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 . 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 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.
DETAILED NON-FINAL ACTION
This is the initial Office Action (OA), on the merits, based on the 18/196,885 application filed on May 12, 2023. Claims 1-9 are pending and have been fully considered. The examined claims are directed to an apparatus.
Information Disclosure Statement
The Examiner has considered the information disclosure statements (IDS) submitted on 05/23/2024. Please refer to the signed copy of the PTO-1449 form attached herewith.
Claim Objections
Claims 1-9 are objected to because of the following informalities: The comma after “a first” and “a second” and “the first and “the second,” in claims 1 and 4 respectively, appears unnecessary. Based on the structural elements and the below claim formatting, the underlined ‘and’ in the below portion of claim 1 may be unnecessary since an ‘and’ is properly placed before the last structural element:
“a liquid inlet into the interior space of the inner drum screen, defining a liquid flow path outward through the inner drum screen and into an interior annular space of the outer drum screen, such that liquid flows first through the inner drum screen and then outward through the outer drum screen, and
a debris removal system including water spray external to each drum screen and directed inwardly toward the screens, and
a collection hopper in the interior of each drum screen positioned to collect debris falling off the screens as induced by the water spray.”
In claims 2 and 3, the language “with opening size of about 6 mm” and “with opening size of about 0.5 mm” is awkward or unclear. Perhaps this can be replaced with “. . .has openings of about 6 mm” and “has openings of about 0.5 mm”?
Claim 2-9 depend on claim 1
Appropriate correction is required.
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 1-9 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 pre-AIA the applicant regards as the invention.
Claim 1 follows, with the underlined portions either causing or intended to assist in an understanding of the indefiniteness rejection.
Claim 1: A concentric dual drum screen filtration assembly, comprising:
two concentric cylindrical drum screens, including a first, inner drum screen within a second, outer drum screen,
a common substantially horizontal support shaft connected to both the drum screens and supporting the drum screens for concentric rotation about a substantially horizontal axis,
the inner screen being of a first screen mesh size, and the outer screen being of a second screen mesh size smaller than the first screen mesh size,
a liquid inlet into the interior space of the inner drum screen, defining a liquid flow path outward through the inner drum screen and into an interior annular space of the outer drum screen, such that liquid flows first through the inner drum screen and then outward through the outer drum screen, and
a debris removal system including water spray external to each drum screen and directed inwardly toward the screens, and
a collection hopper in the interior of each drum screen positioned to collect debris falling off the screens as induced by the water spray.
There is insufficient antecedent basis for the limitations "the inner screen," “the outer screen,” and “the interior space” in the claim.
Since an annular space is typically defined as a space between two structures, the meaning of “an interior annular space of the outer drum screen” is unclear.
Since this is an apparatus claim, the meaning of “including water spray external to each drum screen and directed inwardly toward the screens” is unclear. Water spray is considered a material worked upon or working upon the apparatus rather than a structural component of the apparatus. It thus appears that a critical element, a sprayer or set of sprayers configured to spray water external to each drum screen and direct the water inwardly toward the screens, as defined in Applicant’s specification, rather than ‘water spray,’ is missing from the claim.
In claims 2 and 3, the language “the first screen mesh size with opening size of about 6 mm” and “the second screen mesh size with opening size of about 0.5 mm” is unclear.
Claim 8 recites “ . . .wherein during operation of the assembly the outer drum has a wetted area about 1.67 times the wetted area of the inner drum,” but it is unclear how to accomplish this feature as a structural component of an apparatus, particularly when the wetted area depends on a liquid material worked upon by the apparatus.
Claims 2-9 depend on claim 1.
Conclusion
Examiner did not apply prior art at this time. The closest relevant prior art of record is included in Applicant’s IDS.
Electronic Inquiries
Any inquiry concerning this communication or an earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to Hayden Brewster whose telephone number is (571) 270-1065. The examiner can normally be reached M-Th 9 AM - 4 PM.
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/HAYDEN BREWSTER/Examiner, AU 1779