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 Amendment
The amendment filed April 23rd, 2026 has been entered. Claims 1, 4-10, 12-14, 16-19, 21-23, and 26-27 remain pending in the application.
Response to Arguments
Applicant’s arguments, see Applicant Arguments/Remarks, filed April 23rd, 2026, with respect to the rejection of claim 1 under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(2) and claims 4-10, 12-13, 16-19, 21-23, and 26-27 under 35 U.S.C. 103 have been fully considered and are persuasive. Therefore, the rejection has been withdrawn. However, upon further consideration, a new ground of rejection is made in view of Doughty, and further in view of U.S. Patent Publication No. US 2014/0311341 A1 to Jiang et al. and U.S. Patent Publication No. US 2012/0076711 A1 to Gebald et al.
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.
Claims 1, 4-6, 10, 12-13, 16-18, 21-22, and 27 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over U.S. Patent No. 5912423 to Doughty et al. (hereinafter referred to as Doughty), and further in view of U.S. Patent Publication No. US 2014/0311341 A1 to Jiang et al. (hereinafter referred to as Jiang) and U.S. Patent Publication No. US 2012/0076711 A1 to Gebald et al. (hereinafter referred to as Gebald).
Regarding claim 1, Doughty teaches a sorbent article (Abstract “A method and apparatus for removing contaminates from an air stream”) comprising a sorbent and a flexible material (Col. 2, lines 58-62 “In addition to the well-known traditional physical forms of activated carbon, it is also known that activated carbon can be prepared in the form of activated carbon cloth or activated carbon felt.”), the article having: an adsorptive configuration in which the sorbent article is disposed to adsorb one or more components of a feed stream (Fig. 1, activated carbon cloth 11 is disposed in an air stream ; Col. 3, lines 44-46 “One embodiment of the present invention also provides a means for removing the contaminants from air by contacting the contaminated air stream with an activated carbon cloth”), the sorbent article comprising a first volume in the adsorptive configuration and a first length along a surface of the sorbent article (see annotated figure below ; arrows depict the boundaries of first volume and top most arrow depicts first length);
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a desorptive configuration in which the sorbent article is disposed to remove the one or more components from the sorbent article (Fig. 2, regeneration chambers 26’ and 21’ ; Col. 4, lines 55-58 “Additionally, it should be understood by those skilled in the art, that rolls 16 and 19 may also act as electrodes so that chamber 26 acts as a regeneration chamber thereby permitting continuous adsorption and regeneration.”), the sorbent article comprising a second volume in the desorptive configuration (Fig. 2, volume of regeneration chambers 26’ and 21’) and a second length along the surface of the sorbent article (Fig. 2, length of regeneration chambers 26’ and 21’), the second length being smaller than the first length (see annotated figure below);
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and wherein the flexibility of the flexible material facilitates a transfiguration between the adsorptive configuration and the desorptive configuration (Fig. 2, the sorbent article moves through a continuous loop of adsorption in a flat configuration and regeneration in a rolled configuration). Doughty does not teach wherein the article comprises a composite of a sorbent and a flexible porous polymer, forming a sorbent polymer composite article and does not explicitly teach the second volume being smaller than the first volume.
However, Jiang teaches a sorbent polymer composite article for capturing a gas (Abstract “Articles for capturing or separating a target gas from a gas stream may include a porous substrate such as a flexible sheet or mat … with a sorbent composition.”) comprising a composite of a sorbent and a flexible porous polymer having a flexibility (¶0020 “The articles for capturing or separating a target gas from a gas stream may include a porous substrate. The porous substrate may be any type of substrate with which the sorbent composition, to be described below, is chemically compatible … For example, the sheet or mat may be a nonwoven cellulosic material such as paper or tissue. As a further example, the sheet or mat may be made from nonwoven fibers of a polymer such as polypropylene.”), wherein said article can desorb the captured material (¶0050 “The methods for capturing or separating a target gas from a gas stream may further include heating the article to a temperature sufficient to desorb the target gas that has adsorbed onto the sorbent composition.”). Jiang further teaches that the sorbent polymer composite may give the article properties not achieved with just an independent sorbent or polymer article (¶0024 “In general, when polyamines are used alone as a sorbent composition on a sorbent article … over time the sorbent articles tend to lose effectiveness in capturing the target gas … Thus, it is believed that lifetime and performance of efficiency of a sorbent article containing a polyamine may be increased if the sorbent article is coated or impregnated with a sorbent composition that is both chemically stable in oxygen and less soluble in water than a substantially insoluble in water. The sorbent compositions that include both the polyamine and the coexistent polymer are believed to meet these specifications.”).
