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) 1-13 and 15-20 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Glover (US 3,607,662) taken in combination with Minami et al (US 2016/0250616).
Regarding claim 1, Glover teaches a system and method of operation of the system comprising distillation container 14 configured to receive liquid mixture and heat mixture via temperature control device 22 and monitoring equipment to separate the liquid into a vapor, the vapor is provided to fractionation column 10 having “a suitable packing 15, as is well known in the art”, a plurality of conduits 30/36, connected with respective vacuum 31 (via different lines connected with vacuum pump 31), and fractionating head 26 fluidly connected with column 10 , the column 10 disposed between container 14 and head 26, the resulting liquid is collected in receiver 54 as separated liquid fraction (see title, abstract, Fig, C1:L5-16, C1:L28-39, C2:L9-C4:L5).
However while Glover acknowledges the column comprises “a suitable packing 15, as is well known in the art” (C2:L11-12), Glover is silent to the packing being a mesh.
Minami teaches a structured packing for a gas-liquid mass transfer unit having improved liquid flow properties of vapor liquid in gas-liquid mass transfer column (title, abstract), Minami teaches a mesh that is a stainless steel lamina of 0.1 mm thickness is selected as structured packing in a reflux distillation system having good HETP and F factor for the capacity of treating gas in the column ([0069-0077]).
Therefore Glover substantially teaches using known suitable packing as the packing in the system and method, and the skilled artisan would find obvious before the effective filing date of the invention to modify the system of Glover to include the structure packing of Minami that is a mesh of stainless steel lamina having good HETP and F factor to achieve good separation in the system of Glover.
Regarding claims 2-3, Glover further teaches timer controlled magnetically driver solenoid switching means (Fig, C3:L8-19).
Regarding claim 4, Glover further teaches pressure relief valve “separate valves (not shown) in tube 57' permit receiver 54 to be returned to atmospheric pressure” (C3:L1-7).
Regarding claim 5, Glover has taught collecting container 54 as set forth above.
Regarding claim 6, Glover has taught first conduit via head 30 connected with vacuum pump 31 (see Fig).
Regarding claims 7-8, in modified Glover as set forth above, Minami has taught the mesh material is stainless steel, i.e. corrosion resistant.
Regarding claim 9, Glover teaches a system and method of operation of the system comprising distillation container 14 configured to receive an obtained liquid mixture and heat mixture via temperature control device 22 and monitoring equipment to separate the liquid into a vapor, the vapor is provided to fractionation column 10 having “a suitable packing 15, as is well known in the art”, a plurality of conduits 30/36, connected with respective vacuum 31 (via different lines connected with vacuum pump 31), and fractionating head 26 fluidly connected with column 10 , the column 10 disposed between container 14 and head 26, the resulting liquid is collected in receiver 54 as separated liquid fraction (see title, abstract, Fig, C1:L5-16, C1:L28-39, C2:L9-C4:L5).
However while Glover acknowledges the column comprises “a suitable packing 15, as is well known in the art” (C2:L11-12), Glover is silent to the packing being a mesh.
Minami teaches a structured packing for a gas-liquid mass transfer unit having improved liquid flow properties of vapor liquid in gas-liquid mass transfer column (title, abstract), Minami teaches a mesh that is a stainless steel lamina of 0.1 mm thickness is selected as structured packing in a reflux distillation system having good HETP and F factor for the capacity of treating gas in the column ([0069-0077]).
Therefore Glover substantially teaches using known suitable packing as the packing in the system and method, and the skilled artisan would find obvious before the effective filing date of the invention to modify the system of Glover to include the structure packing of Minami that is a mesh of stainless steel lamina having good HETP and F factor to achieve good separation in the system of Glover.
Regarding claims 10-11, Glover further teaches timer controlled magnetically driver solenoid switching means (Fig, C3:L8-19).
Regarding claim 12, in modified Glover, the skilled artisan would operate the system with the switching means to move the system to reflux mode, then change the receiver 54, as needed, to obtain second fraction without undue experimentation through known means (see C3:L40-C4:L5).
Regarding claim 13, Glover has taught multiple conduits 30/36 connected with respective vacuum source 31 via differing lines.
