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 .
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 1-17 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. Claims 1, 4, and 13 construed to be indefinite because the recitation “the second drying assembly” (singular form) lacks a positive antecedent basis. Since claims 2-17, depend upon an indefinite claim, either directly or indirectly, those claims are construed to be indefinite by dependency. Furthermore, claim 9 is construed to be indefinite because the recitation “the following steps” lacks a positive antecedent basis.
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 1-4 and 7-8 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Mardikian (US 2013/0205613). The claims are reasonably and broadly construed, in light of the accompanying specification, to be disclosed by Mardikian as teaching:
a microwave vacuum low-temperature drying machine (see title and abstract), comprising a frame and a conveyor, wherein a first side of an interior of the frame is provided with a drying chamber (figures 2, 7A), and a second side of the interior of the frame is provided with an equipment chamber 100; an inner wall of the drying chamber is provided with a vacuum pump suction port 260; the vacuum pump suction port is connected to the equipment chamber; the inner wall of the drying chamber is further provided with a drying system [0022]; the drying system comprises a first drying assembly located at upper parts of inner walls at two sides of the drying chamber, second drying assemblies respectively located at middle and lower parts of the inner walls at the two sides of the drying chamber, and a third drying assembly located between the second drying assembly at the middle parts and the second drying assembly at the lower parts; each of the first drying assembly, the second drying assemblies and the third drying assembly comprises a plurality of dryers; each of the plurality of dryers comprises a microwave power supply for emitting a microwave and a radiation port; and the radiation port is provided with a magnetron ([0023]-[0024], [0042]). Mardikian also discloses the claim 2 feature wherein the drying chamber is provided with an automatic sensing door ([0026]), the claim 3 feature wherein the equipment chamber is divided into an upper layer, a middle layer and a lower layer; the upper layer and the middle layer of the equipment chamber are provided with a cooling circulation system and a vacuum pump; the vacuum pump is connected to the vacuum pump suction port; the lower layer of the equipment chamber is provided with a drainage system; the cooling circulation system and the drainage system are connected to the drying chamber; and the cooling circulation system is connected to the first drying assembly, the second drying assemblies and the third drying assembly, respectively (figures 1A, 2, 7A), the claim 4 feature wherein a distance between the dryers in the second drying assembly is greater than a distance between the dryers in the third drying assembly (figures 1A, 2, 3), the claim 7 feature wherein temperature sensors are provided on a top and the inner walls at the two sides of the drying chamber ([0025]), and the claim 8 feature wherein a weighing system is provided in the frame ([0026] wherein the disclosed sensed waste teaching meets the claimed weighing system because both use gravitational weight to provide input for a feature used in the claimed system to give a status or function.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 103
The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 103 which forms the basis for all obviousness rejections set forth in this Office action:
A patent for a claimed invention may not be obtained, notwithstanding that the claimed invention is not identically disclosed as set forth in section 102, if the differences between the claimed invention and the prior art are such that the claimed invention as a whole would have been obvious before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to a person having ordinary skill in the art to which the claimed invention pertains. Patentability shall not be negated by the manner in which the invention was made.
Claims 5-6 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Mardikian. Mardikian discloses the claimed invention, as rejected above, except for the recited pallet and silencer. It would have been an obvious matter of design choice to recite those features since the teachings of Mardikian would perform the claimed invention regardless of those features and applicant has not claimed or specified the criticality of those features as being necessary or patentability.
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 9-17 are objected to as being dependent upon a rejected base claim, but would be allowable if rewritten in independent form including all of the limitations of the base claim and any intervening claims.
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure. Other prior art references cited with this application, may teach one or more claim features, but do not rise to a level of anticipation, obviousness, and/or double patenting such that a rejection would be proper or reasonable under current Office practice and procedure. References A, N, cited with this action, are patent publications from the same inventive entity as the current application. References B, C, D, E, F, G, h, I, J, K, L, cited with this action teach drying systems.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to STEPHEN MICHAEL GRAVINI whose telephone number is (571)272-4875. The examiner can normally be reached M-Th 5:30 am to 5:00 (mid day flex) first F 6:00 am t0 11:00 am.
Examiner interviews are available via telephone, in-person, and video conferencing using a USPTO supplied web-based collaboration tool. To schedule an interview, applicant is encouraged to use the USPTO Automated Interview Request (AIR) at http://www.uspto.gov/interviewpractice.
If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Craig Schneider can be reached at 571 272 3607. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
Information regarding the status of published or unpublished applications may be obtained from Patent Center. Unpublished application information in Patent Center is available to registered users. To file and manage patent submissions in Patent Center, visit: https://patentcenter.uspto.gov. Visit https://www.uspto.gov/patents/apply/patent-center for more information about Patent Center and https://www.uspto.gov/patents/docx for information about filing in DOCX format. For additional questions, contact the Electronic Business Center (EBC) at 866-217-9197 (toll-free). If you would like assistance from a USPTO Customer Service Representative, call 800-786-9199 (IN USA OR CANADA) or 571-272-1000.
Wednesday, January 14, 2026
/STEPHEN M GRAVINI/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3753
Prosecution Insights