Doughty and Jiang are considered analogous to the claimed invention because they are in the same field of adsorption articles for capture of target gases that may be regenerated. It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention that the article as taught by Doughty could be modified to include the sorbent polymer composite material as taught by Jiang to improve the longevity and stability of the article. Furthermore, the simple substitution of one known element for another to obtain predictable results supports a prima facie case of obviousness. See MPEP § 2143(I)(B).
As to the limitation of the second volume being smaller than the first volume and the second length being smaller than the first length, Gebald teaches a device for passive collection of carbon dioxide (¶0001 “The present invention relates to amine containing fibrous structure for CO2 capture from atmospheric air”) that has an adsorptive configuration (Fig. 3A, left depicts the adsorption-wide porous geometry) and a desorptive configuration (Fig. 3A, right depicts the desorption-compact geometry), wherein the adsorptive configuration has a first volume and the desorptive configuration has a second volume (Fig. 3A), wherein the second volume is smaller than the first volume (¶0068 “the mats are being compressed during desorption”). Gebald further teaches that the decrease in volume of the desorptive configuration results in increased purity of desorbed CO2 and faster heating during regeneration (¶0068 “Such a geometrical structure is novel comparing with prior art, since on the one hand the mats are being compressed during desorption in order to (1) reduce air inclusions in the desorption chamber, which increases the plurality of desorbed CO2, and (2) enable fast and efficient heat exchange between the mats, which allows to heat them quickly to the desired desorption temperature.”).
Doughty, Jiang, and Gebald are considered analogous to the claimed invention because they are in the same field of adsorption articles for capture of target gases that may be regenerated. It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art to modify the sorbent polymer composite article as taught by Doughty and Jiang to include the reduced volume during desorption as taught by Gebald to increase purity of the desorbed CO2 and improve heat exchange during regeneration. Furthermore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art to modify the adsorptive and desorptive configurations as taught by Doughty with regards to their structural relationship to one another. Where the general conditions of a claim are disclosed in the prior art, it is not inventive to discover the optimum or workable ranges by routine experimentation. See MPEP § 2144.05(II)(A).
Regarding claim 4, Doughty, Jiang, and Gebald teach the sorbent polymer composite article as applied to claim 1 above. Doughty further teaches wherein the sorbent article is substantially laminar in the adsorptive configuration (Fig. 1, air flows through cloth 11 in a laminar configuration) and substantially cylindrical in the desorptive configuration (Fig. 1, cloth 11 collects around rolls 16 and 19 when in regeneration chambers 21 and 26).
Regarding claim 5, Doughty, Jiang, and Gebald teach the sorbent polymer composite article as applied to claim 1 above. Doughty further teaches wherein the sorbent polymer composite article comprises: an extended arrangement in the adsorptive configuration (Fig. 1, air flows through cloth 11 in an extended configuration); and a compressed arrangement in the desorptive configuration (Fig. 1, cloth 11 collects around rolls 16 and 19, compressing the material, when in regeneration chambers 21 and 26).
Regarding claim 6, Doughty, Jiang, and Gebald teach the sorbent polymer composite article as applied to claim 1 above. Doughty further teaches wherein the sorbent polymer composite article is substantially unfolded in the adsorptive configuration (Fig. 1, air flows through cloth 11 in an unfolded configuration) and substantially folded in the desorptive configuration (Fig. 1, cloth 11 “folds” around rolls 16 and 19 when in regeneration chambers 21 and 26).
Regarding claim 10, Doughty, Jiang, and Gebald teach the sorbent polymer composite article as applied to claim 1 above. Doughty further teaches wherein, once an adsorption capacity of adsorption equilibrium of the sorbent polymer composite article has been reached, the sorbent polymer composite article transitions from the adsorptive configuration to the desorptive configuration (Col. 4, lines 43-46 “When the cloth is judged to no longer have adequate capacity for removal of the contaminants of interest, it is regenerated by desorbing the contaminants therefrom. According to the method of the present invention, desorption is accomplished by reversing the path of the cloth and applying a suitable electrical current to the cloth as it passes between two electrodes.”), and wherein the sorbent polymer composite article returns from the desorptive configuration to the adsorptive configuration (Claim 3 “A method as set forth in claim 1 and 2 including the step of providing cloth that has undergone desorption being contacted by said air.”).
