PRE-IGNITION DETECTION DEVICE
FIRST OFFICE ACTION
DRAWINGS
The submitted drawings have been considered and approved.
TITLE
The title is objected to because it is vague and not clearly descriptive of the claimed invention. A suggested title is --ENGINE PRE-IGNITION DETECTION DEVICE--.
ABSTRACT
The submitted abstract has been considered and approved.
SPECIFICATION
The submitted specification has been considered and approved.
CLAIMS
In the event that the determination of the status of the application as subject to AIA is incorrect, any correction of the statutory basis for the rejection will not be considered a new ground of rejection if the rationale supporting the rejection would be the same.
35 U.S.C. § 112
In accordance with 35 U.S.C. 112(b), 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.
Claims 1 - 5 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 112(b) as being indefinite for failing to point out and distinctly claim the subject matter which the joint inventors regard as the invention.
Independent claim 1 is indefinite as to the specific meaning of the phrase “a rotation fluctuation amount of an engine” (line 3) and to what exactly is being calculated.
35 U.S.C. § 101
Under 35 U.S.C. 101, whoever invents or discovers any new and useful process, machine, manufacture, or composition of matter, or any new and useful improvement thereof, may obtain a patent therefor, subject to the conditions and requirements of this title.
Claims 1 - 5 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 101 because the claimed invention is directed to an abstract idea (ie. a judicial exception) without any additional elements being claimed that are sufficient to amount to significantly more than the judicial exception.
Independent claim 1 sets forth a method comprising:
a) calculating a rotation fluctuation amount of an engine;
b) calculating a self-ignition start timing; and
c) detecting occurrence of pre-ignition in the engine.
Claim 1 is deemed as being an abstract idea because the method can be carried out mentally by simple observation of an engine during operation.
step a) can be carried out by simple observation of the running engine to determine if the engine is running smoothly.
step b) can be carried out by listening to the running engine to determining if the engine is knocking.
step c) can be carried out by listening to the running engine to determine if the engine is knocking.
Dependent claim 2 further limits the engine and not the method.
Dependent claim 3 sets forth that engine operation is based on intake air amount.
Dependent claim 4 sets forth that engine operation is based on intake air temperature.
Dependent claim 5 sets forth comparing an observed value to a predetermined value.
None of the dependent claims add subject matter significantly more than the abstract idea of claim 1.
35 U.S.C. § 102
In accordance with 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1), a person shall be entitled to a patent unless 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 and 3 - 5 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Makino et al. (2011/0224882).
With respect to independent claim 1, Makino et al. set forth a pre-ignition detection device comprising processing circuitry configured to execute:
calculating a rotation fluctuation amount of an engine (100) and a self-ignition start timing (page 2, paragraph 17), wherein the engine is a spark-ignition engine that ignites air-fuel mixture in a combustion chamber (1) through spark discharge, and the self-ignition start timing is when a temperature of the air-fuel mixture in the combustion chamber during a compression stroke reaches an ignition point of the air-fuel mixture (page 1, paragraph 5); and
detecting occurrence of pre-ignition in the engine by determining that the pre-ignition in the engine has occurred when the rotation fluctuation amount is greater than or equal to a predetermined threshold value and the self-ignition start timing is earlier than a predetermined timing (Figs. 5 & 7).
With respect to claim 3, Makino et al. set forth that the processing circuitry configured to calculate the self-ignition start timing is based on an intake air amount of the combustion chamber as claimed since the processing circuitry that calculates the self-ignition start timing depends on information from an intake air amount sensor (15).
With respect to claim 4, Makino et al. set forth that the processing circuitry is configured to calculate the self-ignition start timing based on a temperature of intake air drawn into the combustion chamber (page 3, paragraph 40).
With respect to claim 5, Makino et al. set forth that the processing circuitry is configured to determine whether the rotation fluctuation amount is greater than or equal to the predetermined threshold value based on an angular velocity of a crankshaft of the engine (Fig. 8).
35 U.S.C. § 103
In accordance with 35 U.S.C. 103, 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 of this title, 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 2 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Makino et al. (2011/0224882) in view of Powell et al. (2023/0349319).
With respect to claim 2, Makino et al. set forth the use of an internal combustion engine but fail to set forth that the fuel for the engine is hydrogen. In other words, Makino et al. fail to teach the use of a hydrogen powered engine.
However, Powell et al. set forth that engines may operate using a variety of different fuel types including hydrogen (abstract). Thus, the use of a hydrogen powered engine is known.
As such, it would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art armed with these teachings to use a hydrogen fueled engine as the engine of choice with the pre-ignition detection device of Makino et al.
The motivation being to determine if pre-ignition is occurring in the hydrogen powered engine since pre-ignition is an undesirable occurrence in such an engine.
CITED DOCUMENTS
The Applicant’s attention is directed to the “PTO-892” form for the relevant art made of record at the time of this Office Action.
CONTACT INFORMATION
Any inquiry concerning this communication from the Examiner should be directed to Eric S. McCall whose telephone number is 571-272-2183.
The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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Examiner interviews are available via telephone, in-person, and video conferencing using a USPTO supplied web-based collaboration tool. To schedule an interview, the Applicant is advised to use the USPTO Automated Interview Request (AIR) Form at:
https://www.uspto.gov/patents/uspto-automated- interview-request-air-form.
/Eric S. McCall/Primary Examiner
Art Unit 2855
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