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 .
Status of the Claims
Claims 1-18 are pending.
Information Disclosure Statement
The information disclosure statement (IDS) submitted on 26 September 2025 was filed before the mailing date of the first Office Action on the merits. The submission is in compliance with the provisions of 37 CFR 1.97. Accordingly, the information disclosure statement is being considered by the examiner.
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.
Claim 1-6 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 1 recites the limitation "the electric power system" in line 8. There is insufficient antecedent basis for this limitation in the claim. Claims 2-6 are rejected as being dependent on, and failing to cure the deficiencies of rejected independent claim 1.
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 and 6-7 rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Liang (CN 212604543 U) in view of Iden (US 8413589 B2), Folts (US 7902461 B2), and Huang (CN 220107808 U).
In regards to claim 1, Liang teaches a mobile power system configured to be transported on a vehicle (see machine translation, para. [0027]) for supplying temporary electric power to a remote electric power system (para. [0004], lines 14-15), the mobile power system comprising:
A power generator (2) (Fig. 2) contained
Liang does not teach a plurality of containers transported on a vehicle.
Iden teaches a plurality of containers (14) transported on a vehicle (12) as seen in Fig. 1).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have modified the system of Liang to include a plurality of containers as taught by Iden with a reasonable expectation of success for the purpose of increasing the amount of power that can be transported (see Iden, col. 2, lines 1-3)
Liang does not teach a power cable configured to be electrically interconnected to the power generator at a first end and configured to be electrically interconnected to the electric power system at a second end.
Folts teaches a power cable (12) (Fig. 1) configured to be electrically interconnected to the power generator at a first end (col. 6, lines 49-55) and configured to be electrically interconnected to the electric power system (14, 16, 26, 28, 30, 32) at a second end (as seen in Fig. 1).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have modified the system of Liang to include a power cable as taught by Folts with a reasonable expectation of success for the purpose of increasing the efficiency of power transfer (see Folts, col. 1, lines 43-48).
Liang does not teach a faraday enclosure.
Huang teaches a faraday enclosure (see machine translation, para. [n0040]).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have modified the system of Liang to include each container comprising a faraday enclosure as taught by Huang with a reasonable expectation of success for the purpose of improving the reliability of the system (see Huang, para. [n0040]).
Liang does not explicitly teach the power cable contained in a faraday enclosure of a second container of the plurality of containers.
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to locate the power cable being contained in a faraday enclosure of a second container with a reasonable expectation of success for the purpose of providing protection to the cable and increasing the redundancy of the system by not locating essential parts in a singular container, since it has been held that rearranging parts of an invention involves only routine skill in the art. In re Japikse, 181 F.2d 1019, 86 USPQ 70 (CCPA 1950). See MPEP § 2144.04(VI)(C).
In regards to claim 6, the combination of Liang as modified by Iden, Folts, and Huang above teaches the mobile power plant of claim 1 wherein the vehicle is one of a train (Iden, as seen in Fig. 1) or a ship.
In regards to claim 7, A mobile power system for supplying temporary electric power to an electric power system (para. [0004], lines 14-15), the mobile power system comprising:
A power generator (2) (Fig. 2) contained in a
Liang teaches a power generator transported on a vehicle (para. [0027]), but does not explicitly teach a plurality of train cars and a locomotive car configured to be interconnected to an propel the plurality of train cars.
Iden teaches a plurality of train cars (14, 36) (Fig. 1) and a locomotive car (12) configured to be interconnected to an propel the plurality of train cars (as seen in Fig. 1).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have modified the system of Liang to include a plurality of train cars propelled by a locomotive car as taught by Iden with a reasonable expectation of success for the purpose of increasing the amount of power that can be transported (see Iden, col. 2, lines 1-3)
Folts teaches a power cable (12) (Fig. 1) configured to be electrically interconnected to the power generator at a first end (col. 6, lines 49-55) and configured to be electrically interconnected to the electric power system (14, 16, 26, 28, 30, 32) at a second end (as seen in Fig. 1).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have modified the system of Liang to include a power cable as taught by Folts with a reasonable expectation of success for the purpose of increasing the efficiency of power transfer (see Folts, col. 1, lines 43-48).