Regarding claim 12, Doughty teaches a method of using a sorbent article comprising the steps of: providing the sorbent article (Abstract “A method and apparatus for removing contaminates from an air stream”) comprising: a sorbent and a flexible material (Col. 2, lines 58-62 “In addition to the well-known traditional physical forms of activated carbon, it is also known that activated carbon can be prepared in the form of activated carbon cloth or activated carbon felt.”), exposing the sorbent article in a first configuration to a feed stream containing carbon dioxide (Fig. 1, cloth 11 receives an air flow ; Abstract “A method and apparatus for removing contaminants from an air stream” ; Although Doughty does not explicitly mention carbon dioxide, this is a known contaminant and is present in ambient air), wherein in the first configuration, the sorbent article comprises a first volume and first length along a surface of the sorbent article (see annotated figure below ; arrows depict the boundaries of first volume and top most arrow depicts first length);
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adsorbing at least a portion of the carbon dioxide onto the sorbent while the sorbent article is in the first configuration (Col. 4, lines 19-23 “With reference to FIG. 1, a presently preferred embodiment of the invention is shown in which adsorber 10 includes an activated carbon cloth 11 positioned across an orifice in an air stream containing contaminates to be removed.”); positioning the sorbent article into a second configuration after the adsorbing step (Fig. 1, cloth 11 moves from the adsorption position to regeneration chambers 21 and 26), wherein in the second configuration, the sorbent article comprises a second volume (Fig. 2, volume of regeneration chambers 26’ and 21’) and a second length along the surface of the sorbent article (Fig. 2, length of regeneration chambers 26’ and 21’), the second length being smaller than the first length (see annotated figure below);
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and desorbing the carbon dioxide from the sorbent article while the sorbent article is in the second configuration (Col. 4, lines 40-46 “As cloth 11 is collected onto a take-up roll in regeneration chamber 21, the width of the cloth is passed over rolls 14 and 18 which are rendered electrically conductive … When the cloth is judged to no longer have adequate capacity for removal of the contaminants of interest, it is regenerated by desorbing the contaminants therefrom.”). Doughty does not teach wherein the article comprises a composite of a sorbent and a flexible porous polymer, forming a sorbent polymer composite article and does not explicitly teach wherein the second volume is smaller than the first volume.
However, Jiang teaches a sorbent polymer composite article for capturing carbon dioxide (Abstract “Articles for capturing or separating a target gas from a gas stream may include a porous substrate such as a flexible sheet or mat … with a sorbent composition.” ; ¶0040 “In non-limiting illustrative embodiments, the target gas may be an acidic gas such as hydrogen sulfide, carbon dioxide”) comprising a composite of a sorbent and a flexible porous polymer having a flexibility (¶0020 “The articles for capturing or separating a target gas from a gas stream may include a porous substrate. The porous substrate may be any type of substrate with which the sorbent composition, to be described below, is chemically compatible … For example, the sheet or mat may be a nonwoven cellulosic material such as paper or tissue. As a further example, the sheet or mat may be made from nonwoven fibers of a polymer such as polypropylene.”), wherein said article can desorb the captured material (¶0050 “The methods for capturing or separating a target gas from a gas stream may further include heating the article to a temperature sufficient to desorb the target gas that has adsorbed onto the sorbent composition.”). Jiang further teaches that the sorbent polymer composite may give the article properties not achieved with just an independent sorbent or polymer article (¶0024 “In general, when polyamines are used alone as a sorbent composition on a sorbent article … over time the sorbent articles tend to lose effectiveness in capturing the target gas … Thus, it is believed that lifetime and performance of efficiency of a sorbent article containing a polyamine may be increased if the sorbent article is coated or impregnated with a sorbent composition that is both chemically stable in oxygen and less soluble in water than a substantially insoluble in water. The sorbent compositions that include both the polyamine and the coexistent polymer are believed to meet these specifications.”).
Doughty and Jiang are considered analogous to the claimed invention because they are in the same field of adsorption articles for capture of target gases that may be regenerated. It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention that the method and article as taught by Doughty could be modified to include the sorbent polymer composite material as taught by Jiang to improve the longevity and stability of the article. Furthermore, the simple substitution of one known element for another to obtain predictable results supports a prima facie case of obviousness. See MPEP § 2143(I)(B).
