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 . Claims 1-7 are pending in this application.
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.
Claim(s) 1 and 7 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Schmidt (U.S. Patent No. 9,261,295), hereinafter Schmidt.
Regarding Independent Claim 1, Schmidt discloses a hydrogen distribution system for supplying hydrogen (Figure 2) to a hydrogen consumer, 212, on an aircraft (Column 5, Lines 38-49 – the hydrogen consumer is an aircraft engine), the hydrogen distribution system comprising:
a tank, 104, storing a liquid and gaseous hydrogen (Column 6, Lines 20-38 – the tank contains both liquid and gaseous hydrogen);
a supply pipe, 152 and 216, fluidly connected between the tank and a hydrogen consumer (the supply pipe provides the hydrogen from the tank, 104, to the consumer, 212);
a first pump, 214, arranged on the supply pipe (the pump, 214, is on the supply pipe) and configured to circulate the liquid hydrogen from the tank to the hydrogen consumer (Column 5, Lines 38-49 – the pump provides the liquid hydrogen from the tank to the consumer); and
a helium heat transfer circuit, 124, arranged between the supply pipe and the tank and upstream the first pump (Figure 1 – the helium circuit is coupled to the heat exchanger, 204, in the supply pipe that is upstream of the pump, 214).
Regarding Claim 7, Schmidt discloses the invention as claimed and discussed above. Schmidt further discloses an aircraft (Column 5, Lines 38-49 – the hydrogen consumer is an aircraft engine therefore there is an aircraft) comprising:
a hydrogen consumer, 212; and
the hydrogen distribution system according to claim 1 (See rejection for Claim 1 above), wherein the supply pipe is fluidly connected to the hydrogen consumer (Figure 2 – the supply pipe is connected to the hydrogen consumer, 212).
Claim(s) 1-3 and 7 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Daunt (U.S. Patent No. 3,354,662), hereinafter Daunt.
Regarding Independent Claim 1, Daunt discloses a hydrogen distribution system for supplying hydrogen (Figure 2) to a hydrogen consumer on an aircraft (Column 3, Lines 33-70 – the hydrogen is provided to a space vehicle which is a hydrogen consumer/aircraft), the hydrogen distribution system comprising:
a tank, 13, storing a liquid and gaseous hydrogen (Column 2, Lines 58-60 – the tank contains both liquid, 12, and gaseous hydrogen);
a supply pipe, 14, 15, 7, 25 and 26, fluidly connected between the tank and a hydrogen consumer (Column 3, Lines 33-70 – the supply pipe provides the hydrogen from the tank, 13, to the consumer);
a first pump, 10, 10’, 11 and 34, arranged on the supply pipe (the pump is on the supply pipe and the section, 7) and configured to circulate the liquid hydrogen from the tank to the hydrogen consumer (Column 2, Lines 26-32 and 47-49 – the pump provides the liquid hydrogen from the tank to the consumer); and
a helium heat transfer circuit, 20, 21, 22, 23, 31, 32 and 33, arranged between the supply pipe and the tank and upstream the first pump (Figure 1 – the helium circuit is coupled to the heat exchanger, 20, in the supply pipe that is upstream of the pump, 11).
Regarding Claim 2, Daunt discloses the invention as claimed and discussed above. Daunt further discloses the helium heat transfer circuit comprises:
a first heat exchanger, 20, arranged on the supply pipe (the heat exchanger, 20, is coupled to the supply pipe),
a second heat exchanger, 33, arranged in the tank (the second heat exchanger, 33, is in the tank, 13),
a circulation pipe, 22, 23 and 31, realizing a loop between the first heat exchanger and the second heat exchanger and in which helium circulates (the circulation pipe creates a loop that includes the first and second heat exchangers, where the loop circulates helium), and
a compressor, 32, arranged on the circulation pipe and configured to circulate the helium from the first heat exchanger to the second heat exchanger (the compressor circulates the helium from the first heat exchanger, 20, to the second heat exchanger, 33).
Regarding Claim 3, Daunt discloses the invention as claimed and discussed above. Daunt further discloses the helium heat transfer circuit further comprises a turbine, 21, arranged the circulation pipe between the second heat exchanger and the first heat exchanger where the helium circulates from the second heat exchanger to the first heat exchanger (the turbine is in the circulation pipe between the second heat exchanger, 33, and the first heat exchanger, 20).
Regarding Claim 7, Daunt discloses the invention as claimed and discussed above. Daunt further discloses an aircraft (Column 3, Lines 33-70 – the hydrogen is provided to a space vehicle which is a hydrogen consumer/aircraft therefore there is an aircraft) comprising:
a hydrogen consumer (Column 3, Lines 33-70 – the hydrogen is provided to a space vehicle which is a hydrogen consumer/aircraft); and
the hydrogen distribution system according to claim 1 (See rejection for Claim 1 above), wherein the supply pipe is fluidly connected to the hydrogen consumer (Column 3, Lines 33-70 – the hydrogen is provided to a space vehicle which is a hydrogen consumer/aircraft).
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(s) 6 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Schmidt in view of McCurdy (U.S. Patent No. 11,674,443), hereinafter McCurdy.
Regarding Claim 6, Schmidt discloses the invention as claimed and discussed above. Schmidt does not disclose a recirculation pipe fluidly connected between an output port of the first pump and an input port of the first pump.
However, McCurdy teaches a hydrogen distribution system (Figure 5) with a pump, 214, and a recirculation pipe, 234, fluidly connected between an output port of the first pump and an input port of the first pump (Figure 5 – the recirculation pump provides the flow from the output port of the pump back to the input port of the pump).
Therefore it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have modified the invention of Schmidt by including a recirculation pipe fluidly connected between an output port of the first pump and an input port of the first pump, as taught by McCurdy, in order to redirect excess fuel flow within the assembly (McCurdy – Column 12, Lines 37-40).
Claim(s) 4 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Daunt in view of Held (U.S. Patent No. 9,014,791), hereinafter Held.
Regarding Claim 4, Daunt discloses the invention as claimed and discussed above. Daunt does not disclose the turbine is mechanically coupled to the compressor.
However, Held teaches a thermal management circuit (Figure 1) with a closed circuit, 102, 106, 108, 112 and 114, with a compressor, 108, and a turbine, 106, where the turbine is mechanically coupled to the compressor (Column 3, Lines 23-31 – the turbine is coupled to the compressor via a shaft).
Therefore it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have modified the invention of Daunt by making the turbine mechanically coupled to the compressor, as taught by Held, in order to operate the compressor using shaft work from the turbine (Held – Column 3, Lines 23-28).
Allowable Subject Matter
Claim 5 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.
The following is a statement of reasons for the indication of allowable subject matter:
Schmidt as shown above does not disclose the limitations of Claim 2 from which Claim 5 depends.
Daunt does not show any sensors for sensing temperature and pressure of the hydrogen supply pipe and controlling the speed of the compressor in the helium circuit by a control unit based on the data from the sensors.
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to KYLE ROBERT THOMAS whose telephone number is (571)272-4813. The examiner can normally be reached Monday-Friday 8:00am-4pm EST.
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/KYLE ROBERT THOMAS/ Examiner, Art Unit 3741
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