DETAILED ACTION
Claims 1-10 of U.S. Application No. 18692579 filed on 03/15/2024 are presented for examination.
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 .
Priority
Receipt is acknowledged of certified copies of papers submitted under 35 U.S.C. 119(a)-(d), which papers have been placed of record in the file.
Information Disclosure Statement
The information disclosure statements (IDS) submitted on 03/15/2024, 05/22/2024, 07/29/2025, and 11/03/2025 are in compliance with the provisions of 37 CFR 1.97. Accordingly, the information disclosure statements are being considered by the examiner.
Specification
1- The title of the invention is not descriptive. A new title is required that is clearly indicative of the invention to which the claims are directed.
The following title is suggested: “hygroelectric generator for vehicle interior”.
2- The lengthy specification has not been checked to the extent necessary to determine the presence of all possible minor errors. Applicant’s cooperation is requested in correcting any errors of which applicant may become aware in the specification.
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.
Claim10 is 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.
Regarding claim 10/7/6/1: claim 10 requires “a second cooperative controller that performs cooperative control of causing a second battery to make up for a shortage of electric power supplied by the first battery,…”
It is not clear if there is a second controller, there should be a first cooperative controller. There is no first cooperative controller in claims 1, 6, or 7 on which claim 10 depends.
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 1-7 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Tomoaki Komazaki (NPL titled “Developed "Humidity Fluctuation Battery" that generates electricity using changes in air humidity”; Hereinafter, “Komazaki”) in view of Kominato Yashuhiro (JP 2019186722; Hereinafter, “Yashuhiro”).
Regarding claim 1: Komazaki discloses a device (“Humidity Fluctuation Battery”; title), comprising a hygroelectric generation element (“Humidity Fluctuation Battery”; title), and generates electric power through humidity variation (humidity fluctuation; title).
Komazaki does not disclose that the electric generation element is that the device is provided in a vehicle interior.
Yashuhiro discloses electric generation element (24b that responds to changes in the environment ; para [0027]) that is provided in a vehicle interior (in detection system 1 of vehicle 2; fig. 1-3).
Therefore. It would have been obvious for a person having ordinary skill in the art before the effective have utilized the hygroelectric generation element of Komazaki in the vehicle interior of Yashuhiro to be able to generate and use continuous current output simply by being exposed to air, using the difference in humidity between day and night (Komazaki overview; page 1/5).
Regarding claim 2/1:Komazaki in view of Yashuhiro disclose the limitations of claim 1 and Komazaki as modified further discloses the hygroelectric generation element (24b)is provided at a position (inside the vehicle) where humidity variation occurs depending on presence or absence of an occupant (the inside environment of the car is affected by the occupant due to breathing or sweat evaporation, thus humidity fluctuation which could be harvested as taught by Komazaki).
Regarding claim 3/2/1:Komazaki in view of Yashuhiro disclose the limitations of claim 2 and Komazaki as modified further discloses the hygroelectric generation element (24b) is provided at a position (in the seat) communicating with a surface (the seat surface) with which the occupant is in contact (when sitting in the car).
Regarding claim 4/2/1:Komazaki in view of Yashuhiro disclose the limitations of claim 2 and further discloses that the hygroelectric generation element is provided in a seat for the occupant (fig. 2-3 of Yashuhiro has the generator 24b part of detector 20 is in the seat).
Regarding claim 5/1:Komazaki in view of Yashuhiro disclose the limitations of claim 1 and Komazaki further discloses the hygroelectric generation element includes: an open cell (“open slot” see the left side of fig. 1) that is atmospherically opened; a closed cell (“locking slot”) that is sealed (fig. 1); an ion-exchange membrane (“ion exchange membrane”) that partitions the open cell and the closed cell from each other (fig. 1); a deliquescent inorganic salt aqueous solution residing in the open cell and the closed cell (“The two tanks contain an electrolyte solution consisting of water and deliquescent lithium salt.; page 2 last paragraph) ;and electrodes respectively stored in the open cell and the closed cell (fig. 1), and generates electric power through moisture absorption and emission to and from the open cell (“concentration difference in the opposite direction, generating a reverse voltage” page 2, last paragraph).
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Regarding claim 6/1:Komazaki in view of Yashuhiro disclose the limitations of claim 1 and Yashuhiro further disclose the hygroelectric generation element (24b) supplies electric power to an electric component (detector 23; para [0025]) provided in the vehicle (2).
Regarding claim 7/6/1:Komazaki in view of Yashuhiro disclose the limitations of claim 6 and Yashuhiro further disclose a first battery (24c) that is charged by the hygroelectric generation element (24b), wherein the electric component (23) is supplied with electric power ; fig. 2) by the first battery (24c).
Claim 8 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Komazaki in view of Yashuhiro and in further view of Ecosoph GmbH (DE 202019004919; Hereinafter, “Ecosoph”).
Regarding claim 8/7/6/1: Komazaki in view of Yashuhiro disclose the limitations of claim 7 including humidity power generator, but does not disclose another power generation element that generates electric power from energy other than power of humidity, wherein the first battery is charged also by the other power generation element.
Ecosoph teaches utilizing another power generation element that generates electric power from energy other than power of humidity (triboelectric generator 101, and other generator 102), wherein the first battery (104) is charged also by the other power generation element (fig. 1).
Therefore, it would have been obvious for a person having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have provided the vehicle of Komazaki in view of Yashuhiro with another power generation element that generates electric power from energy other than power of humidity, wherein the first battery is charged also by the other power generation element as disclosed by Ecosoph to provide supplemental energy source, along with the hygroelectric generator to ensure continuous uninterrupted operation.
Allowable Subject Matter
Claim 9 is objected to as being dependent upon a rejected base claim, but would be allowable if rewritten in independent form including all of the limitations of the base claim and any intervening claims.
Regarding claim 9/1: the limitations of claim 9/1, “…another power generation element that generates electric power from energy other than power of humidity; and a first cooperative controller that performs cooperative control of causing the other power generation element to make up for a shortage of electric power supplied by the hygroelectric generation element” in the combination as claimed are neither anticipated nor obvious over the prior arts in record.
Claim 10 would be allowable if rewritten to overcome the rejection(s) under 35 U.S.C. 112(b) or 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), 2nd paragraph, set forth in this Office action and to include all of the limitations of the base claim and any intervening claims.
Regarding claim 10/7/6/1: the limitations of claim 10, “…a second cooperative controller that performs cooperative control of causing a second battery to make up for a shortage of electric power supplied by the first battery, the second battery being configured to supply electric power to each component of the vehicle” in the combination as claimed are neither anticipated nor obvious over the prior arts in record.
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to AHMED ELNAKIB whose telephone number is (571)270-0638. The examiner can normally be reached 8:00AM-4:00PM.
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/AHMED ELNAKIB/ Primary Examiner,
Art Unit 2834