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 .
Election/Restrictions
Claims 7-9 and 13-15 are withdrawn from further consideration pursuant to 37 CFR 1.142(b) as being drawn to a nonelected species, there being no allowable generic or linking claim. Election was made without traverse in the reply filed on 7/24/2024.
Applicant’s election without traverse of Species C, Figs. 4a-5C, claims 1-6 and 10-12 in the reply filed on 2/18/2026 is acknowledged.
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.
The factual inquiries for establishing a background for determining obviousness under 35 U.S.C. 103 are summarized as follows:
1. Determining the scope and contents of the prior art.
2. Ascertaining the differences between the prior art and the claims at issue.
3. Resolving the level of ordinary skill in the pertinent art.
4. Considering objective evidence present in the application indicating obviousness or nonobviousness.
Claims 1-6 and 10-12 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Kraft et al. (US Publication No.: 2023/0140947 hereinafter “Kraft”) in view of Hunt (US Publication No.: 2011/0120669)..
With respect to claim 1, Kraft discloses a latent heat storage unit (Fig. 4) comprising: a ceramic part (Para 0021) made of a polycrystalline body (Abstract and Para 0021-0022) and having a closed space formed therein (Fig. 4, housing has enclosed space 10); and a metal part provided in the closed space (Para 0115, storage material can be aluminum-silicon alloy).
Kraft is silent to the metal part containing 50% or more silicon by mass.
Hunt teaches a metal heat storage part that contains 50% silicon (Para 0038, 50-50 atomic percentage of aluminum and silicon). It would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art at the time the invention was filed to have modified the mass percentage of silicon of Kraft to have 50% as taught by Hunt to have a desired melting point temperature with a relatively low cost in materials (Para 0038-0039).
With respect to claim 2, Kraft discloses a latent heat storage unit (Fig. 4) comprising: a ceramic part (Para 0021) made of a polycrystalline body (Abstract and Para 0021-0022) and having a closed space formed therein (Fig. 4, housing has enclosed space 10); and a metal part provided in the closed space and containing silicon (Para 0115, storage material can be aluminum-silicon alloy).
Kraft is silent to a melting point of the metal part is 1100° C. or higher.
Hunt teaches the weight ratios of silicon can vary to have a higher melting temperature of 1100° C. or higher (Fig. 4, 60% and higher Si has 1100° C. or higher melting temperature and Para 0037). It would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art at the time the invention was filed to have modified the mass weight of the silicon of Kraft to be at 60% or higher for a melting point of 1100° C. or higher as taught by Hunt to have a desired melting point of a heat storage material with a relatively low cost in materials (Para 0037 and 0039).
With respect to claim 3, Kraft and Hunt teach the latent heat storage unit as claimed in claim 2 as discussed above. Hunt also teaches wherein the metal part contains 50% or more silicon by mass (Para 0038, 50-50 atomic percentage of aluminum and silicon). It would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art at the time the invention was filed to have modified the mass percentage of silicon of Kraft to have 50% as taught by Hunt to have a desired melting point temperature with a relatively low cost in materials (Para 0038-0039).
With respect to claim 4, Kraft and Hunt teach the latent heat storage unit as claimed in claim 1 as discussed above. Hunt also teaches wherein the metal part contains 99% or more silicon by mass (Para 0037 and Fig. 4, 99% and higher Si has over 1200° C. or higher melting temperature). It would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art at the time the invention was filed to have modified the mass weight of the silicon of Kraft to be at 99% or higher for a melting point of over 1200° C. as taught by Hunt to have a desired melting point of a heat storage material with a relatively low cost in materials (Para 0037 and 0039).
With respect to claim 5, Kraft and Hunt teach the latent heat storage unit as claimed in claim 1 as discussed above. Kraft also discloses wherein the ceramic part contains one or more selected from a group consisting of mullite, aluminum oxide, cordierite, anorthite, sillimanite, silicon nitride, boron nitride, aluminum nitride, a composite of aluminum nitride and boron nitride, silicon carbide, tungsten carbide, boron carbide, molybdenum disilicide, and tungsten disilicide (Para 0021-0022).
With respect to claim 6, Kraft and Hunt teach the latent heat storage unit as claimed in claim 1 as discussed above. Kraft also discloses wherein the ceramic part contains a material that generates heat when energized (Para 0021-0022).
With respect to claim 10, Kraft and Hunt teach the latent heat storage unit as claimed in claim 2 as discussed above. Hunt also teaches wherein the metal part contains 99% or more silicon by mass (Para 0037 and Fig. 4, 99% and higher Si has over 1200° C. or higher melting temperature). It would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art at the time the invention was filed to have modified the mass weight of the silicon of Kraft to be at 99% or higher for a melting point of over 1200° C. as taught by Hunt to have a desired melting point of a heat storage material with a relatively low cost in materials (Para 0037 and 0039).
With respect to claim 11, Kraft and Hunt teach the latent heat storage unit as claimed in claim 3 as discussed above. Kraft also discloses wherein the ceramic part contains one or more selected from a group consisting of mullite, aluminum oxide, cordierite, anorthite, sillimanite, silicon nitride, boron nitride, aluminum nitride, a composite of aluminum nitride and boron nitride, silicon carbide, tungsten carbide, boron carbide, molybdenum disilicide, and tungsten disilicide (Para 0021-0022).
With respect to claim 12, Kraft and Hunt teach the latent heat storage unit as claimed in claim 2 as discussed above. Kraft also discloses wherein the ceramic part contains a material that generates heat when energized (Para 0021-0022).
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to CLAIRE E ROJOHN III whose telephone number is (571)270-5431. The examiner can normally be reached 9:00-5:00 M-F.
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, Len Tran can be reached at (571)272-1184. 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.
/CLAIRE E ROJOHN III/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3763