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 § 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.
Claims 14-25, 27, 28, 30,31 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being clearly anticipated by Liu et al(8118914).
Liu et al in figures 1,2a,2b,2c teaches an apparatus, comprising: a monoblock(sorbent material 50 including monolithic unit 52) having a plurality of fluid flow channels(channels 54), including a first group of fluid flow channels, which is independent from a second group of fluid flow channels; said plurality of fluid flow channels are separated by channel walls(channel wall 56 in figures 2a, 2c); said channel walls being porous, selectively permeable, and formed of a material that the monoblock is formed of(substrate 58; column 6 lines 58-59 stating “the central portion of the wall 56 is a substrate 58); the channel walls being impregnated with a high boiling point liquid(noting sorbent layer 60; column 8 lines 6-10 stating “the sorbent layer 60 comprise … the amine” ; column 8 lines 60-65 stating “amines that are particularly suitable for incorporation in the sorbent layer 60 are amines that are secondary amines and/or amines that include alcohol(OH) functionality, examples of such amines being diethanolamine(DEA), diisopropanolamine (DIPA), and 2-hydroxyethyl piperazine (HEP) “; column 10 lines 5-11 stating “ in a second step of the washcoating process, a slurry is formed from the porous material, onto which the amine and the catalyst have been impregnated, and a solvent such as water… the slurry is then applied to the walls 56 of the channels 54 of, for example, a monolithic unit 52”) ; and at least a portion of the first group of fluid flow channels being adjacent to at least a portion of the second group of fluid flow channels; and wherein the high boiling point liquid boils at a temperature of at least about 100°C(noting diethanolamine(DEA), diisopropanolamine (DIPA), and 2-hydroxyethyl piperazine (HEP) as examples of amines wherein the high boiling point liquid boils at a temperature of at least about 100°C).
With regards to claim 15, Liu et al further teaches the first group of fluid flow channels being structurally distinct from the second group of fluid flow channels.
With regards to claim 16, Liu et al further teaches the monoblock being configured to maintain a pressure differential between the first group of fluid flow channels and the second group of fluid flow channels.
With regards to claim 17, Liu et al further teaches the channel walls being impregnated with a high boiling point liquid by a process comprising the steps of: (a) selecting the high boiling point liquid with a boiling point of at least about 100 °C;
(b) selecting a carrier liquid with a boiling point lower than the selected high boiling point liquid; (c) mixing the high boiling point liquid with the carrier liquid to create a solution with a concentration of high boiling point liquid of about between 15% and about 20%; and (d) impregnating the solution into at least a subset of the plurality of fluid flow channels using a process to effectuate at least partial pore infusion (Examiner noting that anticipation is based on a prior art reference including the claimed structural elements, wherein “the patentability of a product does not depend on its method of production. If the product in the product-by-process claim is the same as or obvious from a product of the prior art, the claim is unpatentable even though the prior product was made by a different process” (see MPEP 2113 (I)).
With regards to claim 18, Liu et al further teaches the one or more high boiling point liquids being selected from the group consisting of ionic liquids, hydrocarbons, and amines.
With regards to claim 19 , Liu et al further teaches the one or more high boiling point liquids being configured to preferentially absorb one or more components of a process fluid stream introduced to the first group of fluid flow channels(column 7 lines 1-4 stating “when the flue gas passes, in the absorption mode, through the channels 54 of the monolithic unit 52, the carbon dioxide of the flue gas will be effectively absorbed on the amine of the sorbent layer 60”.
With regards to claim 20 , Liu et al further teaches the one or more high boiling point liquids are configured to deactivate at least a subset of viruses, dust, mites, bacteria, germs, mold spores, or other biological contaminants from a process fluid stream introduced to the first group of fluid flow channels (Examiner notes the stated limitations are directed to a function of the claimed apparatus, wherein the claimed high boiling point liquids of a prior art reference are only required to be capable of performing the claimed deactivation process).
With regards to claim 21 , Liu et al further teaches the plurality of fluid flow channels having a surface area to volume ratio of between about 20 in^2/in^3 and about 200 in^2/in^3 (noting column 6 lines 49-52 describing a height of a monolithic unit is 50-2000 mm, and a width is 40-600 mm, wherein the monolithic unit of Liu et al falls within the claimed range of surface area to volume ratio of between about 20 in^2/in^3 and about 200 in^2/in^3).
With regards to claim 22 , Liu et al further teaches the channel walls having a pore volume of between about 0.1 mL/g and about 1.0 mL/g (noting channel walls being porous and formed of a material equivalent to the material listed in the current specification, wherein a pore volume is expected to fall within the claimed range).
With regards to claim 23 , Liu et al further teaches the first group of fluid flow channels being under a higher pressure than the second group of fluid flow channels( Examiner notes the claimed limitations are directed to a process, wherein anticipation for a prior art reference is based on the prior art reference including structural elements which are capable of performing the claimed process).
With regards to claim 24 , Liu et al further teaches the first group of fluid flow channels being under a positive gauge pressure and the second group of fluid flow channels being under a negative gauge pressure (Examiner notes the claimed limitations are directed to a process, wherein anticipation for a prior art reference is based on the prior art reference including structural elements which are capable of performing the claimed process).
With regards to claim 25 , Liu et al further teaches the second group of fluid flow channels is restricted at one end(column 7 lines 21-23 stating “the channels 154 of the first type are blocked at their upper ends, and the channels 155 of the second type are blocked at their lower ends”.
With regards to claim 27 , Liu et al further teaches the first group of fluid flow channels and the second group of fluid flow channels being arranged in a repeating pattern.
With regards to claim 28 , Liu et al further teaches the repeating pattern being selected from the group consisting of a checkerboard pattern, offset checkerboard pattern, honeycomb pattern, quatrefoil pattern, rectangle pattern, diamond pattern, triangle pattern, triangle and diamond pattern, and triangle and rectangle pattern.
With regards to claim 30 , Liu et al further teaches a device( stack 40 in figure 1) configured to sequester an exhaust fluid stream(flue gas disposal duct 20); and the device being fluidly connected to the second group of fluid flow channels.
With regards to claim 31 , Liu et al further teaches the apparatus having a separation efficiency of at least about 50%(Examiner notes the stated limitations are directed to a function of the claimed apparatus, wherein the claimed apparatus is only required to be capable of performing the claimed separation efficiency of at least about 50%).
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 26 and 29 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 26 recites “at least one header having at least one inlet and a transition element; wherein the at least one inlet is configured to receive a first bulk flow of fluid;
the transition element is configured to divide the first bulk flow of fluid into the first group of fluid flow channels; and the header is attached to at least one end of the monoblock.”. Liu et al teaches an apparatus including a monoblock including a group of fluid flow channels, however Liu et al does not teach or suggest at least one header having at least one inlet and a transition element; wherein the at least one inlet is configured to receive a first bulk flow of fluid; the transition element is configured to divide the first bulk flow of fluid into the first group of fluid flow channels; and the header is attached to at least one end of the monoblock.
Claim 29 recites “the one or more high boiling point liquids comprises one or more ionic liquids configured to preferentially absorb one of more fluid selected from the group consisting of: CO2, oxygen, water vapor, CO, SOx, NOx, helium, and formaldehyde.”. Liu et al teaches channel walls being impregnated with one or more high boiling point liquids, however Liu et al does not teach or suggest the one or more high boiling point liquids comprises one or more ionic liquids configured to preferentially absorb one of more fluid selected from the group consisting of: CO2, oxygen, water vapor, CO, SOx, NOx, helium, and formaldehyde.
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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/ROBERT A HOPKINS/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 1776
July 21, 2026
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