As to the limitation of the second volume being smaller than the first volume and the second length being smaller than the first length, Gebald teaches a device for passive collection of carbon dioxide (¶0001 “The present invention relates to amine containing fibrous structure for CO2 capture from atmospheric air”) that has an adsorptive configuration (Fig. 3A, left depicts the adsorption-wide porous geometry) and a desorptive configuration (Fig. 3A, right depicts the desorption-compact geometry), wherein the adsorptive configuration has a first volume and the desorptive configuration has a second volume (Fig. 3A), wherein the second volume is smaller than the first volume (¶0068 “the mats are being compressed during desorption”). Gebald further teaches that the decrease in volume of the desorptive configuration results in increased purity of desorbed CO2 and faster heating during regeneration (¶0068 “Such a geometrical structure is novel comparing with prior art, since on the one hand the mats are being compressed during desorption in order to (1) reduce air inclusions in the desorption chamber, which increases the plurality of desorbed CO2, and (2) enable fast and efficient heat exchange between the mats, which allows to heat them quickly to the desired desorption temperature.”).
Doughty, Jiang, and Gebald are considered analogous to the claimed invention because they are in the same field of adsorption articles for capture of target gases that may be regenerated. It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art to modify the sorbent polymer composite article as taught by Doughty and Jiang to include the reduced volume during desorption as taught by Gebald to increase purity of the desorbed CO2 and improve heat exchange during regeneration. Furthermore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art to modify the adsorptive and desorptive configurations as taught by Doughty with regards to their structural relationship to one another. Where the general conditions of a claim are disclosed in the prior art, it is not inventive to discover the optimum or workable ranges by routine experimentation. See MPEP § 2144.05(II)(A).
Regarding claim 13, Doughty, Jiang, and Gebald teach the method as applied to claim 12 above. Doughty further teaches maintaining the sorbent polymer in the first configuration until the sorbent reaches a carbon dioxide capacity or equilibrium, wherein the positioning step occurs once the carbon dioxide capacity or equilibrium has been reached (Col. 4, lines 43-48 “When the cloth is judged to no longer have adequate capacity for removal of the contaminants of interest, it is regenerated by desorbing the contaminants therefrom. According to the method of the present invention, desorption is accomplished by reversing the path of the cloth and applying a suitable electrical current to the cloth”).
Regarding claim 16, Doughty, Jiang, and Gebald teach the method as applied to claim 12 above. Doughty further teaches returning the sorbent polymer composite article from the second configuration to the first configuration subsequent to the desorbing step (Col. 4, lines 55-58 “Additionally, it should be understood by those skilled in the art, that rolls 16 and 19 may also act as electrodes so that chamber 26 acts as a regeneration chamber thereby permitting continuous adsorption and regeneration.” ; Fig. 2 depicts a continuous loop wherein the sorbent article moves from the first configuration (adsorption) in to the second configuration (regeneration) and then returns to the first configuration once again, forming a continuous loop).
Regarding claim 17, Doughty, Jiang, and Gebald teach the method as applied to claim 12 above. Doughty further teaches rotating the sorbent polymer composite article along a path having a first potion and a second portion (Fig. 1, first portion is considered to be within the air flow path while the second portion is inside regeneration chambers 21’ and 26’), wherein: during the exposing step with the sorbent polymer composite article in the first configuration, a portion of the sorbent polymer composite article is positioned in the first portion of the path (Fig. 2, when cloth 11’ is exposed to the air flow it reads on a portion of the article positioned within the first portion of the path); and during the positioning step with the sorbent polymer composite article in the second configuration, a portion of the sorbent polymer composite article is positioned on the second portion of the path (Fig. 2, a portion of cloth 11’ is rolled around either roller 14’ and 16’ which are located inside regeneration chambers 21’ and 26’, therefore reading on a portion of the article is positioned on the second portion of the path).
Regarding claim 18, Doughty, Jiang, and Gebald teach the method as applied to claim 17 above. Doughty further teaches wherein the rotating step results in a reduced volume occupied by the sorbent polymer composite article (Fig. 2, as the cloth 11’ is wound around rollers 14’ and 16’, the volume occupied by the article will be reduced).
Regarding claim 21, Doughty, Jiang, and Gebald teach the method as applied to claim 12 above. Doughty further teaches collecting the extracted carbon dioxide subsequent to the desorbing step (Col. 4, lines 51-54 “The desorbed contaminates are swept from the regeneration chamber by a small stream of air which is vented through vent 22 which can be to the atmosphere or disposal resource.” ; In this case, the “disposal resource” reads on a collection mechanism for the desorbed contaminants).
