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 2-4 and 6 are objected to because of the following informalities. Appropriate correction is required.
2-4. The brackets around “%” should be struck.
6. The term “is invaded” is unidiomatic because the term is usually applied to invading armies. The Examiner recommends using a term like “seeps” instead.
Also, “the the” is redundant.
Claim Rejections - 35 U.S.C. § 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.
Claims 1 and 5-11 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. § 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Mei et al., U.S. Patent App. Pub. No. 2019/0296362 A1 [hereinafter Mei].
The body of the claim is generally written with parentheses following the limitations indicating the prior art's teachings and/or examiner notes.
1. An electrode (anode; Mei title, [0002], fig. 5) comprising:
a support (substrate 12; Mei [0037], fig. 5); and
a catalyst layer (catalyst 100; [0018], figs. 1-2) including a sheet layer (porous structure 10; [0018]-[0019], figs. 1-2 & 3B) and a gap layer stacked alternately (void 11 alternatively laminated; [0029]-[0030], figs. 2 & 3B),
wherein cracks or/and holes exist in the catalyst layer (pores/holes in the catalyst layer; [0019], [0023], fig. 3A).
5. A membrane electrolyte assembly (membrane electrode assembly 200, Mei [0038]-[0046], fig. 6) comprising:
the electrode according to claim 1 (see claim 1 rejection); and
an electrolyte membrane (electrolyte membrane 23; Mei [0039]-[0043], fig. 6).
6. The membrane electrolyte assembly according to claim 5 wherein the electrolyte membrane is invaded into the cracks or/and the holes (a person having ordinary skill in the art would have recognized that hot pressing would have some of the electrolyte membrane seep into the holes). Mei [0049], fig. 6.
7. An electrochemical cell (water electrolysis cell 300; [0052]-[0054], fig. 7) comprising: the membrane electrolyte assembly according to claim 5 (see claim 6 rejection).
8. A stack (stack; Mei [0055]-[0057], fig. 8) comprising: the membrane electrolyte assembly according to claim 5 (see claim 5 rejection).
9. A stack comprising: the electrochemical cell according to claim 7 (see claims 7-8 rejections).
10. An electrolyzer (water electrolysis cell 300; [0052]-[0054], fig. 7) comprising: the stack according to claim 8 (see claims 5 & 8 rejections).
11 An electrolyzer (water electrolysis cell 300; [0052]-[0054], fig. 7) comprising: the stack according to claim 9 (see claims 8 and 9 rejections).
Claims 2-4 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. § 103 as being unpatentable over Mei as applied to claim 1 previously, and further in view of Fukazawa et al., U.S. Patent App. Pub. No. 2019/0088967 A1 [hereinafter Fukazawa].
2. The electrode according to claim 1, wherein the support includes fibers (Ti fibers; Mei [0046]),
the catalyst layer is provided on the fibers (porous structure 10 on substrate 12; Mei [0037], fig. 5) … .
Mei is silent on a ratio of the cracks or/and the holes to a surface area of the catalyst layer provided on the fibers is 0.3 [%] or more and 60 [%] or less.
However, Fukazawa teaches an apparatus for use for water electrolysis. Fukazawa [0062]. Fukazawa teaches that the area ratio of the pores is 20-60% to get a preferred reaction efficiency and to keep water out of the catalyst layer 10. Fukazawa [0045].
Therefore, it would have been obvious with a reasonable expectation of success to a person having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have modified the aforementioned prior art’s electrode with Fukazawa’s 20-60% area ratio to get a preferred reaction efficiency and to keep water out of the catalyst layer 10.
3. The electrode according to claim 1, wherein the support includes fibers,
the catalyst layer is provided on the fibers, and
a ratio of the cracks or/and the holes to a surface area of the catalyst layer provided on the fibers is 1 [%] or more and 60 [%] or less (rejected for similar reasons as claim 2).
4. The electrode according to claim 1, wherein the support includes fibers, the catalyst layer is provided on the fibers, and
a ratio of the cracks or/and the holes to a surface area of the catalyst layer provided on the fibers is 5 [%] or more and 45 [%] or less (rejected for similar reasons as claim 2).
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to Hosung Chung whose telephone number is (571) 270-7578. The examiner can normally be reached Monday-Wednesday, 9 AM - 6 PM CT.
If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, James Lin can be reached on (571) 272-8902. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is (571) 273-8300.
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/HOSUNG CHUNG/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 1794
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