DETAILED ACTION
Notice of Pre-AIA or AIA Status
The present application, filed on or after June 29, 2023, is being examined under the first inventor to file provisions of the AIA .
Priority
Receipt is acknowledged of certified copies of papers required by 37 CFR 1.55.
Information Disclosure Statement
The information disclosure statement(s) (IDS) submitted on 06/29/2023 and 04/29/2025 have been considered by the examiner.
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.
(a)(2) the claimed invention was described in a patent issued under section 151, or in an application for patent published or deemed published under section 122(b), in which the patent or application, as the case may be, names another inventor and was effectively filed before the effective filing date of the claimed invention.
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 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.
Claims 1-4, and 7-9 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)1 as being anticipated by Toyoyuki et al. (JP2006146431A).
Regarding claim 1, Toyoyuki teaches a hydrogen utilization system (a delivery schedule management system for a hydrogen (Para [0001])), comprising:
a hydrogen cartridge containing a hydrogen storage alloy (hydrogen storage cartridge (10) containing a hydrogen storage alloy (Paras [0001, 0003, 0028, 0054-0059]; Fig. 4));
a first device configured in such a manner that the hydrogen cartridge is attachable to and detachable from the first device, the first device being operable using the hydrogen cartridge as an energy source (a first device that is a mobility device such as the hydrogen automobile, component number (58), which has a hydrogen storage cartridge within it labeled as (10) in Fig. 4); and
a second device configured in such a manner that the hydrogen cartridge is attachable to and detachable from the second device, the second device being operable using the hydrogen cartridge as an energy source and being operable using another energy source (a second device that is a non-mobile device, which is an energy supply system installation as shown in Fig 4 below). An energy supply system (19) is installed at a user's home or office, and a hydrogen supply device (20), a gas reforming device (23), and a hydrogen engine (26) are provided (as annotated in figure 4 below). A plurality of hydrogen storage cartridges (10) are attached to the hydrogen supply device (20). Furthermore, this energy supply system installation is operating using another energy source a solar power generation device (57) (Para [0059]).
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Figure 4
Regarding claim 2, Toyoyuki further discloses wherein
the first device that is a mobility device (hydrogen automobile in Figure 4 component labeled 58) (Para [0059]), and
the second device that is a non-mobility device (stationary energy supply system installation labeled as 23, 20, 26 and solar power generation device on its roof, labeled 57) (Para [0059]).
Regarding claim 3, Toyoyuki further discloses wherein the second device includes an electric component configured to run on direct current power (Toyoyuki teaches the generation of AC using a hydrogen engine, or the use of a fuel cell (Paras [0039], [0059]). One skilled in the art would understand that a fuel cell is a device that generates DC power and thus the system of Toyoyuki can be configured to generate either AC or DC power and thus the electronics that use the power generated would be configured to run off of either AC or DC power.
Regarding claim 4, Toyoyuki teaches the other energy source is a general electric power system (designated by component 57 in Figure 4 (annotated below) as a solar power generation device (Para [0059])).
Regrading claim 7, Toyoyuki further discloses wherein the hydrogen utilization system further comprises a notification device configured to externally notify a replacement timing of the hydrogen cartridge is attached to the first device (Toyoyuki teaches a delivery schedule management system for a hydrogen storage cartridge comprising of a hydrogen remaining amount monitoring device that monitors the hydrogen remaining amount in a hydrogen storage cartridge that stores hydrogen to be supplied to an energy generation device; and a management device that receives information from the hydrogen remaining amount monitoring device via a communication network. Furthermore, the hydrogen remaining amount monitoring device is configured to detect the physical quantity of calculating a hydrogen remaining amount of the hydrogen storage cartridge. It can also calculate a hydrogen remaining amount of the hydrogen storage cartridge on the basis of the physical quantity detected by the sensor. The monitoring device side determination unit is also configured to determine whether or not the calculated hydrogen remaining amount is equal to or less than a predetermined amount. The transmission unit is configured to transmit a determination result by the monitoring device side determination unit to the management device via the communication network. The management device includes a reception unit configured to receive the determination result via the communication network, a creation unit configured to create delivery schedule information including a delivery period for delivering the hydrogen storage cartridge (Para [0008])).
