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 .
Election/Restrictions
Claim 5 is withdrawn from further consideration pursuant to 37 CFR 1.142(b) as being drawn to a nonelected species A of the claimed conveying device of the restriction election requirement mailed on 04 August 2026, there being no allowable generic or linking claim. Election was made without traverse in the reply filed on 04 August 2026.
Applicant’s election without traverse of species B of the claimed conveying device of the restriction election requirement mailed on 04 August 2026 in the reply filed on 04 August 2026 is acknowledged.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 102
In the event the determination of the status of the application as subject to 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.
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.
Claims 1-4 and 6-14 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(2) as being anticipated by Kurz (DE 102018219995 A1).
Regarding claim 1, Kurz discloses a conveying device for a fuel cell system for conveying and/or recirculating a gaseous medium, comprising a side channel compressor (“a side channel compressor for a fuel cell system for conveying and/or compressing a gaseous medium, in particular hydrogen, which is intended in particular for use in vehicles with a fuel cell drive” [0001]) having a housing (“a housing 3” [0018]) with a gas inlet opening formed on the housing (“the housing 3 forms a gas inlet opening 14” [0020]) and a gas outlet opening (“… and a gas outlet opening 16” [0020]), which are fluidically connected to one another via a compressor chamber (“The gas inlet opening 14 and the gas outlet opening 16 are fluidically connected to each other, in particular via the at least one side channel 19, 21” [0020] and “first circumferential side channel 19 and/or a second circumferential side channel 21 in the area of a compressor chamber 30” [0019] where “compressor chamber 30” corresponds to the claimed compressor chamber), wherein the conveying device is driven at least partially by a metering valve (“As soon as the compressor wheel 2 is set into rotational motion from a standstill position by means of the drive 6, a respective end face of the blades 55 pushes the gaseous medium, in particular hydrogen, located in the conveying cell 28 in a direction of rotation from the area of the gas inlet opening 14 to the area of the gas outlet opening 16, whereby an acceleration and/or compression of the gaseous medium takes place. In this process, the gaseous medium is forced in the direction of rotation from the pumping cell 28 away from the axis of symmetry 48 into the respective side channel 19 , 21, whereby the gaseous medium is placed in the circulation flow 50 and the gaseous medium flowing out of the pumping cell 28 at a velocity meets a slower flowing gaseous medium in the respective side channel 19 , 21.” [0028] with italics added for emphasis on “conveying cell” or “pumping cell” that corresponds to the claimed metering valve) having a propulsion jet of a pressurized gaseous medium (“the area of the gas outlet opening 16, whereby an acceleration and/or compression of the gaseous medium takes place” [0028] where the outlet opening 16 corresponds to the claimed propulsion jet), and the pressurized gaseous medium being fed to the side channel compressor at least indirectly by the metering valve (“the gaseous medium is forced in the direction of rotation from the pumping cell 28 away from the axis of symmetry 48 into the respective side channel 19 , 21” [0028]); the compressor chamber extends around an axis of rotation in the housing (“the housing 3 has a first circumferential side channel 19 and/or a second circumferential side channel 21 in the area of a compressor chamber 30” [0019] with italics added for emphasis on the disclosed descriptor that corresponds to the claimed feature) and has at least one circumferential side channel (“a first circumferential side channel 19 and/or a second circumferential side channel 21” [0019]); an impeller which is located in the housing (“The side channel compressor 1 has the compressor wheel 2, which is rotatably mounted in a housing 3 about a horizontally extending axis of rotation 4” [0018]), is rotatable about the axis of rotation (4 Fig. 1; “which is rotatably mounted in a housing 3 about a horizontally extending axis of rotation 4” [0018]) and is driven by a drive (6 Fig. 1; “a drive 6, in particular an electric drive 6, serves as a rotary drive 6 of the compressor wheel 2” [0018]), wherein the gaseous medium is fed by the metering valve to the side channel compressor via the impeller (“As soon as the compressor wheel 2 is set into rotational motion from a standstill position by means of the drive 6, a respective end face of the blades 55 pushes the gaseous medium, in particular hydrogen, located in the conveying cell 28 in a direction of rotation from the area of the gas inlet opening 14 to the area of the gas outlet opening 16, whereby an acceleration and/or compression of the gaseous medium takes place.” [0028]), the feed taking place at least almost in a direction of the axis of rotation (“in a direction of rotation from the area of the gas inlet opening 14 to the area of the gas outlet opening 16” [0028]) on a side of the impeller facing away from the drive (the direction “of the gas inlet opening 14 to the area of the gas outlet opening 16” [0028] shown in Fig. 1 is one facing away from where drive 6 is disposed in the compressor 1).
