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 Rejections - 35 USC § 103
In the event the determination of the status of the application as subject to AIA 35 U.S.C. 102 and 103 (or as subject to pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 102 and 103) is incorrect, any correction of the statutory basis (i.e., changing from AIA to pre-AIA ) 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 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 1 and 2 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over (US-20180191003-A1) hereinafter referred to as ‘Ohashi’ in view of (US-20060285993-A1) hereinafter referred to as ‘Rakowski’
Regarding Claim 1,
Ohashi teaches a solid oxide fuel cell (Ohashi, “The electrochemical reaction unit may be configured such that the electrolyte layer contains a solid oxide”, see [0014]) comprising: a plurality of power generation cells laminated (Ohashi, electricity generation units, 102, Fig. 2) in a thickness direction via an interconnector (Ohashi, interconnector, 150, Fig. 2), wherein the power generation cells each include a solid electrolyte plate (Ohashi, electrolyte layer, 112, Fig. 6) , an anode electrode disposed on one surface of the solid electrolyte plate (Ohashi, anode, 116, Fig. 5), an anode support layer configured to support the anode electrode (Ohashi, electrode facing portion, 145, Fig. 5) a cathode electrode disposed on the other surface of the solid electrolyte plate (Ohashi, cathode, 114, Fig. 5) , and a cathode support layer configured to support the cathode electrode (Ohashi, current collector, 134, Fig. 5) , the interconnector is configured to electrically connect the anode support layer of one of the adjacent power generation cells and the cathode support layer of the other one of the adjacent power generation cells (Ohashi, “The interconnector 150 is an electrically conductive member having a rectangular flat-plate shape and is formed of, for example, ferritic stainless steel.”, see [0038]), the anode support layer (Ohashi, “In the above embodiment, the anode-side current collector 144 may have a structure similar to that of the cathode-side current collector 134”, see [0079]) and the cathode support layer are made of ferritic stainless steel, (Ohashi, “The cathode-side current collector 134 is disposed within the air chamber 166. The cathode-side current collector 134 is composed of a plurality of current collector elements 135 each having a rectangular columnar shape and is formed of, for example, ferritic stainless steel”, see [0047]) and the interconnector is made of ferritic stainless-steel containing (Ohashi, “The interconnector 150 is an electrically conductive member having a rectangular flat-plate shape and is formed of, for example, ferritic stainless steel.”, see [0038]) .
Ohashi does not teach that the interconnector is made of ferritic stainless steel containing aluminum.
Rakowski teaches the interconnector is made of ferritic stainless steel containing aluminum (Rakowski, “According to various non-limiting embodiments disclosed herein, wherein the gas flow channel comprises at least one surface that when subjected to an oxidizing atmosphere at a temperature of at least 650° C. develops an aluminum-rich oxide scale, the interconnect may be formed from a Fe—Cr ferritic stainless steel comprising a sufficient alloy content to permit the formation of the aluminum-rich oxide scale. For example, according to various non-limiting embodiments, the interconnect may be formed from a ferritic stainless steels comprising from 0.3 to 1 weight percent aluminum,”, see [0045]).
Rakowski teaches that aluminum oxide layers allow for the prevention of chromium migration and reduce the effect of water vapor on the fuel cell (Rakowski, “aluminum-rich oxide scale may form on at least a portion of the treated surfaces when subjected to an oxidizing atmosphere at a temperature of at least 650° C., chromium migration from those surfaces can be reduced without detrimentally effecting the ASR of the interconnect ”, see [0044]).
Ohashi and Rakowski are analogous as they are both of the same field of solid oxide fuel cells.
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have modified the ferritic steel to include aluminum to allow for a protective aluminum oxide layer as taught in Rakowski.
Regarding Claim 2,
Modified Ohashi teaches the solid oxide fuel cell according to claim 1, wherein a thickness of a base material for the interconnector is smaller than a thickness of the anode support layer and a thickness of the cathode support layer (see annotated figure below).
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Claims 3 and 4 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over (US-20180191003-A1) hereinafter referred to as ‘Ohashi’ in view of (US-20060285993-A1) hereinafter referred to as ‘Rakowski’ in further view of (US-20180323448-A1) hereinafter referred to as ‘Manabe’
Regarding Claim 3,
Ohashi teaches the solid oxide fuel cell according to claim 1, wherein the interconnector is formed of a single plate material (Ohashi, see Fig. 5),
Ohashi does not teach a cathode side rib protruding toward the cathode electrode, and an anode side rib protruding toward the anode electrode, and the cathode side rib is in contact with the cathode support layer, and the anode side rib is in contact with the anode support layer.
Manabe teaches a cathode side rib protruding toward the cathode electrode (Manabe, side protrusion, 152, Fig. 7) and an anode side rib protruding toward the anode electrode (Manabe, side protrusion, 158, Fig. 7), and the cathode side rib is in contact with the cathode support layer, and the anode side rib is in contact with the anode support layer (Manabe, see Fig. 5).
