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 .
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.
Priority
Receipt is acknowledged of certified copies of papers required by 37 CFR 1.55.
Drawings
The drawings are objected to under 37 CFR 1.83(a). The drawings must show every feature of the invention specified in the claims. Therefore, the following must be shown or the feature(s) canceled from the claim(s).
“a power management unit” of claim 21
No new matter should be entered.
Corrected drawing sheets in compliance with 37 CFR 1.121(d) are required in reply to the Office action to avoid abandonment of the application. Any amended replacement drawing sheet should include all of the figures appearing on the immediate prior version of the sheet, even if only one figure is being amended. The figure or figure number of an amended drawing should not be labeled as “amended.” If a drawing figure is to be canceled, the appropriate figure must be removed from the replacement sheet, and where necessary, the remaining figures must be renumbered and appropriate changes made to the brief description of the several views of the drawings for consistency. Additional replacement sheets may be necessary to show the renumbering of the remaining figures. Each drawing sheet submitted after the filing date of an application must be labeled in the top margin as either “Replacement Sheet” or “New Sheet” pursuant to 37 CFR 1.121(d). If the changes are not accepted by the examiner, the applicant will be notified and informed of any required corrective action in the next Office action. The objection to the drawings will not be held in abeyance.
The drawings are objected to as failing to comply with 37 CFR 1.84(p)(5) because they include the following reference character(s) not mentioned in the description: 5. Corrected drawing sheets in compliance with 37 CFR 1.121(d), or amendment to the specification to add the reference character(s) in the description in compliance with 37 CFR 1.121(b) are required in reply to the Office action to avoid abandonment of the application. Any amended replacement drawing sheet should include all of the figures appearing on the immediate prior version of the sheet, even if only one figure is being amended. Each drawing sheet submitted after the filing date of an application must be labeled in the top margin as either “Replacement Sheet” or “New Sheet” pursuant to 37 CFR 1.121(d). If the changes are not accepted by the examiner, the applicant will be notified and informed of any required corrective action in the next Office action. The objection to the drawings will not be held in abeyance.
Claim Objections
Claims 1 and 10 are objected to because of the following informalities:
Claim 1, “the triboelectric element to the external environment and the gap is configured to vary the capacitance of the triboelectric generator, which is defined by top and bottom electrodes” should be changed to “the triboelectric element to an external environment and the gap is configured to vary a capacitance of the triboelectric generator, which is defined by the top and bottom electrodes”
Claim 10, “lithography, direct printing and laser patterning” should be changed to “lithography, or direct printing and laser patterning”
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 1-6, 8-10, and 22 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1)/(a)(2) as being anticipated by Kwon (EP 3171416 A1).
Regarding claim 1, Kwon discloses an energy harvesting device which comprises one or more triboelectric generators, each one comprising:
a bottom electrode (120 of Figure 4),
at least one friction or triboelectric element, being a layer, a foil or a plate (140 of Figure 4), placed over the bottom electrode and which is subjected to an injection or generation of electrical charge, and
at least two exposed top electrodes (130 of Figure 4) electrically connected, placed over the triboelectric element and defining at least one gap between them (see Figure 4; Para. 0031),
wherein the gap has a length in the micrometer to submillimeter scale (Para. 0057), exposing the triboelectric element to the external environment (see Figure 4) and the gap is configured to vary the capacitance of the triboelectric generator, which is defined by top and bottom electrodes, when a drop of liquid contacts the two exposed top electrodes, generating voltage peaks in the microsecond to millisecond range (Para. 0062-0063; see Figure 8).
Regarding claim 2, Kwon discloses comprising an array of triboelectric generators configured to be arranged one next to the other so that droplets repeatedly bounce and contact multiple triboelectric generators (Para. 0057; see Figure 4).
Regarding claim 3, Kwon discloses wherein the friction or triboelectric element (140 of Figure 4) is hydrophobic or slippery (Para. 0034, 0062-0063; PMMA, PVP).
Regarding claim 4, Kwon discloses further comprising one or more substrates (110 of Figure 4) placed under the triboelectric generators.
Regarding claim 5, Kwon discloses wherein the substrate (110 of Figure 4) is flexible or non-flat (Para. 0058).
Regarding claim 6, Kwon discloses wherein each top electrode (130 of Figure 4) is smaller than the bottom electrode (see Figure 1, 4).
Regarding claim 8, Kwon discloses wherein the electrodes (120, 130 of Figure 4) can have round, triangular, square or rectangle shape (see Figure 4).
Regarding claim 9, Kwon discloses wherein the at least one friction element (140 of Figure 4) is charged negatively or positively using charge injection techniques or by natural effects (Para., 0033).