Regarding claim 2, Kurz discloses the conveying device with all of the features set forth in claim 1 above, and wherein the gaseous medium is fed from the metering valve (“As soon as the compressor wheel 2 is set into rotational motion from a standstill position by means of the drive 6, a respective end face of the blades 55 pushes the gaseous medium, in particular hydrogen, located in the conveying cell 28” [0028]) into an area of an axial opening of the impeller (“The end faces 54, 56 of the connecting ribs 62, which extend in the direction of the axis of rotation 4, are in contact with the end faces 58, 60 of the blades 55 of the respective impeller shell 10, 12, which extend in the direction of the axis of rotation 4.” [0030] such that “end faces 54, 56 of the connecting ribs 62” corresponds to the claimed axial opening of the impeller).
Regarding claim 3, Hurz discloses the conveying device with all of the features set forth in claim 1 above, and wherein the impeller forms a wall on a side facing away from the axis of rotation (the top and bottom end surfaces of compressor wheel 2 shown in Figs. 1, 4, 6-7), wherein the impeller comprises at least one radial opening on the wall (52 Figs. 1, 4, 6-7; “a radially circumferential gap 52 is located axially to the axis of rotation 4 between the impeller shells 10, 12” [0018]), via which the impeller is driven by a propellant medium and/or the propulsion jet (“a large energy transfer is possible between the gaseous medium located in the pumping cell 28 and the gaseous medium located in the respective side channel 19, 21, and a pressure build-up occurs linearly around the circumference through momentum exchange” [0028]).
Regarding claim 11, Hurz discloses the conveying device with all of the features set forth in claim 1 above, and wherein the gaseous medium is hydrogen (“gaseous medium, in particular hydrogen” [0028]).
Regarding claim 12, Hurz discloses the conveying device with all of the features set forth in claim 1 above, and wherein the gas inlet opening and the gas outlet opening are fluidically connected to one another via the at least one circumferential side channel (“The gas inlet opening 14 and the gas outlet opening 16 are fluidically connected to each other, in particular via the at least one side channel 19, 21.” [0020]).
Regarding claim 13, Hurz discloses the conveying device with all of the features set forth in claim 2 above, and wherein the axial opening extends circumferentially around the axis of rotation in a disc-shaped manner (Fig. 3 shows that connecting ribs 62 is also present circumferentially around the axis of rotation).
Regarding claim 14, Hurz discloses the conveying device with all of the features set forth in claim 3 above, and wherein the at least one radial opening is in an area of a second side channel (Fig. 1 shows that radially circumferential gap 52 is also open to circumferential side channels 19 and 21).
Regarding claim 4, Hurz discloses the conveying device with all of the features set forth in claim 14 above, and wherein the impeller comprises radial channels (53 Fig. 3; “at least one opening 53 in the respective impeller shell 10 , 12” [0027]), wherein the channels extend from an area of the radial opening to the second side channel (“connects the side channels 19 , 21 … In this way, a fluidic connection of the side channels 19, 21 axially to the axis of rotation 4 can be established through the compressor wheel 2 by means of the respective conveying cells 5 in the impeller shells 10, 12 and the openings 53 in the compensating disk 13.” [0027] and Fig. 2 shows openings 53 being open to gap 52), and wherein the radial channels fluidically connect the radial opening and the second side channel (“a fluidic connection of the side channels 19, 21” [0027] and Fig. 2 shows openings 53 being open to gap 52).
