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 .
Drawings
The objection to the drawings is withdrawn in view of the amendment to the specification filed 1 December 2025.
Specification
The objection to the disclosure is overcome by the amendment to the specification filed 1 December 2025.
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.
Claims 10-16 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being obvious over Champagnac et al. (WO 2020/128370 A1) in view of Avila (US 2004/0003653 A1).
The applied reference has a common assignee with the instant application. Based upon the earlier effectively filed date of the reference, it constitutes prior art under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(2).
Regarding claim 10, Champagnac et al. discloses a floating or onshore storage installation (100; fig. 11) for a liquefied gas at low temperature (30) comprising: a tank (1; fig. 1) at low temperature (p. 15, ll. 10-11) comprising a carrier structure which has an inner hull (2) and an outer hull (3), the space between the inner hull (2) and the outer hull (3) being referred to as the confined space (4), a primary sealing membrane (9) which is intended to be in contact with the liquefied gas at low temperature (30) contained in the tank (p. 15, ll. 22-23), and a secondary sealing membrane (7) which is arranged between the primary sealing membrane (9) and the inner hull (2), the space between the primary sealing membrane (9) and the secondary sealing membrane (7) is referred to as the primary space (8) and the space between the secondary sealing membrane (7) and the inner hull (2) is referred to as the secondary space (6), the primary space (8) and the secondary space (6) comprising insulating materials (p. 15, ll. 29-30), the primary space (8) comprising at least one primary gas inlet (18; figs. 2 and 3), the secondary space (6) comprising at least one secondary gas outlet (19), said primary sealing membrane (9) resting directly on the insulating materials contained in the primary space (8) and said secondary sealing membrane (7) resting directly on the insulating materials contained in the secondary space (p. 15, ll. 34-36), an inert gas reservoir (16) which is arranged in order to inject inert gas into the primary space (8) through the primary gas inlet (p. 16, ll. 20-22), an injection device (45) which is capable of injecting inert gas of the inert gas reservoir (16) via the primary gas inlet (18), and thus placing the primary space (8) under pressure relative to the secondary space (p. 16, ll. 22-25), a suction device (80) which is connected to the secondary gas outlet (19) in order to generate a lower pressure in the secondary space (6) than the pressure in the primary space (p. 16, ll. 22-25), a device for measuring the temperature of the outer surface of the inner hull (thermographic camera measures temperature of the external surface of shell 2; p. 17, ll. 36-38), a system for displaying the temperature measurements in order to locate a sealing defect of the secondary sealing membrane (7) in the form of a cold spot on the outer surface of the inner hull (p. 13, ll. 20-22), characterized in that the suction device (80) comprises at least one suction means (80) draws at least some of the inert gas out of the secondary space (suction device 80 draws at least some of the inert gas out of secondary space 6; p. 16, ll. 32-36).
Regarding claim 12, Champagnac et al. discloses wherein the suction device (80) also comprises at least one suction system (80) recovering the inert gas and not reinjecting it into the primary space (suction device 80 recovers inert gas out of secondary space 6 but does not reinject it into primary space 8; p. 16, ll. 32-36).
Regarding claim 13, Champagnac et al. discloses wherein the suction system (80) is a Venturi effect suction system (80) which comprises a main pipe (83; fig. 7) which has an inlet which is capable of being connected to a pressurized gas source (venturi effect suction system 80 has main line 83 which is connected to compressed air system 71; ll. 26-27), and an outlet (76) toward the outer side of the tank (1), a suction pipe (81) having an upstream side which is capable of being connected to the outlet port (19) of the secondary space (p. 16, ll. 28-31) and a downstream side which opens laterally in a convergent/divergent section of the main pipe (83) so that a gas flow in the main pipe (83) produces a reduced pressure (depression in pipe 81) in the suction pipe (p. 16, ll. 28-31).
Regarding claim 14, Champagnac et al. discloses wherein the pressurized gas source (71) is a compressed air circuit (p. 16, ll. 26-27).
Regarding claim 15, Champagnac et al. discloses wherein the injection device (45) comprises a compressor which is capable of injecting the inert gas from the inert gas reservoir (16) at a pressure between 3 and 8 bar (p. 13, ll. 39-40).
Regarding claim 16, Champagnac et al. discloses a vessel (100) for transporting a liquefied gas at low temperature (30), the vessel (100) comprising an installation (fig. 11) for storing a liquefied gas at low temperature (p. 21, ll. 8-11).
