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 .
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.
Claim(s) 1 – 18 and 20 -23 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Wurm (DE 102017204746; Applicant’s prior art) in view of Boyd et al. (7624770).
Regarding claim 6, the Wurm reference discloses a hydrogen gas delivery system (1; Figure 1; paragraph 0011) for delivery of hydrogen gas produced from a hydrogen gas production system to an end consumer (100), the hydrogen gas delivery system comprising:
a hydrogen gas compressing system (Fig. 3) arranged to compress low-pressure hydrogen gas produced from a hydrogen gas production system to a high pressure and located at the hydrogen gas production site; and
a fuel compressor system used to deliver hydrogen gas from storage to the end consumer;
wherein the hydrogen gas compressing system and the fuel compressor system (50) comprise a hydrogen gas compressor system, said hydrogen gas compressor system comprising:
a hydrogen gas storage unit (11, 21, 31) defining an internal volume for storing hydrogen gas, the hydrogen gas storage unit comprising a gas outlet (44) via which hydrogen gas may be withdrawn from the hydrogen gas storage unit;
an operating fluid delivery means (41) arranged to deliver, in response to hydrogen gas being withdrawn from the hydrogen gas storage unit, an operating fluid (F) into the
internal volume of the hydrogen gas storage unit to increase or sustain the pressure of the remaining hydrogen gas contained within the hydrogen gas storage unit (see paragraph 0033); and a heat exchanger (51; i.e., cooling unit; see paragraph 0026), wherein the heat exchanger comprises a coolant fluid circuit traversing through the internal volume (inherent) in which the hydrogen gas is stored (see paragraph 0035). The Wurm reference doesn’t explicitly disclose the heat exchanger being integrated into the hydrogen gas storage unit (being mobile would inherently suggest the components are integrated as a unit). The Boyd et al. reference discloses another mobile hydrogen fueling system having an integrated, packaged system including controls and cooling systems (see col. 6, lines 49 – 65). Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art at the time of the effective filing date to modify the Wurm device to have an integrated heat exchanger as, for example, taught by the Boyd et al. reference, since integrated heat exchangers are well known and conventional in the art and would be obvious to try in the Wurm system without unexpected results.
Regarding claims 1 – 5, the method would be inherent during normal use and operation of the device.
Regarding claim 7, Wurm further discloses wherein the hydrogen gas compressing system arranged to compress the hydrogen gas produced from the hydrogen gas production system is a multi-stage compression system. See Figure 3 and paragraphs [0031 – 0033]).
Regarding claim 8, Wurm further discloses wherein the compressed hydrogen gas is delivered to a mobile storage tank (2; see Figures 2a, 2b; paragraph 0026) or transferred to a pipeline system.
Regarding claim 9, Wurm further discloses wherein the mobile storage tank comprises a plurality of pressure vessels (11, 21, 31).
Regarding claim 10, Wurm further discloses wherein the mobile storage tank comprises a housing such as a shipping container which allows for easy transport and storage of the mobile storage tank. See Figure 2a showing a truck semi-trailer.
Regarding claim 11, Wurm further discloses wherein a plurality of mobile storage tanks may be located at the hydrogen gas production site and may be filled by the hydrogen gas compressing system. It is possible to fill the tanks on site (see paragraph 0026, last line).
Regarding claim 12, Wurm further discloses wherein the plurality of mobile storage tanks is filled at the same time. The storage tanks are capable of being filled at the same time.
Regarding claim 13, Wurm further discloses wherein the compressed hydrogen gas is transported from the hydrogen gas production site to a hydrogen gas fuelling site by transporting the mobile storage tank using a fuel tanker or by pipeline transport using the pipeline system. The hydrogen gas is transported by truck semi-trailer (2; see Figure 2a).
Regarding claim 14, wherein the mobile storage tank is stored with other mobile storage tanks at the fuelling site to form a stacked hydrogen storage structure. The Wurm reference further discloses mobile storage tanks (3; Fig. 2b), which are capable of being stacked. Further, stacked and upright arrangements are mere choices of design.
Regarding claim 15, Wurm further discloses wherein the hydrogen gas delivery system further comprises a transfer compressor system (see Figure 3) for delivering hydrogen gas to a storage tank, said transfer compressor system comprising the hydrogen gas compressor system.
Regarding claim 16, Wurm further discloses wherein the hydrogen gas delivery system further comprises a transfer compressor system (see Figure 3; paragraphs 0031-0033) for delivering hydrogen gas to a storage tank, said transfer compressor system comprising the hydrogen gas compressor system and wherein the compressed hydrogen gas is transferred from the mobile storage tank or pipeline system to the storage tank using the transfer compressor system.
Regarding claim 17, Wurm further discloses wherein the mobile storage tank is used as the hydrogen gas storage unit for the transfer compressor system. Tanks (11, 21, 31) are used to store and transfer hydrogen.
Regarding claim 18, Wurm further discloses wherein the hydrogen gas delivery system further comprises a transfer compressor system (see Figure 3) for delivering hydrogen gas to a storage tank, said transfer compressor system comprising the hydrogen gas compressor system and wherein the transfer compressor is used to transfer compressed hydrogen gas to an on-site storage tank.
Regarding claim 20, the Wurm reference further discloses wherein the transfer compressor is configured to further compress the compressed hydrogen gas to a higher pressure. See Figure 3 and paragraphs [0031 – 0035]
Regarding claim 21, the Wurm reference further discloses wherein the storage tank (11, 21, 31) or stacked hydrogen storage structure is used as the hydrogen gas storage unit for the fuel compressor system.
Regarding claim 22, the Wurm reference further discloses wherein the operating fluid delivery means (41) is detachably coupled to the hydrogen gas storage unit. Pump 41 is capable of being detached from the system.
Regarding claim 23, the Wurm reference further disclose wherein the hydrogen gas storage unit is configured to be used for hydrogen gas compression at more than one stage in the hydrogen gas delivery system. Hydrogen gas storage units (10, 20 and 30) represent different stages in the system (i.e., cascade like; see paragraph 0032).
Claim(s) 19 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Wurm, as applied to claim 6, and further in view of Ovshinsky et al. (6305442).
Regarding claim 19, modified Wurm discloses the invention, including being stored and delivered to an end consumer at the same location, but doesn’t disclose the hydrogen being produced at the same location. The Ovshinsky et al. reference discloses a complete hydrogen generation/storage/transportation/delivery system where hydrogen is produced on site (see col. 8, lines 41 – 56). Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art at the time of the effective filing date to modify the Wurm device to have onsite hydrogen production as, for example, taught by the Ovshinsky et al. reference, since onsite hydrogen production is well known, conventional and would be obvious to try in the Wurm system without unexpected results. Further, producing hydrogen onsite would be convenient and save on transportation costs.
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure.
The Maehara et al. (2022/0193600) reference discloses a hydrogen gas supply apparatus having a hydrogen production apparatus (300).
The Kederer et al. (8069885) reference discloses an integrated mobile hydrogen supply system (Figure 2).
The Cohen et al. (6745801) reference discloses an integrated mobile hydrogen supply system (see the Figure).
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to TIMOTHY LEWIS MAUST whose telephone number is (571)272-4891. The examiner can normally be reached Monday - Thursday, 7am - 5pm.
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/TIMOTHY L MAUST/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3753