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 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.
Claims 14-19 and 21 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 14 claims the gaseous fuel storage arrangement of claim 1, which includes all parts therein, but then goes on to claim “an exhaust gas system” wherein claim 1 already claims “an exhaust gas system” making it unclear if this is a second or new exhaust gas system. For the purposes of examination it will be considered the same system.
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) 1-5 and 10-21 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable Bippes et al (EP 3578794 A1) in view of Iwaki et al (US 5,092,281).
Regarding claim 1, Bippes discloses a gaseous fuel storage arrangement for a combustion engine or fuel cell of a vehicle having an exhaust gas system (Fig. 4 and Abstract, the conversion device of engine 4), the gaseous fuel storage arrangement comprising:
a storage housing 21 and a gaseous fuel tank 11 arranged inside the storage housing (Fig. 5, shown heating system 6 having a fuel chamber 11 in a housing 21);
an exhaust gas transportation line 10 extending from the exhaust gas system to the storage housing (Fig. 1 and ¶ [0037], the heating lines 10 are diverted from the exhaust line 16);
a controllable valve arranged in the exhaust gas transportation line, the controllable valve being configurable in an open position for enabling supply of exhaust gas to the storage housing via the exhaust gas transportation line, and in a closed position for preventing supply of exhaust gas to the storage housing via the exhaust gas transportation line (Fig. 4, valve 19 controls flow of exhaust gas through the storage housing).
Bippes fails to disclose a control unit configured to determine an exhaust gas temperature in the exhaust gas system, and to determine a storage gas temperature in the storage housing, and in response to the determined storage gas temperature being below a first predefined temperature threshold and below the determined exhaust gas temperature, control the controllable valve in the open position. Bippes, for its part, discloses the valve being controllable (¶ [0030]).
Iwaki discloses a hydrogen engine system (Abstract) wherein the engine’s 1 exhaust pipe 13 sends exhaust gas to a heat exchanger 7 for heating the fuel tank 5 which receives heat from the exhaust gas for supply hydrogen to the engine 1 (Col. 6, Lns. 1-5), wherein a valve 8 adjusts flow to the tank based on the temperature in the switch to keep the fuel at the requisite temperature (Col. 6, Lns. 5-19). This system allows for a method of using a controller 33 to control the heat of a fuel container to maintain stable engine fuel flow (Col. 4, Lns. 31-35).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the filing date of the invention to modify the engine system of Bippes to include a control system of Iwaki to control its valve in order to accurately control the heat being sent to the fuel container for maintaining stable fuel flow.
Regarding claim 2, the modified Bippes discloses the gaseous fuel storage arrangement of claim 1, wherein the control unit is further configured to, in response to the determined storage gas temperature being above a second predefined temperature threshold, control the controllable valve in the closed position (as modified by Iwaki, Col. 6, Lns. 10-31, the amount of exhaust gas supplied from a valve can be controlled to cool or heat the fuel in the tank).
Regarding claim 3, the modified Bippes discloses the gaseous fuel storage arrangement of claim 1, further comprising a venting line arranged in the storage housing for venting the storage housing (Figs. 1-4, the line 5 vents hydrogen from the fuel tank).
Regarding claim 4, the modified Bippes discloses the gaseous fuel storage arrangement of claim 3, further comprising a venting valve arranged in the venting line and being configurable in an open position for enabling venting of the storage housing to the venting line, and in a closed position for preventing venting of the storage housing to the venting line (Fig. 1-4, the valve 9 controls venting from the fuel tank).
Regarding claim 5, the modified Bippes discloses the gaseous fuel storage arrangement of claim 2, and further comprising a venting valve arranged in the venting line and being configurable in an open position for enabling venting of the storage housing to the venting line, and in a closed position for preventing venting of the storage housing to the venting line; wherein the control unit is configured to, in response to the determined storage gas temperature being above the second predefined temperature threshold, control the venting valve in the open or closed position (Iwaki, Col. 31-40, the system including a valve for maintaining pressure in the hydrogen supply at a constant level).
Regarding claim 10, the modified Bippes discloses the gaseous fuel storage arrangement of claim 1, further comprising a first temperature sensor arranged in the exhaust gas system, and a second temperature sensor arranged in the storage housing between a storage housing wall of the storage housing and the gaseous fuel tank or inside the gaseous fuel tank, wherein the first and second temperature sensors are configured to transmit temperature data to the control unit (Claim 9, wherein the control system makes use of temperature sensors in order to monitor the temperature of the system for controlling the heating means).
Regarding claim 11, the modified Bippes discloses the gaseous fuel storage system of claim 1, but fails to disclose wherein the gaseous fuel tank stores pressurized hydrogen (Bippes, for its part, discloses making use of CNG or LNG fuel in ¶ [0001]). However, Iwaki discloses making use of hydrogen as fuel (Abstract), wherein making use of hydrogen reduces unwanted emissions from an engine.
