Notice of Pre-AIA or AIA Status
The present application is being examined under the pre-AIA first to invent provisions.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 112
The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 112(b):
(b) CONCLUSION.—The specification shall conclude with one or more claims particularly pointing out and distinctly claiming the subject matter which the inventor or a joint inventor regards as the invention.
The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), second paragraph:
The specification shall conclude with one or more claims particularly pointing out and distinctly claiming the subject matter which the applicant regards as his invention.
Claims 1-20 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 112(b) or 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), second paragraph, as being indefinite for failing to particularly point out and distinctly claim the subject matter which the inventor or a joint inventor (or for applications subject to pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, the applicant), regards as the invention.
In independent claims 1 and 20 (and by dependency all remaining claims) the claim phrase “a first/second hydrogen storage metal or a hydrogen storage alloy” is indefinite as it has a broad limitation “hydrogen storage metal” followed by a narrower limitation “hydrogen storage alloy.”
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(s) 1-20 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by WO 2020122098 reference numerals and paragraphs herein refer to the translation provided in US equivalent document US 2022/0034599 which is not used as prior art, but is considered the most faithful translation of WO 2020122098.
Regarding claims 1 and 20:
A hydrogen heating device/method that heats a hydrogen-based gas containing hydrogen, the hydrogen heating device comprising: a sealed container (15) configured to allow the hydrogen-based gas to be led in (Fig. 1 see flow); a heat generating element (14, in some embodiments in the scope of this rejection provided by 90) provided inside the sealed container and configured to generate heat by occluding and discharging the hydrogen (abstract through the porous body); and a temperature adjustment unit (16) configured to adjust a temperature of the heat generating element, wherein the heat generating element includes a plurality of stacked bodies (Fig. 5, see central stacked bodies; Fig. 5 is exemplary as there are many “modifications” all of which independently encompass this rejection, e.g. Figs. 22, 30, 33, etc…) each including a support made of at least one of a porous body, a hydrogen permeable film, and a proton conductor (¶ 116), and a multilayer film (62) supported by the support, the multilayer film has a first layer (71) made of a hydrogen storage metal or a hydrogen storage alloy and having a thickness of less than 1000 nm (abstract), and a second layer made of a hydrogen storage metal or a hydrogen storage alloy different from the first layer, or ceramics (abstract) and having a thickness of less than 1000 nm (abstract), and the number of the stacked bodies is set such that the hydrogen-based gas reaches a predetermined temperature by being heated by the heat generating element (Fig. 44 shows that this relationship at least partially flows from the provision of the structures claimed; in any event the term “predetermined temperature” can be read as any operational temperature).
Regarding claim 2
wherein the sealed container is partitioned by the heat generating element into a first chamber and a second chamber (Fig. 5), and the first chamber and the second chamber have different hydrogen pressures, and the hydrogen permeates through the heat generating element by utilizing a hydrogen pressure difference between the first chamber and the second chamber (abstract).
Regarding claim 3
wherein the heat generating element has a bottomed cylindrical shape (Fig. 5), the first chamber is defined by an inner surface of the heat generating element (Fig. 5, e.g. left chamber), and the second chamber is defined by an outer surface of the heat generating element and an inner surface of the sealed container (Fig. 5, e.g. choose right chamber).
Regarding claim 4
wherein the first chamber has an inlet (23) for leading in the hydrogen-based gas (see flow arrows), the second chamber (24) has an outlet for leading out the hydrogen-based gas (see flow arrows), and the hydrogen pressure in the first chamber is higher than the hydrogen pressure in the second chamber (there will be a pressure drop over the occluding membrane as a consequence of basic fluid dynamics).
Regarding claim 5
a non-permeated gas recovery line (149) configured to allow the first chamber to connect to a hydrogen tank(¶ 185), and configured to recover a non-permeated gas that does not permeate through the heat generating element in the hydrogen-based gas led through the inlet into the first chamber and to return the non-permeated gas into the hydrogen tank (¶ 0185).
Regarding claim 6
wherein the non-permeated gas recovery line includes a non-permeated gas flow rate control unit (152) configured to control a flow rate of the non-permeated gas based on the temperature of the heat generating element detected by a temperature sensor provided in the temperature adjustment unit (¶ [0188]).
