Open AccessLooking at Patent Law: Patenting a Unitized Regenerative Fuel Cell System for Space Energy Storage Applications--A Case Study
Author(s) -
E. J. Taylor,
Maria Inman
Publication year - 2020
Publication title -
the electrochemical society interface
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.568
H-Index - 46
eISSN - 1944-8783
pISSN - 1064-8208
DOI - 10.1149/2.f04201if
Subject(s) - trademark , space (punctuation) , patent law , fuel cells , european patent office , process (computing) , engineering , patent application , interface (matter) , electrochemical energy storage , law , engineering ethics , intellectual property , nanotechnology , law and economics , computer science , sociology , political science , electrical engineering , electrochemistry , chemistry , pulmonary surfactant , gibbs isotherm , materials science , chemical engineering , operating system , electrode , supercapacitor
In this installment of the “Looking at Patent Law” series, we present a case study of the prosecution of a “Unitized Regenerative Fuel Cell” patent invented by Kenneth A. Burke, an engineer at the NASA Glenn Research Center. This case was chosen to coincide with the “Electrochemistry for Space Exploration” focus of this issue of Interface. The case illustrates national security screening of patent applications by the United States Patent & Trademark office and review by the Department of Defense. Additionally, the article illustrates the combination of prior art references as the basis for an obviousness rejection of an invention. The article notes that the examiner must establish a teaching-motivation-suggestion to combine prior art references to establish an obviousness rejection. With this case study, we hope to demystify the patent prosecution process and better prepare electrochemical and solid state scientists, engineers, and technologists to interact with their patent counsel regarding their inventions.