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 .
Election/Restrictions
Claims 4-6, 8, 10, 12 and 14 are withdrawn from further consideration pursuant to 37 CFR 1.142(b) as being drawn to a nonelected group, there being no allowable generic or linking claim. Election was made without traverse in the reply filed on 3/2/26.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 102
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) 1, 11 and 13 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Pretre (EP 3 021 117).
Regarding claims 1 and 13, Pretre teaches a measurement apparatus 11 for measuring an energy quantity flow transported by means of a liquefied natural gas flow, comprising an ultrasonic measurement device 4 that is configured to measure the flow velocity of the liquefied natural gas flow and the sound velocity in the liquefied natural gas flow based on determined transit times of ultrasonic signals transmitted and received with and against the flow of the liquefied natural gas flow on a measurement path; a temperature sensor 9 that is configured to measure the temperature of the liquefied natural gas flow; and an evaluation unit 10 that is connected to the ultrasonic measurement device and the temperature sensor to receive respective measurement values for the flow velocity, the sound velocity and the temperature, wherein the evaluation unit 10 is configured to determine the volume flow of the liquefied natural gas flow at least based on the flow velocity and the cross-sectional area of the liquefied natural gas flow (see para. 0009, ‘The transit time difference of the two ultrasonic signals is then a measure of the mean flow velocity, from which, with a known line cross section, the volume flow can be calculated’), to determine the volume-related calorific value of the liquefied natural gas flow at least based on the sound velocity and the temperature by means of a model function (see para. 0034), and to determine the transported energy quantity flow based on the determined volume flow and the determined volume-related calorific value, wherein the model function is determined based on a data set that specifies the volume-related calorific value of a respective composition for a plurality of different compositions of liquefied natural gas (see para. 0034).
Regarding claim 11, Pretre further teaches a pressure sensor 8 that is connected to the evaluation unit 10 and that is configured to measure the pressure of the liquefied natural gas flow, with the evaluation unit being configured to receive measurement values for the pressure from the pressure sensor and to additionally determine the calorific value of the liquefied natural gas flow based on the pressure (see para. 0034).
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 2, 3, 7 and 9 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.
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to JAMEL E WILLIAMS whose telephone number is (571)270-7027. The examiner can normally be reached Monday-Thursday 10am-4pm.
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/JAMEL E WILLIAMS/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2855
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