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 .
Summary
This is a non-final office action for application 18/108,074 filed on 13 February 2023. Claims 1-2 are currently pending in this application.
Claim Objections
Claim 2 is objected to because of the following informalities: “The system according to claim 2” should read, “The system according to claim 1”. Appropriate correction is required.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 102
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.
Claims 1-2 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Chen et al. (US-10071955-B1), hereinafter “Chen”.
Regarding Claim 1, Chen discloses a system for preparing high-purity taurine (production method of taurine; see Abstract) and salt (obtain taurine and an inorganic salt; see Col. 1 Line 61) for use in producing the taurine by an ethylene oxide synthesis method (ethylene oxide reacts; see Col. 2 Line 62), the system comprising:
(a) an addition reaction (ethylene oxide reacts with sodium bisulfite solution to generate sodium hydroxyethyl sulfonate; see Col. 2 Lines 62-63; this is an addition reaction) device (the presence of the reaction directly indicates a device that enables said reaction);
(b) an ammonolysis reaction (ammonolysis reaction is implemented; see Col. 2 Line 66) device (the presence of the reaction directly indicates a device that enables said reaction);
(c) an evaporation (discharged from the reaction solution through flash evaporation; see Col. 2 Line 67 – Col. 3 Line 1) device (the presence of the reaction directly indicates a device that enables said reaction); and
(d) a taurine salt concentrated solution collection (the liquid discharged is collected; see Col. 3 Lines 7-8) device (the presence of the reaction directly indicates a device that enables said reaction); wherein
-the ammonolysis reaction device is provided with a metal salt (sodium hydroxyethyl sulfonate obtained in S1 is mixed with ammonia to obtain a reaction solution; ammonolysis reaction is implemented in presence of a catalyst; see Col. 3 Lines 64-67) inlet (the introduction of a metal salt directly necessitates some inlet to allow for said introduction),
-the taurine salt concentrated solution collection device is connected with an ion exchange system for ion exchange (collecting opening at lower end of the acidic cation exchange resin column… liquid discharged is collected; see Col. 3 Lines 6-8),
-the ion exchange system is provided with an acid (acidic cation resin is subjected to regeneration with sulfur dioxide… sulfur dioxide aqueous solution also includes… sulfurous acid; see Col. 3 Lines 12-22) inlet (the introduction of an acid directly necessitates some inlet to allow for said introduction), an adsorption solution outlet (liquid discharged from a collecting opening at lower end of the acidic cation exchange resin column; see Col. 3 Lines 5-7; it is understood that the reaction solution being fed to the cation exchange resin column is an adsorption solution because the resin is adsorbing ions during contact, therefore the liquid discharged is adsorption solution after contact the resin column) and an eluate (eluent acquired during regeneration can be recycled; see Col. 3 Lines 14-15 and Fig. 1) outlet (the output of a solution directly necessitates some outlet to allow for said output),
-the adsorption solution outlet of the ion exchange system is connected with a taurine extraction (the material liquid collected in S3 is subjected to concentration and crystallization, separation and purification and drying to acquire solid taurine; see Col. 3 Lines 17-19) device (the presence of taurine extraction directly indicates a device that enables said extraction),
-the eluate outlet of the ion exchange system is connected with a salt extraction device (see Fig. 2 which shows the eluent (sodium bicarbonate solution) being subjected to absorption to acquire/extract a salt (sodium bisulfite)), and further wherein the ion exchange system is provided with a purified water (acidic cation resin column is washed with de-ionized water; see Col. 4 Lines 32-33) inlet (the introduction of water directly necessitates some inlet to allow for said introduction), an adsorption unit cleaning water outlet (water in the resin layer discharged at the outlet primarily; see Col. 7 Lines 15-16) and an elution unit cleaning water outlet (washing water can be mixed with the regenerated eluent; see Col. 7 Lines 36-37).
Regarding the limitations claiming that the ion exchange system is provided with an adsorption unit cleaning water outlet and an elution unit cleaning water outlet, it is clear that the prior art discloses two outlets suitable to discharge liquid. Therefore, these two outlets are structurally suitable to also discharge water. As pointed out above, the prior art indicates that water exits through both outlets. Therefore, the “adsorption solution outlet” and the “adsorption unit cleaning water outlet” are considered the same structural outlet, while the “eluate outlet” and “elution unit cleaning water outlet” are considered the same structural outlet.
Regarding Claim 2, Chen discloses the system according to claim 1, wherein the adsorption unit cleaning water outlet is connected with the taurine salt concentrated solution collection device, and the elution unit cleaning water outlet is connected with the salt extraction device. As explained in the claim 1 rejection above, the “adsorption solution outlet” and the “adsorption unit cleaning water outlet” are considered the same structural outlet, while the “eluate outlet” and “elution unit cleaning water outlet” are considered the same structural outlet. Therefore, the claimed relative connections of the adsorption solution outlet and eluate outlet, which were disclosed by Chen as described in the claim 1 rejection, mirror the claimed relative connections of the adsorption unit cleaning water outlet and elution unit cleaning water outlet. Chen discloses the relative connections of one set of outlets, as previously explained, and because the second set of outlets are the same as the first outlets, Chen naturally discloses the claimed connections of the second set of outlets as well.
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to ALYSSA LEE KUYKENDALL whose telephone number is (571)270-3806. The examiner can normally be reached Monday- Friday 9:00am-5:00pm.
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/A.L.K./Examiner, Art Unit 1774
/CLAIRE X WANG/Supervisory Patent Examiner, Art Unit 1774