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 .
This communication is responsive to amendments/remarks filed on 6/23/2026.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 103
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.
Claim(s) 1-12, 15-20 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over KHALID et al. (US 2024/0347818) (“KHALID”) in view of Scholtz (US 2025/0125634).
With respect to claim 1, KHALID discloses a power source assembly for an aeronautical vehicle, the power source assembly comprising: a fuel cell module configured to provide a first direct current (DC) power output (fuel cell 304, figure 3A); a battery module configured to provide a second direct current power output (battery 310); a direct current electric bus configured to provide a net direct current power output to a load (DC bus 322 provides output to load 324); a DC/DC converter in electrical connection with the direct current electric bus (DC/DC 306, paragraph 0053), the DC/DC converter configured to receive the first direct current power output from the fuel cell module or the second direct current power output from the battery module (converter 306 and 312 receive power from the fuel cell and the battery, respectively); and a controller (controller 330) operably coupled to the DC/DC converter and configured to receive data indicative of the first direct current power output (controllers 320 and 330 receives data from the output of the fuel cell), the controller configured to control the DC/DC converter based on the data indicative of the first direct current power output to maintain a slew rate from the fuel cell module within a slew rate range for the fuel cell module (paragraphs 0005 0060-0061, 0070-0073, 0084 discloses that the rate of change of the output of the fuel cell must be positive and cannot exceed a certain limit to lessen stack degradation).
KHALID; however, does not expressly disclose wherein the fuel cell module, the battery module, the DC/DC converter, and the direct current electric bus together form a first power assembly; and a second power assembly electrically connected to the load, the second power assembly including a second fuel cell module, a second battery module, and a second DC/DC converter.
Scholtz discloses a plurality of energy supply modules connected in parallel and to a load 11, each of the modules comprising a battery 3, fuel cell 4 and DC/DC converter 5 that are connected to the load 11, abstract and figure 1-2.
It would have been obvious to a person having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claim invention, to have modify KHALID and include a second energy supply module as disclosed by Scholtz, for the purpose of providing a required base load by the energy supply modules that are connected in parallel and each controlled autonomously, for example (paragraphs 0008-0009).
With respect to claim 2, KHALID in view of Scholtz disclose the power source assembly of claim 1, wherein the controller is configured to receive data indicative of the first direct current power output from a location between the fuel cell module and the DC/DC converter. Figure 3A discloses that the controller receives data IFC between the fuel cell and DC/Dc converter 306.
With respect to claim 3, KHALID in view of Scholtz disclose the power source assembly of claim 2, wherein the controller is further configured to receive data indicative of a reference power level, and wherein the controller is configured to control the DC/DC converter based on the data indicative of the reference power level, the data indicative of the first direct current power output, and a slew rate factor for the fuel cell module. Figures 3A and 3B disclose that the controller receives a reference power level 336 and thus controls the DC/DC converter accordingly and based on the limit/rate of change of the fuel cell, paragraph 0084.
With respect to claim 4, KHALID in view of Scholtz disclose the power source assembly of claim 3, wherein the data indicative of the first direct current power output is a current output from the fuel cell module, a voltage output from the fuel cell module, or both. Figure 3B discloses that the controller receives current output and voltage output data indicative of the fuel cell.
With respect to claim 5, KHALID in view of Scholtz disclose the power source assembly of claim 2, wherein the DC/DC converter is in cascade electrical connection with the fuel cell module. Figure 3A discloses that the DC/DC converter 306 is in cascade with fuel cell 304. Figure 1 of Scholtz discloses that the DC/DC converter 5 is in cascade electrical connection with the fuel cell module 4
With respect to claim 6, KHALID in view of Scholtz disclose the power source assembly of claim 2, wherein the DC/DC converter is a unidirectional DC/DC converter. Figure 3A discloses that DC/DC converter 306 is unidirectional. Scholtz discloses that the DC/DC converter 5 is unidirectional.
With respect to claim 7, KHALID in view of Scholtz disclose the power source assembly of claim 2, wherein the DC/DC converter is a first DC/DC converter, and wherein the power source assembly further comprises: a second DC/DC converter in cascade electrical connection with the battery module. Figure 3A discloses a second DC/DC converter 312 in cascade electrical connection with battery module 310.
With respect to claim 8, KHALID in view of Scholtz disclose the power source assembly of claim 7, wherein the second DC/DC converter and the battery module are in parallel electrical connection with the first DC/DC converter and the fuel cell module to provide the net direct current power output to the direct current electric bus. Figure 3A discloses that the first and second DC/DC converters are connected in parallel to provide power to DC bus 322.
With respect to claim 9, KHALID in view of Scholtz disclose the power source assembly of claim 1, wherein the DC/DC converter is in cascade electrical connection with the battery module. Figure 3A discloses that the DC/DC converter 312 is in cascade connection with battery 310.
With respect to claim 10, KHALID in view of Scholtz disclose the power source assembly of claim 9, wherein data indicative of the first direct current power output is a current output from the fuel cell module, and wherein the DC/DC converter is configured to control an output current from the battery module to control a current flow from the fuel cell module and maintain the slew rate from the fuel cell module within the slew rate range for the fuel cell module. Figures 3A and 3B discloses that the controller receives a reference power level 336 and thus controls the DC/DC converter accordingly and based on the limit/rate of change of the fuel cell, paragraph 0084-0085.
With respect to claim 11, KHALID in view of Scholtz disclose the power source assembly of claim 9, wherein the DC/DC converter is a first DC/DC converter, and wherein the power source assembly further comprises: a second DC/DC converter in cascade electrical connection with the fuel cell module. Figure 3A disclose DC/DC converter 306 in cascade connection with the fuel cell 304.