Liang does not teach a faraday enclosure.
Huang teaches a faraday enclosure (see machine translation, para. [n0040]).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have modified the system of Liang to include each container comprising a faraday enclosure as taught by Huang with a reasonable expectation of success for the purpose of improving the reliability of the system (see Huang, para. [n0040]).
Liang does not explicitly teach the power cable contained in a faraday enclosure of a second container of the plurality of containers.
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to locate the power cable being contained in a faraday enclosure of a second container with a reasonable expectation of success for the purpose of providing protection to the cable and increasing the redundancy of the system by not locating essential parts in a singular container, since it has been held that rearranging parts of an invention involves only routine skill in the art. In re Japikse, 181 F.2d 1019, 86 USPQ 70 (CCPA 1950). See MPEP § 2144.04(VI)(C).
Claim(s) 2-5, 8-16, and 18 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Liang (CN 212604543 U) in view of Iden (US 8413589 B2), Folts (US 7902461 B2), Huang (CN 220107808 U), and Ulliman (US 20220169354 A1).
In regards to claim 2, the combination of Liang as modified by Iden, Folts, and Huang above teaches the mobile power system of claim 1 wherein the power generator is a
Ulliman teaches a high temperature superconductor (HTS) generator (54) (Fig. 2).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have modified the power generator of Liang to include a high temperature superconductor generator as taught by Ulliman with a reasonable expectation of success for the purpose of increasing efficiency of power generation while reducing size and weight (see Ulliman, para. [0004], lines 7-11).
In regards to claim 3, the combination of Liang as modified by Iden, Folts, Huang, and Ulliman above teaches the mobile power system of claim 2 wherein the power cable is a HTS power cable (Folts, abstract).
In regards to claim 4, the combination of Liang as modified by Iden, Folts, Huang, and Ulliman above teaches the mobile power plant of claim 3 wherein the plurality of containers include a third container (Iden, Fig. 1, multiple containers 14) in which is included a cryogenic cooling system (Folts, col. 5, lines 57-61)
The combination of Liang as modified by Iden, Folts, Huang, and Ulliman above does not explicitly teach the cryogenic cooling system being contained in a third faraday enclosure.
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to locate the cryogenic cooling system in a third faraday enclosure with a reasonable expectation of success for the purpose of providing protection to the cryogenic cooling system and increasing the redundancy of the system by not locating essential parts in a singular container, since it has been held that rearranging parts of an invention involves only routine skill in the art. In re Japikse, 181 F.2d 1019, 86 USPQ 70 (CCPA 1950). See MPEP § 2144.04(VI)(C).
In regards to claim 5, the combination of Liang as modified by Iden, Folts, Huang, and Ulliman above teaches the mobile power plant of claim 4 wherein the plurality of containers includes a fourth container (Iden, Fig. 1, multiple containers 14)
The combination of Liang as modified by Iden, Folts, Huang, and Ulliman above does not explicitly teach the fourth container having the fuel tank providing fuel to the turbine, and the turbine contained in the third faraday enclosure in the second container.
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to locate the fuel tank on a fourth car and the turbine in a third faraday enclosure in the second car with a reasonable expectation of success for the purpose of providing protection to the turbine and increasing the redundancy of the system by not locating essential parts in a singular container, since it has been held that rearranging parts of an invention involves only routine skill in the art. In re Japikse, 181 F.2d 1019, 86 USPQ 70 (CCPA 1950). See MPEP § 2144.04(VI)(C).
In regards to claim 8, the combination of Liang as modified by Iden, Folts, and Huang above teaches the mobile power plant of claim 7 wherein the power generator is a
Ulliman teaches a high temperature superconductor (HTS) generator (54) (Fig. 2).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have modified the power generator of Liang to include a high temperature superconductor generator as taught by Ulliman with a reasonable expectation of success for the purpose of increasing efficiency of power generation while reducing size and weight (see Ulliman, para. [0004], lines 7-11).