Regarding claim 12, the modified Bippes discloses the gaseous fuel storage arrangement of claim 1, wherein the exhaust gas transportation line includes a filter for removing particulates from the exhaust gas before it enters the storage housing (Iwakai, Col. 8, Lns. 15-18 discloses making use of a filter to filter the hydrogen gas).
Regarding claim 13, Bippes discloses the gaseous fuel storage arrangement of claim 1, but fails to disclose wherein a majority of the gaseous fuel tank is made of carbon fiber or a carbon fiber composite. However, it would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art at the time the invention was made to produce the fuel tank from a carbon fiber or carbon fiber composite, since it has been held to be within the general skill of a worker in the art to select a known material on the basis of its suitability for the intended use as a matter of obvious design choice. In re Leshin, 125 USPQ 416.
Regarding claim 14, Bippes discloses an engine system for a vehicle comprising: the gaseous fuel storage arrangement of claim 1; a combustion engine or fuel cell for providing propulsion power of the vehicle; and an exhaust gas system arranged downstream of the combustion engine or fuel cell, the exhaust gas system being arranged to transport exhaust gas to the atmosphere (¶ [0031] and Fig. 1, the system is on a vehicle and the exhaust system vents to the atmosphere).
Regarding claim 15, Bippes discloses the engine system of claim 14, wherein the exhaust gas system comprises: an exhaust gas line comprising an upstream portion for receiving exhaust gas from the combustion engine or fuel cell, a downstream portion for discharging the exhaust gas to the atmosphere, wherein an inlet of the exhaust gas transportation line is arranged in an intermediate portion arranged between the upstream and downstream portions of the exhaust gas line; and a backpressure valve arranged in a downstream portion of the exhaust gas line; wherein the control unit is configured to control the backpressure valve to adjust the gas pressure at the inlet of the exhaust gas transportation line (Fig. 1-4, the system includes a valve 19 which controls the gas pressure of the exhaust gas within the transportation line 18).
Regarding claim 16, Bippes discloses the engine system of claim 14, wherein the exhaust gas system comprises an emission reducing component 17 for cleaning the exhaust gas, and wherein an inlet of the exhaust gas transportation line is arranged in the exhaust gas system upstream of the emission reducing component (Fig. 1-4, shown).
Regarding claim 17, Bippes discloses the engine system of claim 14, wherein the exhaust gas system comprises an emission reducing component for cleaning the exhaust gas, and wherein an inlet of the exhaust gas transportation line is arranged in the exhaust gas system downstream of the emission reducing component (Fig. 1-4, shown reducing component 17 can be upstream or downstream of lines 18).
Regarding claim 18, Bippes discloses the engine system of claim 14, wherein the combustion engine is a clean combustion engine such as a hydrogen combustion engine (as modified by Iwaki to use hydrogen).
Regarding claim 19, Bippes discloses the engine system of claim 14, wherein the combustion engine is a hydrogen high pressure direct injection engine (as modified by Iwaki to include hydrogen as its fuel).
Regarding claim 20, Bippes discloses a vehicle comprising the gaseous fuel storage arrangement of claim 1 (Fig. 1 of Bippes, being a vehicle with a gaseous fuel arrangement)
Regarding claim 21, Bippes discloses a vehicle comprising the engine system of claim 14 (¶ [0001] of Bippes).
Claim(s) 6-9 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable Bippes et al (EP 3578794 A1) in view of Iwaki et al (US 5,092,281), and further in view of Bippes et al (EP 3578793 A1), hereinafter 793.
Regarding claims 6-9, Bippes discloses the gaseous fuel storage arrangement of claim 1, but fails to disclose the system further comprising a separation wall arranged in the storage housing for dividing the storage housing into a first storage compartment and a second storage compartment, wherein an outlet of the exhaust gas transportation line is arranged in the second storage compartment; wherein the gaseous fuel tank is arranged in the first storage compartment, and the second storage compartment is arranged as a thermal buffer wherein the separation wall is arranged to transfer heat between second storage compartment and the first storage compartment; wherein the gaseous fuel tank is arranged in the second storage compartment; and further comprising a gaseous fuel supply line for supplying gaseous fuel to the combustion engine or fuel cell, wherein the gaseous fuel supply line at least partly extends through the second storage compartment.
793 discloses a gaseous fuel feed system (Fig. 1 and Abstract, shown) which includes a fuel tank 6 which has a divider therein for dividing into two separate chambers (Fig. 6, shown compartments 11 13), wherein this system includes a further gas regulator 7 for controlling the gas within the two chambers, wherein the wall between the two chambers would facilitate heat transfer between the two chambers and the gaseous fuel supply lines allow for fuel to leave the chamber to the engine (793, Fig. 6 and ¶ [0057] to [0060]), wherein this system allows for improved operation of the vehicle, particularly in cold temperatures (¶ [0003]).
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the filing date of the invention to modify the engine of Bippes with the vehicle fuel storage unit and system of 793 in order to improve the vehicles system to improve its cold start operation.
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to KEVIN A LATHERS whose telephone number is (571)272-1050. The examiner can normally be reached M-F 10a-6p.
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/KEVIN A LATHERS/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3747