking the frame first parts (transverse frame 15), and wherein at least the predetermined portion of the electrical device (pumps 602 and 606 – Figure 1, motor 800 – Figure 3a, compressor 504 - Figure 2 of Mizuno), in a front view seen in the front/rear direction, is surrounded by the frame first parts in the left/right direction (transverse frame 15, see annotated Figure 4 of Yanagiuchi); from above by the stack assembly (fuel cell 200, Figure 3A of Mizuno) and from below by the frame second parts (transverse frame 15 & bottom plate 26, see annotated Figure 4 of Yanagiuchi). Yanaguichi teaches that the exterior panel which comprise of bottom plate 26 may be ribbed for strength increase (see [0028]) and further teaches that auxiliary machines may be supported on the bottom plate 26 (see [0034]).
It therefore would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have modified the frame structure of Mizuno with the frame structure of Yanaguichi which comprises of transverse frame 15 and ribbed bottom plate 26 for increased strength to support the fuel cell stack and auxiliary machines.
Regarding Claim 3, modified Mizuno teaches all of the limitations as set forth above and further teaches wherein at least the predetermined portion of the electrical device (pumps 602 and 606 – Figure 1, motor 800 – Figure 3a, compressor 504 - Figure 2 of Mizuno), in a bottom view, is surrounded by the frame first parts in the left/right direction (transverse frame 15, see annotated Figure 4 of Yanagiuchi) and by the connectors in the front/rear direction (transverse members 14A & 14C, see annotated Figure 4 of Yanagiuchi). Yanaguichi further teaches that the transverse members 14A & 14C support front panel 22 and back panel 25 which may be ribbed and thus provide increased strength to the frame structure (see [0053]).
It therefore would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have modified the frame structure of Mizuno with the frame structure of Yanaguichi which comprises transverse members 14A & 14C that further supports ribbed panels to further provide increased strength to the frame structure.
Regarding Claims 4, 7 & 10, modified Mizuno teaches all of the limitations as set forth above and further teaches wherein the cathode system (an oxidizing gas supplying channel 501 which supplies oxygen gas to the fuel cell – [0025], lines 46-49 of Mizuno) includes a pump (compressor 504, [0029] of Mizuno) which feeds the oxidant gas (oxidizing gas, [0025] of Mizuno), and a pump drive device which supplies drive voltage (power control unit 700, [0029]) to the pump (compressor 504), and wherein at least either one of the pump (compressor 504) and the pump drive device (power control unit 700) is the electrical device and includes the predetermined portion (see Figure 2 of Mizuno which shows the compressor 504 situated below the fuel cell stack 200).
It therefore would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have combined the fuel cell stack having the cathode pump configuration of Mizuno with the frame structure of Yanaguichi which comprises transverse frames and bottom panel that provides increased strength to the frame structure.
Claims 5-6, 8-9 & 11-12 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Mizuno (EP 1266783 A2) in view of Nishiumi (20020187382 A1) & Yanagiuchi (US 20200119387 A1) as applied to Claims 1-4, 7 & 10 above and further in view of Hancock (US 20230115104 A1).
Regarding Claims 5-6, 8-9 & 11-12, modified Mizuno teaches all of the limitations as set forth above and further teaches the fuel cell system (fuel cell system 100 of Mizuno) further comprising a cooling system (main radiator 840 & sub radiator 850, [0048]) which cools a cooling target including at least any one of the stack assembly, the anode system and the cathode system (see [0048] which describes that radiator 840 & sub-radiator 850 cools the fuel cell 200), by way of a coolant (water coolant, see [0044]).
While Mizuno teaches that the main radiator 840 is located in front of fuel cell stack (see Figure 2 of Mizuno), Mizuno is silent on wherein the cooling system includes a coolant pump which feeds the coolant and does not teach wherein the coolant pump is the electrical device and includes the predetermined portion.
Hancock teaches a fuel cell system 2 further comprising of a fuel cell stack 4 (see Figure 1a). Hancock further teaches a cooling system (cooling device 16, [0025] which is further comprised of a coolant pump 18 (see [0025] & Figure 1a). Hancock further teaches that the coolant pump 18 is situated below the fuel cell stack 4 (see Figure 1a) and the coolant pump is used to pump chilled coolant through a coolant supply line which absorbs the heat in a cooling path of the fuel cell stack (see [0002] & [0029]).
Mizuno and Hancock are analogous art to the claimed invention as both references are in the same field of fuel cell systems. It therefore would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have replaced the cooling system of Mizuno with the cooling device of Hancock which further comprises a coolant pump and is located below the fuel cell stack to pump chilled coolant to aid in the absorbing of heat in the cooling path of the fuel cell and further combine with the frame structure of Yanaguichi which comprises transverse frames and bottom panel that provide increased strength to the frame structure.
Response to Arguments
Applicant’s arguments, see pages 10-12, filed March 23rd 2026, with respect to the rejections of claims 1-3 under 35 U.S.C 103 have been fully considered and are persuasive. Therefore, the rejection has been withdrawn. However, upon further consideration, new grounds of rejection is made in view of newly found prior art (Yanagiuchi US 20200119387 A1). Yanagiuchi discloses a fuel cell frame with frame first parts and frame second parts which houses a fuel cell module and auxiliary machine groups such as pumps. Combination of Yanagiuchi and prior art references used in previous rejection arrives at the claimed invention and thus provides new grounds of rejection.
Regarding Claim 4, Mizuno teaches a cathode pump as a compressor 504 which is situated below the fuel cell stack (see Figure 2) and supplies pressurized air to the fuel cell. Further, modified Mizuno which includes the frame structure of Yanaguichi teaches that auxiliary machines such as an air supply device (see [0018]) are housed within this frame structure (see [0003] of Yanaguichi). Accordingly, the combination of Mizuno and Yanaguichi satisfies the limitation of claim 4.
Regarding Claim 5, Hancock teaches a coolant pump situated below the fuel cell stack (see Figure 1a) which supplies coolant to the fuel cell stack. Further modified Mizuno which includes the frame structure of Yanaguichi teaches that auxiliary machines such as a heat exchanger are housed within this frame structure (see [0003] of Yanaguichi). Accordingly, the combination of Hancock and Yanaguichi satisfies the limitation of claim 5.
Conclusion
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/F.V.O./Examiner, Art Unit 1725
/CHRISTOPHER P DOMONE/Primary Patent Examiner, Art Unit 1725
May 22, 2026
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