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 .
Priority
This application makes reference to or appears to claim subject matter disclosed in Application No. 17/433,366, filed August 24, 2021. If applicant desires to claim the benefit of a prior-filed application under 35 U.S.C. 119(e), 120, 121, 365(c) or 386(c), the instant application must contain, or be amended to contain, a specific reference to the prior-filed application in compliance with 37 CFR 1.78. If the application was filed before September 16, 2012, the specific reference must be included in the first sentence(s) of the specification following the title or in an application data sheet (ADS) in compliance with pre-AIA 37 CFR 1.76; if the application was filed on or after September 16, 2012, the specific reference must be included in an ADS in compliance with 37 CFR 1.76. For benefit claims under 35 U.S.C. 120, 121, 365(c), or 386(c), the reference must include the relationship (i.e., continuation, divisional, or continuation-in-part) of the applications.
If the instant application is a utility or plant application filed under 35 U.S.C. 111(a), the specific reference must be submitted during the pendency of the application and within the later of four months from the actual filing date of the application or sixteen months from the filing date of the prior application. If the application is a national stage application under 35 U.S.C. 371, the specific reference must be submitted during the pendency of the application and within the later of four months from the date on which the national stage commenced under 35 U.S.C. 371(b) or (f), four months from the date of the initial submission under 35 U.S.C. 371 to enter the national stage, or sixteen months from the filing date of the prior application. See 37 CFR 1.78(a)(4) for benefit claims under 35 U.S.C. 119(e) and 37 CFR 1.78(d)(3) for benefit claims under 35 U.S.C. 120, 121, 365(c), or 386(c). This time period is not extendable and a failure to submit the reference required by 35 U.S.C. 119(e) and/or 120, where applicable, within this time period is considered a waiver of any benefit of such prior application(s) under 35 U.S.C. 119(e), 120, 121, 365(c), and 386(c). A benefit claim filed after the required time period may be accepted if it is accompanied by a grantable petition to accept an unintentionally delayed benefit claim under 35 U.S.C. 119(e) (see 37 CFR 1.78(c)) or under 35 U.S.C. 120, 121, 365(c), or 386(c) (see 37 CFR 1.78(e)). The petition must be accompanied by (1) the reference required by 35 U.S.C. 120 or 119(e) and by 37 CFR 1.78 to the prior application (unless previously submitted), (2) the applicable petition fee under 37 CFR 1.17(m)(1) or (2), and (3) a statement that the entire delay between the date the benefit claim was due under 37 CFR 1.78 and the date the claim was filed was unintentional. The presentation of a benefit claim may result in an additional fee under 37 CFR 1.17(w)(1) or (2) being required, if the earliest filing date for which benefit is claimed under 35 U.S.C. 120, 121, 365(c), or 386(c) and 1.78(d) in the application is more than six years before the actual filing date of the application. The Director may require additional information where there is a question whether the delay was unintentional. The petition should be addressed to: Mail Stop Petition, Commissioner for Patents, P.O. Box 1450, Alexandria, Virginia 22313-1450.
If the reference to the prior application was previously submitted within the time period set forth in 37 CFR 1.78 but was not included in the location in the application required by the rule (e.g., if the reference was submitted in an oath or declaration or the application transmittal letter), and the information concerning the benefit claim was recognized by the Office as shown by its inclusion on the first filing receipt, the petition under 37 CFR 1.78 and the petition fee under 37 CFR 1.17(m)(1) or (2) are not required. Applicant is still required to submit the reference in compliance with 37 CFR 1.78 by filing an ADS in compliance with 37 CFR 1.76 with the reference (or, if the application was filed before September 16, 2012, by filing either an amendment to the first sentence(s) of the specification or an ADS in compliance with pre-AIA 37 CFR 1.76). See MPEP § 211.02.
It appears that applicant’s ADS filed 2/9/2024, on page 3 in the “Domestic Benefit/National Stage” section, improperly listed 17433366 (as application number) and also as prior application number. The application number should not list 17433366. Thus, no domestic/national benefit was granted as noted in the filing receipt mailed 2/23/2024. Additionally, since the present application did not receive domestic/nation benefit and was filed over a year after the foreign priority, this too was not granted. Until a corrected ADS is submitted. the effective filing date of this application is 2/9/2024.
Drawings
The drawings are objected to as failing to comply with 37 CFR 1.84(p)(5) because they include the following reference character(s) not mentioned in the description: 16a, 17a found in Figure 1. Corrected drawing sheets in compliance with 37 CFR 1.121(d), or amendment to the specification to add the reference character(s) in the description in compliance with 37 CFR 1.121(b) are required in reply to the Office action to avoid abandonment of the application. Any amended replacement drawing sheet should include all of the figures appearing on the immediate prior version of the sheet, even if only one figure is being amended. Each drawing sheet submitted after the filing date of an application must be labeled in the top margin as either “Replacement Sheet” or “New Sheet” pursuant to 37 CFR 1.121(d). If the changes are not accepted by the examiner, the applicant will be notified and informed of any required corrective action in the next Office action. The objection to the drawings will not be held in abeyance.
