DETAILED ACTION
This detailed action is in response to the amendments and arguments filed on 01/13/2026, and any subsequent filings.
Notations “C_”, “L_” and “Pr_” are used to mean “column_”, “line_” and “paragraph_”.
Claims 10, 18 and 20-21 are canceled. Claims 1-3, 5-9, 11-13, 15-17, 22, and 26 are pending.
Notice of Pre-AIA or AIA Status
The present application, filed on or after March 16, 2013, is being examined under the first inventor to file provisions of the AIA .
Response to Arguments
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 103
The Applicant argues that Drewniak and Cowley do not teach a chemical-agent dosing apparatus that does not comprise a chemical-agent sensor (pg. 8-10). This argument is unpersuasive for the reasons in the prior art rejection below.
Response to Amendment
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 112
The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 112(b):
(b) CONCLUSION.—The specification shall conclude with one or more claims particularly pointing out and distinctly claiming the subject matter which the inventor or a joint inventor regards as the invention.
The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), second paragraph:
The specification shall conclude with one or more claims particularly pointing out and distinctly claiming the subject matter which the applicant regards as his invention.
Claim 11 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 112(b) or 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), second paragraph, as being indefinite for failing to particularly point out and distinctly claim the subject matter which the inventor or a joint inventor (or for applications subject to pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, the applicant), regards as the invention.
Claim 11 recites the limitation "the chemical-agent sensor" in line 3. There is insufficient antecedent basis for this limitation in the claim.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 103
The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 103 which forms the basis for all obviousness rejections set forth in this Office action:
A patent for a claimed invention may not be obtained, notwithstanding that the claimed invention is not identically disclosed as set forth in section 102, if the differences between the claimed invention and the prior art are such that the claimed invention as a whole would have been obvious before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to a person having ordinary skill in the art to which the claimed invention pertains. Patentability shall not be negated by the manner in which the invention was made.
The factual inquiries for establishing a background for determining obviousness under 35 U.S.C. 103 are summarized as follows:
1. Determining the scope and contents of the prior art.
2. Ascertaining the differences between the prior art and the claims at issue.
3. Resolving the level of ordinary skill in the pertinent art.
4. Considering objective evidence present in the application indicating obviousness or nonobviousness.
Claims 1-2, 5-6, 8-9, 11-13, 15-17, 22 and 26 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over U.S. Publication US20180186656A1 (‘Drewniak’) in view of International Publication WO2019166766Al (‘Cowley’).
The Applicant’s claims are directed towards an apparatus.
Regarding Claims 1-2, 5-6, 8-9, 11-13, 15-17, 22 and 26, Drewniak teaches a chemical-agent dosing apparatus (abstract) for dosing a heating system with chemical agent ([0030]), the apparatus comprising:
a heating-fluid addition device ([0066], makeup water line);
a chemical-agent storage chamber (Figs. 4 and 6, [0047] and [0051], treatment product containers 42 and 142a-c) for storing a chemical agent;
a dosing device having a dosing chamber having a dose outlet communicable with the heating system (Fig. 6, [0051], each of the containers 142 comprises a cap 145 having a one-way valve and an exit tube, connectable in fluid communication with tubing 144 to dispense fluid from the container 142 into the water system being treated) and a driving means (Fig. 6, [0051], a feeder or pump mechanism 132); and
a controller (Figs. 2 and 6, [0047] and [0053], controllers 14 and 114) communicable with the heating-fluid addition device and the dosing device ([0053] and [0060]);
the dosing chamber being fluidly communicable with the storage chamber, defining a dosing volume receiving a dose of chemical agent, and including the dose outlet (Fig. 6, [0051], each of the containers 142 comprises a cap 145 having a one-way valve and an exit tube, connectable in fluid communication with tubing 144 to dispense fluid from the container 142 into the water system being treated);
the driving means being configured by the controller to automatically drive a proportional amount of fluid from the dosing chamber via the dose outlet ([0051]) to the heating system following an addition of heating fluid added by the heating-fluid addition device ([0047]);
wherein the chemical-agent dosing apparatus does not comprise a chemical-agent sensor ([0060], sensors 21 and 22 are optional).
Drewniak does not teach that the heating-fluid addition device is for automatically adding heating fluid to the heating system in the event of fluid or pressure loss in the heating system.
Cowley also relates to a chemical-agent dosing apparatus for dosing (pg. 3) a heating system (abstract) with chemical agent (pg. 3), the apparatus comprising: a heating-fluid addition device (apparatus 110 to supply a flow of top-up liquid to the fluid circuit of the heating system, pg. 2, last Pr – pg. 3, Pr1 and pg. 6, Pr2-4, Figs. 1-2) for automatically adding heating fluid to the heating system in the event of fluid or pressure loss in the heating system (controller 214 controls steps in a method of supplying a flow of top-up liquid to a fluid circuit of a heating system (pg. 9, Pr 4 and Fig. 2) based on the pressure of system water within the fluid circuit 101, pg. 9, Pr5, Figs. 1-2).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to combine the heating-fluid addition device of Cowley in the chemical-agent dosing apparatus of Drewniak to top up the heating system when there is a loss of pressure in the system fluid (Cowley, pg. 2, Pr2) as many heating systems are designed to be at a positive pressure to function properly and loss of system fluid will result in poor system fluid circulation and potential catastrophic failure of some of the system components (Cowley, pg. 2, Pr5).
