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
Claim 12 is objected to because of the following informalities: in line 3, “to” is messing between “electrodes electrolyze”. Appropriate correction is required.
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 1-20 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.
The independent claims 1 and 18 recite are indefinite because it is not clear how to interpret direction of electromagnetic filed, because electromagnetic filed is a tensor representing two perpendicular vectors not a single vector. Therefore, it is not clear what direction would meet this limitation. For the purpose of further examination, the limitation will be interpreted as the direction of magnetic field component of the electromagnetic filed.
The independent claims 1 and 18 recite “wherein a current is applied between the first and second electrodes (a), and in the static magnetic or electromagnetic field, to generate a Lorentz force in a direction perpendicular to both”, which makes the claims indefinite because it is not clear what “(a)” is referencing. Furthermore, it is clear that the applied current generates Lorentz force, however the part reciting “(a), and in the … field, to generate…“ is confusing and not clear how to interpret it. For the purpose of further examination, the wherein clause will be interpreted as wherein a) a current is applied between the first and second electrodes to generate Lorentz force in the direction to both the applied current and the magnetic field.
Claims 2-17, 19 and 20 depend on claims 1 and 18 therefore are also indefinite.
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 1-20 would be allowable if rewritten or amended to overcome the rejection(s) under 35 U.S.C. 112(b) or 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), 2nd paragraph, set forth in this Office action.
The following is a statement of reasons for the indication of allowable subject matter: novel and inventive over prior art of record. The closest prior art (Lin et al. “The effect of magnetic force on hydrogen production efficiency in water electrolysis“ International journal of hydrogen energy 37 ‘2012’ 1311-1320) discloses a magnetohydrodynamic device configured for gas production and phase separation, the device comprising: a housing having a first side, a second side, and a sidewall defining an inner volume (Fig. 2); one or more permanent magnets or electromagnetic source modules arranged adjacent to the sidewall and configured to generate static magnetic field towards the inner volume (Fig. 2); at least two electrodes, including a first electrode and a second electrode, disposed within the inner volume and spaced apart from each other in an axial direction (Fig. 2); an outlet/ inlet defined in the housing at the first side and configured to expel a gas, generated from the liquid, from the inner volume (Fig. 2); wherein (a) a current is applied between the first and second electrodes to generate a Lorentz force in a direction perpendicular to both (i) the applied current and (ii) the static magnetic, the Lorentz force exerting a circumferential acceleration on the liquid to form a vortical flow within the inner volume and (b) the first and second electrodes electrolyze the liquid to form the gas while the vortical flow urges the gas toward the outlet through the generation of centripetal acceleration (abstract and Fig. 2).
However, the independent claims 1 and 18 require the magnetohydrodynamic device to produce the magnetic field directed radially. The magnets Lin will only produce magnetic field in parallel lines between the two magnets. Radial direction requires a curved magnet such as arrange in a circle.
Similarly, Li, YH., Chen, YJ. “The effect of magnetic field on the dynamics of gas bubbles in water electrolysis.” Sci Rep 11, 9346 (2021) discloses a magnetohydrodynamic device with two parallel magnets and two parallel electrodes, where upon applied electric current gas bubbles are generated and driven by Lorentz force, in circular or cylindrical magnetic field (page 4, last paragraph), not radially as claimed.
Lin (US 5668420 A) discloses a magnetohydrodynamic device with cylindrical electrodes and solenoid surrounding the cylindrical electrodes thus forming a magnetic field directed along the axis of the cylinder.
The prior art or record does not disclose nor suggest the claimed invention as claimed.
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to Wojciech Haske whose telephone number is (571)272-5666. The examiner can normally be reached M-F: 9:30 am - 6:00 pm.
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/WOJCIECH HASKE/ Examiner, Art Unit 1794
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