In regards to claim 9, the combination of Liang as modified by Iden, Folts, Huang, and Ulliman above teaches the mobile power plant of claim 8 wherein the power cable is a HTS power cable (Folts, abstract).
In regards to claim 10, the combination of Liang as modified by Iden, Folts, Huang, and Ulliman above teaches the mobile power plant of claim 9 wherein the plurality of train cars includes a third car (Iden, Fig. 1, multiple cars 14, 36) in which is included a cryogenic cooling system (Folts, col. 5, lines 57-61)
The combination of Liang as modified by Iden, Folts, Huang, and Ulliman above does not explicitly teach the cryogenic cooling system being contained in a third faraday enclosure.
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to locate the cryogenic cooling system in a third faraday enclosure with a reasonable expectation of success for the purpose of providing protection to the cryogenic cooling system and increasing the redundancy of the system by not locating essential parts in a singular container, since it has been held that rearranging parts of an invention involves only routine skill in the art. In re Japikse, 181 F.2d 1019, 86 USPQ 70 (CCPA 1950). See MPEP § 2144.04(VI)(C).
In regards to claim 11, the combination of Liang as modified by Iden, Folts, Huang, and Ulliman above teaches the mobile power plant of claim 10 wherein the plurality of train cars includes a fourth car (Iden, Fig. 1, multiple cars 14, 36)
The combination of Liang as modified by Iden, Folts, Huang, and Ulliman above does not explicitly teach the fourth car containing the fuel tank providing fuel to the turbine, and the turbine contained in the third faraday enclosure in the second car.
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to locate the fuel tank on a fourth car and the turbine in a third faraday enclosure in the second car with a reasonable expectation of success for the purpose of providing protection to the turbine and increasing the redundancy of the system by not locating essential parts in a singular container, since it has been held that rearranging parts of an invention involves only routine skill in the art. In re Japikse, 181 F.2d 1019, 86 USPQ 70 (CCPA 1950). See MPEP § 2144.04(VI)(C).
In regards to claim 12, the combination of Liang as modified by Iden, Folts, Huang, and Ulliman above teaches the mobile power plant of claim 11 wherein the locomotive car (12) (Iden, Fig. 1) includes at least one electronic component (37) (Iden, Fig. 2A)
The combination of Liang as modified by Iden, Folts, Huang, and Ulliman above does not explicitly teach a fourth faraday enclosure.
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to include a fourth faraday enclosure with the locomotive car a reasonable expectation of success for the purpose of providing protection to the electrical components in the locomotive and increasing the redundancy of the system by not locating essential parts in a singular container, since it has been held that rearranging parts of an invention involves only routine skill in the art. In re Japikse, 181 F.2d 1019, 86 USPQ 70 (CCPA 1950). See MPEP § 2144.04(VI)(C).
In regards to claim 13, the combination of Liang as modified by Iden, Folts, Huang, and Ulliman above teaches the mobile power plant of claim 12 further including a fifth car (Iden, Fig. 1, multiple cars 14, 36) of the plurality of train cars, the fifth car including a work area (102) (Liang, Fig. 2) for at least one crew member (Liang, para. [0053], lines 6-7) and including at least one electronic component (3) (Liang, Fig. 2)
The combination of Liang as modified by Iden, Folts, Huang, and Ulliman above does not explicitly teach a fifth faraday enclosure.
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to include a fifth faraday enclosure with the electronic component and work area for a crew member with a reasonable expectation of success for the purpose of providing protection to the electronics in the crew member’s work area and increasing the redundancy of the system by not locating essential parts in a singular container, since it has been held that rearranging parts of an invention involves only routine skill in the art. In re Japikse, 181 F.2d 1019, 86 USPQ 70 (CCPA 1950). See MPEP § 2144.04(VI)(C).
