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 .
Response to Arguments
Applicant’s arguments, with respect to the rejection(s) of claim(s) 1-19 have been fully considered and are persuasive. Therefore, the rejections have been withdrawn. However, upon further consideration, a new ground(s) of rejection is made as indicated below.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 103
The text of those sections of Title 35, U.S. Code not included in this action can be found in a prior Office action.
Claim(s) 1-19 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Oberg (previously cited) in view of US 2019/0023598 to Hunt et al. (“Hunt”).
Regarding claim 1, Oberg discloses a method for operating a device for the dewatering and volume reduction of material to be pressed, the method including the following steps:
- introducing the material to be pressed into a pressing arrangement that includes a screw shaft (see Description on p. 1 and p. 3, first para. of translation describing dewatering sludge, which manifestly includes introducing the sludge to be pressed and dewatered),
- driving a screw shaft (11) of the pressing arrangement at a rotational speed by means of a drive motor (17),
- expelling an existing liquid out of the material to be pressed by means of the screw shaft (note the screw centrifuge of Oberg is designed to dewater sludge, see Description and p. 3, first para.),
- detecting a torque applied by the drive motor (note pulse generator 22 and transducer 28 are provided to detect and transfer screw drive torque to computer 20),
- detecting an internal pressure prevailing within the pressing arrangement (note pressure measuring device 28 which directly correlates pressure of the pressing arrangement), and
- controlling the rotational speed of the screw shaft on the basis of the torque along a torque characteristic curve, wherein the torque characteristic curve is changed on the basis of the internal pressure (see translation at para. bridging pp. 3-4; see also last two para. of p. 4)
Regarding claim 12, Oberg further discloses a device for the dewatering and volume reduction of material to be pressed, comprising:
a pressing arrangement (see apparatus of Fig. 1) configured to perform a compacting operation that compacts the material to be pressed during operation of the device,
a screw shaft (see shaft part of auger 11) rotatably supported within the pressing arrangement;
wherein during the compacting operation, an internal pressure is generated within the pressing arrangement by means of rotation of the screw shaft and, in this way, liquid present in the material to be pressed is expelled out of the material to be pressed (intended use of the apparatus; note pressing operation to dewater sludge at p. 3, first para.),
a drive motor (17) configured and disposed to transmit a torque onto the screw shaft, and
a control unit (20), which has a torque controller configured for controlling the rotational speed of the screw shaft on the basis of the torque along a torque characteristic curve (see para. bridging pp. 3-4);
wherein the control unit is designed to change the torque characteristic curve on the basis of the internal pressure (see para. bridging pp. 3-4).
Regarding claims 15, Oberg further discloses at least one measuring device (see sensors 21 and 22 and operations thereof) configured for measuring the rotational speed, the torque and/or the internal pressure and wherein the control unit includes a pressure controller configured and disposed for controlling the rotational speed of the screw shaft on the basis of the internal pressure along a pressure characteristic curve, wherein the control unit is designed to change the pressure characteristic curve on the basis of the torque (see computer operations based on torque, pressure, and other variables at pp. 3-4).
Regarding claims 1-2, 12, and 14, Oberg discloses the claimed invention with the exception of a measuring device configured to detect the internal pressure within the pressing arrangement. Hunt teaches an art-related pressing arrangement in which a pressure sensor disposed within a fixed screen basket around the screw to monitor the pressure therein (see Hunt at ¶ [0039] with pressure sensor 118d on the fixed screen made of wire mesh, stamped or cut metal).
Therefore, the position is taken that it would have been obvious at the time of effective filing to provide the dewatering device of Oberg with the pressure sensor and mesh basket of Hunt to yield the same and predictable results of monitoring internal pressure of the dewatering device.
Regarding claims 3-11, 13, Oberg discloses monitoring multiple variables (such as pressure and torque) along a torque characteristic curve to control the rotational speed of the screw shaft but does not expressly disclose the details of the torque characteristic curve, rotational speeds, or pressures as recited in claims 3-10. Absent a showing of unexpected/unpredictable results, it would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art at the time of effective filing to optimize the torque and pressure as desired in order to achieve the desired dewatering effect of the screw centrifuge, since it has been held that discovering an optimum value of a result effective variable involves only routine skill in the art. See MPEP § 2144.05(II) regarding Obviousness and Routine Optimization.
Regarding claim 16, Oberg discloses various characteristic curves including pressure and torque (p. 3, first para.), and changing torque based on various characteristic curves including pressure determined from device 28 (see para. bridging pp. 3-4).
Regarding claims 17-18, see Routine Optimization above.
Regarding claim 19, Oberg discloses wherein the rotational speed is increased when the internal pressure is increasing (see speed and pressure being proportion in 2nd to last para. on p. 3).
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure:
US 2022/0064044 to Wada et al, which discloses a dewatering device for solid-liquid separation and monitoring internal pressure with a pressure sensor.
Applicant's amendment necessitated the new ground(s) of rejection presented in this Office action. Accordingly, THIS ACTION IS MADE FINAL. See MPEP § 706.07(a). Applicant is reminded of the extension of time policy as set forth in 37 CFR 1.136(a).
A shortened statutory period for reply to this final action is set to expire THREE MONTHS from the mailing date of this action. In the event a first reply is filed within TWO MONTHS of the mailing date of this final action and the advisory action is not mailed until after the end of the THREE-MONTH shortened statutory period, then the shortened statutory period will expire on the date the advisory action is mailed, and any nonprovisional extension fee (37 CFR 1.17(a)) pursuant to 37 CFR 1.136(a) will be calculated from the mailing date of the advisory action. In no event, however, will the statutory period for reply expire later than SIX MONTHS from the mailing date of this final action.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to JOSEPH L PERRIN whose telephone number is (571)272-1305. The examiner can normally be reached M-F 7:30-4:00.
\Examiner interviews are available via telephone, in-person, and video conferencing using a USPTO supplied web-based collaboration tool. To schedule an interview, applicant is encouraged to use the USPTO Automated Interview Request (AIR) at http://www.uspto.gov/interviewpractice.
If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Michael E. Barr can be reached at 571-272-1414. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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Joseph L. Perrin, Ph.D.
Primary Examiner
Art Unit 1711
/Joseph L. Perrin/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 1711
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