NON-FINAL ACTION
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 .
Continued Examination Under 37 CFR 1.114
A request for continued examination under 37 CFR 1.114, including the fee set forth in 37 CFR 1.17(e), was filed in this application after allowance or after an Office action under Ex Parte Quayle, 25 USPQ 74, 453 O.G. 213 (Comm'r Pat. 1935). Since this application is eligible for continued examination under 37 CFR 1.114, and the fee set forth in 37 CFR 1.17(e) has been timely paid, prosecution in this application has been reopened pursuant to 37 CFR 1.114. Applicant's submission filed on 24 April 2026 has been entered.
Priority
Receipt is acknowledged of certified copies of papers required by 37 CFR 1.55.
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.
Claims 2, 5, 6, and 10 are 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.
Regarding claims 2, 5, 6, and 10, the claims are directed to “The inlet region according to claim 1”. However, claim 1 claims a centrifuge. It is unclear if claims 2, 5, 6 and 10 are intended to further limit the centrifuge of claim 1, or if “the inlet region” is separately claimed subject matter distinct from the centrifuge. The examiner suggests amending the preambles of claims 2, 5, 6, and 10 to recite, e.g., “The solid bowl screw centrifuge according to claim 1, characterized in that the inlet region…” consistent with the format already used in claim 13.
Allowable Subject Matter
The Information Disclosure Statement (IDS) filed on 24 April 2026 has been considered, but the documents cited therein are not deemed to impact the allowability of the allowable subject matter of claims 1, 2, 5, 6, 10, and 13-15. The prior art cited therein does not teach or suggest a solid bowl centrifuge comprising a centrifuge screw wherein, at least in an inlet region, a screw hub has an open wall structure formed by longitudinal bars, in combination with an impact disc, having an acceleration element formed as a protrusion protruding from the impact disc in the direction of the inlet tube opening, the protrusion being formed by an arrangement of struts, wherein the point of intersection of the struts and the highest point of the acceleration element are both aligned with the central point of the impact disc and with the longitudinal axis of the centrifuge screw, and wherein the acceleration element is designed such that a medium impinging thereon is accelerated in the direction of free spaces formed between the longitudinal bars, as recited in claim 1. In particular, WO 2002018055, cited in the Chinese Office Action dated 23 January 2024, does not disclose that the impellers 250 are formed by an arrangement of struts having a point of intersection, nor any point of intersection or the highest point of the acceleration element is aligned with a central point of an impact disc and with the longitudinal axis of the conveyor. Thus, claims 1 and 13-15 remain in condition for allowance.
Claims 2, 5, 6, and 10 would be allowable if rewritten to overcome the rejection(s) under 35 U.S.C. 112(b) or 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), 2nd paragraph, set forth in this Office action and to include all of the limitations of the base claim and any intervening claims.
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to SHUYI S LIU whose telephone number is (571)272-0496. The examiner can normally be reached MON - FRI 9:30AM - 2:30PM EST.
Examiner interviews are available via telephone, in-person, and video conferencing using a USPTO supplied web-based collaboration tool. To schedule an interview, applicant is encouraged to use the USPTO Automated Interview Request (AIR) at http://www.uspto.gov/interviewpractice.
If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Claire Wang can be reached at 571-270-1051. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
Information regarding the status of published or unpublished applications may be obtained from Patent Center. Unpublished application information in Patent Center is available to registered users. To file and manage patent submissions in Patent Center, visit: https://patentcenter.uspto.gov. Visit https://www.uspto.gov/patents/apply/patent-center for more information about Patent Center and https://www.uspto.gov/patents/docx for information about filing in DOCX format. For additional questions, contact the Electronic Business Center (EBC) at 866-217-9197 (toll-free). If you would like assistance from a USPTO Customer Service Representative, call 800-786-9199 (IN USA OR CANADA) or 571-272-1000.
/Shuyi S. Liu/Examiner, Art Unit 1774
