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 .
Information Disclosure Statement
The information disclosure statement (IDS) submitted on 01/06/2025 was filed on the filing date of the instant application. The submission is in compliance with the provisions of 37 CFR 1.97. Accordingly, the information disclosure statement is being considered by the examiner.
The information disclosure statements (IDS) submitted on 02/24/2025 and 03/31/2025 were filed after the filing date of the instant application. The submission is in compliance with the provisions of 37 CFR 1.97. Accordingly, the information disclosure statements are being considered by the examiner.
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) 1-2, 5 and 7-9 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Farrar (US 10,752,434) in view of Hur (KR 101991590 B1, refer to attached translation).
Regarding claim 1, Farrar discloses a method of charging a thermal battery of a thermal battery system of a transportation vessel (refer to fig.13), comprising:
(a) charging a thermal storage reservoir (802) of a thermal charger; and thereafter
(c) connecting the thermal storage reservoir (802) of the thermal charger to the thermal battery system of the transportation vessel (by quick disconnect fittings 806, 808); and
(d) charging the thermal battery of the thermal battery system of the transportation vessel (refer to cold phase change plate 112A) using the thermal storage reservoir (802) of the thermal charger.
While Farrar discloses the thermal charger including the thermal storage reservoir and charging the thermal battery of the transportation vessel using the thermal storage reservoir, Farrar fails to explicitly disclose wherein the thermal charger is portable and transporting the portable thermal charger to the transportation vessel.
However, Hur teaches that it is known in the art of refrigeration, to provide charging of a thermal storage reservoir (refer to cold water storage tank 350) of a portable thermal charger (movable refrigeration unit 300); said portable thermal charger being transportable (by means of wheels 332) so as to be freely movable (refer to par. 49).
Therefore, it would have been obvious to a person of ordinary skill before the effective filing date of the claimed invention, to modify Farrar by providing the thermal charger portable as taught by Hur, such that the portable thermal charger can be transported to the transportation vessel, in order for the thermal charger to be freely movable.
Regarding claim 2, Farrar as modified meets the claim limitations as disclosed above in the rejection of claim 1. Further, Farrar as modified discloses wherein the charging of the thermal battery of the thermal battery system of the transportation vessel (refer to fig.13) using the thermal storage reservoir of the portable thermal charger comprises using a pump (804) that is external to the transportation vessel (100A) to flow a heat-transfer fluid between the thermal storage reservoir (802) and the thermal battery of the thermal battery system of the transportation vessel (112A).
Regarding claim 5, Farrar as modified meets the claim limitations as disclosed above in the rejection of claim 1. Further, Farrar as modified discloses said step of charging the thermal storage reservoir of the portable thermal charger is performed using a refrigeration system (810), Farrar as modified fails to explicitly disclose said charging using an industrial chiller.
However, since Farrar discloses the step of charging the thermal storage reservoir using a refrigeration system (810), it appears that Farrar 's charging step would operate equally well using an industrial chiller. Further, Applicant has not disclosed that using an industrial chiller solves any stated problem, indicating simply that "In some embodiments, the external charging source is portable; in some embodiments, the external charging source comprises a portable thermal battery system; in some embodiments, the external charging source is portable; in some embodiments, the external charging source is not portable; and in some embodiments, the external charging source comprises an industrial chiller" (see par. 30 of Applicant's Specification as filed).
Therefore, it would have been obvious to a person having ordinary skill in the art, before the effective filing date of Applicant's claimed invention to cause the step of charging the thermal storage reservoir of Farrar to be performed using an industrial chiller because this feature appears to be an arbitrary design consideration which fails to patentably distinguish over Farrar.
Regarding claim 7, Farrar as modified meets the claim limitations as disclosed above in the rejection of claim 1. Further, Farrar as modified discloses the transportation vessel (100A, and refer to col.13, lines 36-39, wherein the transportation vessel includes an aircraft or other vehicle), but fails to explicitly disclose comprising a cart.
