DETAILED ACTION
This is the first Office action on the merits of Application No. 18/978,138. Claims 1-11 are pending.
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 .
Priority
Receipt is acknowledged of certified copies of papers required by 37 CFR 1.55.
Information Disclosure Statement
The information disclosure statements (IDS) submitted on 12/12/2024 and 12/30/2025 have been considered by the examiner.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 102
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 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.
(a)(2) the claimed invention was described in a patent issued under section 151, or in an application for patent published or deemed published under section 122(b), in which the patent or application, as the case may be, names another inventor and was effectively filed before the effective filing date of the claimed invention.
Claims 1-11 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Quan (Chinese document 210149159, cited on the IDS).
Regarding claim 1, Quan discloses work vehicle (Fig. 1) comprising: a fuel cell (32); at least one fuel tank (40) to store fuel to be supplied to the fuel cell; a motor (52) connected to the fuel cell; a vehicle frame (24) that supports the fuel cell, the at least one fuel tank, and the motor, the vehicle frame rotatably supporting front wheels (33) and rear wheels (34); at least one enclosure (43, 44) housing the fuel cell and the at least one fuel tank; and at least one fuel gas sensor (23, 55) inside the at least one enclosure.
Regarding claim 2, Quan discloses the work vehicle according to claim 1, wherein the at least one enclosure includes a front housing that houses the fuel cell; the front housing is supported by a front portion of the vehicle frame, and a width of the front housing is narrower than a wheel spacing of the front wheels (Fig. 1).
Regarding claim 3, Quan discloses the work vehicle according to claim 2, wherein the at least one enclosure includes a tank case that houses the at least one fuel tank (Fig. 1).
Regarding claim 4, Quan discloses the work vehicle according to claim 3, wherein the at least one fuel gas sensor includes: a first sensor (23) inside the front housing; and a second sensor (55) inside the tank case.
Regarding claim 5, Quan discloses the work vehicle according to claim 4, wherein the first sensor is in an area where the fuel gas accumulates inside the front housing (Fig. 3).
Regarding claim 6, Quan discloses the work vehicle according to claim 5, wherein the second sensor is higher than the first sensor (Fig. 6).
Regarding claim 7, Quan discloses the work vehicle according to claim 6, further comprising: a valve system connected to the at least one fuel tank and located inside the tank case; the second sensor is higher than the valve system inside the tank case (Fig. 6).
Regarding claim 8, Quan discloses the work vehicle according to claim 3, wherein the tank case is behind and higher than the front housing (Fig. 6).
Regarding claim 9, Quan discloses the work vehicle according to claim 8, further comprising: a driver seat (53) supported by the vehicle frame; and a mounting frame fixed to the vehicle frame to support the tank case, the mounting frame extending across the driver seat (Fig. 1).
Regarding claim 10, Quan discloses the work vehicle according to claim 1, wherein the work vehicle is an agricultural machine (Fig. 1).
Regarding claim 11, Quan discloses the work vehicle according to claim 10, further comprising a power take-off shaft driven by the motor (e.g. 50).
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure.
Otsuka (US Patent Publication 20160056482) discloses a fuel-cell powered vehicle with sensor arrangement.
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/LORI WU/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3655
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