DETAILED ACTION
Claim Objections
Claims 8 and 9 are objected to because of the following informalities:
Line 1 of claim 8 should recite “The fuel cell system”
Line 2 of claim 8 should recite “the fuel cell assembly” and “the fuel inlet”
Lines 2-3 of claim 8 should recite “the fuel outlet”
Line 6 of claim 8 should recite “the recirculation assembly”
Line 8 of claim 8 should recite “the fan outlet”
Line 2 of claim 10 should recite “anode-side exhaust gas
Line 2 of claim 10 should recite “the cooling medium”
Appropriate correction is required.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 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.
(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 1-2 and 4-10 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by US 20080318093 A1 (Lee ‘093).
Regarding claim 1, Lee ‘093 teaches a recirculation assembly (100) for a fuel cell system (200) (a system for recirculating unreacted hydrogen to an inlet of a fuel cell stack to increase hydrogen utilization of a fuel cell system; [0016]), comprising:
a water separator (1) (a water separator 18; [0043]), which can be connected to a fuel outlet (212) of a fuel cell assembly (210) (the water separator 18 is provided in the hydrogen recirculation line 17 between the outlet of the fuel cell stack 10 and a hydrogen recirculation blower 11; [0043]; Fig. 1; Fig. 2), for at least partly separating liquid water from an exhaust gas flow coming from the fuel outlet (212) (the water separator serving to separate condensed water generated in the hydrogen recirculation line; abstract); and
a recirculation fan (2) with a conveyor device (20) (the hydrogen recirculation blower 11 conveys/recirculates residual hydrogen discharged from the outlet of the fuel cell; abstract), which has a fan inlet (21) connected to the water separator (1) (the hydrogen recirculation blower 11 is disposed between the water separator 18 and the fuel cell stack 10, the inlet of the blower 11 on hydrogen recirculation line 17 being connected to the water separator 18; [0043]; Fig. 1; Fig. 1) and a fan outlet (22) that can be connected to a fuel inlet (211) of the fuel cell assembly (210) (the recirculation blower 11 has an outlet that is connected to the hydrogen supply line from the fuel tank 12 which is connected to the inlet of the fuel cell stack 10; [0040]; Fig. 1; Fig. 2) and which is designed to convey a gas flow (the hydrogen recirculation blower 11 conveys/recirculates residual hydrogen discharged from the outlet of the fuel cell; abstract), and a drive device (23) for driving the conveyor device (20) (the hydrogen recirculation blower 11 implicitly has a drive device evidenced the blower being “driven” at high rpm; [0046]), comprising a heat sink (24) (humidifier/heat exchanger 16; [0045]) which is thermally coupled to the water separator (1) in order to cool the drive device (23) (the heat exchanger 16 receives water from the water separator 18, wherein the heat-exchanged water is resupplied to the hydrogen recirculation blower 11 to be used for cooling the hydrogen recirculation blower 11; [0046]; Fig. 2).
Regarding claim 2, Lee ‘093 teaches the recirculation assembly (100) according to claim 1, wherein the exhaust gas flow and/or separated liquid water is configured to flow around the heat sink (24) (the water is resupplied to the hydrogen recirculation blower 11 to be used for cooling the hydrogen recirculation blower 11 after flowing through the heat exchanger 16; [0046] & Fig. 2).
Regarding claim 4, Lee ‘093 teaches the recirculation assembly (100) according to claim 1, wherein the heat sink (24) comprises a coolant channel (25) connected to the water separator (1) for passing the exhaust gas flow and/or separated liquid water (the heat exchanger 16 is connected to the water separator 18, wherein water flows from the water separator 18 through the heat exchanger 16 via a channel/line therein; [0046] Fig. 2).
Regarding claim 5, Lee ‘093 teaches the recirculation assembly (100) according to claim 4, wherein the coolant channel (25) connects a recirculation outlet (12A) of the water separator (1) through which the exhaust gas flow is discharged from the separator (1) to the fan inlet (21) of the conveyor device (20) (as shown in Fig. 2, the channel/line within the heat exchanger 16 connects a recirculation outlet (dotted line) of the water separator 18 to the inlet of the hydrogen recirculation blower 11; exhaust gas flow still being interpreted as exhaust gas flow and/or separated liquid water).
Regarding claim 6, Lee ‘093 teaches the recirculation assembly (100) according to claim 4, wherein the fan inlet (21) of the conveyor device (20) is connected to a recirculation outlet (12A) of the water separator (1), through which the exhaust gas flow is discharged from the water separator (1), and wherein the coolant channel (25) is connected to the fan outlet (22) of the conveyor device (20) (as shown in Fig. 2, the inlet of the hydrogen recirculation blower 11 is connected to a recirculation outlet (dotted line) of the water separator 18, through which water is discharged from the separator 18, and the channel/line within the heat exchanger 16 is connected to the outlet of the hydrogen recirculation blower 11; exhaust gas flow still being interpreted as exhaust gas flow and/or separated liquid water).
Regarding claim 7, Lee ‘093 teaches the recirculation assembly (100) according to claim 4, wherein the coolant channel (25) is connected to a water outlet (12B) through which liquid water is separated from the exhaust gas flow can be discharged and/or to a purge outlet (12C) through which purge can be discharged (as shown in Fig. 2, the channel/line flowing through the heat exchanger 16 is connected within the system to a hydrogen discharge apparatus 20 via a solenoid valve for purging 19, wherein impurities including water are discharged; [0036]; exhaust gas flow still being interpreted as exhaust gas flow and/or separated liquid water).