Regarding claim 15, Glover teaches a system and method of operation of the system comprising distillation container 14 configured to receive liquid mixture and heat mixture via temperature control device 22 and monitoring equipment to separate the liquid into a vapor, the vapor is provided to fractionation column 10 having “a suitable packing 15, as is well known in the art”, a plurality of conduits 30/36, connected with respective vacuum 31 (via different lines connected with vacuum pump 31), and fractionating head 26 fluidly connected with column 10 , the column 10 disposed between container 14 and head 26, the resulting liquid is collected in receiver 54 as separated liquid fraction (see title, abstract, Fig, C1:L5-16, C1:L28-39, C2:L9-C4:L5); Glover further teaches timer controlled magnetically driver solenoid switching means 60/61 (Fig, C3:L8-19).
However while Glover acknowledges the column comprises “a suitable packing 15, as is well known in the art” (C2:L11-12), Glover is silent to the packing being a mesh.
Minami teaches a structured packing for a gas-liquid mass transfer unit having improved liquid flow properties of vapor liquid in gas-liquid mass transfer column (title, abstract), Minami teaches a mesh that is a stainless steel lamina of 0.1 mm thickness is selected as structured packing in a reflux distillation system having good HETP and F factor for the capacity of treating gas in the column ([0069-0077]).
Therefore Glover substantially teaches using known suitable packing as the packing in the system and method, and the skilled artisan would find obvious before the effective filing date of the invention to modify the system of Glover to include the structure packing of Minami that is a mesh of stainless steel lamina having good HETP and F factor to achieve good separation in the system of Glover.
While Glover is silent to the container “configured to receive a liquid” of the claimed formula, this is related to material acted upon, and Glover does teach the feed may be a solid at room temperature (See C1:L12-19), therefore Glover is considered “configured to” be able to receive the claimed material acted upon, and the limitation is not given significant patentable weight for the system claimed, see MPEP 2115.
Regarding claims 16, Glover further teaches timer controlled magnetically driver solenoid switching means 60/61 (Fig, C3:L8-19).
Regarding claim 17, Glover has taught collecting container 54 as set forth above.
Regarding claim 18, Glover has taught first conduit via head 30 connected with vacuum pump 31 (see Fig).
Regarding claims 19-20, in modified Glover as set forth above, Minami has taught the mesh material is stainless steel, i.e. corrosion resistant.
Claim(s) 14 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Glover (US 3,607,662) taken in combination with Minami et al (US 2016/0250616) as applied above and further in combination with any of Wang et al (CN 115043884, with ref made to translation provided 5/31/24) or Haiqing (CN 101805363, with ref made to translation provided 11/06/24).
Regarding claim 14, modified Glover teaches all limitations as set forth above, including that the system may be advantageously used for distilling liquids, and/or solids (see Glover C1:L1-39), however Glover does not specifically teach the material being distilled is of the formula claimed.
Wang teaches preparation of magnesium cyclopentadienyl which comprises a fractionating column 14 to obtain the product (Figs 3, 4, title, abstract, claim 1 and 8, P4, example 1).
Haiquing teaches continuous production of triethyl aluminum with final rectifying and production collection steps (title, abstract, Fig 4, claim 1 step 6), Page 4-5, embodiment 1).
Therefore it was substantially well known to separate metal organic compounds of the formulas claimed after synthesis in distillation systems as taught by Wang and Haiquing, and Glover substantially teaches the system may be used for distilling a wide range of feeds, therefore it would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the invention to use the system of Glover in separating compounds of the formulas claimed with the expected result of separating the desired compounds.
Pertinent Art
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure. Osborn (US 2,239,371) teaches metals distillation. Gordon (US 3,240,682) teaches distillation. Shepherd et al (US 3,334,966) teaches a distillation system. Nommensen (US 6,348,137) teaches a distillation system. Kremerman (US 9,895,626) teaches a distillation system. Kanzler (US 2019/0083899) teaches a distillation system packing. Clark et al (US 2020/0239498) teaches a distillation system for tin compounds. McCune et al (US 2021/0346819) teaches a distillation system.
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to JONATHAN MILLER whose telephone number is (571)270-1603. The examiner can normally be reached Monday - Friday 9 - 5.
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/JONATHAN MILLER/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 1772