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 § 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.
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 of this title, 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.
1. Claims 9-20 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by, or in the alternative, are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being obvious over Karatay et al. (US 20220416283).
2. Regarding claims 9-20, Karatay teaches an electrolyzer configured to use an electric current to split water molecules into hydrogen and oxygen gases (see Fig. below), the electrolyzer comprising: a membrane electrode assembly including; a cathode portion including a cathode electrode; an anode portion disposed opposite the cathode portion and including an anode electrode; and a polymer electrolyte membrane extending between the cathode portion and the anode portion; a water tank coupled to the membrane electrode assembly and configured to supply water to the anode portion;
a power source coupled to the membrane electrode assembly and configured to supply electricity to the membrane electrode assembly; and a hydrogen tank configured to collect hydrogen gas formed within the cathode portion of the membrane electrode assembly (see Fig. below),
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wherein the membrane electrode assembly (The platelets 54 have a high aspect ratio and are predominantly arranged in the membrane 12 [0032]) includes one or more metal oxides disposed adjacent to the cathode portion and configured to react with hydrogen peroxide formed near the cathode portion (In one embodiment, the FRS 72 include or consist of ceria, which is the oxide of cerium, usually in the form of Ce2O3 and CeO2, corresponding to Ce3+ and Ce4+ [0044]; Ce4+ is able to oxidize peroxide free radicals and hydrogen, generating Ce3+ [0044]; It is noted that Ce4+ of ceria is reduced to Ce3+ by the H2O2) and wherein the membrane electrode assembly includes one or more metal cations disposed therein and configured to react with hydroxyl radicals disposed within the membrane electrode assembly (The platelets 54 may be functionalized with one or more of: free radical scavenger (FRS) groups [0032]; Hydroxyl radicals can oxidize the Ce3+ to Ce4+, thereby regenerating the FRS [0044])
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3. Karatay teaches a vehicle incorporating the fuel cell (The exemplary MEA 10 finds particular use in power sources for road vehicles [0072])
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.
4. Claims 1, 3-5, 7 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Hirai et al. (US 20220251264).
5. Regarding claims 1, 3-5, 7, Hirai teaches membrane electrode assembly (a polymer electrolyte fuel cell [0001]) comprising: a cathode portion including a cathode electrode; an anode portion disposed opposite the cathode portion and including an anode electrode (FIG. 1 is a schematic cross-sectional view of an example of the membrane electrode assembly of the present invention. The membrane electrode assembly 10 comprises an anode 13 having a catalyst layer 11 and a gas diffusion layer 12, a cathode 14 having a catalyst layer 11 and a gas diffusion layer 12, and a polymer electrolyte membrane 15 disposed between the anode 13 and the cathode 14, in contact with the catalyst layers 11 [0190]); and a polymer electrolyte membrane extending between the cathode portion and the anode portion, wherein the membrane electrode assembly (Thus, a membrane-electrode assembly comprising the polymer electrolyte membrane of the present invention shows even better performance, when addition of cerium atoms [0342]) includes one or more metal oxides disposed therein and configured to react with hydrogen peroxide within the membrane electrode assembly (The polymer electrolyte membrane may further comprise at least one member selected from the group consisting of cerium atoms and manganese atoms in the form of…a metal compound (CeO2, Table 6)…Cerium atoms and manganese atoms are supposed to decompose hydrogen peroxide… responsible for deterioration of polymer electrolyte membranes [0169]) and wherein the membrane electrode assembly includes one or more metal cations disposed therein and configured to react with hydroxyl radicals disposed within the membrane electrode assembly (The polymer electrolyte membrane may further comprise at least one member selected from the group consisting of cerium atoms and manganese atoms in the form of… a metal ion, to further improve durability. Cerium atoms and manganese atoms are supposed to decompose…hydroxyl radicals… responsible for deterioration of polymer electrolyte membranes [0169]).
6. Regarding claim 3, Hirai teaches wherein the metal cation (The polymer electrolyte membrane may further comprise at least one member selected from the group consisting of cerium atoms and manganese atoms in the form of…a metal compound (CeO2, Table 6)…Cerium atoms and manganese atoms are supposed to decompose hydrogen peroxide…responsible for deterioration of polymer electrolyte membranes [0169]) and the metal oxide are disposed in the polymer electrolyte membrane (The polymer electrolyte membrane may further comprise at least one member selected from the group consisting of cerium atoms and manganese atoms in the form of…a metal compound (CeO2, Table 6)…Cerium atoms and manganese atoms are supposed to decompose hydrogen peroxide… responsible for deterioration of polymer electrolyte membranes [0169]).
7. Regarding claim 4, Hirai teaches wherein metals forming one or more of the metal oxides or the metal cations are disposed in the anode portion or in layers adjacent to the anode portion and are configured to be gradually released into the polymer electrolyte membrane (As specific examples of the catalyst in the catalyst layer 11, a metal oxide carrier… As the metal oxide carrier, an single oxide or multiple oxide of metal(s) such as aluminum, tin, zinc, nickel, cobalt, iron, titanium, cerium, zirconium [0191]).
8. Regarding claim 5, Hirai teaches wherein metals forming one or more of the metal oxides or the metal cations are disposed in the cathode portion or in layers adjacent to the cathode portion and are configured to be gradually released into the polymer electrolyte membrane (As specific examples of the catalyst in the catalyst layer 11, a metal oxide carrier… As the metal oxide carrier, an single oxide or multiple oxide of metal(s) such as aluminum, tin, zinc, nickel, cobalt, iron, titanium, cerium, zirconium [0191]).
9. Claims 2, 6 and 8 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being obvious over Hirai et al. (US 20220251264) in view of Karatay et al. (US 20220416283).
10. Karatay teaches wherein the metal oxide includes one or more of Cerium Oxide, Cerium Zirconium Oxide, Zirconium Dioxide or Manganese Dioxide and the metal cation includes one or more of Cerium (3+) or Manganese (2+) (In one embodiment, the FRS 72 include or consist of ceria, which is the oxide of cerium, usually in the form of Ce2O3 and CeO2, corresponding to Ce3+ and Ce4+ [0044]; Ce4+ is able to oxidize peroxide free radicals and hydrogen, generating Ce3+ [0044]; It is noted that Ce4+ of ceria is reduced to Ce3+ by the H2O2)
11. Karatay teaches an electrolyzer 100 [0070], a vehicle incorporating the fuel cell (The exemplary MEA 10 finds particular use in power sources for road vehicles [0072]) for the benefit of durability (e.g., manganese oxide) mechanical strength, thermal properties, and water management of the membrane [0011].
12. It would have been obvious to a person having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have modified Hirai with Karatay’s teachings for the benefit of durability (e.g., manganese oxide) mechanical strength, thermal properties, and water management of the membrane.
Conclusion
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/OLATUNJI A GODO/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 1752
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