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 Objections
Claim 19 is objected to because of the following informalities: In line 4 of claim 19, “tanks to opposite sides” should be changed to --tanks connected to opposite sides--. Appropriate correction is required.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 103
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.
Claims 1-13 and 15-20 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Angelo et al. (US 10,493,837).
With respect to claim 1, a frame (200), an electric motor (electric vehicle claim 6), and an energy storage unit (106, 300, 320), the energy storage unit comprising at least two energy modules comprising: a first energy module (300) comprising a first fuel tank (1, Fig 8) and a first cuboid energy storage device (106) comprising a battery (1, Fig 8); and a second energy module (320) comprising a second fuel tank (2, Fig 8), the at least two energy modules connected to each other such that the first cuboid fuel tank and the second cuboid fuel tank are connected to opposite sides of the first cuboid energy storage device (as shown in Figs 3A-3B, the cuboid energy storage device comprising batteries 160 in housings 304 wrap under the frame of the vehicle, and each energy module 300 and 320 are connected to each other via the batteries and end links 330 and 332, so the fuel tanks 1 and 2 would be connected to each other via the first cuboid energy storage device 106 and the end links 330 and 332; also, column 10, lines 39-41 disclose that the components 830, 832, and 814 may be disposed above the battery 106, which implies that the first cuboid energy storage device may wrap under the frame like shown in Figs 3A-3B). Angelo et al., however, do not specifically disclose that the fuel tanks are cuboid. However, it would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art before the invention was filed to try forming them in a cuboid shape in order to match and stack nicely with the cuboid battery housings (304), and since such a modification would have involved a mere change in the shape of a component. A change in shape is generally recognized as being within the level of ordinary skill in the art.
With respect to claim 2, wherein the frame comprises a wheelbase area between a first axle and a second axle (Fig 1), wherein the energy storage unit is suspended from the wheelbase area (Figs 3A-3C).
With respect to claim 3, further comprising a plurality of bushings (364, 366) between the energy storage unit and the frame to mechanically isolate the energy storage unit from the frame (Fig 3C).
With respect to claim 4, further comprising a rod (hanger 334) connected to the first energy module and the second energy module to rigidly connect the first energy module and the second energy module together (Fig 5A).
With respect to claim 5, wherein the second energy module comprises a second cuboid energy storage device comprising a battery (2, Fig 8), wherein the first cuboid energy storage device and the second cuboid energy storage device are connected to each other between the first cuboid fuel tank and the second cuboid fuel tank (as shown in Figs 3A-3B).
With respect to claims 6-9, Angelo et al. disclose the claimed invention discussed above as well as the configuration being implemented on various types of vehicles such as serial hybrid, parallel hybrid, electric, or the like, but do not specifically disclose that the fuel tanks are hydrogen gas tanks for storing hydrogen gas fuel, natural gas tanks for storing natural gas primarily comprising at least one of methane and ethane, petroleum gas tanks for storing liquid petroleum gas primarily comprising at least one of propane and butane, or wherein the first cuboid fuel tank and the second cuboid fuel tank store liquified gaseous fuel at a working pressure of between 5 bar and 450 bar. However, it would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art before the invention was filed to implement the fuel tank configuration on vehicle types using the fuel discussed above, since it was old and well known in the art to use different types of vehicle fuel as desired and appropriate for the vehicle application, environmental impact, engine design, and infrastructure availability. It also would have been obvious to store liquified gaseous fuel at a working pressure of between 5 bar and 450 bar, since it has been held that where the general conditions of a claim are disclosed in the prior art, discovering the optimum or workable ranges involves only routine skill in the art.
With respect to claims 10-13 and 15-18, the apparatus discussed above meets the method limitations.
With respect to claims 19-20, the apparatus discussed above meets the limitations.
Allowable Subject Matter
Claim 14 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.
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to DREW J BROWN whose telephone number is (571)272-1362. The examiner can normally be reached Monday-Friday.
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DREW BROWN
Primary Examiner
Art Unit 3616
/DREW J BROWN/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3617
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