Appeal No. 97-2594
Application 08/444,389
depends on the heat storage material and the heat
transmission coefficient. For example, in the
illustrated device of PSI publication the
thermocline zone is only about 1/3 of the total
length of the heat storage device. This would not
be changed if the length of the heat storage device
were vertically extended. The length of the
thermocline zone would remain the same. It is noted
in the PSI publication that the length of the
thermocline zone depends on the efficiency of the
heat storage device. The efficiency of the storage
device is, of course, dependent on the type of
material, the heat
transmission coefficient, and the construction of
the storage facility. For example, a cylinder of a
small diameter will have a longer thermocline zone
than a cylinder with a large diameter (given an
identical storage material). These relationships
are well known to any engineer skilled in the art
and need no further explanation. Likewise, an
engineer skilled in the art of heat transfer is able
to calculate, based on the material, the heat
transmission coefficient etc. (these values are
available from respective handbooks), the length of
the thermocline zone.
The examiner's response to appellants' arguments seems to
be that, depending on a user's needs, the mass of Diggs' heat
storage material could be made quite small. However, as shown
by appellants, the thermocline zone does not necessarily
extend over the length of the heat storage device. The fact
that the Diggs device could be modified or constructed to have
4
Page: Previous 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Next
Last modified: November 3, 2007