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 §101
35 U.S.C. 101 reads as follows:
Whoever invents or discovers any new and useful process, machine, manufacture, or composition of matter, or any new and useful improvement thereof, may obtain a patent therefor, subject to the conditions and requirements of this title.
Claims 1-14 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 101 because the claimed invention is directed to an abstract idea without significantly more as addressed below.
The new 2019 Revised Patent Subject Matter Eligibility Guidance published in the Federal Register (Vol. 84 No. 4, Jan 7, 2019 pp 50-57) has been applied and the claims are deemed as being patent ineligible.
The current 35 USC 101 analysis is based on the current guidance (Federal Register vol. 79, No. 241. pp. 74618-74633). The analysis follows several steps. Step 1 determines whether the claim belongs to a valid statutory class. Step 2A prong 1 identifies whether an abstract idea is claimed. Step 2A prong 2 determines whether an abstract idea is integrated into a practical application. If the abstract idea is integrated into a practical application the claim is patent eligible under 35 USC 101. Last, step 2B determines whether the claims contain something significantly more than the abstract idea. In most cases the existence of a practical application predicates the existence of an additional element that is significantly more.
Under the Step 1 of the eligibility analysis, we determine whether the claims are to a
statutory category by considering whether the claimed subject matter falls within the four statutory categories of patentable subject matter identified by 35 U.S.C.
101: Process, machine, manufacture, or composition of matter. The below claim is considered to be in a statutory category (process).
Under Step 1 of the analysis, claim 1 does belong to a statutory category, namely it is a process claim.
Under Step 2A Prong 1, the independent claim 1 includes abstract ideas as highlighted (using a bold font) below.
“1. A method for correcting ambient capillary pressure curves,
comprising: measuring capillary pressure curve of a porous medium in non-reservoir conditions; scanning the porous medium at a plurality of confining pressures;
creating a digital model of the porous medium at each of the plurality of confining pressures;
creating a capillary pressure curve for each digital model; calculating a fitting equation for each capillary pressure curve;
calculating an average fitting equation based on the fitting equations; and adjusting the measured capillary pressure curve using the average fitting equation.”
“8. A non-transitory, computer-readable medium containing instructions that, when executed by a hardware-based processor, causes the processor to perform stages for correcting ambient capillary pressure curves, the stages comprising: measuring capillary pressure curve of a porous medium in non-reservoir conditions; scanning the porous medium at a plurality of confining pressures;
creating a digital model of the porous medium at each of the plurality of confining pressures; creating a capillary pressure curve for each digital model; calculating a fitting equation for each capillary pressure curve; calculating an average fitting equation based on the fitting equations; and adjusting the measured capillary pressure curve using the average fitting equation.”
“15. A system for correcting ambient capillary pressure curves, comprising:
a capillary pressure apparatus;
a scanning device;
a memory storage including a non-transitory, computer-readable medium comprising instructions; and
a hardware-based processor that executes the instructions to carry out stages comprising:
receiving, from the capillary pressure apparatus, a measurement of capillary pressure curve of a porous medium in non-reservoir conditions;
receiving, from the scanning device, scans of the porous medium at a plurality of
confining pressures;
creating a digital model of the porous medium at each of the plurality of confining
pressures;
creating a capillary pressure curve for each digital model;
calculating a fitting equation for each capillary pressure curve;
calculating an average fitting equation based on the fitting equations; and
adjusting the measured capillary pressure curve using the average fitting equation”.
The highlighted steps indicated as Abstract idea are considered to be equivalent to mathematical steps and fundamental aspect of mathematics or directed to mental processes performed in the human mind (including observation, evaluation and opinion).
Under step 2A prong 2:
The claims do not comprise any particular field of use and claims do not direct to any practical application.
The steps of “measuring capillary pressure curve of a porous medium in non-reservoir conditions” and “scanning the porous medium at a plurality of confining pressures” is just insignificant extra solution data gathering.
The scanning and measuring steps are just general steps. The steps do not describe how the data is measured, what is measured, or what type of sensor/device is used.
The Claim 15 limitations comprising the “a scanning device” and “a capillary pressure apparatus” recite very general device/apparatus, which are insignificant additional elements.