Manabe teaches that this structure decreases stress and prevents gas leakage (Manabe, “Therefore, the concentration of stress at, for example, the corners of the protrusion and recess of the interconnector is mitigated, whereby generation of cracks and strain in the interconnector can be restrained. As a result, the occurrence of gas leakage and an increase in contact resistance can be restrained”, see [0010]).
Ohashi and Manabe are analogous as they are both of the same field of solid oxide fuel cells.
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have modified the interconnector as taught on Ohashi to include side protrusion as taught on Manabe in order to reduce stress and allow for less gas leakage.
Regarding Claim 4,
Modified Ohashi teaches the solid oxide fuel cell according to claim 3, wherein a width of a contact portion between the anode side rib and the anode support layer is larger than a width of a contact portion between the cathode side rib and the cathode support layer (Manabe, see annotated figure below).
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Claims 5-8 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over (US-20180191003-A1) hereinafter referred to as ‘Ohashi’ in view of (US-20060285993-A1) hereinafter referred to as ‘Rakowski’ in further view of (US-20210143447-A1) hereinafter referred to as ‘Blackwood’
Regarding Claim 5,
Ohashi teaches the solid oxide fuel cell according to claims 1 wherein a connection portion between the interconnector and the anode support layer of one of the adjacent power generation cells and a connection portion between the interconnector and the adjacent power generation cells are joined to each other via an insert member (Ohashi, connection portion, 146, Fig. 4) , and the insert member contains, as a main component, a material having a smaller mutual diffusion coefficient with aluminum in a joining surface compared with a case in which the interconnector is joined to the anode support layer and the cathode support layer without the insert member interposed therebetween (Ohashi, “interconnector facing portion 146 to each other, and is formed of, for example, nickel, a nickel alloy, or stainless steel”, see [0046]).
Ohashi does not teach and the cathode support layer of the other one of the adjacent power generation cells are joined to each other via an insert member.
Blackburn teaches the cathode support layer of the other one of the adjacent power generation cells are joined to each other via an insert member (Blackburn, coating, 720, Fig. 9).
Blackburn teaches that the coating prevents the oxidization of the ribs, therefore, allowing for higher conductivity (Blackburn, “In various embodiments, the coating 720 retards or prevents oxidation of the contact ribs 700, thereby maintaining high electrical conductivity thereof”, see [0132]).
Ohashi and Blackburn are analogous as they are both of the same field of solid oxide fuel cells.
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have modified the interconnector as taught on Ohashi to the inserts as taught in Blackburn in order to reduce oxidation and allow for higher conductivity.
Regarding Claim 6,
Modified Ohashi teaches the solid oxide fuel cell according to claim 5, wherein;the main component of the insert member is nickel (Blackburn, “coating 720 may include, consist essentially of, or consist of, for example, a nitride layer (e.g., TiN, ZrN, nickel nitride, tantalum nitride, tungsten nitride, vanadium nitride, niobium nitride, Indium nitride, gallium nitride, Zn3N2, Cu3N, boron nitride, Si3N4, C3N4, etc.), a carbide layer (e.g., TiC, SiC, TaC, NbC, ZrC, WC, etc.), one or more metals (e.g., Ag and/or Ni), one or more aluminum intermetallics (e.g. TiAl, MgAl, FeAl, or NiAl), graphite, and/or an electrically conductive ceramic oxide such as manganese-cobalt oxide (MCO).”, see [0132]).
Regarding Claim 7,
Modified Ohashi teaches the solid oxide fuel cell according to claim 5, wherein the insert member contains aluminum (Blackburn, “coating 720 may include, consist essentially of, or consist of, for example, a nitride layer (e.g., TiN, ZrN, nickel nitride, tantalum nitride, tungsten nitride, vanadium nitride, niobium nitride, Indium nitride, gallium nitride, Zn3N2, Cu3N, boron nitride, Si3N4, C3N4, etc.), a carbide layer (e.g., TiC, SiC, TaC, NbC, ZrC, WC, etc.), one or more metals (e.g., Ag and/or Ni), one or more aluminum intermetallics (e.g. TiAl, MgAl, FeAl, or NiAl), graphite, and/or an electrically conductive ceramic oxide such as manganese-cobalt oxide (MCO).”, see [0132]).
Regarding Claim 8,
Modified Ohashi does not teach ,wherein the insert member is a paste containing ferritic stainless steel as a main component and containing aluminum.
