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 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) 1-14 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Goto et al. (US 7,030,254) in view of JP 2002-308847.
The instant claims are drawn to production equipment for producing cumene hydroperoxide by oxidizing cumene, comprising, A: a device that oxidized cumene; X: a heat exchange system, wherein the heat exchange system comprises a medium capable of both heating and cooling a reaction system for the oxidation, a medium cooling unit capable of cooling the medium, and a medium heating unit capable of heating the medium. Further limitations include the medium being a fluid containing water; the production equipment also comprising, B: a device that allows cumene hydroperoxide to react with propylene to obtain propylene oxide and cumyl alcohol; and E: a device that converts cumyl alcohol to cumene. The equipment also comprises at least one of C: a device that separates propylene; D: a device that separates propylene oxide, and F: a device that purifies cumene. In one limitation, the cooling means is an air fin cooler.
Goto et al. teach a process for producing purified propylene oxide, wherein in a first step, cumene is oxidized to cumene hydroperoxide in an oxidation reactor (A). The cumene hydroperoxide is reacted with propylene in a second step to produce propylene oxide and cumyl alcohol in an epoxidation reactor (B). In a third step, crude propylene oxide is separated from crude propylene by distillation columns, followed by separation of crude propylene oxide from cumyl alcohol (C, D).
The fraction containing crude propylene oxide is subjected to distillation and purified by removing a light fraction and a heavy fraction (D’, D’’). Purified propylene is obtained by distilling crude propylene and separating impurities such as propane, ethane, ethylene, methane, and the like (C’). A recovering method of the heat of reaction generated in the first step includes a direct method in which a reaction liquid is directly heat-exchanged with a process liquid to be utilized, and an indirect method, wherein a reaction liquid is heat-exchanged with a process liquid to be utilized though a heat medium different from the process liquid.
Hot oxidation liquid from the oxidation reactor is passed through a heat exchanger (X). Cold oxidation liquid is passed through the heat exchanger to be supplied to the epoxidation reactor. Water supplied to a boiler (medium heating unit) is changed to steam by heating with the heat exchanger of the oxidation reactor is sent to the heat exchanger of the fifth and sixth steps as a heating medium (col. 2, line 1 to col. 5, line 24).
Cody et al. do not expressly teach a medium cooling unit, or a device that converts cumyl alcohol to cumene, as recited by the instant claims; and, does not teach an air fin cooler as the cooling means. However, JP 2002-308847 teaches reaction vessels for reactions including the oxidation of alkyl aromatic hydrocarbons to produce hydroperoxides, e.g., cumene hydroperoxide, and teaches the use of an air fin cooler as a means for cooling the hydroperoxide present in such a reactor.
It would have been obvious to a person having ordinary skill in the art, based on the combined reference teachings, to incorporate an air fin cooling device into the reaction equipment used in the process taught by Cody et al., in order to prevent a rapid decomposition of the hydroperoxide due to high temperatures, as taught by JP 2002-308847.
With regard to a device for converting cumyl alcohol into cumene, it would have been obvious to a person having ordinary skill in the art to funnel the cumyl alcohol separated from the reaction effluent taught by Cody et al. to an additional device that would convert cumyl alcohol to cumene, that can then be used in the first step oxidation taught by Cody et al.
The instant claims are rendered obvious by the cited references.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to SIKARL A WITHERSPOON whose telephone number is (571)272-0649. The examiner can normally be reached M-F 9am-9pm IFP.
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/SIKARL A WITHERSPOON/ Primary Examiner, Art Unit 1692
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