DETAILED ACTION
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 102
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 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.
Claim(s) 14-20 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by US 2012/0148457 to Sutherland et al (Sutherland).
Regarding claim 14, Sutherland discloses a fluidic module for a flow reactor, comprising:
a monolithic closed porosity ceramic body ([21]; fig. 1]; one of ordinary skill in the art would recognize that the zoned monolithic reactor has at least ceramic coatings);
at least one tortuous fluid passage extending through the ceramic body (fig. 5); and
at least one open-porosity ceramic region defining a portion of the at least one tortuous fluid passage (fig. 5; [21]).
Regarding claim 15, Sutherland discloses the fluidic module of claim 14, wherein the at least one tortuous fluid passage includes at least two tortuous fluid passages extending through the ceramic body and spaced apart from one another (fig. 6; [23]), the open-porosity ceramic region occupying a volume of the second tortuous fluid passage along a length of the second tortuous fluid passage (Fig. 6).
Regarding claim 16, Sutherland discloses the fluidic module of claim 14, wherein the at least one tortuous fluid passage includes at least two tortuous fluid passages extending through the ceramic body and spaced apart from one another (fig. 6; [23]), the at least one open-porosity ceramic region defining respective interior surface portions of each of the first and second tortuous fluid passages (fig. 6).
Regarding claim 17, Sutherland discloses the fluidic module of claim 16, wherein respective paths of the at least two tortuous fluid passages lie substantially in a plane oriented parallel to opposing major surfaces of the ceramic body (figs. 5-8; [26]).
Regarding claim 18, Sutherland discloses the fluidic module of claim 17, wherein at least one of the tortuous fluid passages is spaced apart on each side of the other of the tortuous fluid passages within the plane (figs. 9-10), the at least one open-porosity ceramic region defining opposed lateral interior surface portions of the other of the tortuous fluid passages (figs. 9-10; [26]-[27]).
Regarding claim 19, Sutherland discloses the fluidic module of claim 16, wherein respective paths of the at least two tortuous fluid passages lie substantially in respective planes spaced apart in a direction normal to opposing major surfaces of the ceramic body (figs. 9-10; [26]-[27]).
Regarding claim 20, Sutherland discloses the fluidic module of claim 16, wherein:
the at least two tortuous fluid passages include a first tortuous fluid passage and a plurality of second tortuous fluid passages each spaced apart from the first tortuous passage (fig. 7; [24]), and the at least one open-porosity ceramic region includes a plurality of open-porosity ceramic regions each defining interior surface portions of the first tortuous fluid passage and respective interior surface portions of the plurality of second tortuous fluid passages (fig. 7).
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 1-3, 5-13 are allowed.
The following is an examiner’s statement of reasons for allowance:
Regarding claim 1, the closest prior art of record fails to disclose or render obvious the combination including:
“an open-porosity ceramic region fluidically connecting the first and second tortuous fluid passages, the open-porosity ceramic region corresponding to the powder interconnect.”
Regarding claim 13, the closest prior art of record fails to disclose or render obvious the combination including:
“sintering the pressed body to form a closed-porosity ceramic body having respective first and second tortuous fluid passages extending therethrough, the second tortuous fluid passage including an open-porosity ceramic region that occupies a volume of the second tortuous fluid passage along the length.”
Any comments considered necessary by applicant must be submitted no later than the payment of the issue fee and, to avoid processing delays, should preferably accompany the issue fee. Such submissions should be clearly labeled “Comments on Statement of Reasons for Allowance.”
Claim 21 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
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure.
12,270,604 to Badding et al.
US 10,870,607 to Fekety et al.
US 2022/0305443 to Lescoche et al.
US 2020/0346181 to Willemsen et al.
US 2019/0202747 to Drury et al.
US 2018/0304201 to Eckardt et al.
US 2012/0225768 to Kono et al.
All references above describe general state of art.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to DAPINDER SINGH whose telephone number is (571)270-1774. The examiner can normally be reached Monday to Friday from 8:00 AM to 5:30 PM.
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If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Mark Laurenzi can be reached at (571) 270-7878. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/DAPINDER SINGH/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3746
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