Appeal 2007-1687
Application 10/136,781
a second end assembly disposed on said second end of said fuel
cell assembly, said second end assembly having a second end plate with a
major surface substantially parallel with said major planar surface of said
second end of said fuel cell assembly; and
at least one side plate having opposite first and second ends that
are respectively attached to a side wall of said first and second end plates,
said attachment allowing a continuous range of overlap between said at least
one side plate and at least one of said end plates, said at least one side plate
holding said first and second end plates in a spaced relation so that at least a
planar portion of each of said major surfaces of said first and second end
plates imparts a compressive force on said fuel cell assembly through said
first and second end assemblies.
The following references are relied upon by the Examiner as evidence
of anticipation and obviousness:
Gelting US 3,476,609 Nov. 4, 1969
Edwards US 3,541,595 Nov. 17, 1970
Okamoto US 5,419,980 May 30, 1995
Hanrahan EP 0 860 834 A2 Aug. 26, 1998
Vitale US 5,981,098 Nov. 9, 1999
Bisaka US 2002/0034673 A1 Mar. 21, 2002
All of the appealed claims are rejected under the first paragraph of
35 U.S.C. § 112 as lacking enablement.
Claim 32 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. § 102(e) as being anticipated by
Bisaka.
Claims 17-21, 23, 24, 26, and 28 are rejected under 35 U.S.C.
§ 103(a) as being unpatentable over Bisaka in view of Edwards.
Finally, claims 1-3, 5, 6, 8-11, 13, 14, 16, 29-31, 33, and 34 are
rejected under 35 U.S.C. § 103(a) as being unpatentable over Vitale in view
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