Appeal 2007-2584
Application 10/248,472
gas vessel, and maintaining the hydrogen gas at a temperature sufficient to
enable the filling of the hydrogen gas vessel at a rate that would fill a 5 kg
vessel with hydrogen gas in less than or equal to 10 minutes (claim 1).
Appellant states that filling a tank with hydrogen gas is an exothermic
process such that cooling the hydrogen gas while filling the tank will prevent
the tank from overheating (Specification 4, ¶ [0017]).
Claims 1 and 13 are illustrative:
1. A method for filling a hydrogen gas vessel, comprising:
passing hydrogen gas from a hydrogen gas source to a hydrogen gas
vessel; and
maintaining the hydrogen gas at a temperature sufficient to enable the
filling of the hydrogen gas vessel at a rate that would fill a 5 kg vessel with
the hydrogen gas in a period of time of less than or equal to about 10
minutes.
13. A method for filling a hydrogen gas vessel, comprising:
passing hydrogen gas from a hydrogen gas source to the hydrogen gas
vessel; and
controlling a temperature of the hydrogen gas to fill the vessel to its
specification pressure and maximum volume capacity while maintaining a
vessel pressure at less than or equal to the specification pressure.
The Examiner relies on the following prior art references as evidence
of unpatentability:
Yamashita US 6,182,717 B1 Feb. 6, 2001
Starner US 6,386,272 B1 May 14, 2002
The rejections as presented by the Examiner are as follows:
1. Claims 13 and 24 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. § 102(e) as being
unpatentable over Yamashita.
2
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