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 .
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 102
In the event the determination of the status of the application as subject to AIA 35 U.S.C. 102 and 103 (or as subject to pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 102 and 103) is incorrect, any correction of the statutory basis (i.e., changing from AIA to pre-AIA ) for the rejection will not be considered a new ground of rejection if the prior art relied upon, and the rationale supporting the rejection, would be the same under either status.
The following is a quotation of the appropriate paragraphs of 35 U.S.C. 102 that form the basis for the rejections under this section made in this Office action:
A person shall be entitled to a patent unless –
(a)(1) the claimed invention was patented, described in a printed publication, or in public use, on sale, or otherwise available to the public before the effective filing date of the claimed invention.
(a)(2) the claimed invention was described in a patent issued under section 151, or in an application for patent published or deemed published under section 122(b), in which the patent or application, as the case may be, names another inventor and was effectively filed before the effective filing date of the claimed invention.
Claim(s) 1-8 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Michael W. Stowell of US 2018/0226229 A1 (hereinafter referred to as Stowell).
Stowell pertains to the instant invention because Stowell relates to a composition of matter (carbon particulates; Stowell, paragraph [0002]).
Stowell teaches to a composition of matter, comprising a carbonaceous material (nanoparticulate carbon; Stowell, paragraph [0100]) having physical characteristics of being from dissociation of carbon dioxide (a microwave plasma can be generated in a supply gas and/or process material, and the energy in the plasma is sufficient to form separated components from process material molecules; Stowell, paragraph [0027]; the process material is carbon dioxide with water; Stowell, paragraph [0054]) and water using a plasma and an electric field (microwave plasma; Stowell, paragraph [0002]-[0003]). Stowell teaches using plasma for dissociation of process materials (Stowell, paragraph [0062]).
As to claim 2, Stowell teaches to the composition of matter of claim 1, wherein the physical characteristics of being formed from dissociation of carbon dioxide and water using at least one plasma comprise:
The carbonaceous material comprising carbonaceous aggregates (nanoparticulate carbon that is in agglomerate – which may also be described as aggregate-particles; Stowell, paragraph [0055]).
As to claim 3, Stowell teaches to the composition of matter of claim 2, wherein the carbonaceous aggregates are characterized by a principal dimension having a length in a range from about 1 micron to about 1000 microns (1 to 1000 microns; Stowell, paragraph [0055]).
As to claim 4, Stowell teaches to the composition of matter of claim 1, wherein the physical characteristics of being formed from dissociation of carbon dioxide and water using at least one plasma comprise:
the carbonaceous material comprising one or more materials selected from the group consisting of: carbon black (Stowell, paragraph [0055]).
As to claim 5, Stowell teaches to the composition of matter of claim 1, wherein the plasma is characterized by a frequency in a range from about one gigahertz to about five gigahertz (2.45 GHz for microwave reactor is one of the standard in the art; Stowell, paragraph [0036]).
As to claim 6, Stowell teaches to the composition of matter of claim 1, wherein the plasma comprises a microwave plasma (the microwave energy 309 creates a microwave plasma 306; Stowell, paragraph [0046]).
As to claim 7, Stowell does not explicitly teach ”wherein the electric field comprises an alternating current (AC) field and/or a pulsed direct current (DC) field.”
However, Stowell does teach using a high voltage electric field for creating a microwave plasma (Stowell, paragraph [0087]). Stowell teaches controlling the microwave energy pulse duration, frequency, duty cycle, shape, and time-averaged output power level (Stowell, paragraph [0057] – [0065]). Stowell teaches microwave circuit 207 controlling a pulsing frequency (Stowell, paragraph [0034]). Every active electrical circuit necessarily has electric fields within the wires and around its components, in which electricity necessarily flows in either alternating current and/or pulsed direct current.
As to claim 8, Stowell teaches to the composition of claim 1, wherein the dissociation is driven by electron(s) (injecting electrons; Stowell, paragraph [0087]) impacting the carbon dioxide and the water (the process material is carbon dioxide with water; Stowell, paragraph [0054]).
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to JOHN LEE whose telephone number is (703)756-1254. The examiner can normally be reached M-F, 7:00-16:00.
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/JOHN LEE/Examiner, Art Unit 1794
/JAMES LIN/Supervisory Patent Examiner, Art Unit 1794