The Claim 15 limitation comprising the “receiving, from the capillary pressure apparatus, a measurement of capillary pressure curve of a porous medium in non-reservoir conditions; receiving, from the scanning device, scans of the porous medium at a plurality of confining pressures” is just obtaining data steps, which is insignificant extra solution activity.
In claim 15: “a memory storage including a non-transitory, computer-readable medium comprising instructions; and a hardware-based processor”, these are merely a general computer and generic pieces of the computer and software running on the computer. The general computer and software running on the computer do not make the claims significantly more than the abstract idea. All of these additional elements are generic computer and generic components of the computer, which are in light of Alice, as not being significantly more.
Under step 2B:
The measuring and scanning steps without any description of any specific sensor or scanning device, to perform the making of any measurements thus, these steps include insignificant extra solution data gathering.
The Claim 15 limitations comprising the “a scanning device” and “a capillary pressure apparatus” recite very general device/apparatus, which are insignificant additional elements.
The Claim 15 limitation comprising the “receiving, from the capillary pressure apparatus, a measurement of capillary pressure curve of a porous medium in non-reservoir conditions; receiving, from the scanning device, scans of the porous medium at a plurality of confining pressures” is just obtaining data steps, which is insignificant extra solution activity.
In claim 15: “a memory storage including a non-transitory, computer-readable medium comprising instructions; and a hardware-based processor”, these are merely a general computer and generic pieces of the computer and software running on the computer. The general computer and software running on the computer do not make the claims significantly more than the abstract idea. All of these additional elements are generic computer and generic components of the computer, which are in light of Alice, as not being significantly more.
The dependent claims 5, 6, 12, 13, 19 and 20 merely extend the details of the abstract idea of mathematical concepts.
Dependent claims 2, 9, and 16 comprising the capillary pressure is measured in centrifuge apparatus, which is a general apparatus in the relevant art.
Dependent claims 3, 10 and 17 comprising the tomography scanner, which is significant additional element/step and they are patent ineligible under 35 USC 101.
Claims 4, 11 and 18 are additionally comprising the details of scanning data, which is insignificant additional element.
Claims 7 and 14 additionally describe the type of data.
Therefore, dependent Claims 2, 4-7, 9, 11-14, 16, and 19-20 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 101.
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.
Claims 1-3, 6-10 and 13-14 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Wlodarczyk et al., (US Pub.20180163533A1), hereinafter Wlodarczyk in view of Walls (WO2013148632A1), hereinafter Walls.
Regarding Claims 1 and 8, Wlodarczyk disclose a method for correcting ambient capillary pressure curves, comprising:
measuring capillary pressure curve of a porous medium in non-reservoir conditions (para [0065], where capillary pressure data may be measured via experimentation or may be received into the model. For example, capillary pressure may be measured via porous plate, centrifuge, or mercury injection experiments … a record of laboratory capillary pressure data vs. wetting phase saturation or non-wetting phase saturation is obtained and is used to build the saturation height function, e.g., laboratory experiment corresponds to the non-reservoir conditions);
[scanning]/measuring the porous medium at a plurality of confining pressures (para [0065], where capillary pressure may be measured via porous plate, centrifuge, or mercury injection experiments. Capillary pressure data may include measurement of saturation at different level of pressure and/or height, e.g., measurement saturation(property of a porous medium) at different level of pressure and/or height corresponds to the plurality of confining pressures and measuring capillary pressure show how fluid flow behavior in porous material);
creating a model of the porous medium at each of the plurality of confining pressures (para [0065], where measurement of saturation at different level of pressure and/or height and further; para [003], where saturation models may rely on saturation height functions for single pore throat systems; para [0078], where FIGS. 6-8, a capillary pressure model incorporating Equations 1 and 2 shows a good fit to the measured capillary pressure data wells, e.g., each model corresponds to the Eq. 1 and Eq. 2, which is comprising saturation models in porous media at different level of pressure/height);
creating a capillary pressure curve for each model (Fig. 7, Abstract, where creating a capillary pressure curve using multiple linked hyperbolic tangents, para [0065], where capillary pressure data may be measured via experimentation or may be received into the model. Capillary pressure data may include measurement of saturation at different level of pressure and/or height);
calculating a fitting equation for each capillary pressure curve (para [0077], where FIGS. 6, 7, and 8 illustrate a capillary pressure model according to embodiments of this disclosure. FIG. 6 illustrates capillary pressure data from a multi-pore throat system. FIG. 7 illustrates a best-fit curve 410 over the capillary pressure data. As illustrated in FIG. 7, the best fit curve 410 is the sum of three hyperbolic tangents 420, 430, and 440);
calculating an average fitting equation based on the fitting equations (para [0077], where as illustrated in FIG. 7, the best fit curve 410 is the sum of three hyperbolic tangents 420, 430, and 440, e.g., the curve 410 is average of the 420, 430 and 440 curves); and
adjusting the measured capillary pressure curve using the average fitting equation (para [0078], where FIGS. 6-8, a capillary pressure model incorporating Equations 1 and 2 shows a good fit to the measured capillary pressure data wells, and a number of hyperbolic tangents N can be set to fit the number of pore throats in the system. In some embodiments, a good fit is determined by the amount of error in Equation 1: the least error on Equation 1 signifying the best fit, whereas a higher error value indicates a lower quality of the fit).
