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Claims 7-13 and 16-20 are withdrawn from further consideration pursuant to 37 CFR 1.142(b), as being drawn to nonelected group, there being no allowable generic or linking claim. Applicant timely traversed the restriction (election) requirement of claim 6 in the reply filed on 2-10-2026. After further consideration of applicant’s response to the unity of invention of clam 1 and claim 6, Examiner has dropped the restriction requirement for claim 6 and therefore claim 6 is included as part of the current office action.
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 1-5, 14,15 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being clearly anticipated by Chinese reference(CN1488419A).
Chinese reference in figure 1 teaches a gas liquid separation device that separates gas and liquid from a gas-liquid multiphase fluid comprising a hydrophobic enclosure(storage chamber 3) for the gas-liquid multiphase fluid formed by a hydrophobic membrane(hydrophobic membrane 2) that allows only the gas in the gas-liquid multiphase fluid to pass through, and a supply channel(inlet pipe 61 leading to gas-liquid mixing inlet 6) that supplies the gas-liquid multiphase fluid to the hydrophobic enclosure (noting para 0025 stating “the gas-liquid mixture flowing into the storage chamber 3, due to the action of the hydrophobic membrane, the gas in it passes through the hydrophobic membrane 2 into the gas collection chamber 1 and is discharged through the exhaust pipe 11”).
With regards to claim 2 , Chinese reference further teaches a hydrophilic enclosure(storage chamber 3) for the gas-liquid multiphase fluid formed by a hydrophilic membrane(hydrophilic membrane 4) that allows only the liquid in the gas-liquid multiphase fluid supplied by the supply channel to pass through (noting para 0025 stating “while the liquid with the gas removed flows through the hydrophilic membrane and is discharged from the drain pipe 51”).
With regards to claim 3 , Chinese reference further teaches wherein the hydrophobic membrane(2) and the hydrophilic membrane(4) are formed in sheet -shape (para 0025 stating “the hydrophobic membrane 2 is a planar fiber hydrophobic membrane made of polyvinylidene” ; “ the hydrophilic membrane 4 is a planar fiber hydrophilic membrane made of cellulose diacetate” ) and are disposed facing each other and separated from each other(facing and separated relationship shown in figure 1), and the supply channel is defined between the hydrophobic membrane and the hydrophilic membrane(noting relationship of gas-liquid mixing inlet 6 between hydrophobic membrane(2) and hydrophilic membrane (4)) in figure 1.
With regards to claims 4 and 14 , Chinese reference further teaches wherein a separation distance between the hydrophobic membrane(2) and the hydrophilic membrane(4) is based on bubble sizes of the gas in the gas-liquid multiphase fluid (Examiner notes gas collection chamber(1) downstream of hydrophobic membrane provides for a collection of gas upstream of exhaust pipe 11, and liquid collection chamber downstream of hydrophilic membrane provides for a liquid upstream of drain pipe 51, therefore in order to achieve the predetermined separation of gas within gas collection chamber(1) from the gas-liquid mixture, a separation distance between the hydrophobic membrane and the hydrophilic membrane is inherently based on bubble sizes of the gas in the gas-liquid multiphase fluid.
With regards to claim 5 and 15 , Chinese reference further teaches wherein a separation distance between the hydrophobic membrane(2) and the hydrophilic membrane(4) is based on droplet sizes of the liquid in the gas-liquid multiphase fluid (Examiner notes gas collection chamber(1) downstream of hydrophobic membrane provides for a collection of gas upstream of exhaust pipe 11, and liquid collection chamber downstream of hydrophilic membrane provides for a liquid upstream of drain pipe 51, therefore in order to achieve the predetermined separation of liquid within liquid collection chamber(5) from the gas-liquid mixture, a separation distance between the hydrophobic membrane and the hydrophilic membrane is inherently based on droplet sizes of the liquid in the gas-liquid multiphase fluid.
Claim 6 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being clearly anticipated by Chinese reference(CN1488419A).
Chinese reference in figure 1 teaches a gas liquid separation method for separating liquid and gas from a gas-liquid multiphase fluid comprising allowing only the gas in the gas-liquid multiphase fluid to pass through using a hydrophobic membrane(hydrophobic membrane 2) that allows only the gas in the gas-liquid multiphase fluid to pass through(noting para 0025 stating “the gas-liquid mixture flowing into the storage chamber 3, due to the action of the hydrophobic membrane, the gas in it passes through the hydrophobic membrane 2 into the gas collection chamber 1 and is discharged through the exhaust pipe 11”) , and guiding the gas that has passed through(gas transported downstream from hydrophobic membrane (2) to exhaust pipe(11)).
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to ROBERT A HOPKINS whose telephone number is (571)272-1159. The examiner can normally be reached Mon-Thurs 6am-4pm.
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/ROBERT A HOPKINS/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 1776
March 11, 2026
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