Regarding claim 22, Doughty, Jiang, and Gebald teach the method as applied to claim 17 above. Doughty further teaches wherein the rotating step is performed continuously such that the sorbent polymer composite article continuously transitions between the first configuration and the second configuration (Col. 4, lines 55-58 “Additionally, it should be understood by those skilled in the art, that rolls 16 and 19 may also act as electrodes so that chamber 26 acts as a regeneration chamber thereby permitting continuous adsorption and regeneration.” ; see Fig. 2 for a depiction of this embodiment).
Regarding claim 27, Doughty, Jiang, and Gebald teach the method as applied to claim 12 above. Doughty further teaches moving the sorbent polymer composite article (Fig. 2, in the continuous embodiment the sorbent polymer composite article continuously rotates between the two configurations). Although Doughty does not explicitly teach wherein the movement of the sorbent polymer composite article is to substantially remove any liquid droplets, when the structure recited in the reference is substantially identical to that of the claimed invention, claimed properties or functions are presumed to be inherent. That is to say that the article as taught by Doughty and Jiang is capable of performing such a function. See MPEP § 2112.01(I).
Claims 7-9 and 26 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Doughty, Jiang, and Gebald, and further in view of European Patent Application No. EP 0888801 A1 to Macquet et al. (hereinafter referred to as Macquet).
Regarding claim 7, Doughty, Jiang, and Gebald teach the sorbent polymer composite article as applied to claim 1 above. Doughty, Jiang, and Gebald do not teach wherein the sorbent polymer composite article further comprises a non-porous portion that lacks the sorbent, wherein the non-porous portion is coupled to the composite.
However, Macquet teaches a filter belt edge structure (Fig. 1), wherein the edge structure is comprised of a plastic material (Col. 2, lines 52-56 “The edge strip 10 may be of natural or synthetic rubber or of any suitable flexible and hard wearing plastics material. Thermoplastics with rubber like properties and a significant polyolefin content (e.g. Polypropylene) are preferred” ; polypropylene is a non-porous material) designed to protect the edge of a filter cloth (Col. 2, lines 48-51 “The structure also encapsulates the edge 17 of the belt cloth so that the edge is not exposed to abrasion or fraying, resulting in extended useful life for the filter cloth.”).
Doughty, Jiang, Gebald, and Macquet are considered analogous to the claimed invention because they are in the same field of adsorption articles. It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify the sorbent polymer composite article as taught by Doughty, Jiang, and Gebald to further include the edge strip as taught by Macquet to protect the edges of the article and extend the lifetime of the filter material.
Regarding claim 8, Doughty, Jiang, Gebald, and Macquet teach the sorbent polymer composite article as applied to claim 7 above. Macquet further teaches wherein the non-porous portion is coupled to an outermost end of the composite (Fig. 2, edge strip 10 surrounds an edge 17 of filter cloth 18).
Regarding claim 9, Doughty, Jiang, Gebald, and Macquet teach the sorbent polymer composite article as applied to claim 7 above. As can be seen in Fig. 3 of Macquet, the non-porous portion (edge strip 10) would cover a portion of the porous polymer of the composite (Fig. 3, edge strip 10 encloses edge 17 of filter cloth 18). With such a configuration, the article as taught by Doughty, Jiang, and Macquet would read on wherein when the sorbent polymer composite article is in the desorptive configuration, the porous polymer of the composite is temporarily covered by the non-porous portion (Macquet additionally teaches it is known in the art to stitch reinforcement strips to the filter material, which would read on the “temporarily” limitation ; Col. 1, lines 7-11 “The rubber edge track is attached to a fabric reinforcement strip by means of several rows of stitching and the fabric reinforcement strip is in turn secured to the edge of the filter cloth.”).
Regarding claim 26, Doughty, Jiang, and Gebald teach the method as applied to claim 12 above. Doughty, Jiang, and Gebald do not teach wherein the sorbent polymer composite article further includes an end-sealing region that protects the sorbent.
However, Macquet teaches a filter belt edge structure (Fig. 1), wherein the edge structure is comprised of a plastic material (Col. 2, lines 52-56 “The edge strip 10 may be of natural or synthetic rubber or of any suitable flexible and hard wearing plastics material. Thermoplastics with rubber like properties and a significant polyolefin content (e.g. Polypropylene) are preferred” ; polypropylene is a non-porous material) designed to protect the edge of a filter cloth (Col. 2, lines 48-51 “The structure also encapsulates the edge 17 of the belt cloth so that the edge is not exposed to abrasion or fraying, resulting in extended useful life for the filter cloth.”).