Additional Disclosures Included:
Claim 2: the storage chamber is releasably engageable with the dosing device (Drewniak, [0051], [0055] and [0071]).
Claims 5-6: further comprising a valve between the storage chamber and the dose outlet (one-way valve in cap 145, Drewniak, [0051], Fig. 6), wherein said valve is at the dose outlet and/or the or another valve is between the storage chamber and the dosing device (Drewniak, [0051], Fig. 6).
Claim 8: the valves are one-way valves (one-way valve, Drewniak, [0051], Fig. 6).
Claim 9: the driving means comprises a piston in, at or fluidly communicable with the dosing chamber (the pump mechanism 132 may comprise a motor configured to actuate a piston in cap 145 to pump fluid from container 142, Drewniak, [0051]).
Claim 11: wherein the controller is communicatively connected to the chemical-agent sensor (Drewniak, [0053] and [0060]) and the driving means (Drewniak, [0053] and [0060]) so that the driving means is operable to drive chemical agent to the outlet when said density is less than or equal to a predetermined value (Drewniak, [0053] and [0062]).
Claim 12: further comprising a timing circuit for periodically instructing the dosing device to dose chemical agent and/or for delaying the application of a further dose (Drewniak, [0053]).
Claim 13: A heating system having a heating-fluid flow conduit (apparatus 110 comprises a controller 214, which controls steps in a method of supplying a flow of top-up liquid to a fluid circuit of a heating system (Cowley, pg. 9, Pr 4 and Fig. 2) based on the pressure of system water within the fluid circuit 101, Cowley, pg. 9, Pr5, pg. 11, Pr2-5, Figs. 1-2) and a chemical-agent dosing apparatus as claimed in any claim 1 (see analysis of Claim 1).
Claims 15-16: a pressure sensor for determining a fluid pressure within the heating-fluid-flow conduit (pressure sensing arrangement 215 comprises at least one pressure sensor to sense the pressure of system water within the fluid circuit 101, Cowley, pg. 9, Pr5, Fig. 2), wherein the controller or a further controller is communicatively connected to the pressure sensor and the heating-fluid addition device so that when the fluid pressure is less than or equal to a predetermined value, heating-fluid may be added to the heating-fluid flow conduit (Cowley, pg. 9, Pr5, pg. 11, Pr2-5, Figs. 1-2). (It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention for the heating system of the combination of Drewniak and Cowley to comprise a pressure sensor, as demonstrated by Cowley, in order to compare a system liquid pressure level measurement and compare the system liquid pressure level measurement with a pressure level threshold (Cowley, pg. 11, Pr3) then determine whether to initiate a system filling routine to supply a flow of liquid to the fluid circuit (Cowley, pg. 11, Pr4)).
Claim 17: a pressure sensor (pressure sensing arrangement 215 comprises at least one pressure sensor to sense the pressure of system water within the fluid circuit 101, Cowley, pg. 9, Pr5, Fig. 2) for determining a fluid pressure within the heating-fluid flow conduit, wherein the controller or a further controller is communicatively connected between the dosing device and the pressure sensor or the heating-fluid addition device, so that the dosing device may automatically add chemical agent based on a or an intended heating-fluid addition (Cowley, pgs. 8-9). (It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention for the heating system of the combination of Drewniak and Cowley to comprise a pressure sensor, as demonstrated by Cowley, in order to compare a system liquid pressure level measurement and compare the system liquid pressure level measurement with a pressure level threshold (Cowley, pg. 11, Pr3) then determine whether to initiate a system filling routine to supply a flow of liquid to the fluid circuit (Cowley, pg. 11, Pr4). It would have been obvious for the combination of Drewniak and Cowley to communicatively connect a controller between the dosing device and a sensor, as demonstrated by Drewniak (note the sensor of Drewniak can be a flow meter, [0015] and [0047]), such as the pressure sensor of Cowley, to enable an amount of chemical agent to be introduced into the existing system fluid to supplement an existing concentration of the chemical agent therein (Cowley, 8, last Pr – pg. 9, Pr1) to maintain a desired extent of dosing (Cowley, pg. 10, Pr5)).
Claim 22: A method of maintaining a determined chemical-agent density in a heating system as claimed claim 13 (see analysis of Claim 13), the method comprising the steps of:
a) adding heating-fluid to the heating-fluid flow conduit via the heating-fluid addition device (Cowley, pg. 8, last Pr – pg. 9, Pr1); and
b) driving chemical agent to the heating-fluid flow conduit via the outlet of the dosing chamber (Cowley, pg. 8, last Pr – pg. 9, Pr1).
