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 .
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.
Drawings
The drawings are objected to because Fig. 4 is unclear due to shading and unclear font. Corrected drawing sheets in compliance with 37 CFR 1.121(d) are required in reply to the Office action to avoid abandonment of the application. Any amended replacement drawing sheet should include all of the figures appearing on the immediate prior version of the sheet, even if only one figure is being amended. The figure or figure number of an amended drawing should not be labeled as “amended.” If a drawing figure is to be canceled, the appropriate figure must be removed from the replacement sheet, and where necessary, the remaining figures must be renumbered and appropriate changes made to the brief description of the several views of the drawings for consistency. Additional replacement sheets may be necessary to show the renumbering of the remaining figures. Each drawing sheet submitted after the filing date of an application must be labeled in the top margin as either “Replacement Sheet” or “New Sheet” pursuant to 37 CFR 1.121(d). If the changes are not accepted by the examiner, the applicant will be notified and informed of any required corrective action in the next Office action. The objection to the drawings will not be held in abeyance.
Claim Objections
Claims 1 and 4 are objected to because of the following informalities:
Regarding claim 1, in limitation “g”, the recitation “turbine draft shaft” is a misspelling and should be recited as “turbine drive shaft”.
Regarding claim 4, the recitation “said hub” should recite “said center hub”
Appropriate correction is required.
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 1-10 are 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.
Regarding claim 1, claim 1 recites the limitation "said hollow turbine draft shaft" in limitation “g”, line 3. There is insufficient antecedent basis for this limitation in the claim. The claims only recite the slip ring as being hollow, not the turbine drive shaft.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 102
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.
Claims 1-3 and 5-10 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by US 20140265598 A1 to Isabella.
Regarding claim 1, Isabella discloses an apparatus comprising:
a plurality of wind turbine blades (Fig. 6: pinwheel blades) connected to a center hub (402),
plurality of solar panels (416), each one of said plurality of solar panels affixed to a surface of one of said plurality of wind turbine blades,
a turbine drive shaft (shaft below 402) connected to the center hub, the turbine drive shaft and center hub configured to rotate about a longitudinal of the turbine drive shaft as the plurality of wind turbine blades rotate about said longitudinal axis,
a hollow slip ring (Fig. 17: 1702) mounted to said turbine drive shaft (1726),
a plurality of solar power cables (1780), each one of said plurality of solar power cables configured to transmit power from a respective one of said plurality of solar panels along a respective one of said wind turbine blades and to said hollow slip ring,
said hollow slip ring (1702) configured to transmit power from said plurality of solar power cables (1780) to a solar power transmission cable (1750), said solar power transmission cable extending from said hollow slip ring down along said turbine drive shaft (1726) to a solar panel power inverter (1762),
said power generation apparatus further comprising an electricity generator (1748) having a generator drive shaft (shaft above 1748), said generator drive shaft coupled (through gear 1746) to said turbine drive shaft (1726) and configured to rotate as said hollow turbine draft shaft rotates, wherein rotation of said generator drive shaft causes said electricity generator to generate electricity.
Regarding claim 2, Isabella discloses a stationary frame (Fig. 17: 1752), said center hub (1700) attached to an end of said stationary frame.
Regarding claim 3, Isabella discloses said electricity generator (1748) attached to said stationary frame (1752).
Regarding claim 5, Isabella discloses said wind turbine blades are curved (Fig. 6: pinwheel shaped).
Regarding claim 6, Isabella discloses said wind turbine blades are vertically oriented (vertical support 610).
Regarding claim 7, Isabella discloses said solar panels are flexible (Fig. 6: bend to pinwheel shape of blades).
Regarding claim 8, Isabella discloses said solar panels conform to a shape of said wind turbine blades (Fig. 6: bend to pinwheel shape of blades).
Regarding claim 9, Isabella discloses said turbine drive shaft is hollow (Fig. 17: wires 1780 move down turbine drive shaft 1726 and turn to wires 1750).
Regarding claim 10, Isabella discloses one or more batteries configured to store power generated by said solar panels and/or said electricity generator [0062].
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 103
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 4 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over US 20140265598 A1 to Isabella in view of US 20110215583 A1 to Lee et al.
Regarding claim 4, Isabella discloses an apparatus as described above.
However, it fails to disclose said hub comprises a housing for said hollow slip ring.
Lee et al. teaches said hub comprises a housing (Fig. 2: 107) for said hollow slip ring (116).
It would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to use the teaching of the housing as disclosed by Lee et al. to the apparatus disclosed by Isabella.
One would have been motivated to do so to protect the hollow slip ring.
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to VIET P NGUYEN whose telephone number is (571)272-9457. The examiner can normally be reached M-F 12-8.
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If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Tulsidas C Patel can be reached at 571-272-2098. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/VIET P NGUYEN/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2834