Regarding claim 8, Lee ‘093 teaches the fuel cell system (200) comprising:
the fuel cell assembly (210) with at least one fuel cell (213) (the fuel cell stack 10; [0041]), a fuel inlet (211) and a fuel outlet (212) (the fuel cell stack has an inlet and an outlet; Fig. 2; Fig. 3);
a supply line (202) connected to the fuel inlet (211) for supply gaseous fuel (hydrogen is supplied from the fuel tank 12 on the inlet side of the fuel cell stack 10 via a supply line; [0040]; Fig. 1; Fig. 2);
and
the recirculation assembly (100) according to claim 1 (see claim 1 above);
wherein the water separator (1) is connected to the fuel outlet (212) (the water separator 18 is provided in the hydrogen recirculation line 17 between the outlet of the fuel cell stack 10 and a hydrogen recirculation blower 11; [0043]; claim 1 recites “can be connected” vs. here “is connected”); and
wherein the fan output (22) of the conveyor device (20) of the recirculation fan (2) is connected to the supply line (202) (the outlet of the hydrogen recirculation blower 11 is connected to the hydrogen supply line; Fig. 1; Fig. 2).
Regarding claim 9, Lee ‘093 teaches a method (M) for cooling a drive device (23) of a recirculation fan (2) in a fuel cell system (200) (a hydrogen recirculation apparatus for a fuel cell vehicle and a method thereof which can improve the performance of a fuel cell stack by controlling the overall temperature of a hydrogen supply apparatus; [0003]), comprising:
at least partially separating (M1) liquid water from anode-side exhaust gas of a fuel cell assembly (210) of the fuel cell system (200) in the water separator (1) (the water separator 18 is provided in the hydrogen recirculation line 17 between the outlet of the fuel cell stack 10 and a hydrogen recirculation blower 11; [0043]; Fig. 1; Fig. 2; the water separator serving to separate condensed water generated in the hydrogen recirculation line; abstract)); and
supplying M2 the anode-side exhaust gas and/or liquid water separated from the water separator (1) to the drive device (23) as a cooling medium (the water is resupplied to the hydrogen recirculation blower 11 to be used for cooling the hydrogen recirculation blower 11 after flowing through the heat exchanger 16; [0046] & Fig. 2).
Regarding claim 10, Lee ‘093 teaches the method (M) according to claim 9, wherein supplying (M2) the anode-side exhaust gas and/or the separated liquid water as cooling medium to the drive device (23) comprises flowing around an outer-surface (24a) of a heat sink (24) of the drive device (23) or flowing through a coolant channel (25) of the heat sink (24) (the water is resupplied to the hydrogen recirculation blower 11 to be used for cooling the hydrogen recirculation blower 11 after flowing through the heat exchanger 16 via a channel/line therein; [0046] & Fig. 2).
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.
The factual inquiries for establishing a background for determining obviousness under 35 U.S.C. 103 are summarized as follows:
1. Determining the scope and contents of the prior art.
2. Ascertaining the differences between the prior art and the claims at issue.
3. Resolving the level of ordinary skill in the pertinent art.
4. Considering objective evidence present in the application indicating obviousness or nonobviousness.
This application currently names joint inventors. In considering patentability of the claims the examiner presumes that the subject matter of the various claims was commonly owned as of the effective filing date of the claimed invention(s) absent any evidence to the contrary. Applicant is advised of the obligation under 37 CFR 1.56 to point out the inventor and effective filing dates of each claim that was not commonly owned as of the effective filing date of the later invention in order for the examiner to consider the applicability of 35 U.S.C. 102(b)(2)(C) for any potential 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(2) prior art against the later invention.
Claim 3 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over US 20080318093 A1 (Lee ‘093) in view of US 20200243881 A1 (Law ‘881).
Regarding claim 3, Lee ‘093 teaches the recirculation assembly (100) according to claim 2, but does not disclose wherein the heat sink (24) projects into a separation section (1) of the water separator (1) which is configured to separate the liquid water from the exhaust gas flow.
Law ‘881 discloses that water may be separated off by a water separator 140 in a heat exchanger 130 ([0042]). In Fig. 3, the water separator 140 is illustrated as separate from the heat exchanger 130 in a fuel cell system, however, the water separator 140 may be integrated into the heat exchanger 130 ([0042]; abstract).
Therefore, it would have been obvious to a person of ordinary skill in the art, prior to the effective filing date of the claimed invention to provide that the water separator is integrated with the heat exchanger to separate water by the water separator in the heat exchanger, as suggested by Law ‘881, in the recirculation assembly, as taught by Lee ‘093.
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure.
JP 2010262824 A (Inagaki ‘824 – citing to the attached English translation) discloses a fuel cell system where spent fuel gas is sent to the fuel gas supply via a bypass channel that bypasses the gas-liquid separator ([0009]). The moisture evaporates around the drive unit of the fuel gas circulation system, and the heat of vaporization is removed, which cools the drive unit and the motor connected to it ([0009]). Therefore, even when the motor operates continuously under high load conditions of the fuel cell, it is possible to prevent the motor from overheating excessively ([0009]).
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/TAYLOR HARRISON KRONE/Examiner, Art Unit 1725
/JONATHAN CREPEAU/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 1725
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