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 .
Response to Arguments
In light of amendments to claims 16, 18, 23, and 26-27, the objection to claims 16, 18, 23, and 26-27 has been withdrawn. In light of amendments to claim 16, the rejection of claims 17-24 and 26-27 under 35 USC § 112 has been withdrawn.
Applicant asserts examiner has not identified any teaching, suggestion, motivation, design need, known problem, or predictable result that would have led a person having ordinary skill in the art to arrive at the claimed invention, pages 6-7, filed January 22, 2026. Respectfully, the examiner disagrees. The word hydrophilic is defined as water loving; therefore, the limitation “a hydrophilic surface” would be interpreted as a water loving surface by a person of ordinary skill in the art. Accordingly, a person having ordinary skill in the art would have found an improvement for the collection efficiency of at least one grounded droplet collector having a hydrophilic surface to be a predictable result for the apparatus disclosed by the prior art references since this result may be reasoned from knowledge generally available to one of ordinary skill in the art. See MPEP § 2144(I). Also, see evidentiary reference US 20140260972 A1 at par [0098] (“…coated with a hydrophilic material…for the purpose of increasing the efficiency of collecting charged dust particles”). The claim are addressed here within.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 103
In the event the determination of the status of the application as subject to AIA 35 U.S.C. 102 and 103 (or as subject to pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 102 and 103) is incorrect, any correction of the statutory basis (i.e., changing from AIA to pre-AIA ) for the rejection will not be considered a new ground of rejection if the prior art relied upon, and the rationale supporting the rejection, would be the same under either status.
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) 16-22, 24, 26, and 28 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over DE ‘690 (DE 2533690 A1) in view of Pilat (GB 1523142 A)
Regarding claim 16, as interpreted, DE ‘690 discloses an apparatus (Fig. 3; “Figure 3 shows an electrostatic scrubber similar to Figure 2…with the contaminated gases flowing in the opposite direction to that of the cleansing liquid sprays”) for electrostatic deactivation and removal of hazardous aerosols from air, said apparatus comprising
an ionization zone (see Fig. 3) comprising at least one emitter electrode of corona discharge (corona discharge aerosol particle charger 36), configured to charge aerosols contained in a stream of supplied air and to obtain the charged aerosols having negative ions,
a spraying zone (see Fig. 3) arranged above the ionization zone, comprising
at least one electro-spraying electrode (Fig. 3; “The cleansing liquid enters through pipes 44 and continues on to the spray nozzles 46…inserted into the pipes 44 are insulated high voltage leads 48, from a power supply 38”), configured to generate positively charged droplets (“The cleaning liquid is directed downwardly via pipes 44, then charged at the uncovered ends of high voltage leads 48, and thereafter emitted through the spray nozzles 46 as electrostatically positively charged droplets”) and to absorb said charged aerosols by contacting said charged aerosols with said generated positively charged droplets (“The charged aerosol particles are collected upon the surfaces charged to the opposite polarity, which are the surfaces on either or both of the liquid droplets or the bubble. Aerosol particle collection will occur upon both the inside and outside surfaces of the respective bubbles.”),
a high-voltage circuit configured to provide directly charged liquid (Fig. 3; “…gases pass through an aerosol particle charger 36 which utilizes a high voltage power supply 38 creating direct current used in a selected electrostatic charger configuration…aerosol particles, are negatively charged…”) and comprising a high-voltage direct current source having positive polarity (38 at right side of Fig. 3) and a high-voltage direct current source having negative polarity (38 at left side of Fig. 3),
wherein the high-voltage direct current source having positive polarity is connected to the at least one electro-spraying electrode (Fig. 3; “The cleansing liquid enters through pipes 44 and continues on to the spray nozzles 46…inserted into the pipes 44 are insulated high voltage leads 48, from a power supply 38”), and the high-voltage direct current source having negative polarity is connected to the at least one emitter electrode of corona discharge (corona discharge aerosol particle charger 36 in Fig. 3).
Each of DE ‘690 and Pilat does not appear to disclose at least one liquid regenerative system. However, it would have been obvious for one of ordinary skill in the art at the effective filing date of the current invention to include a regenerative system for the apparatus in order to recycle liquid to reduce operational expenses. See evidentiary reference US 4204844 A (col. 5. ll. 15-33). The primary reference DE ‘690 does not appear to disclose a grounded circuit comprising a collection device. Pilat is analogous art (p. 1, ll. 57-65) and does teach a grounded circuit comprising a collection device; whereas, the collection device is interpreted as non-discharge electrode, and therefore is connected to ground (p. 5, ll. 60-62).
a grounded circuit (p. 5, ll. 60-62) configured to provide electrically grounded liquid (Figs. 6-9) and comprising a collection device (Fig. 3) for collecting said negative air ions and said absorbed aerosols from said spraying zone, wherein the collection device further comprises at least one grounded droplet collector (a non-discharge electrode, p. 5, ll. 60-62),
wherein the at least one grounded droplet collector (Fig. 3) is configured to accommodate the ionization zone and the spraying zone (whereas Fig. 3 is similar to Fig. 2 but with the contaminated gases flowing in the opposite direction), so that the high-voltage circuit comprising the directly charged liquid is separated from the grounded circuit comprising the electrically grounded liquid during an operational sequence of the apparatus (Figs. 6-9; p. 2, ll. 15-32; illustrates a non-discharging electrode that is grounded),
Furthermore, the prior art references disclose said at least one grounded droplet collector but do not explicitly disclose a hydrophilic surface for said at least one grounded droplet collector. Nonetheless, since water is a liquid and the apparatus utilizes said charge liquid, it would have been obvious for one of ordinary skill in the art at the effective filing date of the current invention to have a hydrophilic surface of the at least one grounded droplet collector for collection efficiency with a reasonable expectation of success.