Regarding claim 7
further comprising: a nozzle portion (148) provided between the inlet and the heat generating element and configured to eject, onto the heat generating element, the hydrogen-based gas led through the inlet to an inside of the sealed container (¶ 0192]).
Regarding claim 8
wherein the heat generating element has a bottomed cylindrical shape (Fig. 24, noting it is a cross section of a cylinder), and the nozzle portion has a plurality of ejection ports arranged in an axial direction of the heat generating element, and is configured to eject the hydrogen-based gas through the plurality of ejection ports onto an entire inner surface of the heat generating element (¶ 0195).
Regarding claim 9
wherein the heat generating element has a plate shape (Fig. 30), and the nozzle portion is configured to eject the hydrogen-based gas onto an entire one surface of the heat generating element (Fig. 30 see flow path arrows).
Regarding claim 10
wherein the heat generating element has a cylindrical shape (Fig. 33) having two open ends, one end of the heat generating element is connected to the inlet, and the other end of the heat generating element is connected to the non-permeated gas recovery line (¶ [0225]).
Regarding claim 11
A lead-in line configured to allow the hydrogen-based gas stored in a hydrogen tank to be led into the sealed container (see line leading into 23), wherein the temperature adjustment unit is configured to heat the heat generating element by heating the hydrogen-based gas circulating through the lead-in line by a heater provided in the lead-in line (abstract).
Regarding claim 12
a first hydrogen occluding and discharging unit (174) provided in the first chamber, made of a hydrogen storage metal or a hydrogen storage alloy, and configured to occlude and discharge the hydrogen; a second hydrogen occluding and discharging unit (175) provided in the second chamber, made of a hydrogen storage metal or a hydrogen storage alloy, and configured to occlude and discharge the hydrogen; and a hydrogen pressure control unit configured to perform switching control between a first mode in which the hydrogen pressure in the first chamber is higher than the hydrogen pressure in the second chamber and a second mode in which the hydrogen pressure in the second chamber is higher than the hydrogen pressure in the first chamber (¶ 0202-0203).
Regarding claim 13
wherein the hydrogen pressure control unit is configured to heat the first hydrogen occluding and discharging unit and cool the second hydrogen occluding and discharging unit in the first mode, and heat the second hydrogen occluding and discharging unit and cool the first hydrogen occluding and discharging unit in the second mode (¶ 0202-0203)
Regarding claim 14
a plurality of heat generating elements including the heat generating element and other heat generating elements (Fig. 32), the plurality of heat generating elements each has a plate shape, and are arranged with a gap provided between each other so as to face each other, and a plurality of first chambers including the first chamber and other first chambers and a plurality of second chambers including the second chamber and other second chambers are provided inside the sealed container, and are alternately arranged in an arrangement direction of the plurality of heat generating elements (Fig. 32 shows this embodiment; one may arbitrarily divide the gaps between plates into first/second chambers).
Regarding claim 15
wherein the first layer is made of any one of Ni, Pd, Cu, Mn, Cr, Fe, Mg, Co, and an alloy thereof, and the second layer is made of any one of Ni, Pd, Cu, Mn, Cr, Fe, Mg, Co, an alloy thereof, and SiC. (¶ 0111-0112)
Regarding claim 16
wherein the multilayer film has a third layer made of a hydrogen storage metal, a hydrogen storage alloy, or ceramics different from the first layer and the second layer and having a thickness of less than 1000 nm, in addition to the first layer and the second layer. (¶ 0121)
Regarding claim 17
wherein the third layer is made of any one of CaO, Y203, TiC, LaB6, SrO, and BaO. (¶ 0123)
Regarding claim 18
wherein the multilayer film has a fourth layer made of a hydrogen storage metal or a hydrogen storage alloy different from the first layer, the second layer, and the third layer and having a thickness of less than 1000 nm, in addition to the first layer, the second layer, and the third layer. (¶ 0125)
Regarding claim 19
wherein the fourth layer is made of any one of Ni, Pd, Cu, Cr, Fe, Mg, Co, an alloy thereof, SiC,CaO, Y203, TiC, LaB6, SrO, and BaO. (¶ 0126)
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to WOODY A LEE JR whose telephone number is (571)272-1051. The examiner can normally be reached Monday - Friday 0800-1630.
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/WOODY A LEE JR/ Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3761
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