Regarding claim 6, Hurz discloses the conveying device with all of the features set forth in claim 4 above, and wherein the radial channels are formed as closed channels, wherein the respective channels are closed by a separate cover (60 Fig. 6; “end faces 54, 56 of the connecting ribs 62, which extend in the direction of the axis of rotation 4, are in contact with the end faces 58, 60 of the blades 55 of the respective impeller shell 10, 12, which extend in the direction of the axis of rotation 4” [0030] with italics added for emphasis on the element that corresponds to the claimed separate cover) such that the channels are limited in the direction of the axis of rotation (Fig. 2 shows that blades 55 are disposed in an incline that diverts and causes a corresponding incline in the direction of openings 53 in the axial direction) on a side of the cover facing away from the drive (blades 55 disposed on the lefthand side of Fig. 2 has an end face that faces away from where drive 6 is disposed in the compressor 1).
Regarding claim 7, Hurz discloses the conveying device with all of the features set forth in claim 14 above, and wherein propellant medium is at least indirectly metered into and/or flows into the second side channel via the metering valve (“a movement of the gaseous medium, in particular a flow exchange, takes place between the conveying cell 28 and the at least one side channel 19 , 21” [0021]), wherein the second side channel is at least almost completely fluidically separated from the first side channel (Fig. 2 shows that blades 55 are disposed in an incline such that side channels 19 and 21 are at least almost fluidically separated from each other) and/or is only fluidically connected in an area of the gas outlet opening.
Regarding claim 8, Hurz discloses the conveying device with all of the features set forth in claim 4 above, and wherein the impeller can be configured as the drive by a drive motor 10, or at least indirectly driven by the propulsion jet 12 from at least one radial channel or driven by the elements 10, 12, and metering valve 6 simultaneously (“As soon as the compressor wheel 2 is set into rotational motion from a standstill position by means of the drive 6, a respective end face of the blades 55 pushes the gaseous medium, in particular hydrogen, located in the conveying cell 28 in a direction of rotation from the area of the gas inlet opening 14 to the area of the gas outlet opening 16, whereby an acceleration and/or compression of the gaseous medium takes place.” [0028]).
Regarding claim 9, Hurz discloses the conveying device with all of the features set forth in claim 4 above, and wherein at least one radial channel extends helically-shaped from an interior of the impeller to the wall (“at least one opening 53 in the respective impeller shell 10 , 12, which runs at least approximately axially to the axis of rotation 4, connects the side channels 19 , 21 . Furthermore, the gaseous medium can flow from the compressor wheel 2 into the respective side channel 19 , 21 and/or flow back from the respective side channel 19 , 21 into the respective conveying cell 5 of the compressor wheel 2.” [0027] where Fig. 2 shows circulation flow 50 extends from openings 53, which is shown in Fig. 1 to have a spiral shape in between side channels 19 and 21 of compressor 30).
Regarding claim 10, Hurz discloses a fuel cell system comprising the conveying device with all of the features set forth in claim 1 above (“fuel cell system 37, flows into the compressor chamber 30 of the side channel compressor 1 via the gas inlet opening 14 and/or is supplied to the side channel compressor 1 and/or is drawn in from the area upstream of the gas inlet opening 14” [0022]).
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to CHARLENE BERMUDEZ whose telephone number is (571)272-0610. The examiner can normally be reached Mondays through Thursdays generally from 12 PM to 5 PM Eastern Time.
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If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Allison Bourke can be reached at (303) 297-4684. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/CHARLENE BERMUDEZ/Examiner, Art Unit 1721
/ALLISON BOURKE/Supervisory Patent Examiner, Art Unit 1721
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