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 .
Information Disclosure Statement
The applicant filed an IDS on 6/12/25. It has been annotated and considered.
Election/Restrictions
Applicant's election with traverse of claims 1-16 in the reply filed on 11/14/25 is acknowledged. The traversal is on the ground(s) that that an undue burden is not placed on the Examiner if Claims 1-16 and 17-20 are maintained in the same application. This is not found persuasive as stated in the original restriction.
The requirement is still deemed proper and is therefore made FINAL.
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 1-16 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.
Regarding claim 1 (and similarly 9), the Applicant claims “receiving, at a propulsion controller, power generation”. As the propulsion controller seems to be a microprocessor of sorts, it is not clear how it generates power. It is most likely the Applicant means a command/signal is sent to the propulsion controller to indicate power needs to be generated.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 102
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 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)(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 1-16 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(2) as being anticipated by Lee et al. (US 20240194912 hereinafter Lee).
Regarding claim 1 (and similarly 9), Lee teaches a computer-implemented method when executed by data processing hardware causes the data processing hardware to perform operations comprising:
receiving, at a propulsion controller, power generation (See at least: Fig. 1 item 300 “controller”);
comparing, via the propulsion controller, battery data with a state of charge threshold (See at least: [0056] Meanwhile, when the fuel cell stack 100 enters the stop control mode and a SOC factor of the battery 200 is equal to or higher than a threshold value, the controller 300 may stop the drop of the voltage at the high voltage line 10 and maintain the voltage.);
executing, based on the comparison of the battery data, a power sink protocol including at least one mode control via a fuel cell system (See at least: [0056] “stop control mode”);
generating, based on the at least one mode control, at least one of a compressor command and a valve command via an air flow system; and
regulating, via the at least one generated compressor command and the valve command, an airflow of the airflow system (See at least: [0078] Meanwhile, the controller 300 compares the output voltage of the fuel cell stack 100 to the voltage at the high voltage line 10, and when the output voltage of the fuel cell stack 100 is dropped less than the voltage at the high voltage line 10, the controller 300 controls the air compressor 400 or the air adjustment valve 500 so that the output voltage of the fuel cell stack 100 may be maintained between the voltage upper limit value and the lower limit value in the stop control mode of the fuel cell stack 100.). Regarding claim 2 (and similarly 10), Lee teaches wherein comparing the battery data with the state of charge threshold includes determining a state of charge of the battery data exceeds the state of charge threshold (See at least: [0056] Meanwhile, when the fuel cell stack 100 enters the stop control mode and a SOC factor of the battery 200 is equal to or higher than a threshold value, the controller 300 may stop the drop of the voltage at the high voltage line 10 and maintain the voltage.). Regarding claim 3 (and similarly 11), Lee teaches wherein executing the power sink protocol includes executing a standby mode of the at least one mode control in response to the state of charge exceeding the state of charge threshold (See at least: [0056] Meanwhile, when the fuel cell stack 100 enters the stop control mode and a SOC factor of the battery 200 is equal to or higher than a threshold value, the controller 300 may stop the drop of the voltage at the high voltage line 10 and maintain the voltage.). .
Regarding claim 4 (and similarly 12), Lee teaches wherein executing the standby mode includes executing power management of a fuel cell of the fuel cell system (See at least: [0056] Meanwhile, when the fuel cell stack 100 enters the stop control mode and a SOC factor of the battery 200 is equal to or higher than a threshold value, the controller 300 may stop the drop of the voltage at the high voltage line 10 and maintain the voltage.).
Regarding claim 5 (and similarly 13), Lee teaches wherein regulating the airflow includes executing the valve command including closing at least one valve to the fuel cell, the at least one valve between a compressor of the airflow system and the fuel cell (See at least: Fig. 1 items 100 “fuel cell stack”, item 400 “air compressor” and item 500 “air adjustment valve”.)
Regarding claim 6 (and similarly 14), Lee teaches wherein regulating the airflow includes executing the compressor command including sinking power on a compressor of the airflow system (See at least: [0047] Specifically, when the fuel cell stack 100 enters the stop control mode, the speed of the air compressor 400 is reduced and the air adjustment valve 500 is closed, thereby reducing the flow of air flowing into the fuel cell stack 100, so that the output voltage of the fuel cell stack 100 may be dropped.).
Regarding claim 7 (and similarly 15), Lee teaches wherein executing the power sink protocol includes executing a run mode of the at least one mode control (See at least: [0039] FIG. 1 is a schematic view of a fuel cell system according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. Referring to FIG. 1, according to the embodiment of the present disclosure, the fuel cell system includes a fuel cell stack 100 and a battery 200 that are connected to a high voltage line 10 in parallel, a converter 250 connected to the high voltage line 10 and the battery 200 while being located therebetween and configured to control a voltage at the high voltage line 10, and a controller 300.”).
Regarding claim 8 (and similarly 16), Lee teaches wherein executing the run mode includes regulating the airflow from a compressor of the airflow system via at least one of an isolation valve and a bypass valve (See at least: Fig. 1 item 500 “air adjustment valve”; [0046] Meanwhile, referring to FIG. 1, the fuel cell system may include an air compressor 400 configured to send air to a cathode of the fuel cell stack 100, and an air adjustment valve 500 configured to adjust the air flowing from the air compressor 400 to the cathode. Furthermore, when the fuel cell stack 100 enters the stop control mode, the controller 300 can control the drop of the output voltage of the fuel cell stack 100 by adjusting the speed of the air compressor 400 or the air adjustment valve 500.).
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to Harry Oh whose telephone number is (571)270-5912. The examiner can normally be reached on Monday-Thursday, 9:00-3:00.
If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Abby Lin can be reached on (571) 270-3976. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/HARRY Y OH/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3657