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 .
Information Disclosure Statement
The information disclosure statement filed 10/14/2025 fails to comply with the provisions of 37 CFR 1.97, 1.98 and MPEP § 609 because the name of patentee or applicant of cited document for JP 2022525655 A is not in English and the Japanese Office Action is not in English It has been placed in the application file, but the information referred to therein has not been considered as to the merits. Applicant is advised that the date of any re-submission of any item of information contained in this information disclosure statement, or the submission of any missing element(s) will be the date of submission for purposes of determining compliance with the requirements based on the time of filing the statement, including all certification requirements for statements under 37 CFR 1.97(e). See MPEP § 609.05(a).
Drawings
The drawings were received on 09/25/2025. These drawings are approved.
Status of Claims
Claims 1-10 and 14 are cancelled, Claim 11, 15, 19, and 20 are currently amended, Claims 12, 13, and 16-18 are previous amended, and Claims 21-28 are new.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 112
The following is a quotation of the first paragraph of 35 U.S.C. 112(a):
(a) IN GENERAL - The specification shall contain a written description of the invention, and of the manner and process of making and using it, in such full, clear, concise, and exact terms as to enable any person skilled in the art to which it pertains, or with which it is most nearly connected, to make and use the same, and shall set forth the best mode contemplated by the inventor or joint inventor of carrying out the invention.
The following is a quotation of the first paragraph of pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112:
The specification shall contain a written description of the invention, and of the manner and process of making and using it, in such full, clear, concise, and exact terms as to enable any person skilled in the art to which it pertains, or with which it is most nearly connected, to make and use the same, and shall set forth the best mode contemplated by the inventor of carrying out his invention.
Claims 11-13 and 15-20 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 112(a) or 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), first paragraph, because the specification, while being enabling for substituting or displacing the cold gas stream by CO2 (page 4 and Figure 2) that is either separated out of an offgas combusting in the heat exchanger or blast heater or can be produced or deposited from other process (page 7), does not reasonably provide enablement for an uncirculated cold gas stream comprising CO2 that is provided from a CO2 separation that is separated out of an offgas combusted in the at least one heat exchanger as recited in Claim 11. The specification does not enable any person skilled in the art to which it pertains, or with which it is most nearly connected, to use the invention commensurate in scope with these claims. Instant Claim 11 recites the cold gas stream is uncirculated, but separating CO2 from offgas combusted in same heat exchanger to which the CO2 is introduced is reads on a circulated gas stream.
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 11-13 and 15-20 are free from prior art rejections but are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 112(a) as stated above.
Claims 21-28 are allowed.
The following is a statement of reasons for the indication of allowable subject matter: CN 209722190 U does not suggest an uncirculated gas stream comprising at least 5% by volume of CO2 that is fed to a heat exchanger to form a gas stream to fed into the lower region of a shaft furnace as claimed.
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 Tima M. McGuthry-Banks whose telephone number is (571)272-2744. The examiner can normally be reached Monday through Friday, 7:30 am to 4:00 pm.
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Tima M. McGuthry-Banks
Primary Examiner
Art Unit 1733
/TIMA M. MCGUTHRY-BANKS/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 1733
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