However, since Farrar’s transportation vessel includes an aircraft or other vehicle, it appears that the transportation vessel of Farrar would operate equally well with a cart. Further, Applicant has not disclosed that providing a cart solves any stated problem, indicating simply in the Specification that “[0017] In a feature, the apparatus comprises a storage cooler. [0018] In a feature, the apparatus comprises a transportation vessel. [0019] In a feature, the apparatus comprises a transportation vessel comprising a cart. [0020] In a feature, the apparatus comprises a transportation vessel comprising a trailer. [0021] In a feature, the apparatus comprises a transportation vessel comprising a vehicle. In some embodiments, the vehicle comprises a cab and a box-shaped cargo compartment defining the cargo area, and the thermal battery system is located on a top of the cab.”
Therefore, it would have been obvious to a person having ordinary skill in the art, before the effective filing date of Applicant’s claimed invention to cause the transportation vessel of Farrar to include a cart because this feature appears to be an arbitrary design consideration which fails to patentably distinguish over Farrar.
Regarding claim 8, Farrar as modified meets the claim limitations as disclosed above in the rejection of claim 1. Further, Farrar as modified discloses the transportation vessel (100A, and refer to col.13, lines 36-39, wherein the transportation vessel includes an aircraft or other vehicle), but fails to explicitly disclose comprising a trailer.
However, since Farrar’s transportation vessel includes an aircraft or other vehicle, it appears that the transportation vessel of Farrar would operate equally well with a trailer. Further, Applicant has not disclosed that providing a trailer solves any stated problem, indicating simply in the Specification that “[0017] In a feature, the apparatus comprises a storage cooler. [0018] In a feature, the apparatus comprises a transportation vessel. [0019] In a feature, the apparatus comprises a transportation vessel comprising a cart. [0020] In a feature, the apparatus comprises a transportation vessel comprising a trailer. [0021] In a feature, the apparatus comprises a transportation vessel comprising a vehicle. In some embodiments, the vehicle comprises a cab and a box-shaped cargo compartment defining the cargo area, and the thermal battery system is located on a top of the cab.”
Therefore, it would have been obvious to a person having ordinary skill in the art, before the effective filing date of Applicant’s claimed invention to cause the transportation vessel of Farrar to include a trailer because this feature appears to be an arbitrary design consideration which fails to patentably distinguish over Farrar.
Regarding claim 9, Farrar as modified meets the claim limitations as disclosed above in the rejection of claim 1. Further, Farrar as modified discloses wherein the transportation vessel comprises a vehicle (100A, and refer to col.13, lines 36-39, wherein the transportation vessel includes an aircraft or other vehicle).
Claim(s) 3-4 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Farrar (US 10,752,434), Hur (KR 101991590 B1), and further in view of Siddiqui (US 2022/0154992).
Regarding claims 3-4, Farrar as modified meets the claim limitations as disclosed above in the rejection of claim 2. Further, Farrar as modified discloses the pump, but fails to explicitly disclose wherein the pump is located onboard the portable thermal charger and powering the onboard pump using an electric battery of the portable thermal charger.
However, Siddiqui further teaches a dynamic temperature regulating device (refer to fig.3), comprising a pump (66) located onboard a portable thermal charger (110, including PCM storage volumes 50) and powering the onboard pump using an electric battery (32) of the portable thermal charger (refer to par. 76, wherein rechargeable battery pack 32 powers any onboard electronic components).
Accordingly, it would have been obvious to a person of ordinary skill before the effective filing date of the claimed invention, to further modify Farrar such that the pump is located onboard the portable thermal charger and powering the onboard pump using an electric battery of the portable thermal charger, so as the system to be freely movable in view of the teachings by Siddiqui along with the knowledge generally available to one having ordinary skill in the art of refrigeration.
Allowable Subject Matter
Claim 6 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 ANA M VAZQUEZ whose telephone number is (571)272-0611. The examiner can normally be reached M-F 7-4.
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/ANA M VAZQUEZ/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3763
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