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 Objections
Claim 13 is objected to because of the following informalities: Claim 13 recites “comprising a one or more carbon separation units” in Lines 1-2. The inclusion of the word “a” before “one or more” is extraneous and should be removed. Appropriate correction is required.
Election/Restrictions
Claims 1-6 are withdrawn from further consideration pursuant to 37 CFR 1.142(b), as being drawn to a nonelected process, there being no allowable generic or linking claim. Applicant timely traversed the restriction (election) requirement in the reply filed on 11/11/2025.
Applicant's election with traverse of Group II Claims 7-15 in the reply filed on 11/11/2025 is acknowledged. The traversal is on the ground(s) that Claim 7 has been amended to recite that hydrogen-rich gas is introduced into the system of Claims 7-15. This is not found persuasive because the introduction of hydrogen-rich reducing gas into the system of Claims 7-15 is an intended use. It remains that Groups I and II share a technical feature.
The requirement is still deemed proper and is therefore made FINAL.
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.
(a)(2) the claimed invention was described in a patent issued under section 151, or in an application for patent published or deemed published under section 122(b), in which the patent or application, as the case may be, names another inventor and was effectively filed before the effective filing date of the claimed invention.
Claims 7-15 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) and (a)(2) as being anticipated by Astoria et al. US 20200385827 A1.
Regarding Claim 7, Astoria et al. ‘827 discloses a system for the production of direct reduced iron (meeting the limitation for sponge iron), the system comprising a direct reduction shaft comprising a reducing gas inlet and a top gas outlet [0013], (Fig. 3 (A)), wherein a hydrogen-rich reducing gas is introduced into the direct reduction shaft through the reducing gas inlet (Fig. 3), a source of make-up gas being arranged in fluid communication with the reducing gas inlet [0013]. Astoria et al. ‘827 discloses a heat exchanger for pre-heating the hydrogen-rich reducing gas and the heat exchanger is arranged in fluid communication with the top gas outlet such that top gas is passed through the heat exchanger which cools the top gas and heats the hydrogen-rich reducing gas (Fig. 3 (E)) as well as a bleed-off valve arranged in fluid communication with the top gas outlet and arranged to divide top gas between a recycle stream outlet and a bleed-off stream outlet (Fig. 3, 3)[0015]. Astoria et al. ‘827 discloses a separation unit arranged in fluid communication with the bleed-off stream outlet and arranged to separate a bleed-ff stream into a hydrogen-enriched stream and an inert-enriched stream [0013, 0015]. The system of Astoria et al. ‘827 is capable of supplying a source of make-up gas that consists essentially of hydrogen gas, meeting the limitation of the instant Claim.
Regarding Claim 8, Astoria et al. ‘827 discloses a gas separation unit (Fig. 3 (I))[0027] is a membrane separation or pressure swing absorption unit, meeting the limitations of the instant Claim.
Regarding Claim 9, Astoria et al. ‘827 discloses the source of recirculated spent gas (meeting the limitation for make-up gas) is a water electrolyzer unit [0010], meeting the limitations of the instant Claim.
Regarding Claim 10, Astoria et al. ‘827 discloses the direct reduction shaft comprises a reduction zone and a carburizing zone (claim 10) and wherein the direct reduction shaft is arranged to prevent passage of gas from the carburization zone to the reduction zone [0013], meeting the limitations of the instant Claim.
Regarding Claim 11, Astoria et al. ‘827 discloses the system comprises a carburization reactor vessel (Fig. 3, (F))[0027], meeting the limitations of the instant Claim.
Regarding Claim 12, Astoria et al. ‘827 discloses the carburization reactor comprises a carburizing gas inlet (18) and a spent carburizing gas outlet (19) and discloses the system further comprises a source of carburizing gas arranged in fluid communication with the carburizing gas inlet; a carburization bleed-off valve arranged in fluid communication with the spent carburizing gas outlet and arranged to divide spent carburizing gas between a carburization recycle stream outlet and a carburization bleed-off stream outlet; and the carburization bleed-off stream outlet is arranged in fluid communication with a separation unit [0012] (Fig. 3), meeting the limitations of the instant Claim.
Regarding Claim 13, Astoria et al. ‘827 teaches the system further comprises a carbon separation unit wherein the carburization bleed-off stream outlet is arranged in fluid communication with the separation unit via the carbon separation unit [0012] (Fig. 3), meeting the limitations of the instant Claim.
Regarding Claim 14, Astoria et al. teaches a system not comprising a CO2 separation unit (Fig. 3), meeting the limitations of the instant Claim.
Regarding Claim 15, Astoria et al. teaches the system further comprises an auxiliary separation unit arranged in fluid communication with an inert-enriched stream outlet of the separation unit, and wherein the auxiliary separation unit is a membrane separation unit [0027], meeting the limitations of the instant Claim.
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure:
US 6027545 A teaches a system capable of producing sponge iron with a gas consisting essentially of hydrogen.
CN 111270036 A teaches a system for the direct reduction of iron with hydrogen.
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/Keith D. Hendricks/Supervisory Patent Examiner, Art Unit 1733
/M.S.S./Examiner, Art Unit 1733