The teaching of the prior art is relied upon as set forth above for claims 17-22, 24-26, and 28 that follow:
Regarding claim 17, each of DE ‘690 and Pilat discloses wherein said ionization zone further comprises at least one air inlet for guiding said stream of supplied air past said emitter electrode of corona discharge (Figs. 2, 3).
Regarding claim 18, the teaching of the prior art is relied upon as set forth above and teaches said aerosols are charged in said ionization zone. The prior are does not appear to teach a time period of less than 1 second in air flow volumes starting from 50 cubic meters per hour (m3/h). However, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art at the effective filing date of the current invention select the material to optimize air flow volumes starting from 50 cubic meters per hour (m3/h) to control the delivery rate designed for the efficacy of the apparatus since it has been held that discovering an optimum value of a result effective variable like the volumetric flow rate involves only routine skill in the art.
Regarding claim 19, each of DE ‘690 and Pilat discloses the at least one electro-spraying electrode is configured to eject droplets in at least one direction across said stream of supplied air (Figs. 3, 6-9).
Regarding claim 20, each of DE ‘690 and Pilat discloses said spraying zone further comprises at least one air outlet (Fig. 3).
Regarding claim 21, each of DE ‘690 and Pilat discloses the at least one grounded droplet collector is configured to be in the form of two opposed walls or a surrounding cylinder (Fig. 3 illustrates two opposed chamber walls).
Regarding claim 22, each of DE ‘690 and Pilat discloses said collection device further comprises an ion collector electrode which is disposed between said ionization zone and said spraying zone (Fig. 2, whereas Fig. 3 is similar to Fig. 2 but with the contaminated gases flowing in the opposite direction).
Regarding claim 24, each of DE ‘690 and Pilat discloses said air outlet includes at least one exhaust fan (p. 3, l. 95).
Regarding claim 26, the prior art references disclose said at least one grounded droplet collector extends over the spraying zone and the ionization zone (Fig. 3).
Regarding claim 28, the combined teaching of DE ‘690 and Pilat as relied upon above sets forth at least one liquid regenerative system. Regarding the series of pumps and valves, at least one collection, sedimentation, and storage tanks for the at least one liquid regenerative system, these elements are known unit operational devices used to maintain fluid flow and direction of flow of fluid (or liquid) for unit operational systems, like the apparatus of the current invention, that would be obvious for one of ordinary skill in the art at the effective filing date of the current invention to utilize these known unit operation devices to recycle the liquid of a regenerative system with these devices. See evidentiary reference US 4204844 A (col. 5. ll. 15-33).
Claim(s) 23 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over DE ‘690 (DE 2533690 A) and Pilat (GB 1523142 A) taken with DE ‘233 (DE 2632233).
For claim 23, the teaching of the prior art is relied upon as set forth above but does not appear to teach said air inlet includes at least one suction fan. Prior art DE ‘233 discloses an air inlet includes at least one suction fan (Fig. 10). It would have been obvious for one of ordinary skill in the art at the effective filing date of the current invention to include the suction fan of DE ‘233 to control the inlet flow rate of the air stream.
Claim(s) 27 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over DE ‘690 (DE 2533690 A) and Pilat (GB 1523142 A) taken Bodo (US 3690043 A).
For claim 27, the teaching of the prior art is relied upon as set forth above but does not appear to teach said electro-spraying electrode has a shape of a perforated pipe. Bodo discloses said electro-spraying electrode that has a shape of a perforated pipe (col. 1, 9-15). It would have been obvious for one of ordinary skill in the art at the effective filing date of the current invention to substitute the teaching of Bodo for the electro-spraying electrode of the prior art as art-recognized equivalents (see MPEP § 2144.06). Regarding said electro-spraying electrode arranged parallel to said grounded droplet collector, this arrangement is considered location of parts. It would have been obvious for one of ordinary skill in the art at the effective filing date of the current invention to locate said electro-spraying electrode arranged parallel to said grounded droplet collector, since it has been held that rearranging parts of an invention involves only routine skill in the art and relocating would not have changed the function of said electro-spraying electrode arranged parallel to said grounded droplet collector. See MPEP § 2144.04(VI-C).
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 SONJI TURNER whose telephone number is (571)272-1203. The examiner can normally be reached Monday - Friday, 10:00 am - 2:00 pm (EST).
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If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Jennifer Dieterle can be reached at (571) 270-7872. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/SONJI TURNER/Examiner, Art Unit 1776 May 15, 2026
/Jennifer Dieterle/Supervisory Patent Examiner, Art Unit 1776
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