Regarding claim 10, Kwon discloses wherein the plurality of triboelectric generators are distributed and fabricated as an array using CMOS (complementary metal-oxide semiconductors), MEMS (microelectromechanical systems), IC (Integrated Circuit), lithography, direct printing and laser patterning processes (Para. 0034, implicit because the listed materials require specific, advanced processes (like MEMS techniques for PZT crystallization or advanced lithography for sub-micron alignment) that are layered on top of a standard semiconductor platform (IC/CMOS).
Regarding claim 22, Kwon discloses a method for producing DC energy from droplets and liquids by using the energy harvesting device according to claim 1, wherein the triboelectric element (140 of Figure 4) is hydrophobic or slippery (Para. 0034, 0062-0063; PMMA, PVP), the method comprising the steps of:
- receiving at least one droplet or liquid (abstract) on the exposed top electrodes (130 of Figure 4);
- making an electrical connection between the drop and the top electrodes (abstract);
- varying the capacitance of the triboelectric generator (abstract); and
- generating a positive voltage peak in the microsecond to millisecond range (Para. 0062-0063; see Figure 8).
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.
Claim 7 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Kwon (EP 3171416 A1).
Regarding claim 7, Kwon discloses all of the elements of the current invention as mentioned above, however does not explicitly disclose wherein the size of each triboelectric generator ranges in the micrometer to sub-millimeter scale.
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before effective filing of the claimed invention to size each triboelectric generator in a predetermined range as the skilled person would choose the dimensions of the device depending on the future use of the device since such a modification would have involved a mere change in the size of a component. A change in size is generally recognized as being within the level of ordinary skill in the art. In re Rose, 105 USPQ 237 (CCPA 1955).
Claims 11, 12, 18, and 19 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Kwon (EP 3171416 A1), in view of Kim (US 2016/0164434).
Regarding claims 11, 12, 18, Kwon discloses wherein the triboelectric generators and the substrates (110 of Figure 4) are of transparent materials (Para. 0034; Para. 0058, textile material) (claim 12);
wherein:
-the substrate (110 of Figure 4) is placed on the surface of the bottom electrode (120 of Figure 4) not covered by the triboelectric element (140 of Figure 4) and over the; or
-the substrate (110 of Figure 4) is placed below the triboelectric generator (see Figure 1, 4) (claim 18).
Kwon does not explicitly disclose further comprising at least one photovoltaic or thermosolar cell and/or at least one thermoelectric, pyroelectric, piezoelectric and/or a different triboelectric energy harvester (claims 11, 12, 18).
Kim discloses further comprising at least one photovoltaic or thermosolar cell and/or at least one thermoelectric, pyroelectric, piezoelectric (30 of Figure 2-3; abstract; Para. 0015, 0019-0020, 0037) and/or a different triboelectric energy harvester (claims 11, 12, 18).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before effective filing of the claimed invention to include at least one piezoelectric material in the device of Kwon, as taught by Kim, to control a direction of a charging property generated by friction [Kim: Para. 0004].
Regarding claim 19, Kwon discloses wherein the transparent materials are conductive oxides, ceramics, hybrid materials, or polymers, graphene or metal meshes for the electrodes and thin layers of polymers, ceramics, hybrid or oxide for the triboelectric element (Para. 0034).
Claim 20 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Kwon (EP 3171416 A1), in view of Dong-seong (KR20210004437A).
Regarding claim 20, Kwon discloses all of the elements of the current invention as mentioned above, however does not explicitly disclose wherein the triboelectric generators are configured to be arranged in a sloped position with respect to a horizontal plane.
Dong-seong discloses wherein the triboelectric generators are configured to be arranged in a sloped position with respect to a horizontal plane (see Figure 1).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before effective filing of the claimed invention to arrange the triboelectric generator of Kwon in a sloped position with respect to a horizontal plane, as taught by Dong-seong, in order to receive a rainwater droplet contact and move to generate electricity [Dong-seong].
Claim 21 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Kwon (EP 3171416 A1), in view of Gooneratne (US 2022/0038031).
Regarding claim 21, Kwon discloses all of the elements of the current invention as mentioned above, however does not explicitly disclose further comprising a power management unit which is connected to the triboelectric generators;
to the at least one photovoltaic or thermosolar cell and/or to the at least one thermoelectric, pyroelectric, piezoelectric or triboelectric energy harvester.
Gooneratne discloses further comprising a power management unit (730 of Figure 20; Para. 0071) which is connected to the triboelectric generators;
to the at least one photovoltaic or thermosolar cell and/or to the at least one thermoelectric, pyroelectric, piezoelectric or triboelectric energy harvester (Para. 0070).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before effective filing of the claimed invention to have a power management unit in the device of Kwon, as taught by Gooneratne, to deliver the appropriate system voltages and load currents to the circuit blocks in an efficient matter [Gooneratne: Para. 0071].
Prior Art
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure.
Zhang (US 2020/0099316) discloses a power management system connected to a triboelectric generator.
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to CHARLES H REID whose telephone number is (571)272-9248. The examiner can normally be reached M-F 9:30-4:45 PM.
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/Charles Reid Jr./ Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2834