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 .
Response to Arguments
Applicant’s arguments, see page 6, filed 16OCT2025, with respect to the rejection(s) of claim(s) 1-3, 8, and 9 under 35 U.S.C. § 102 have been fully considered and are moot in view of new grounds of rejection prompted by Applicant’s amendment to claims. A new ground(s) of rejection is made in view of CN 108159807 A (Guo et al.).
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.
Claim(s) 2, 8, 13, and 14 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by CN 108159807 A (Guo et al.).
Regarding Claim 2, Guo teaches a production method for a high-speed nano mist [Summary of the Invention] for producing the high-speed nano mist which is a group of liquid droplets having a particle diameter of 1 nm to 10000 nm (disclosing a range of 10-60 nm, p. 2) and flying at a speed of 50 m/s to 1000 m/s (the speed being supersonic and therefore at least 343 m/s, p. 2), the production method comprising using water as the high-speed nano mist (p. 2), and ejecting water vapor from the water contained in a sealed container (4) and a pressurized gas supplied to the sealed container from a jet nozzle (9) provided in the sealed container (p. 3 describing the formation of pressurized gas to eject water vapor, the nozzle being considered in the sealed container as it is the ejection point, similar to the layout shown in Instant Fig. 1), wherein the inside of the sealed container has an absolute pressure of 3.5 atm to 12 atm (p. 2 teachings a range of 0.1 – 1.0 MPa, corresponding to 1 – 10 atm).
Regarding Claim 8, Guo teaches a production method for a high-speed nano mist [Summary of the Invention] for producing the high-speed nano mist which is a group of liquid droplets having a particle diameter of 1 nm to 10000 nm (disclosing a range of 10-60 nm, p. 2) and flying at a speed of 50 m/s to 1000 m/s (the speed being supersonic and therefore at least 343 m/s, p. 2), and causing the high- speed nano mist to collide with a target object, the production device comprising:
a sealed container (4) configured to use water as the high-speed nano mist (p. 2) and to contain the water; a gas supply source configured to supply a pressurized gas to the sealed container (p. 3 describing the formation of pressurized gas to eject water vapor); and a jet nozzle (9) (the nozzle being considered in the sealed container as it is the ejection point, similar to the layout shown in Instant Fig. 1) configured to eject water vapor from the water and the pressurized gas supplied to the sealed container, wherein the inside of the sealed container has an absolute pressure of 3.5 atm to 12 atm (p. 2 teachings a range of 0.1 – 1.0 MPa, corresponding to 1 – 10 atm).
Regarding Claim 13, Guo teaches a high-speed nano mist [Summary of the Invention] being a group of liquid droplets having a particle diameter of 1 nm to 10000 nm (disclosing a range of 10-60 nm, p. 2) and flying at a speed of 50 m/s to 1000 m/s (the speed being supersonic and therefore at least 343 m/s, p. 2), wherein the liquid droplets consist of water (p. 2).
Regarding Claim 14, Guo teaches a high-speed nano mist [Summary of the Invention] being a group of liquid droplets having a particle diameter of 1 nm to 10000 nm (disclosing a range of 10-60 nm, p. 2) and flying at a speed of 50 m/s to 1000 m/s (the speed being supersonic and therefore at least 343 m/s, p. 2), wherein the liquid droplets consist of water (p. 2), wherein the liquid droplets are formed by ejecting water vapor (p. 3 describing the formation of pressurized gas to eject water vapor) and pressurized gas from a jet nozzle (9).
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 HANS KALIHER whose telephone number is (303)297-4453. The examiner can normally be reached Monday-Friday 08:00-05:00 MT.
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/HANS KALIHER/Examiner, Art Unit 3781
/SARAH AL HASHIMI/Supervisory Patent Examiner, Art Unit 3781