FUEL CELL SYSTEM

FUEL CELL SYSTEM 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 . Priority Receipt is acknowledged of certified copies of papers required by 37 CFR 1.55. Information Disclosure Statement The information disclosure statement (IDS) submitted on 7/3/2024 is in compliance with the provisions of 37 CFR 1.97. Accordingly, the information disclosure statement is being considered by the examiner. Claim Objections Claims 11 and 12 are objected to because of the following informalities: please amend to “The fuel cell system according to claim 10, wherein…” or another appropriate format. Appropriate correction is required. Claim 13 is objected to because of the following informalities: please amend to “The fuel cell system according to claim 11, further comprising…” or another appropriate format. Appropriate correction is required. Claim 14 is objected to because of the following informalities: please amend to “A propulsion system comprising a fuel cell system according to claim 10, wherein an electric propulsor is arranged to…” or another appropriate format. Appropriate correction is required. Claim 16 is objected to because of the following informalities: please amend to “The fuel cell system according to claim 12, further comprising…” or another appropriate format. Appropriate correction is required. Claim 17 is objected to because of the following informalities: please amend to “A propulsion system comprising a fuel cell system according to claim 11, wherein an electric propulsor is arranged to…” or another appropriate format. Appropriate correction is required. Claim 18 is objected to because of the following informalities: please amend to “A propulsion system comprising a fuel cell system according to claim 12, wherein an electric propulsor is arranged to…” or another appropriate format. Appropriate correction is required. Claim 19 is objected to because of the following informalities: please amend to “A propulsion system comprising a fuel cell system according to claim 13, wherein an electric propulsor is arranged to…” or another appropriate format. Appropriate correction is required. Claim 20 is objected to because of the following informalities: please amend to “A propulsion system comprising a fuel cell system according to claim 16, wherein an electric propulsor is arranged to…” or another appropriate format. Appropriate correction is required. Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 112 Claims 11, 13, 17, 19, 21, and 23 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. Claim 11 recites the limitation "the remainder of the flow”. There is insufficient antecedent basis for this limitation in the claim. Claims 13, 17, 19, 21, and 23 are also rejected under 35 USC 112(b) for their dependence on claim 11. Allowable Subject Matter Claims 10, 12, 14-16, 18, 20, 22, and 24 are allowed. The following is a statement of reasons for the indication of allowable subject matter: the closest prior art is Hu et al. (CN 110957504 A) and Marandi et al. (Energy Conversion and Management, 244 (2021) 114532). Hu et al. discloses a fuel cell system (Fig. 1) comprising a fuel cell (20), a liquid hydrogen tank (50, and an electric motor (40) which can act as a heater. The system comprises a conveying means which extends from the motor outlet (403) to the fuel cell inlet (201) and comprises a heat exchanger (30) which transfers heat from the fuel cell coolant to the hydrogen. However, Hu et al. do not disclose the cooling circuit implements a Rankine cycle including a condenser. Marandi disclose coupling a Rankine cycle with a cooling circuit of a fuel cell. Fig. 1 shows cold hydrogen derived from a liquid hydrogen tank is thermally coupled with a condenser of the Rankine cycle. However, neither reference teaches wherein the pre-heater is arranged to heat coolant fluid within the cooling circuit. While many references teach using multiple heaters to heat liquid hydrogen to gaseous hydrogen and to heat cooling fluid, they do not disclose one pre-heater doing both. Conclusion Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to DANIEL S GATEWOOD whose telephone number is (571)270-7958. The examiner can normally be reached M-F 8:00-5:30. Examiner interviews are available via telephone, in-person, and video conferencing using a USPTO supplied web-based collaboration tool. To schedule an interview, applicant is encouraged to use the USPTO Automated Interview Request (AIR) at http://www.uspto.gov/interviewpractice. If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Ula Tavares-Crockett can be reached at 571-272-1481. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300. Information regarding the status of published or unpublished applications may be obtained from Patent Center. Unpublished application information in Patent Center is available to registered users. To file and manage patent submissions in Patent Center, visit: https://patentcenter.uspto.gov. Visit https://www.uspto.gov/patents/apply/patent-center for more information about Patent Center and https://www.uspto.gov/patents/docx for information about filing in DOCX format. For additional questions, contact the Electronic Business Center (EBC) at 866-217-9197 (toll-free). If you would like assistance from a USPTO Customer Service Representative, call 800-786-9199 (IN USA OR CANADA) or 571-272-1000. Daniel S. Gatewood, Ph.D. Primary Examiner Art Unit 1729 /DANIEL S GATEWOOD, Ph. D/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 1729 August 4th, 2026