DETAILED ACTION
This communication is a first office action on the merits. All currently pending claims have been considered below. The present application, filed on or after March 16, 2013, is being examined under the first inventor to file provisions of the AIA . The present application, filed on or after March 16, 2013, is being examined under the first inventor to file provisions of the AIA .
Drawings
The drawings are objected to under 37 CFR 1.83(a). The drawings must show every feature of the invention specified in the claims. Therefore, the following must be shown or the feature(s) canceled from the claim(s). No new matter should be entered.
The "curved shape outwards" of the "upper end" of the "outer tube" as recited in claim 18 and discussed in ¶ 54 is not shown.
The "conical part which is curved inwards" of the "outer tube" as recited in claim 19 and discussed in ¶ 55 is not shown.
The "plurality of centralizers" of claim 21 are not shown.
The two variations of claim 29 are not shown. "Figure 6 represents the electrical supply diagram of the heating installation according to the arrangement described in relation to Figure 5" (present ¶ 63), and can only reasonably depict one of the two variations of claim 29. This is also discussed in the 112(b) rejections below.
The drawings are objected to as failing to comply with 37 CFR 1.84(p)(5) because they do not include the following reference sign(s) mentioned in the description: element number 10A, as used in ¶ 54, is not the drawings.
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.
Claim Objections
Claim 17 is objected to because of the following informalities:
Claim 17 recites "the inner tube of the pipeline section opens at an upper end inside the outer tube at an end segment thereof which is devoid of induction heating". However parent claim 16 already recites "the inner tube opening at an upper end inside the outer tube". The examiner respectfully suggests claim 17 be amended to read "the open upper end of the inner tube comprise an end segment which is devoid of induction heating" or some grammatical variation thereof.
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.
Claim 16-30 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 112(b) as being indefinite for failing to particularly point out and distinctly claim the subject matter which the inventor or a joint inventor, regards as the invention.
Independent claim 16 recites "a thermal insulation layer disposed around the outer tube, and a system for heating by induction the outer tube disposed around the thermal insulation layer". The emphasized sections appear to contradict each other, or at least are unclearly recited. If the second "disposed around the thermal insulation layer" is intended to be directed to the "system for heating" as opposed to "the outer tube", the examiner suggests the phrase be amended to read "a thermal insulation layer disposed around the outer tube, and a system disposed around the thermal insulation layer for heating by induction the outer tube Claims 17-29 depend from claim 16.
Claim 20 recites "the passage section of the annular space is substantially equal to the passage section of the inner tube". Both "passage section" recitations lack antecedent basis in the parent claims, thus making it unclear if Applicant is attempting to reference a previous feature using changing nomenclature of if Applicant is attempting to require a new feature using unclear antecedent phrasing.
The examiner also respectfully asserts that "substantially equal to" is indefinite as used here. What is "equal" about them? Looking at the figures they are, self-evidently, not "equal" in several ways, including radial dimensions, length, cross-sectional shape, cross-sectional area, etc.
Claim 29 recites "the pipeline sections of all the bundles are arranged inside the same parallelpiped volume in several distinct groups of pipeline sections correspond to the different bundles or in an interlocked disposition of the pipeline sections of the different bundles".
First, as similarly discussed in the drawing objections above, this does not appear to be depicted in the drawings. Present figures 5 & 6 show "two distinct bundles F1, F2" but figures 5 & 6 are directed to the same embodiment ("Figure 6 represents the electrical supply diagram of the heating installation according to the arrangement described in relation to Figure 5" - present ¶ 63). It is unclear in light of the specification how or if the "arrangements" of claim 29 differ from each other, and which one is depicted by figures 5 & 6.
Independent claim 30 is a method and recites "…with the application of an induction heating of the outer tube of the pipeline section". The examiner respectfully asserts that this phrasing is worded more as functional / intended use, rather than a clear method step, thus making it unclear if a step of "induction heating" is actually required by the method. The examiner respectfully suggests this be amended to read "…while induction heating is applied to the outer tube during the circulation and counter-current circulation", or some grammatical variation thereof.
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 16-30 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.
The following is a statement of reasons for the indication of allowable subject matter:
As similarly found the International Search Report, the examiner has not identified prior art which reads on independent claims 16 & 30. Specifically the "vertical direction" orientation of an "outer tube disposed around [an] inner tube while being coaxial therewith", heated by "induction", and the "multiphase effluent" circulation flowing "from bottom to top in an annular space delimited between" them and the flow entering "the inner tube opening in an upper end inside the outer tube and emerging at a lower end towards a discharge outlet" so as to "allow counter-current circulation of the multiphase effluent from top to bottom inside the inner tube".
US 2011/0192604 teaches dual walled pipe assembly with annular circulation (fig 1b) that may be multiphase (¶ 114), with the outer tube being heated by induction heating (¶ 2). However, this is the opposite circulation as claimed in the present methods (down the annulus and up the inner pipe - fig 1D). Further, this is not expressly for "subsea" (feature 38 in fig 2 is a "non-production portion of the formation" (¶ 118). Also, the fluid circulating is drilling mud, which is, arguably, not an "effluent" as currently claimed (i.e. a production fluid from a fluid reservoir source).
US 3,191,671 teaches a pipeline heating system but in an entirely different manner and structure than as presently claimed.
US 2021/0180436 teaches a method for heating a two-phase effluent circulating inside a subsea casing (title), but does not have the annular flow or "counter-current circulation" as presently claimed.
US 2021/0301964 teaches a method of heating a double-walled pipe for transporting fluid (title) but does not teach annular and counter-current circulation as claimed.
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to Blake Michener whose telephone number is (571)270-5736. The examiner can normally be reached Approximately 9:00am to 6:00pm CT.
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If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Tara Schimpf can be reached at 571.270.7741. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/BLAKE MICHENER/
Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3676
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