Appeal 2006-2939
Application 10/178,826
oxygen getter means disposed in each of said passageways for preventing
gaseous oxygen from reaching and oxidizing said nickel in said anodes
during a non-operational state of the fuel cell assembly.
The examiner relies upon the following references as evidence of
obviousness:
Wynnyckyi US 4,607,961 Aug. 26, 1986
Yoshida JP 07-169493 July 4, 1995
Wakabayashi JP 8-38884 (A) Feb. 13, 1996
Badwal US 5,942,349 Aug. 24, 1999
Coombs WO 01/19752 A1 Mar. 22, 2001
Takahashi JP 2001-313049 (A) Nov. 9, 2001
Haltiner, Jr. US 6,562,502 B2 May 13, 2003
(US 2001/0055706 A1 Dec. 27, 2001)
Appellants' claimed invention is directed to a fuel cell assembly
comprising nickel-containing anodes, and passageways leading to and from
the anodes for conducting fuel. Oxygen getter means are disposed in each of
the passageways for preventing oxidation of the nickel in the anodes during
non-operation of the fuel cell.
The appealed claims stand rejected under 35 U.S.C. § 103(a) as
follows:
(a) claims 1 and 12 over JP '493 in view of JP '049 and Badwal,
(b) claims 2-4, and 7 over JP '493 in view of JP '049, Badwal, and
JP '884,
(c) claims 5 and 6 over JP '493 in view of JP '049, Badwal, JP '884,
and Wynnyckyi,
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