Rakowski teaches the interconnector is made of ferritic stainless steel containing aluminum (Rakowski, “According to various non-limiting embodiments disclosed herein, wherein the gas flow channel comprises at least one surface that when subjected to an oxidizing atmosphere at a temperature of at least 650° C. develops an aluminum-rich oxide scale, the interconnect may be formed from a Fe—Cr ferritic stainless steel comprising a sufficient alloy content to permit the formation of the aluminum-rich oxide scale. For example, according to various non-limiting embodiments, the interconnect may be formed from a ferritic stainless steels comprising from 0.3 to 1 weight percent aluminum,”, see [0045]).
Rakowshi teaches that aluminum oxide layers allow for the prevention of chromium migration and reduce the effect of water vapor on the fuel cell (Rakowski, “aluminum-rich oxide scale may form on at least a portion of the treated surfaces when subjected to an oxidizing atmosphere at a temperature of at least 650° C., chromium migration from those surfaces can be reduced without detrimentally effecting the ASR of the interconnect ”, see [0044]).
Ohashi and Rakowski are analogous as they are both of the same field of solid oxide fuel cells.
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have modified the inserts as taught in Modified Ohashi to allow for a protective aluminum oxide layer as taught in Rakowski in order to prevent degradation.
Claims 9 and 10 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over (US-20180323448-A1) hereinafter referred to as ‘Manabe’ in view of (US-20060285993-A1) hereinafter referred to as ‘Rakowski.’
Regarding Claim 9,
Manabe teaches method for producing a solid oxide fuel cell, comprising: a laminating step of laminating a plurality of power generation cells in a thickness direction via an interconnector, wherein: the power generation cells each include a solid electrolyte plate, an anode electrode disposed on one surface of the solid electrolyte plate, an anode support layer configured to support the anode electrode, a cathode electrode disposed on the other surface of the solid electrolyte plate, and a cathode support layer configured to support the cathode electrode (Manabe, working into a shape in which the interconnector has a plurality of combinations of protrusions protruding in the first direction and recesses provided on a side opposite the protrusions in the first direction and being concave toward the protrusions; and an assembly step of combining the electrochemical reaction unit cell and the interconnector, wherein the press step forms the interconnector into a shape in which, in a section parallel to the first direction, see [0019]), the interconnector is configured to electrically connect the anode support layer of one of the adjacent power generation cells and the cathode support layer of the other one of the adjacent power generation cells, the anode support layer and the cathode support layer are made of ferritic stainless steel (Manabe, “Each interconnector 150 is an electrically conductive member having an approximately rectangular outer shape and is formed of a Cr (chromium)-containing metal (e.g., ferritic stainless steel).”, see [0043]),
Manabe does not teach the interconnector is made of ferritic stainless steel containing aluminum, and a pre-oxidation step of performing an oxidation treatment on the interconnector is performed before the laminating step.
Rakowski teaches the interconnector is made of ferritic stainless steel containing aluminum and a pre-oxidation step of performing an oxidation treatment on the interconnector is performed before the laminating step. (Rakowski, “According to various non-limiting embodiments disclosed herein, wherein the gas flow channel comprises at least one surface that when subjected to an oxidizing atmosphere at a temperature of at least 650° C. develops an aluminum-rich oxide scale, the interconnect may be formed from a Fe—Cr ferritic stainless steel comprising a sufficient alloy content to permit the formation of the aluminum-rich oxide scale. For example, according to various non-limiting embodiments, the interconnect may be formed from a ferritic stainless steels comprising from 0.3 to 1 weight percent aluminum,”, see [0045]).
Rakowshi teaches that aluminum oxide layers allow for the prevention of chromium migration and reduce the effect of water vapor on the fuel cell (Rakowski, “aluminum-rich oxide scale may form on at least a portion of the treated surfaces when subjected to an oxidizing atmosphere at a temperature of at least 650° C., chromium migration from those surfaces can be reduced without detrimentally effecting the ASR of the interconnect ”, see [0044]).
Manabe and Rakowski are analogous as they are both of the same field of solid oxide fuel cells.
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have modified the ferritic steel to include aluminum to allow for a protective aluminum oxide layer as taught in Rakowski.
Regarding Claim 10,
Modified Manabe teaches the method for producing a solid oxide fuel cell according to claim 9, wherein the oxidation treatment in the pre-oxidation step is performed at 900°C or higher (Rakowski, “aluminum-rich oxide scale may form on at least a portion of the treated surfaces when subjected to an oxidizing atmosphere at a temperature of at least 650° C., chromium migration from those surfaces can be reduced without detrimentally effecting the ASR of the interconnect ”, see [0044]).
The examiner takes note of the fact that the prior art range of at least 650° C broadly overlaps the claimed range of 900°C or higher. Absent any additional and more specific information in the prior art, a prima facie case of obviousness exists. In re Peterson, 315F.3d 1325, 1330, 65 USPQ2d 1379 (Fed. Cir. 2003). MPEP 2144.05.
Conclusion
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/S.P.M./Examiner, Art Unit 1752
/NICHOLAS A SMITH/Supervisory Primary Examiner, Art Unit 1752
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