In regards to claim 14, the combination of Liang as modified by Iden, Folts, Huang, and Ulliman above teaches the mobile power plant of claim 13 wherein each of the first, second, third, fourth, and fifth faraday enclosures include four walls, a ceiling, and a floor (Huang, as seen in Fig. 1) and wherein one or more of the first, second, third, fourth, and fifth faraday enclosures have the four walls, ceiling, and floor integrated into four walls, ceiling, and floor of its respecting train car (Iden, as seen in Fig. 1, the train car is made from the containers 14) (Huang, as seen in Fig. 1, the shell 101 forms the walls, ceiling, and floor of a container).
In regards to claim 15, the combination of Liang as modified by Iden, Folts, Huang, and Ulliman above teaches the mobile power plant of claim 9 wherein the HTS power cable is on a spool (Folts, col. 2, lines 21-22) and is configured to be unwound (Folts, as seen in Fig. 1, the cable is unwound) to connect the HTS power cable to an electrical connector of a substation (Folts, as seen in Fig. 1) of the electric power system.
In regards to claim 16, the combination of Liang as modified by Iden, Folts, Huang, and Ulliman above teaches the mobile power plant of claim 13 wherein one or more of the first, second, third, fourth, and fifth train cars include a set of grounding wheels (16) (Iden, Fig. 1) configured to contact the train tracks (Iden, as seen in Fig. 1).
In regards to claim 18, the combination of Liang as modified by Iden, Folts, Huang, and Ulliman above teaches the mobile power plant of claim 16 each train car with a set of grounding wheels further includes a plurality of sets of load bearing wheels (Iden, as seen in Fig. 1, the wheels 16 are load-bearing).
Allowable Subject Matter
Claim 17 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.
The following is a statement of reasons for the indication of allowable subject matter:
The prior art fails to teach the combination of limitations as recited in claim 17, while the combination of Liang as modified by Iden, Folts, Huang, and Ulliman above teaches the mobile power plant of claim 16
Liang does not teach wherein the ground wheels are retractable and non-load-bearing.
It would not have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have modified the system of Liang to include the grounding wheels being retractable and non-load-bearing as the modifications necessary would require an improper amount of hindsight, i.e., the modifications needed would require improperly modifying a secondary reference.
Thus, claim 17 is non-obvious in view of the prior art of record but is objected to as being dependent upon a rejected base claim.
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure.
Wang (CN 117657227 A) discloses a flat car equipment room for locomotive power supply.
Clapp (US 20230071887 A1) discloses a multi-mode security state system.
Crossley (WO 2022248818 A1) discloses a power generation system.
Oimatsu (WO 2022191134 A1) discloses a hydrogen power generation car and vehicle formation.
Kovalev (RU 2730734 C1) discloses a hybrid power plant for vehicles.
Schuhholz (US 20200207377 A1) discloses a railway power system and associated method.
Gamble (US 20190074757 A1) discloses a high temperature superconductor generator with increased rotational inertia.
Vargas (US 10216924 B1) discloses a system and method for providing security to an endpoint device and for combating EMP attacks.
Grundmann (WO 2016083203 A1) discloses a superconducting device with coil devices and cooling device.
Stemmle (US 20160026159 A1) discloses a method of transmitting electrical energy.
Iden (US 20140263860 A1) discloses a containerized locomotive distributed power control.
Yuan (US 8280467 B2) discloses an electricity transmission cooling system.
Preidel (US 20070248849 A1) discloses a method for operation of an energy system.
Turton (US 6597255 B1) discloses a power transmission system for a faraday cage power source.
Ruelle (US 4749895 A) discloses a device for feeding electricity to apparatus placed inside a faraday cage.
Wzacny (US 3908557 A) discloses a mobile housing system.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to JAMES WILLIAM JONES whose telephone number is (571)270-7063. The examiner can normally be reached M-F: 11am-7pm.
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/JAMES WILLIAM JONES/ Examiner, Art Unit 3615
/S. Joseph Morano/ Supervisory Patent Examiner, Art Unit 3615
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