NON-FINAL 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and the fee set forth in 37 CFR 1.17(e) has been timely paid, the finality of the previous Office action has been withdrawn pursuant to 37 CFR 1.114.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 26 August 2026 has been entered.
Response to Arguments
Upon consideration of the claim amendments and Applicant remarks filed 26 August 2026, the arguments are persuasive and the rejection over Finkelston in view of DE 575314 is withdrawn.
Priority
Receipt is acknowledged of certified copies of papers required by 37 CFR 1.55.
Drawings
The drawings are objected to as failing to comply with 37 CFR 1.84(p)(5) because reference characters shown in Fig. 3 and 4 are not mentioned in the written description of the specification. Corrected drawing sheets in compliance with 37 CFR 1.121(d), or amendment to the specification to add the reference character(s) in the description in compliance with 37 CFR 1.121(b) are required in reply to the Office action to avoid abandonment of the application. Any amended replacement drawing sheet should include all of the figures appearing on the immediate prior version of the sheet, even if only one figure is being amended. Each drawing sheet submitted after the filing date of an application must be labeled in the top margin as either “Replacement Sheet” or “New Sheet” pursuant to 37 CFR 1.121(d). If the changes are not accepted by the examiner, the applicant will be notified and informed of any required corrective action in the next Office action. The objection to the drawings will not be held in abeyance.
Corrected drawing sheets in compliance with 37 CFR 1.121(d) are required in reply to the Office action to avoid abandonment of the application. Any amended replacement drawing sheet should include all of the figures appearing on the immediate prior version of the sheet, even if only one figure is being amended. The figure or figure number of an amended drawing should not be labeled as “amended.” If a drawing figure is to be canceled, the appropriate figure must be removed from the replacement sheet, and where necessary, the remaining figures must be renumbered and appropriate changes made to the brief description of the several views of the drawings for consistency. Additional replacement sheets may be necessary to show the renumbering of the remaining figures. Each drawing sheet submitted after the filing date of an application must be labeled in the top margin as either “Replacement Sheet” or “New Sheet” pursuant to 37 CFR 1.121(d). If the changes are not accepted by the examiner, the applicant will be notified and informed of any required corrective action in the next Office action. The objection to the drawings will not be held in abeyance.
INFORMATION ON HOW TO EFFECT DRAWING CHANGES
Replacement Drawing Sheets
Drawing changes must be made by presenting replacement sheets which incorporate the desired changes and which comply with 37 CFR 1.84. An explanation of the changes made must be presented either in the drawing amendments section, or remarks, section of the amendment paper. Each drawing sheet submitted after the filing date of an application must be labeled in the top margin as either “Replacement Sheet” or “New Sheet” pursuant to 37 CFR 1.121(d). A replacement sheet must include all of the figures appearing on the immediate prior version of the sheet, even if only one figure is being amended. The figure or figure number of the amended drawing(s) must not be labeled as “amended.” If the changes to the drawing figure(s) are not accepted by the examiner, applicant will be notified of any required corrective action in the next Office action. No further drawing submission will be required, unless applicant is notified.
Identifying indicia, if provided, should include the title of the invention, inventor’s name, and application number, or docket number (if any) if an application number has not been assigned to the application. If this information is provided, it must be placed on the front of each sheet and within the top margin.
Annotated Drawing Sheets
A marked-up copy of any amended drawing figure, including annotations indicating the changes made, may be submitted or required by the examiner. The annotated drawing sheet(s) must be clearly labeled as “Annotated Sheet” and must be presented in the amendment or remarks section that explains the change(s) to the drawings.
Timing of Corrections
Applicant is required to submit acceptable corrected drawings within the time period set in the Office action. See 37 CFR 1.85(a). Failure to take corrective action within the set period will result in ABANDONMENT of the application.
If corrected drawings are required in a Notice of Allowability (PTOL-37), the new drawings MUST be filed within the THREE MONTH shortened statutory period set for reply in the “Notice of Allowability.” Extensions of time may NOT be obtained under the provisions of 37 CFR 1.136 for filing the corrected drawings after the mailing of a Notice of Allowability.
Specification
The specification is objected to because it fails to provide any description of Figures 3 and 4 and fails to provide antecedent basis for the reference characters appearing in them. See 37 CFR 1.74. Applicant is required to amend the specification to include a description of Figures 3 and 4 in both the “Brief Description of the Drawings” section and the detailed description, identifying by reference character each element shown.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 112
The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 112(b):
(b) CONCLUSION.—The specification shall conclude with one or more claims particularly pointing out and distinctly claiming the subject matter which the inventor or a joint inventor regards as the invention.
The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), second paragraph:
The specification shall conclude with one or more claims particularly pointing out and distinctly claiming the subject matter which the applicant regards as his invention.
Claims 1-5, 7, and 8 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 112(b) or 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), second paragraph, as being indefinite for failing to particularly point out and distinctly claim the subject matter which the inventor or a joint inventor (or for applications subject to pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, the applicant), regards as the invention.
Claim 1 recites “wherein the solid bowl screw centrifuge has a big pond depth”. “Big” is relative term which renders the claim indefinite. The term “big” is not defined by the claim, the specification does not provide a standard for ascertaining the requisite degree, and one of ordinary skill in the art would not be reasonably apprised of the scope of the invention, i.e., what pond depth values fall within versus outside the scope of the claim. See MPEP 2173.05(b). Claims 2-5, 7, and 8 are rejected for the same reason due to their dependency upon said claim.
The examiner suggests that this rejection could be overcome by amending claim 1 to recite the structural/functional relationship between the open wall structure and the pond depth that the specification discloses, for example, “wherein the open wall structure is configured to permit the cylindrical longitudinal portion to be immerged in a pond of a mixture to be clarified” (as disclosed in the specification as filed on page 5 line 27-29).
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 1-5, 7, and 8 would be allowable if rewritten or amended to overcome the rejection(s) under 35 U.S.C. 112(b) or 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), 2nd paragraph, set forth in this Office action, since the prior art of record, individually and in combination, fails to teach or reasonably suggest a solid bowl screw centrifuge comprising a screw hub having a cylindrical longitudinal portion with an open wall structure formed at least in sections by a plurality of web elements delimiting a plurality of openings, wherein the web elements relative to a longitudinal axis are arranged to be radially outside at the cylindrical longitudinal portion and form a circumference of the longitudinal portion, wherein two web elements each form a web pair delimiting at least one opening, wherein the two web elements of the web pair extend in the longitudinal direction and transversely to the longitudinal direction, or a first web element of the web pair respectively extends in the longitudinal direction, and a second web element of the web pair respectively extends transversely to the longitudinal direction, wherein the cylindrical longitudinal portion is designed in one piece, and wherein the solid bowl screw centrifuge has a big pond depth.
In particular, Finkelston discloses a solid, imperforate screw hub, but does not disclose an open wall structure formed by web elements. DE 575314 discloses an open latticework with elements extending longitudinally and transversely but is directed to a disc stack separator.
Bauer (U.S. Patent No. 10,583,443) discloses an analogous solid bowl screw centrifuge and screw hub, and a grid structure formed of longitudinal bars, transverse discs, and inclined struts joined by welding. Moreover, only the longitudinal bars are positioned radially outside the cylindrical longitudinal portion to form its circumference; the transvers discs are arranged in the interior of the cylindrical section.
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to SHUYI S LIU whose telephone number is (571)272-0496. The examiner can normally be reached MON - FRI 9:30AM - 2:30PM EST.
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If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Claire Wang can be reached at 571-270-1051. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/Shuyi S. Liu/Examiner, Art Unit 1774
