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 .
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.
Claim 1 and dependents thereof, 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: “a bottom of the sand core funnel” lacks antecedent basis in the claim. The claim does not previously recite a “sand core funnel”.
Claim 1 now recites “subjecting the pH-adjusted aqueous solution of the amino graphene quantum dots and the polyacyl chloride organic solution to an interfacial polymerization reaction”. This new limitation is indefinite as it is unclear what method step “subjecting” a solution to an “interfacial polymerization reaction”, that is what are the parameters of “subjecting” and the “reaction.
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 1-8 are allowed. As allowable subject matter has been indicated, applicant's reply must either comply with all formal requirements or specifically traverse each requirement not complied with. See 37 CFR 1.111(b) and MPEP § 707.07(a).
The following is a statement of reasons for the indication of allowable subject matter: a comprehensive search of the claims was completed.
The closest prior art is to Hegab et al. (Hegab et al., A Novel Fabrication Approach for Multifunctional Graphene based Thin Film Nano-composite Membranes with Enhanced Desalination and Antibacterial Characteristics, Published online 8/8/2017, Scientific Reports | 7: 7490 | DOI:10.1038/s41598-017-07531-y, PDF provided in file) and to US Pub. No. 2018/0207591 to Yu et al. titled “Thin Film Composites Having Graphene Oxide Quantum Dots”.
Hegab et al. teach a method of forming a graphene-based thin film nano-composite membranes for use in liquid separation and purification (title). The method comprises dispersing graphene oxide (GO) nanosheets in water and coating the GO with tannic acid cross-linked with polyethyleneimine (polyamine) to form a functionalized nanosheet (page 7, “Preparation…”). The functionalized nanosheet is then sonicated and exposed to a polyacyl chloride (i.e. trimesoyl chloride, i.e. TMC) to create a thin polyamide (PA) layer (Page 7, “Preparation…”). The membrane having the think PA layer is heated and rinsed with DI water and then cooled to form a membrane.
However, Hegab et al. do not teach the specifics recited in the instant claim including dispersing graphene oxide in distilled water by ultrasonic shaking and then adding ammonia water. They do not teach adding the mixture of GO and ammonia water to a reaction kettle and heating in a muffle furnace then filtering, distilling at a reduced pressure, freeze drying, a secondary dissolution, filtering and freeze drying. They also do not teach the step (2) wherein a membrane is inserted into a sand core funnel, pH adjusting of the amino graphene dot solution, and interfacial polymerization by way of polyacyl chloride in a sand core funnel. They also do not teach the injection of a polyamine, encapsulating, removing aqueous and organic phases, loading the porous graphene/polyamide separation layer onto the modified substrate membrane, and a final heating step.
US Pub. No. 2018/0207591 to Yu et al. titled “Thin Film Composites Having Graphene Oxide Quantum Dots” which teaches a method of fabricating a thin film composite membrane including nitrogen-doped graphene oxide quantum dots [N-GOQD] for use in desalination (abstract). The N-GOQDs are produced by mixing the GOQDs with ammonia followed by heating, filtration, and separation [0035]. To apply the N-GOQDs to a substrate membrane, the substrate membrane is immersed in an aqueous solution of the N-GOQD and m-phenylenediamine (MPD) [0037].
Yu et al. do not teach that the N-GOQDs are mixed with polyacyl chloride and applied to the substrate membrane.
Rather, Yu et al. teach that the substrate membrane is prepared prior to introduction to the N-GOQDs [0036] wherein the substrate membrane is soaked in TMC (i.e. a polyacyl chloride), removed from the solution, and washed prior to introducing the N-GOQDs in the polyamine [0037].
Yu et al. do not teach many of the other claimed limitations including a reaction kettle, a muffle furnace, freeze drying, pH adjustment, use of a sand core funnel, encapsulating, removing a final aqueous and organic phase, and loading steps.
Other notable prior art include:
US Pub. No. 2017/0144107 to Garaj et al. titled “Graphene-based Membrane and Method of Preparation thereof” which discloses a method of making a multi-layer graphene-based membrane (abstract).
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 ALLISON FITZSIMMONS whose telephone number is (571)270-1767. The examiner can normally be reached M-F 9:30 am - 2:00 pm.
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/ALLISON G FITZSIMMONS/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 1773
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