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 .
Election/Restrictions
Claims 1-3 and 5-15 are withdrawn from further consideration pursuant to 37 CFR 1.142(b) as being drawn to a nonelected Invention, there being no allowable generic or linking claim. Election was made without traverse in the reply filed on 11/25/2025.
Status of the Claims
The status of the games as filed in the replied dated 11/25/2025 are as follows:
Claims 1-3 and 5-15 are withdrawn,
Claims 4, 16-17, 20-26, 29-30, and 32-33 are cancelled,
Claims 1-3, 5-15, 18-19, 27-28, 31, and 34 are currently pending.
Claim Objections
Claim 28 is objected to because of the following informalities:
Claim 28, line 5 recites “a first conduit section a second conduit section” and should recite --a first conduit section and a second conduit section--.
Claim 28, line 8 recites “a third conduit section a fourth conduit section” and should recite --a third conduit section and a fourth conduit section--.
--- Appropriate correction is required.
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.
Claim(s) 18-19, 27-28, 31, and 34 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Yamamoto et al. (U.S. Patent No. 5,527,516, “Yamamoto”) in view Reddy et al. (U.S. Patent Publication No. 2010/0150775, “Reddy”).
Regarding claim 18, Yamamoto discloses a processing system, comprising: a working fluid supply (fig 1 and fig 2);
a heat exchanger (7) comprising a heat exchanger inlet and a heat exchanger outlet (fig 1);
a pressure vessel (1); and
an injection manifold (13, 14, 15, 16, 17) disposed in said pressure vessel and fluidly connected with said heat exchanger outlet (fig 1), wherein said injection manifold comprises a first orifice (of 13, see annotated fig 2 below) and a second orifice (of 13, see annotated fig 2 below) that are oriented such that a first flow of working fluid out of said first orifice intersects with a second flow of said working fluid out of said second orifice (as some spray would intersect, see annotated fig 2 below).
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However, Yamamoto does not explicitly disclose a compressor comprising a compressor inlet and a compressor outlet, wherein said compressor inlet is fluidly connected with said working fluid supply, said heat exchanger inlet is fluidly connected with said compressor outlet. Reddy, however, discloses a processing system (fig 5, fig 6) having a compressor (82, see ¶0062) comprising a compressor inlet (146) and a compressor outlet (158), wherein said compressor inlet is fluidly connected with a working fluid supply (fig 6), a heat exchanger inlet (of 102) is fluidly connected with said compressor outlet (fig 2). Reddy teaches that this configuration provides more efficient heating and operation of a coolant loop (¶0062). It would have been obvious to a person of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing for Yamamoto to provide the compressor of Reddy in place of pump 6 in order to provide more efficient heating and operation of a coolant loop.
Regarding claim 19, the combination of Yamamoto and Reddy discloses all previous claim limitations. Yamamoto further discloses a payload (3) in said pressure vessel (1).
Regarding claim 27, the combination of Yamamoto and Reddy discloses all previous claim limitations. Yamamoto further discloses wherein said injection manifold (13, 14, 15, 16, 17) comprises a first flowpath (see annotated fig 1 and fig 2 below) extending from a first location (see annotated fig 1 below) to said first orifice (see annotated fig 2 below) and a second flowpath (see annotated fig 2 below) extending from said first location to said second orifice;
wherein said first flowpath comprises at least one turn from between said first location and said first orifice (see fig 1 and fig 2); and
wherein said second flowpath comprises at least one turn between said first location and said second orifice (see fig 1 and fig 2).
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Regarding claim 28, the combination of Yamamoto and Reddy discloses all previous claim limitations. Yamamoto further discloses wherein said injection manifold (13, 14, 15, 16, 17) comprises a first flowpath (see annotated fig 2 above) extending from a first location (16) to said first orifice (of 13, see annotated fig 2 above) and a second flowpath (see annotated fig 2 above) extending from said first location to said second orifice (of 13, see annotated fig 2 above);
wherein said first flowpath comprises a first conduit section (see annotated fig 1 below) and a second conduit section (13), wherein said second conduit section is disposed between said first orifice (see annotated fig 2 below) and said first conduit section;
wherein said second flowpath comprises a third conduit section (see annotated fig 1 below) and a fourth conduit section, wherein said fourth conduit section (13) is disposed between said second orifice (see annotated fig 2 below) and said third conduit section;
wherein said first conduit section and said third conduit section are oriented so that a flow through said first conduit section and a flow through said third conduit section proceed away from a reference plane (see annotated fig 1 below) in opposite directions, and wherein a flow through said second conduit section and a flow through said fourth conduit section proceed back toward said reference plane;
wherein a free end of said second conduit section comprises said first orifice (see annotated fig 2 below), a free end of said fourth conduit section comprises said second orifice (see annotated fig 2 below), and said first orifice and said second orifice are disposed on opposite sides of said reference plane and in spaced relation to one another (see annotated fig 2 below).
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Regarding claim 31, the combination of Yamamoto and Reddy discloses all previous claim limitations. Yamamoto further discloses wherein said injection manifold (13, 14, 15, 16, 17) comprises a first flowpath extending from a first location (see annotated fig 1 below) to said first orifice (see annotated fig 2 below) and a second flowpath extending from said first location to said second orifice (see annotated fig 2 below); wherein said first flowpath turns through an angle of at least 180° proceeding from said first location to said first orifice (see annotated fig 2 below); wherein said second flowpath turns through an angle of at least 180° proceeding from said first location and said second orifice (see annotated fig 2 below).
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Regarding claim 34, the combination of Yamamoto and Reddy discloses all previous claim limitations. Yamamoto further discloses a plurality of said injection manifolds (13, 14, 15, 16, 17, as shown in figure 3) disposed within said pressure vessel (1) and disposed along a common flowpath (of the pressure vessel).
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to HARRY E ARANT whose telephone number is (571)272-1105. The examiner can normally be reached Monday-Friday 10-6 ET.
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/HARRY E ARANT/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3763