With respect to claim 12, KHALID in view of Scholtz disclose the power source assembly of claim 11, wherein the first DC/DC converter and the battery module and the fuel cell module are in parallel electrical connection with the second DC/DC converter. Figure 3A discloses that the first and second DC/DC converters are connected in parallel to provide power to DC bus 322.
With respect to claim 15, KHALID in view of Scholtz disclose the power source assembly of claim 1, wherein the fuel cell module is a first fuel cell module, wherein the DC/DC converter is a first DC/DC converter, and wherein the second DC/DC converter is in electrical connection with the direct current electric bus and in cascade electrical connection with the second fuel cell module, the second fuel cell module configured to receive direct current power output from the second fuel cell module; wherein the second DC/DC converter and the second fuel cell module are in parallel electrical connection with the first DC/DC converter and the first fuel cell module. Scholtz discloses a plurality of energy supply modules connected in parallel and to a load 11, each of the modules comprising a battery 3, fuel cell 4 and DC/DC converter 5 in cascade connection with a second fuel cell 4 and to the DC bus, and are connected to the load 11, abstract and figure 1-2.
With respect to claim 16, KHALID discloses a method of operating a power source assembly for an aeronautical vehicle, the method comprising: operating a first power assembly by: providing a first direct current electric power output from a fuel cell module (fuel cell 304 provides a first DC output, figure 3A); providing a second direct current electric power output from a battery module (battery 310 provides a second DC output); receiving the first direct current electric power output or the second direct current electric power output with a DC/DC converter (converter 306 and 312 receive power from the fuel cell and the battery, respectively); receiving data indicative of the first direct current electric power output; and controlling the DC/DC converter based on the received data indicative of the first direct current electric power output to maintain a slew rate from the fuel cell module within a slew rate range for the fuel cell module (paragraphs 0005 0060-0061, 0070-0073, 0084 discloses that the rate of change of the output of the fuel cell must be positive and cannot exceed a certain limit to lessen stack degradation).
KHALID; however, does not expressly disclose operating a second power assembly by: providing a third direct current electric power output from a second fuel cell module via a second DC/DC converter; and providing a fourth direct current electric power output from a second battery module.
Scholtz discloses a plurality of energy supply modules connect in parallel with each other, figure 2 discloses second fuel cell 4 providing a third DC output via second DC/DC converter 5, and providing a fourth output from a second battery 3.
It would have been obvious to a person having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claim invention, to have modify KHALID and include a second energy supply module as disclosed by Scholtz, for the purpose of providing a required base load by the energy supply modules that are connected in parallel and each controlled autonomously, for example (paragraphs 0008-0009).
With respect to claim 17, KHALID in view of Scholtz disclose the method of claim 16, wherein controlling the DC/DC converter based on the received data indicative of the first direct current electric power output to maintain the slew rate from the fuel cell module within the slew rate range for the fuel cell module comprises: receiving data indicative of a reference power level higher than the first direct current electric power output; and increasing the first direct current electric power output from the fuel cell module to the reference power level at a slew rate within the slew rate range from the fuel cell module. Figures 3A and 3B disclose that the controller receives a reference power level 336 and thus controls the DC/DC converter accordingly and based on the limit/rate of change of the fuel cell, paragraph 0084.
With respect to claim 18, KHALID in view of Scholtz disclose the method of claim 17, wherein the second direct current electric power output is equal to a difference between the reference power level and the first direct current electric power output. KHALID discloses that the battery outputs the power that the fuel cell cannot supply when there is a peak load, paragraph 0072.
With respect to claim 19, KHALID in view of Scholtz disclose the method of claim 16, wherein controlling the DC/DC converter based on the received data indicative of the first direct current electric power output to maintain the slew rate from the fuel cell module within the slew rate range for the fuel cell module comprises: receiving data indicative of a reference power level lower than the first direct current electric power output; and decreasing the first direct current electric power output from the fuel cell module to the reference power level at a slew rate within the slew rate range from the fuel cell module. Figure 2, paragraphs 0071-0073 disclose controlling the fuel cell to decrease its output when in low load.
With respect to claim 20, KHALID in view of Scholtz disclose the method of claim 19, wherein the second direct current electric power output is a negative power output. Paragraph 0072 discloses that the battery is charge by regenerative braking, the power output is negative.
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 13 and 14 are objected to as being dependent upon a rejected base claim, but would be allowable if rewritten in independent form including all of the limitations of the base claim and any intervening claims.
Claim 13 is allowable over the prior art of record, because the prior art of record does not disclose wherein the load comprises an inverter and a motor configured to receive alternating current electric power from the inverter, wherein the inverter is in electrical connection with the direct current electric bus of the first power assembly and the second direct current electric bus of the second power assembly.
Claim 14 is allowable over the prior art of record, because the prior art of record does not disclose wherein the load comprises a first inverter in electrical connection with the direct current electric bus of the first power assembly, a second inverter in electrical connection with the second direct current electric bus, and an electric motor configured to receive alternating current electric power from the first inverter, the second inverter, or both.
Response to Arguments
Applicant's arguments filed 6/23/2026 have been fully considered, Applicant’s argument that the KHALID reference does not a “second power assembly” is persuasive; however, Scholtz disclose a “second power assembly” as claimed and shown above.
Conclusion
THIS ACTION IS MADE FINAL. 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.
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/CARLOS AMAYA/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2836
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