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 .
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 1-6, 8-10, 12-14 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102a1 as being anticipated by Jeong (KR-20180113377-A).
Regarding Claim1, Jeong discloses a battery system for a marine vessel, the marine vessel comprising a hull (See F1g. 1), the battery system comprising: a flow battery comprising an ion exchange element (stack, 130); and a first ballast tank (Element 110) for location in the hull and defining a first ballast tank chamber for storing electrolyte for the flow battery.
Regarding Claim 2, Jeong discloses a battery system of claim 1, comprising a first feed conduit through which the electrolyte is flowable from the first ballast tank chamber to the ion exchange element. (page 4 of translation provided by Examiner)
Regarding Claim 3, Jeong discloses a battery system of claim 2 comprising: a second ballast tank for location in the hull and defining a second ballast tank chamber for storing electrolyte for the flow battery; and a first conduit (Element 121 Fig. 5) arrangement through which electrolyte is flowable from the first ballast tank chamber to the second ballast tank chamber.
Regarding Claim 4, Jeong discloses a battery system of claim 3, wherein the first conduit arrangement comprises the first feed conduit and a second feed conduit (Element 156, Fig. 5.), and wherein the ion exchange element (Element 130) is fluidically connected or connectable to the first and second ballast tank chambers by the respective first and second feed conduits.
Regarding Claim 5, Jeong discloses the battery system of claim 3, wherein the first conduit arrangement comprises a first transfer conduit configured so that electrolyte is flowable from the first ballast tank chamber to the second ballast tank chamber without passing through the ion exchange element. (Fig. 5., Element 121)
Regarding Claim 6, Jeong discloses the battery system of claim 3, comprising a first flow moving device operable to move electrolyte along the first conduit arrangement from the first ballast tank chamber to the second ballast tank chamber. (Element 156)
Regarding Claim 8, Jeong discloses the hull assembly for a marine vessel, the hull assembly comprising a hull and the battery system of claim 3, wherein the first ballast tank is located in the hull. (See Fig. 1.)
Regarding Claim 9, Jeong discloses the hull assembly of claim 8, wherein the second ballast tank is located in the hull, and wherein the first and second ballast tanks are located at opposite lateral sides of the hull or at opposite longitudinal ends of the hull. (See Fig. 1.)
Regarding Claim 12, Jeong discloses the method of changing an attitude of a marine vessel, the marine vessel comprising a hull, a flow battery, and first and second ballast tank chambers in the hull, the method comprising moving electrolyte for the flow battery from the first ballast tank chamber to the second ballast tank chamber. (See rejection of Claim 1 above.)
Regarding Claim 13, Jeong discloses the method of claim 12, wherein the flow battery comprises an ion exchange element, and the method comprises moving electrolyte for the flow battery from one or both of the first and second ballast tank chambers to the ion exchange element and back to the respective one or both of the first and second ballast tank chambers, to charge and/or discharge the electrolyte. (See Fig. 3.)
Regarding Claim 14, Jeong discloses the method of claim 13, wherein the moving electrolyte for the flow battery from the first ballast tank chamber to the second ballast tank chamber comprises moving, using a first flow moving device, the electrolyte from the first ballast tank chamber to the second ballast tank chamber via a transfer conduit that is configured so that electrolyte is flowable from the first ballast tank chamber to the second ballast tank chamber without passing through the ion exchange element. (See Fig. 5.)
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.
Claims 7, 11, 15 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over by Jeong (KR-20180113377-A).
Regarding Claim 7, Jeong discloses the battery system of claim 3, wherein the first conduit arrangement is configurable such that electrolyte is flowable from one of the first and second ballast tank chambers to the other of the first and second ballast tank chambers via valve (Element 122, Fig 5) but does not explicitly disclose via the ion exchange element. (It’s arguably implicitly disclosed in the text, but a 103 makes the logic a PHOSITA uses when reading the disclosure more explicit since Fig. 5. leaves out elements.)
Jeong discloses wherein ballast controller 140 controls the flow of the electrolyte via the ion exchange element in order to adjust the balance of the hull (top of page 4) and the controller moves the electrolyte amongst the first plurality of tanks in order to control the balance of the hull (middle of page 6.) It would have been obvious at the time of filing for a person of ordinary skill in the marine art to add conduit in order to move ballast between tanks via the ion exchange member which can be accomplished with a reasonable expectation of success. The motivation to modify Jeong is to improve the balancing function of the ballast control when using the membrane by incorporating the plurality of tanks.
Regarding Claim 10, Jeong discloses the hull assembly of claim 8, a flow battery, but does not explicitly disclose comprising more than one flow battery. It would have been obvious at the time of filing for a person of ordinary skill in the marine art to add a second flow battery as a multiplicity of parts which can be accomplished with a reasonable expectation of success. The motivation to provide a second flow battery is to provide for additional flexibility in ballasting and maintenance.
Regarding Claim 15, Jeong discloses the method of claim 13, wherein the moving electrolyte for the flow battery from the first ballast tank chamber to the second ballast tank chamber comprises moving the electrolyte from the first ballast tank chamber to the second ballast tank chamber via the ion exchange element. (See rejection Claim 7 above.)
Conclusion
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/ANDREW POLAY/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3615 20 Feb 2026