Doughty, Jiang, Gebald, and Macquet are considered analogous to the claimed invention because they are in the same field of adsorption articles. It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify the sorbent polymer composite article as taught by Doughty, Jiang, and Gebald to further include the edge strip as taught by Macquet to protect the edges of the article and extend the lifetime of the filter material.
Claims 19 and 23 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Doughty, Jiang, and Gebald, and further in view of U.S. Patent Application No. US 2023/0167591 A1 to Soliman et al. (hereinafter referred to as Soliman).
Regarding claim 19, Doughty, Jiang, and Gebald teach the method as applied to claim 17 above. Doughty, Jiang, and Gebald do not teach wherein the desorbing step further includes submerging the porous composite portion in the second configuration in a substance to desorb the carbon dioxide.
However, Soliman teaches a composite material for CO2 capture (Abstract “In some embodiments, the membrane is suitable for use in removal of VOCs and CO2 in conjunction with a carbon nanofiber membrane.”), wherein the material comprises a polymer membrane and a carbon nanofiber membrane (¶0099 “In some embodiments, the photocatalyst-impregnated nanofibrous polymer membrane may be used in conjunction with a carbon nanofiber membrane for removal of CO2”) and can be regenerated using water (¶0073 “In some preferred embodiments, the disclosed membrane does not degrade upon exposure to water … Thus, products made using the membrane may be washed and reused.”).
Doughty, Jiang, Gebald, and Soliman are considered analogous to the claimed invention because they are in the same field of adsorption articles for capture of target gases that may be regenerated. It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify the method as taught by Doughty, Jiang, and Gebald to further include a washing step as taught by Soliman. The system as taught by Doughty may be modified wherein the regeneration chambers can be filled with a liquid rather than using electrodes to heat the material, which may offer a cheaper regeneration alternative. Furthermore, simple substitution of one known element for another to obtain predictable results supports a prima facie case of obviousness. See MPEP § 2143(I)(B).
Regarding claim 23, Doughty, Jiang, and Gebald teach the method as applied to claim 12 above. Doughty further teaches wherein the exposing step includes positioning the sorbent polymer composite article in an extended configuration (Fig. 1, cloth 11 is extended across the air flow path during adsorption); and the positioning step includes positioning the sorbent polymer composite article in a compressed configuration (Fig. 1, cloth 11 is compressed around roller 14 in regeneration chamber 21), wherein a height of the sorbent polymer composite article is greater in the extended configuration than a height of the sorbent polymer composite article in the compressed configuration (“height 1” in the extended configuration is greater than “height 2” in the compressed configuration ; see annotated figure below).
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Doughty, Jiang, and Gebald do not teach wherein the desorbing step further includes submerging the sorbent polymer composite article in the second configuration in a substance that desorbs the carbon dioxide.
However, Soliman teaches a composite material for CO2 capture (Abstract “In some embodiments, the membrane is suitable for use in removal of VOCs and CO2 in conjunction with a carbon nanofiber membrane.”), wherein the material comprises a polymer membrane and a carbon nanofiber membrane (¶0099 “In some embodiments, the photocatalyst-impregnated nanofibrous polymer membrane may be used in conjunction with a carbon nanofiber membrane for removal of CO2”) and can be regenerated using water (¶0073 “In some preferred embodiments, the disclosed membrane does not degrade upon exposure to water … Thus, products made using the membrane may be washed and reused.”).
Doughty, Jiang, Gebald, and Soliman are considered analogous to the claimed invention because they are in the same field of adsorption articles for capture of target gases that may be regenerated. It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify the method as taught by Doughty, Jiang, and Gebald to further include a washing step for desorption as taught by Soliman. The system as taught by Doughty may be modified wherein the regeneration chambers can be filled with a liquid rather than using electrodes to heat the material, which may offer a cheaper regeneration alternative. Furthermore, simple substitution of one known element for another to obtain predictable results supports a prima facie case of obviousness. See MPEP § 2143(I)(B).
Allowable Subject Matter
Claim 14 is objected to as being dependent upon a rejected base claim, but would be allowable if rewritten in independent form including all of the limitations of the base claim and any intervening claims.
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.
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/RACHEL MARIE SLAUGOVSKY/Examiner, Art Unit 1776
/Jennifer Dieterle/Supervisory Patent Examiner, Art Unit 1776
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