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.
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.
Claim 1 is 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 1 recites the following:
“ 1. A gas supply device that enables a gas cartridge to be mounted to the gas supply device, the gas cartridge storing a fuel gas and including a main stop valve that seals the fuel gas, and the gas supply device supplying the fuel gas in the gas cartridge to a gas utilization device and comprising: a connector attached to and detached from the main stop valve; an actuator that relatively moves the connector closer to the main stop valve of the gas cartridge mounted to the gas supply device; and a gas discharger that blows the gas to a tip of the connector before being connected to the main stop valve. ”.
As best understood by the Office, notice that claim 1 utilizes the term “gas” to describe various structures such as “gas supply device, gas cartridge, gas utilization device, gas discharger” which allows these to be interpreted “things” that handle “any type of gas”. However, claim 1 also requires that “the gas cartridge storing a fuel gas” in which a specific type of gas is now assigned. Notice that when the latter recitation of “a gas discharger that blows the gas” it makes it unclear and indefinite if the latter recitation of “the gas” is referring to the previously recites “fuel gas” or if this is a distinct gas. Based on the disclosure, applicant’s invention is directed to a gas supply 100 comprising at least a gas cartridge 500 storing hydrogen (a fuel gas) wherein movement of a connector 130/230 relative to a main stop valve 520/620 of the gas cartridge via an actuator 121 allows or prevent fluid flow of the fuel gas to a gas utilization device 900 (such as a fuel cell), wherein the system includes a gas discharger 232 that sprays an inert gas (such as nitrogen) to the tip of connector 230 to remove or suppress dust from adhering to the connector. Additionally, there is another embodiment that utilizes a blower 132 that discharger air rather than inert gas. Notice that in both embodiments the gas-discharger-232/blower-132 appears to blow a distinct gas from “the fuel gas”. Based on this, the Office will assume that a claim drafting error occurred and the claim should be amended to clarify that “the gas” blown by the gas discharger is different from “the fuel gas”. The Office suggests the phrase “a gas discharger that blows the gas” in claim 1 is amended to “a gas discharger that blows [[the]] an inert gas” in order to clarify the invention.
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.
The factual inquiries for establishing a background for determining obviousness under 35 U.S.C. 103 are summarized as follows:
1. Determining the scope and contents of the prior art.
2. Ascertaining the differences between the prior art and the claims at issue.
3. Resolving the level of ordinary skill in the pertinent art.
4. Considering objective evidence present in the application indicating obviousness or nonobviousness.
This application currently names joint inventors. In considering patentability of the claims the examiner presumes that the subject matter of the various claims was commonly owned as of the effective filing date of the claimed invention(s) absent any evidence to the contrary. Applicant is advised of the obligation under 37 CFR 1.56 to point out the inventor and effective filing dates of each claim that was not commonly owned as of the effective filing date of the later invention in order for the examiner to consider the applicability of 35 U.S.C. 102(b)(2)(C) for any potential 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(2) prior art against the later invention.
Claim(s) 1 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Saito US-20070178351 in view of Gustafson US-12331884.
Regarding claim 1, as best understood by the Office, Saito US-20070178351 teaches in Figs. 1-10 (see at least Figs. 5-6) of a gas supply device (fuel cell 61) that enables a gas cartridge (cartridge 63) to be mounted to the gas supply device, the gas cartridge storing a fuel gas (hydrogen) and including a main stop valve (valve 4) that seals the fuel gas, and the gas supply device supplying the fuel gas in the gas cartridge to a gas utilization device (the fuel cell itself consumes hydrogen to convert it into electricity) and comprising: a connector (pin 8) attached to and detached from the main stop valve; an actuator (electromagnetic actuator 23 which actuates the movement of pin 8 toward engagement with valve 4 to allow fluid flow) that relatively moves the connector closer to the main stop valve of the gas cartridge mounted to the gas supply device. Saito fails to disclose the limitation of a gas discharge as claimed. However, gas dischargers as claimed are known in the art.
Gustafson US-12331884 teaches in Figs. 1-11B (see at least Fig. 9B) teaches of a coupling assembly comprising a first connector 24 and a second connector 26 wherein one of the connectors include a purge passage 98 and a vent passage 102 wherein the purge passage 98 discharges a purge gas such as helium that purges the tip of both connectors before the couplers fully mate while allowing the purging gas and any impurities to be expelled via the vent passage 102 preventing undesirable debris to form.
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art at the time that the invention was effectively filed to modify the interconnection space between pin 8 and valve 4 of the device of Saito to include a gas discharger such as the purge passage 98 and vent passage 102 as taught by Gustafson which allows a purge gas to purge the tip of the connectors before they fully couple which allows the space in between to be purged and to remove any impurities via the vent passage since such a modification aid in preventing undesirable debris from forming.
As such, as best understood by the Office, the device of the combination of Saito US-20070178351 in view of Gustafson US-12331884 teaches the limitations of:
---Claim 1. A gas supply device (fuel cell 61 of Saito as modified by Gustafson) that enables a gas cartridge (cartridge 63 of Saito) to be mounted to the gas supply device, the gas cartridge storing a fuel gas (hydrogen) and including a main stop valve (valve 4 of Saito) that seals the fuel gas, and the gas supply device supplying the fuel gas in the gas cartridge to a gas utilization device (the fuel cell itself consumes hydrogen to convert it into electricity) and comprising: a connector (pin 8 of Saito) attached to and detached from the main stop valve; an actuator (electromagnetic actuator 23 of Saito which actuates the movement of pin 8 toward engagement with valve 4 to allow fluid flow) that relatively moves the connector closer to the main stop valve of the gas cartridge mounted to the gas supply device; and a gas discharger (see at least purge line 88 as taught by Gustafson which discharges a purge gas to the tips of the pin 8 of Saito and valve 4 before the pin and the valve couples and vent passage 102 of Gustafson which vents the purge gas and impurities between the tip, thus preventing undesirable debris from forming) that blows the gas (a purge gas) to a tip of the connector before being connected to the main stop valve.
Conclusion
The prior/relevant art made of record and considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure.
---References A (Related but not prior art under US patent laws): Nakamura US-12444760, Nakamura US-12424644, Tomi US-20260022800, Tomi US-20260022802, Kaneko US-20250314354 and Hotta EP-4390211.
---References B (Purge connectors): Gustafson US-12331884, Hasunuma US-11435022, Imai US-11047515, Komiya US-8776843, Hasunuma US-8342209, Ozawa US-6719270, Coleiro US-20240117911, Umino JP-2016070374 and Kamiya JP-2008286340.
---References C (Gas supply systems with valves and connectors): Graci US-12449100, Mair US-11913605, Takezawa US-10525820, Striebinger US-9248416, Komiya US-8776843, Curello US-7617842, Adams US-7537024, Arthur US-7419060, Buller US-3924654, Takahashi US-20110275004, Cannet US-20090283351, Nakakubo US-20090117420, Kurosawa US-20080057374, Saito US-20070178351, Arias US-20060006108, Saito US-20050255361, Tejima JP-2005282697, Spruegel WO-2008095675, Hasebe EP-1942542, Takahashi WO-2007049649, She CN-116857549, Margel (マーゲル) JP-2020523533, Takatsu JP-2007227093, Tejima JP-200657773, Antargas GB-1392407, Hasebe WO-2006104014, Yang EP-1463137
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/DAVID COLON-MORALES/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3753
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