Claim 26: the controller instructs the heating-fluid addition device to add heating fluid (system filling routine can be initiated to restore system liquid pressure, Cowley, pg. 11, Pr2-5. System liquid pressure is related to system liquid volume, as loss of system liquid results in lowered system liquid pressure, Cowley, pg. 2, Pr5) and the dosing device to add chemical agent (treatment amounts are based on desired concentrations of treatment products, sensor readings or measurements and/or preset feeder activation times, Drewniak, [0047-0048]), based on the total volume of the heating fluid flow conduits of the heating system.
Claim 3 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over U.S. Publication US20180186656A1 (‘Drewniak’) and International Publication WO2019166766A1 (‘Cowley’) as applied to claim 1 above, and further in view of U.S. Patent US10287180B1 (‘Kurani’).
The Applicant’s claim is directed towards an apparatus.
Regarding Claim 3, the combination of Drewniak and Cowley teaches the chemical-agent dosing apparatus of Claim 1, except that the storage chamber and the dosing device interconnect with each other using any one of: interconnectable screw-threads, a push-fit connector, or a quarter-turn connector.
Kurani also relates to a chemical-agent dosing apparatus (a water monitoring device monitors and maintains swimming pool chemistry, abstract), wherein the storage chamber and the dosing device interconnect with each other (pool chemicals can be stored in the water monitoring device and released at the recommended rate, C7, L42-44) using any one of: interconnectable screw-threads; a push-fit connector; or a quarter-turn connector (plungers, coupled to threaded screws (C14, L5), can be placed within reagent cylinders 503 and 505 to control the flow of reagents from cylinders 503 and 505 (C14, L2-4).
It would be obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to interconnect the storage container and the dosing device in the apparatus of the combination of Drewniak and Cowley using any one of: interconnectable screw-threads, a push-fit connector, or a quarter-turn connector, as demonstrated by Kurani, because the rotation of threaded screws can cause the reagents to be pumped from the cylinders 503 and 505 (Kurani, C14, L5-10).
Claim 7 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over U.S. Publication US20180186656A1 (‘Drewniak’) and International Publication WO2019166766A1 (‘Cowley’) as applied to claim 1 above, and further in view of Lang (GB1395206, the referenced pages are as indicated at the top left of each page).
The Applicant’s claim is directed towards an apparatus.
Regarding Claim 7, the combination of Drewniak and Cowley teaches the chemical-agent dosing apparatus of Claim 1, except that the dosing device further comprises a joining conduit which creates a joining fluid-flow-path external to the dosing chamber between a storage-chamber-proximal portion of the dosing chamber and an outlet-proximal portion of the dosing chamber, and a valve for closing said joining fluid-flow-path.
Lang also relates to a chemical-agent dosing apparatus (a device for dosing out into water flowing through a water main solutions of chemicals, pg. 1, left column, L9-11), wherein the dosing device further comprises a joining conduit which creates a joining fluid-flow-path external to the dosing chamber between a storage-chamber-proximal portion of the dosing chamber and an outlet-proximal portion of the dosing chamber, and a valve for closing said joining fluid-flow-path (Lang teaches a piston 6 is located in tube 6a, which is fixed in a plate on housing 21 of an eccentric 4 (pg. 2, right column, L94-96, Fig. 1). The return stroke of the piston 6 is effected by spring 7 where piston 6 presses the solution of chemicals entering at its upper position in a cylinder 9 through a disc valve 10 into a dosing pipe 11, which leads to a feed fitting 12 in a water main 13, where the feed fitting 12 has a valve 14 through which chemical solution flows into the water main 13 by means of a tube part 15 (pg. 2, right column, L97-106, Fig. 1)).
It would be obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to include a joining conduit which creates a joining fluid-flowpath external to the dosing chamber between a storage-chamber-proximal portion of the dosing chamber and a valve for closing said joining fluid-flowpath, as demonstrated by Lang, in the apparatus of the combination of Drewniak and Cowley so that when quantities of service water fluctuates greatly, a valve can open a by-pass serves to limit the dosing of chemical solution when the quantity of water in the conduit becomes too large (Lang, pg. 2, left column, L50-59).
Conclusion
Applicant's amendment necessitated the new ground(s) of rejection presented in this Office action. Accordingly, THIS ACTION IS MADE FINAL. See MPEP § 706.07(a). Applicant is reminded of the extension of time policy as set forth in 37 CFR 1.136(a).
A shortened statutory period for reply to this final action is set to expire THREE MONTHS from the mailing date of this action. In the event a first reply is filed within TWO MONTHS of the mailing date of this final action and the advisory action is not mailed until after the end of the THREE-MONTH shortened statutory period, then the shortened statutory period will expire on the date the advisory action is mailed, and any nonprovisional extension fee (37 CFR 1.17(a)) pursuant to 37 CFR 1.136(a) will be calculated from the mailing date of the advisory action. In no event, however, will the statutory period for reply expire later than SIX MONTHS from the mailing date of this final action.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to BOI-LIEN THI NGUYEN whose telephone number is (703)756-4613. The examiner can normally be reached Monday to Friday, 8 am to 6 pm.
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/BOI-LIEN THI NGUYEN/Examiner, Art Unit 1779
/Bobby Ramdhanie/Supervisory Patent Examiner, Art Unit 1779