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 § 112
The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 112(b):
(b) CONCLUSION.—The specification shall conclude with one or more claims particularly pointing out and distinctly claiming the subject matter which the inventor or a joint inventor regards as the invention.
The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), second paragraph:
The specification shall conclude with one or more claims particularly pointing out and distinctly claiming the subject matter which the applicant regards as his invention.
Claim 5 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 112(b) or 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), second paragraph, as being indefinite for failing to particularly point out and distinctly claim the subject matter which the inventor or a joint inventor (or for applications subject to pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, the applicant), regards as the invention.
Claim 5 recites “the time interval”. There is a lack of antecedent basis for “the time internal” in previous claim limitations.
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.
The factual inquiries for establishing a background for determining obviousness under 35 U.S.C. 103 are summarized as follows:
1. Determining the scope and contents of the prior art.
2. Ascertaining the differences between the prior art and the claims at issue.
3. Resolving the level of ordinary skill in the pertinent art.
4. Considering objective evidence present in the application indicating obviousness or nonobviousness.
This application currently names joint inventors. In considering patentability of the claims the examiner presumes that the subject matter of the various claims was commonly owned as of the effective filing date of the claimed invention(s) absent any evidence to the contrary. Applicant is advised of the obligation under 37 CFR 1.56 to point out the inventor and effective filing dates of each claim that was not commonly owned as of the effective filing date of the later invention in order for the examiner to consider the applicability of 35 U.S.C. 102(b)(2)(C) for any potential 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(2) prior art against the later invention.
Claims 1,2,4 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Japanese reference(JP2013-163156A) taken together with Chinese reference(CN116440651A).
Japanese reference in figure 4 teaches a volatile organic compound system that enhances dying efficiency by using VOC condensation heat including high-temperature steam condensation heat comprising an adsorption-desorption unit(adsorption tower A and desorption tower B) repeating an adsorption process of adsorbing volatile organic compound from a supply gas( supply gas arrow in figure 4 leading to adsorption tower A; para 0024 stating “the adsorption towers A and B can be in an either an adsorption state in which the volatile organic compounds in the exhaust gas containing the volatile organic compounds are adsorbed and removed by the adsorbent”) and a desorption process of desorbing the adsorbed VOC by supplying high temperature steam to the VOC adsorbed by the adsorption process(figure 6 noting a heating device 11; para 0058 stating “the heating device 11 may heat the adsorbent directly or indirectly” , noting high temperature steam is common for direct heat regeneration of adsorbent) , a condensation heat storage unit for storing VOC condensation heat being generated in the adsorption -desorption unit (oxidative decomposition device 5, noting volatile organic compounds in desorbed gas pass into oxidative decomposition device 5 ; para 0031 stating “the oxidative decomposition device is not limited to the configuration of this embodiment, and may be configured as , for example, … , a regenerative heat combustion device” ; examiner notes a regenerative heat combustion device stores heat on a ceramic media and subsequently releases heat to preheat an incoming air flow) , and a drying control unit(gas pipe 1 and blower 3 connected to external atmosphere and valve 8) that dries the adsorption -desorption unit after the desorption process by using the condensation heat stored in the condensation heat storage unit( noting pressurized gas from gas pipe 1 passing through heat exchanger 4, wherein heat exchanger 4 receives condensation heat from regenerative heat combustion device 5). Japanese reference is silent as to a condensation heat storage unit using phase change material.
Chinese reference in figure 2 teaches a system for adsorption of methane to an adsorption module(1), and subsequent desorption of methane from a desorption module(3; para 0017 stating “the third adsorption chamber is in the low temperature hot-blowing desorption section”), and wherein desorption includes providing a hot blowing gas, wherein a preheating module is provided as a source for hot blowing gas(para 0012 stating “preferably it also includes a pre- heating module for preheating the gas to obtain hot blowing gas”; claim 5 stating “the methane flow temperature-changing regenerative heat enrichment system …, wherein the heat source of the pre-heating module is terrestrial heat, solar energy, or phase -change heat storage device). Chinese reference further teaches providing a phase change heat storage device as the heat source of the preheating module(para 0013 stating “furthermore, the heat source of the preheating module is …, or a phase change heat storage device”; ). It would have been obvious to someone of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to provide a heat storage phase change material for the regenerative heat combustion device 5 of Japanese reference in order to provide a mechanism for storing VOC condensation heat within the regenerative heat combustion device 5).
With regards to claim 2, Japanese reference taken together with Chinese reference further teaches wherein the drying control unit includes a forward drying member(piping in figure 4 of Japanese reference) for drying the adsorption -desorption unit in a forward direction with respect to the desorption process(figure 4 noting drying gas 1 provided in a forward direction to desorption unit B).
With regards to claim 4, Japanese reference taken together with Chinese reference further teaches wherein the drying control unit includes an inflow control member(valve 8 in Japanese reference) for controlling an inflow amount of external air(external air source 1) being introduced into the condensation heat storage unit, and a pressurizing member(blower 3) for pressurizing external air (reference stating “atmospheric air”) being introduced through the inflow control member.