Champagnac et al. is silent on the suction device consisting of a pump that recovers inert gas and reinjects the recovered inert gas back into the primary space.
However, reusing an inert or tracer gas is well known in the art of leak detection devices. Avila teaches an apparatus (10) for checking a sealing of a container (11) by injecting an inert gas (such as helium, nitrogen, and/or air; ¶ [0005]), and a suction device (23, 24) comprises at least one suction means consisting of a pump (extraction systems 23 and 24 include pumps; ¶ [0024]) that draws at least some of the inert gas and reinjects it into system (inert tracer gas is recovered by recovery station 26 and then to gas supply tank 31 to be reinjected into the leak testing system; ¶ [0025]).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art at the time of filing to modify the apparatus of Champagnac et al. to reuse recovered inert gas as taught in Avila, to provide a more efficient leak testing system that reduces the cost associated with waste of inert gases (Avila, ¶ [0007]). Further, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill to use a pump as taught in Avila to provide an efficient means of transporting gas through the system.
Regarding claim 11, Champagnac et al. is silent on the recovered inert gas being reinjected into the primary space.
Avila teaches an apparatus (10) for checking a sealing of a container (11) by injecting an inert gas (such as helium, nitrogen, and/or air; ¶ [0005]), and a suction device (23, 24) forms the only suction means (extraction systems 23 and 24 include pumps; ¶ [0024]) such that all of the inert gas is reinjected it into system (all of inert tracer gas that has leaked is recovered by recovery station 26 via gas extraction systems 23 and 24 and to gas supply tank 31 to be reinjected into the leak testing system; ¶¶ [0025, 0029]).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art at the time of filing to modify the apparatus of Champagnac et al. to reuse all of the recovered inert gas as taught in Avila, to provide a more efficient leak testing system that reduces the cost associated with waste of inert gases (Avila, ¶ [0007]).
This rejection under 35 U.S.C. 103 might be overcome by: (1) a showing under 37 CFR 1.130(a) that the subject matter disclosed in the reference was obtained directly or indirectly from the inventor or a joint inventor of this application and is thus not prior art in accordance with 35 U.S.C.102(b)(2)(A); (2) a showing under 37 CFR 1.130(b) of a prior public disclosure under 35 U.S.C. 102(b)(2)(B); or (3) a statement pursuant to 35 U.S.C. 102(b)(2)(C) establishing that, not later than the effective filing date of the claimed invention, the subject matter disclosed and the claimed invention were either owned by the same person or subject to an obligation of assignment to the same person or subject to a joint research agreement. See generally MPEP § 717.02.
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 1-9 are allowed.
The prior art does not disclose or suggest “the method comprising the following successive steps…a step referred to as a main step in which the secondary space is brought to a pressure lower than the pressure of the primary space, with a pressure differential P1, by injecting an inert gas into the primary space via the primary gas inlet and causing gas to be expelled or drawn from the secondary gas outlet of the secondary space and then by measuring the temperature of an outer surface of the inner hull from the confined space situated around the inner hull…characterized in that, during the main step, at least some of the inert gas injected into the primary space is recovered by at least one secondary outlet of the secondary space and is reinjected into the primary space” in combination with the remaining claim elements as recited in claims 1-9.
Response to Arguments
Regarding independent claim 1, Applicant’s arguments on pages 10-11 of the Response filed 1 December 2025 are found persuasive and the rejection of claims 1-9 is withdrawn.
Regarding independent claim 10, Applicant’s arguments have been fully considered but they are not found persuasive. Applicant asserts that the claimed pump is “configured to recover inert gas from the secondary space and reinject it into the primary space during operation of the suction device, i.e., during a current test” and that “Avila reinjects recovered gas only for future tests.” Response, page. 12. However, the claim language merely requires the pump to perform the functions of drawing at least some of the inert gas and reinjecting the gas (claims 10, last two lines) and does not require the functions to be performed within a particular operation or step. Even if the resulting combination of Champagnac et al. in view of Avila were to be interpreted as an apparatus that only reinjects recovered gas during a future test, the claim language would still be met.
Conclusion
THIS ACTION IS MADE FINAL. 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.
Contact Information
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to Erika J. Villaluna whose telephone number is (571)272-8348. The examiner can normally be reached Mon-Fri 9:00 am - 5:30 pm.
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/ERIKA J. VILLALUNA/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2852