Regarding claim 8, Toyoyuki further discloses wherein the notification device is configured to externally notify the replacement timing according to a period of use of the hydrogen cartridge attached to the first device (the delivery schedule management system transmits the determination result to the management device via the communication network when the monitoring device side determination unit determines that the hydrogen residual amount of the hydrogen storage cartridge is equal to or less than the predetermined amount. Furthermore, the management device creates, stores, and outputs the delivery schedule information (Para [0009])).
Regarding claim 9, Toyoyuki further discloses wherein the notification device that is configured to externally notify the replacement timing according to an amount of hydrogen remaining in the hydrogen cartridge attached to the first device (Toyoyuki teaches a delivery schedule management system for a hydrogen storage cartridge comprising of a hydrogen remaining amount monitoring device that monitors the hydrogen remaining amount in a hydrogen storage cartridge that stores hydrogen to be supplied to an energy generation device; and a management device that receives information from the hydrogen remaining amount monitoring device via a communication network. Furthermore, the hydrogen remaining amount monitoring device is configured to detect the physical quantity of calculating a hydrogen remaining amount of the hydrogen storage cartridge. It can also calculate a hydrogen remaining amount of the hydrogen storage cartridge on the basis of the physical quantity detected by the sensor. The monitoring device side determination unit is also configured to determine whether or not the calculated hydrogen remaining amount is equal to or less than a predetermined amount. The transmission unit is configured to transmit a determination result by the monitoring device side determination unit to the management device via the communication network. The management device includes a reception unit configured to receive the determination result via the communication network, a creation unit configured to create delivery schedule information including a delivery period for delivering the hydrogen storage cartridge (Para [0008])).
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 103
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.
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 factual inquiries set forth in Graham v. John Deere Co., 383 U.S. 1, 148 USPQ 459 (1966), that are applied 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.
Claims 5-6 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Toyoyuki (JP2006146431A) in view of Asakura et al. (US9083197B2).
Regarding claims 5-6, Toyoyuki discloses the limitations of claim 1 as outlined previously. Toyoyuki fails to disclose wherein the second device includes a charging circuit for a battery (of instant claim 5), the charging circuit is configured to charge the battery by using the hydrogen cartridge and the other energy source as an energy source (of instant claim 5), and a second device that includes an electric device configured to operate using the battery as a power source (of instant claim 6).
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Asakura Figure 1
Asakura teaches (in Figure 1 above), a charging system (1) which includes a DC power supply apparatus. The charging system (1) includes one or more power source devices (2), one or more load devices (3) and a charging circuit (4) (which is a conversion circuit for converting power supplied from each power source device (2)). Power supplied from the power source device (2) is then converted to DC power of a predetermined voltage by the charging circuit (4) and supplied to the load device (3). Furthermore, the charging system 1 may be utilized for a house, a housing complex or a charging station (which can provide charging a number of load devices) (Column 2 lines 60-67, Column 3 1-3]).
Furthermore, Asakura teaches each power source device (2) can be utilized as a DC power source for supplying DC power or alternatively as an AC power source for supplying AC power (Column 3 lines 5-7). The secondary battery (22) is fixedly connected to the charging circuit (4) (Column 3 lines 16-19). The secondary battery (22) is chargeable by power supplied from other power source devices (2) or a secondary battery (31) of the load device (3) (Column 3 lines 20-22). Asakura also teaches the charging circuit (4) is a power conversion circuit, which converts the power supplied from the power source device (2) and supplies DC power (Column 3 lines 66-67, Column 4 line 1). The charging circuit (4) also forms the DC power supply apparatus, which supplies the power source device (2) with the power supplied from the load device (3). The charging circuit (4) thus forms a multi-input and multi-output power distribution network, which is connectable to plural power source devices (2) and plural load devices (3) (Column 4 lines 4-7).
It would have been obvious to a person of ordinary skill in the art, at the time the invention was made, to have modified Toyoyuki to include the battery and charging circuit taught by Asakura because Asakura teaches that such a system has the obvious and predictable benefit of forming a multi-input and multi-output power distribution network, which is connectable to plural power source devices and plural load devices.
Contact Information
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure. Takeshi et al. (JP 2015035253 A) discloses a fuel cell system equivalent to that of a hydrogen utilization system.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to NAHEED IQBAL MANN whose telephone number is (571)272-9170. The examiner can normally be reached Mon-Fri 7:30am-5pm.
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If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Joshua Allen can be reached at (571) 270-3176. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/NAHEED IQBAL MANN/Examiner, Art Unit 1713
/JOSHUA L ALLEN/Supervisory Patent Examiner, Art Unit 1713
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