Claims 6,8,9 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Japanese reference(JP2013-163156A) taken together with Chinese reference(CN116440651A).
Japanese reference in figure 4 teaches a method for enhancing the drying efficiency of a volatile organic compound condensing system, in a drying efficiency enhancement method of the volatile organic compound condensing system including an adsorption-desorption unit (adsorption tower A and desorption tower B) that repeats an adsorption process of adsorbing volatile organic compound from the supply gas( supply gas arrow in figure 4 leading to adsorption tower A; para 0024 stating “the adsorption towers A and B can be in an either an adsorption state in which the volatile organic compounds in the exhaust gas containing the volatile organic compounds are adsorbed and removed by the adsorbent”) and a desorption process of desorbing the adsorbed VOC by supplying high temperature steam to the VOC adsorbed by the adsorption(figure 6 noting a heating device 11; para 0058 stating “the heating device 11 may heat the adsorbent directly or indirectly” , noting high temperature steam is common for direct heat regeneration of adsorbent), comprising the steps of storing condensation heat generated when the VOC is condensed in the adsorption -desorption unit(oxidative decomposition device 5, noting volatile organic compounds in desorbed gas pass into oxidative decomposition device 5 ; para 0031 stating “the oxidative decomposition device is not limited to the configuration of this embodiment, and may be configured as , for example, … , a regenerative heat combustion device” ; examiner notes a regenerative heat combustion device stores heat on a ceramic media and subsequently releases heat to preheat an incoming air flow), and drying(gas pipe 1 and blower 3 connected to external atmosphere and valve 8) the adsorption-desorption unit after the desorption process by using the stored condensation heat(noting pressurized gas from gas pipe 1 passing through heat exchanger 4, wherein heat exchanger 4 receives condensation heat from regenerative heat combustion device 5). Japanese reference is silent as to a condensation heat storage unit using phase change material.
Chinese reference in figure 2 teaches a system for adsorption of methane to an adsorption module(1), and subsequent desorption of methane from a desorption module(3; para 0017 stating “the third adsorption chamber is in the low temperature hot-blowing desorption section”), and wherein desorption includes providing a hot blowing gas, wherein a preheating module is provided as a source for hot blowing gas(para 0012 stating “preferably it also includes a pre- heating module for preheating the gas to obtain hot blowing gas”; claim 5 stating “the methane flow temperature-changing regenerative heat enrichment system …, wherein the heat source of the pre-heating module is terrestrial heat, solar energy, or phase -change heat storage device). Chinese reference further teaches providing a phase change heat storage device as the heat source of the preheating module(para 0013 stating “furthermore, the heat source of the preheating module is …, or a phase change heat storage device”; ). It would have been obvious to someone of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to provide a heat storage phase change material for the regenerative heat combustion device 5 of Japanese reference in order to provide a mechanism for storing VOC condensation heat within the regenerative heat combustion device 5).
With regards to claim 8, Japanese reference taken together with Chinese reference further teaches wherein the step of drying the adsorption-desorption unit dries the adsorption-desorption unit in a forward direction with respect to the desorption process((figure 4 noting drying gas 1 provided in a forward direction to desorption unit B).
With regards to claim 9, Japanese reference taken together with Chinese reference further teaches further including the steps of controlling an inflow amount of external air(valve 8 in Japanese reference), and pressurizing the external air (reference stating “atmospheric air”) being introduced((blower 3).
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 3, 7, 10 are 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.
Claim 3 recites “wherein the drying control unit includes a reverse drying member for drying the adsorption-desorption unit in a reverse direction with respect to the desorption process”. Japanese reference taken together with Chinese reference includes a drying control unit includes a forward drying member, however Japanese reference taken together with Chinese reference does not teach or suggest wherein the drying control unit includes a reverse drying member for drying the adsorption-desorption unit in a reverse direction with respect to the desorption process.
Claim 7 recites “wherein the step of drying the adsorption-desorption unit dries the adsorption-desorption unit in a reverse direction with respect to the desorption process.”. Japanese reference taken together with Chinese reference includes a drying control unit includes a forward drying member, however Japanese reference taken together with Chinese reference does not teach or suggest wherein the step of drying the adsorption-desorption unit dries the adsorption-desorption unit in a reverse direction with respect to the desorption process.
Claim 10 recites “further including a step of : setting a ratio of a time interval of a drying process with respect to a desorption process of the adsorption-desorption unit.”. Japanese reference taken together with Chinese reference includes a drying process with respect to a desorption process of the adsorption-desorption unit, however Japanese reference taken together with Chinese reference does not teach or suggest setting a ratio of a time interval of a drying process with respect to a desorption process of the adsorption-desorption unit.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to ROBERT A HOPKINS whose telephone number is (571)272-1159. The examiner can normally be reached Mon-Thurs 6am-4pm.
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If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Jennifer Dieterle can be reached at 5712707872. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/ROBERT A HOPKINS/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 1776
January 14, 2026