Specification
The incorporation of essential material in the specification by reference to an unpublished U.S. application, foreign application or patent, or to a publication is improper. Applicant is required to amend the disclosure to include the material incorporated by reference, if the material is relied upon to overcome any objection, rejection, or other requirement imposed by the Office. The amendment must be accompanied by a statement executed by the applicant, or a practitioner representing the applicant, stating that the material being inserted is the material previously incorporated by reference and that the amendment contains no new matter. 37 CFR 1.57(g).
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 non-obviousness.
Claims 1, 2, 3, 6, and 7 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Zhu et al. CN 203067291 U, July 17, 2013 (hereinafter “Zhu”) in view of Philips et al. U.S. Pub. No. 6210470 B1, April 03, 2001 (hereinafter “Philips”).
Regarding claim 1, Zhu discloses a liquid-injected gas compressor (fig.1, oil-jet screw compressor) device having a compressor inlet 1 for receiving a gas and a compressor outlet (check valve 4) through which a compressed gas stream flows, the compressed gas stream having liquid droplets therein, and a separator device 7 communicating with the compressor outlet for receiving the gas stream for separating the liquid droplets from the gas stream, the separator device comprising: two liquid separators (fig. 1, separators 8 and 11) arranged in series and configured to allow the gas stream to flow in a connecting element from a separator outlet of the first liquid separator to a separator inlet of the second liquid separator (paragraph 0004).
However, Zhu fails to disclose a means provided on or in the connecting element for creating radial standing waves in the gas stream to cause the liquid droplets therein to fuse together into larger liquid droplets.
Philips discloses a gas separator separation system employing ultrasonic standing wave transducers configured to generate standing acoustic waves within a flowing gas stream, wherein the standing waves cause entrained liquid droplets to coalesce into larger droplets, thereby enhancing downstream separation efficiency (col. 4, lines 15-55, fig. 1). Philips discloses that such standing wave fields may be generated in conduits or chambers through which gas flows prior to separation and that coalesced droplets are more readily removed by conventional separators. Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify the multistage separator of Zhu by providing, in the connecting element between successive liquid separators, the standing-wave generating means taught by Philips, in order to promote droplet coalescence prior to entry into the downstream separator.
Regarding claim 2, Zhu discloses a liquid-injected gas compressor apparatus including multiple liquid separators arranged in series for removing liquid droplets from a compressed gas stream, but Zhu fails to disclose generating ultrasonic radial standing waves in the gas stream. Philips discloses the standing waves used to coalesce liquid droplets in a gas stream are ultrasonic standing waves, generated by ultrasonic transducers operating at frequencies above the audible range (col.4, lines 20-40). Philips further discloses that such ultrasonic standing waves are particularly effective for inducing droplet coalescence in flowing gas streams prior to separation and a reflector oriented in a direction such that the standing waves are oriented at an acute angle to said first direction of fluid flow. Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to implement the standing wave generating means using ultrasonic radial standing waves, as taught by Philips, because Philips identifies ultrasonic frequencies as a known and preferred operating range for achieving droplet coalescence, and doing so would involve selecting a known operating frequency for the known standing wave technique to achieve the intended results.
Regarding claim 3, Zhu fails to disclose the means comprises one or more piezo actuators and/or solenoids. Philips discloses transducers (fig. 2, transducers 16a and 16b) electrically connected to a corresponding control means 26a and 26b (col. 3, lines 40-45). It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art at the time of invention to use piezo actuators or equivalent thereof to enable the separation process.
Regarding claim 6, Zhu discloses that the compressor device is a screw compressor element (paragraph 0004), used in conjunction with liquid injection and downstream liquid separation stages.
Regarding claim 7, Zhu discloses that the compressor device is an oil-injected screw compressor element (paragraph 0005), wherein oil is injected during compression and subsequently separated from the compressed gas in multiple separation stages.
Claims 4, and 5 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Zhu et al. CN 203067291 U, July 17, 2013 (hereinafter “Zhu”) and Philips, as applied to claim 1 above, in further view of Northrop U.S. Pub. No. 20140335002 A1, November 13, 2014 (hereinafter “Northrop”).
Regarding claim 4, Zhu discloses the compressor apparatus as modified in claim 1 with two liquid separators (fig. 1, paragraph 0004), all of which are arranged in series, but fails to disclose the apparatus with more than two liquid separators. However, Northrop discloses a series of separating system (fig. 2A, paragraph 0089). It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill at the time of invention to apply inter-stage coalescence approach to each connecting element between successive separators in Zhu, as this represents a scalable and repetitive application of the separation-enhancing technique taught by Northrop.
Regarding claim 5, Zhu fails to disclose that the second liquid separator is a cyclone separator. Northrop discloses a separator system 722 (fig. 7), such as a cyclonic separator, a mesh screen or a settling vessel (paragraph 0152). It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art at the time of invention to select a cyclone separator as a second liquid separator, motivated by known advantages of cyclone separator.
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to MIRIAM N EZELUOMBA whose telephone number is (571)272-0110. The examiner can normally be reached Monday-Friday 8:00am-4:30pm.
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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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/M.N.E./Examiner, Art Unit 1776 /Jennifer Dieterle/Supervisory Patent Examiner, Art Unit 1776