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 .
Election/Restrictions
Applicant’s election without traverse of Group II, claim 2 in the reply filed on 2/25/2026 is acknowledged.
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.
Claim(s) 2 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Mahieu et al. (US-20210102665-A1).
Mahieu discloses a hydrogen tank (par. 0044) comprising: is a liner (2); a reinforcing layer (3) disposed around a periphery of the liner (Fig. 2); and a mouthpiece (6, 22) disposed at a periphery of the reinforcing layer, wherein the mouthpiece is formed by coupling at least one first mouthpiece component (6) and at least one second mouthpiece component (at 22) to each other, the first and second mouthpiece components being arranged in a circumferential direction (Fig. 6b), the first mouthpiece component having projections (9), the second mouthpiece component having depressions (Fig. 2b, at 22), and the projections are arranged inside the depressions whereby the first and second mouthpiece components are coupled to each other (par. 0071, Fig. 3).
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to JEFFREY R ALLEN whose telephone number is (571)270-7426. The examiner can normally be reached 9:00 am - 5:00 pm, Monday-Friday.
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/JEFFREY R ALLEN/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3733