DETAILED 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 final rejection. 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and the fee set forth in 37 CFR 1.17(e) has been timely paid, the finality of the previous Office action has been withdrawn pursuant to 37 CFR 1.114. Applicant's submission filed on February 26,2026 has been entered.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 102
The text of those sections of Title 35, U.S. Code not included in this action can be found in a prior Office action.
Claim(s) 1 and 5-9 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Choi, B.-C., Jeong, J.-W., Joo, J.-H. and Kang, K.-J. (2009), A Feasibility Study of Wire-Woven Cellular Metal as Catalytic Support Material†. Adv. Eng. Mater., 11: 536-540. https://doi.org/10.1002/adem.200800398, which will be referred to as Choi.
Regarding claim 1, Choi discloses a catalyst which contains a Wire-woven Bulk Kagome (WBK) core fabricated with wires made from a Fe-Cr-Al alloy, which is magnetic due to the its ferric crystal strucutre (Choi[pg.536 ¶5). The catalyst in the prior art further contains ƴ-alumina, a metal oxide support, where it is dispersed in distilled water with an aqueous solution of platinum(IV) chloride, a precursor (Choi[pg.537 ¶2).
While the prior art differs from preparation process required in the instant claim, the structure of the product claimed, such as the knitted wire mesh core, the catalyst precursor, and the in integration of the catalyst material with the mesh are anticipated is by the prior art even though it may have been produced by a different process. "The patentability of a product does not depend on its method of production. If the product in the product-by-process claim is the same as or obvious from a product of the prior art, the claim is unpatentable even though the prior product was made by a different process." See MPEP 2113.I. Therefore, this disclosure fulfills the limitations set in the instant claim requiring a catalyst to comprise of a magnetic mesh core, magnetically separatable catalyst precursors, and the final catalyst product that has the wire core integrated with the catalyst that can be removed with the magnetic activity acting on the core alone.
Claims 5 and 7 are product claims, but appear to contain only intended use limitations. The product of Choi is capable of being used in the recited manner since it has the same structure and composition claimed.
Regarding claim 6, Choi teaches the use of a Wire-woven Bulk Kagome (WBK) core and an oxidation catalyst (Choi[pg.536 ¶4). The structure is assembled in a specific orientation in which the assembly is capable of holding itself together. This disclosure fulfills the limitation set in the instant claim requiring the magnetic mesh to be a specifically shaped mesh, in the case of the prior art the specific shape is WBK.
Claims 8 and 9, Choi discloses that the catalyst is dipped into a catalytic slurry where it is calcined, dried, and dipped again till it reaches a desired weight (Choi[pg.537 ¶2). During this process the layers being bult upon the mesh core, forming itself around the mesh as it is being embedded upon layers of the catalytic material. This disclosure fulfils the limitations set in the instant claim requiring the magnetic mesh to be embedded into the catalyst and the catalyst to be shaped around the mesh core.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 103
The text of those sections of Title 35, U.S. Code not included in this action can be found in a prior Office action.
Claim(s) 2-4 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Choi, B.-C., Jeong, J.-W., Joo, J.-H. and Kang, K.-J. (2009), A Feasibility Study of Wire-Woven Cellular Metal as Catalytic Support Material. Adv. Eng. Mater., 11: 536 540. https://doi.org/10.1002/adem.200800398, which will be referred to as Choi and further in view of JP2014-200772.
Regarding claims 2-4, while Choi discloses the use of powdered alumina (in the form of using Aldrich, purity 99%, particle size < 50 nm alumina) (Choi[pg.537 ¶2) in its oxidation catalyst, Choi does not disclose the use of copper(II) nitrate trihydrate in the oxidation catalyst. However, JP’772 teaches a synthesis process for an oxidation catalyst which uses copper nitrate trihydrate as a copper precursor supported on alumina. See [0063]-[0064] of JP’772. It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art to substitute the alumina supported catalyst Choi with that used in JP’772 in order to reduce costs associated with the use of expensive platinum and provide a catalyst active as an oxidation catalyst and resistant to sulfur poisoning. See [0004] and [0010] of JP’772.
Response to Arguments
Applicant’s arguments, see Applicant's Remarks , filed February 25, 2026, with respect to the rejection(s) of claim(s) 1-9 under 35 USC 103 have been fully considered and are persuasive. Therefore, the rejection has been withdrawn. However, upon further consideration, a new ground(s) of rejection is made in view of Choi, B.-C., Jeong, J.-W., Joo, J.-H. and Kang, K.-J. (2009), A Feasibility Study of Wire-Woven Cellular Metal as Catalytic Support Material. Adv. Eng. Mater., 11: 536 540. https://doi.org/10.1002/adem.200800398, and Huang (WO 2018068729 A1).
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to ANNETTE H PHAN whose telephone number is (703)756-4520. The examiner can normally be reached M-F 8:30-6:30 EST.
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/ANNETTE PHAN/Examiner, Art Unit 1736
/ANTHONY J ZIMMER/Supervisory Patent Examiner, Art Unit 1736
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