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 .
DETAILED ACTION
This is responsive to the claims filed 10/11/2024. Claims 1 – 11 are pending in this application.
Information Disclosure Statement
The information disclosure statements filed 10/11/2024, 11/08/204 and 05/14/2025 are acknowledged by the examiner.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 102
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)(1) the claimed invention was patented, described in a printed publication, or in public use, on sale, or otherwise available to the public before the effective filing date of the claimed invention.
Claims 1 – 5, 11, are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by WIPO Publication to Hettenkofer (WO 2018224312).
Regarding claim 1, Hettenkofer discloses a pressure-reducing system for a high-pressure tank (110, Fig. 1), in which high-pressure tank a fluid is stored under positive pressure, wherein the high-pressure tank has an outlet (111, Fig. 1) for relieving the pressure, wherein the high-pressure tank (110, Fig. 1) is fluidically connected by way of the outlet (111, Fig. 1) to a thermal pressure relief device (113, Fig. 1) through which the fluid flows in the flow direction (x) when the pressure is relieved, wherein a pressure reducer (207, Fig. 2a) for reducing the pressure when relieving the pressure of the high-pressure tank (110, Fig. 1) is provided in the thermal pressure relief device (113, Fig. 1).
Regarding claims 2, Hettenkofer discloses the pressure reducer (207, Fig. 3) is a restrictor valve, wherein the restrictor valve has a restrictor opening and is as an annular restrictor as shown in figure 3.
Regarding claim 3, Hettenkofer discloses the thermal pressure relief device (113, Fig. 3) is designed as a relief pipe, wherein the outlet (111, Fig. 3) has a diameter (D1) which corresponds to a pipe diameter of the thermal pressure relief device (113, Fig. 3).
Regarding claim 4, Hettenkofer discloses the restrictor opening – at 207 - is designed to be smaller in diameter than the outlet (111, Fig. 3) and the thermal pressure relief device (113, Fig. 3).
Regarding claim 5, Hettenkofer discloses the restrictor valve (207, Fig. 3) is disposed indirectly – by means of outlet pipe - on the outlet (111, Fig. 3) of the high-pressure tank and within the thermal pressure relief device (113, Fig. 3).
Regarding claim 11, Hettenkofer discloses the high-pressure tank is a motor vehicle high-pressure tank (Page 10, Lines 17 – 27).
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 6 – 10 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over WIPO Publication to Hettenkofer (WO 2018224312) in view of US Patent to Kintea et al. (11,905,978).
Regarding the secondary reference, examiner notes the reference has a foreign priority date of Apr. 8, 2019.
Regarding claims 6 – 10, does not disclose the pressure reducer is a Laval nozzle, having a converging portion and a diverging portion, accelerates the flow to ultrasonic speeds, and the outlet having a diameter which is designed to be smaller than a pipe diameter of the thermal pressure relief device.
However, Kintea et al. teach a Laval nozzle (28, Fig. 1) with a converging, neck and a diverging section (Fig. 1) to evacuate a pressure tank. Kintea et al. teach the Laval nozzle (28, Fig. 1) at the outlet of a pressure tank (12, Fig. 1) to accelerate the flow to ultra-sonic speed in order to expeditiously evacuate the tank.
Therefore, it would have been obvious to the person having ordinary skill in the art at a time prior to the effective filing date of the application to have modified evacuation system disclosed by with the Laval nozzle taught by Kintea et al. as means of accelerating the evacuation. Examiner maintains a person having ordinary skill in the art would have the Laval nozzle between the pressure vessel and the thermal pressure relief device so as to ascertain the fluid from the pressure vessel is evacuated expeditiously.
Regarding claim 10, examiner is interpreting the limitation “the outlet (9) has a diameter” to mean any diameter in the outlet pipe (28, Fig. 1) taught by Kinta et al. that has a diameter less than a diameter of pipe 26 over the whole flow.
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure. US Patent Application Publication to Sirosh et al. (2016/0033085) and US patent to Garg (10,533,673) both disclosing thermal pressure relief devices.
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/UMASHANKAR VENKATESAN/
Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3753