Wlodarczyk does not disclose scanning the porous medium;
creating a digital model; digital model.
Walls disclose scanning the porous medium (Abstract, where imaging of sequential sub-samples of porous media using scanning electron microscopy (SEM), focused ion beam (FIB) or X-ray CT Tomography);
creating a digital model (Figures 7A and 7B , para [009, where digital rock physics techniques for estimating rock properties have the advantage that they can accurately produce digital images of very fine pore structures and identify small volumes of organic materials present in the pore structure of the rock).
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art at the time the applicants' invention was made to scanning data, as taught by Walls into Wlodarczyk in order to provide with high resolution more images and provide critical insights into multiphase flow.
Claim 8 comprising all limitation of claim 1, additionally in Claim 8 Wlodarczyk disclose a non-transitory, computer-readable medium containing instructions that, when executed by a hardware-based processor, causes the processor to perform stages (para [0011], where the non-transitory computer-readable medium stores instructions that, when executed by one or more processors of a computing system; para [0012], where non-transitory computer-readable media storing instructions that, when executed by one or more processors of a computing system, cause the computing system to perform operations).
Regarding Claim 2 and 9, Wlodarczyk and Walls disclose the method of claim 1/ the non-transitory, computer-readable medium of claim 8, wherein Wlodarczyk disclose the capillary pressure curve of the porous medium is measured in a centrifuge apparatus (para [0065], where capillary pressure data may be measured via experimentation or may be received into the model. For example, capillary pressure may be measured via porous plate, centrifuge).
Regarding Claims 3 and 10, Wlodarczyk and Walls disclose the method of claim 1/ The non-transitory, computer-readable medium of claim 8, Wlodarczyk does not disclose wherein the porous medium is scanned using a micro computed tomography scanner.
Walls disclose the porous medium is scanned using a micro computed tomography scanner (Abstract, where imaging of sequential sub-samples of porous media using scanning electron microscopy (SEM), focused ion beam (FIB) or X-ray CT Tomography).
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art at the time the applicants' invention was made to provide tomography scanner, as taught by Walls into Wlodarczyk in order to provide high resolution imagine for quantitative data.
Regarding Claims 6, and 13, Wlodarczyk and Walls disclose the method of claim 1/ the non-transitory, computer-readable medium of claim 8/ the non-transitory, computer-readable medium of claim 15,
Further, Wlodarczyk disclose wherein the fitting equation for each capillary pressure curve is in a form that calculates the water saturation as a function of the confining pressure (para [0062], where saturation of water and hydrocarbon in a reservoir can be computed from the saturation height function using permeability data, porosity data, and a height above free water level), at a specific capillary pressure (para [0064], where saturation height function may be a function of the capillary pressure; para [0065], where capillary pressure data may include measurement of saturation at different level of pressure and/or heigh, e.g., different level of pressure corresponds to the confining pressure), and wherein calculating the fitting equation for each capillary pressure curve includes inserting the water saturation for each confining pressure (Fig. 3 and 4, where water saturation and log Pc, para [0074], where, FIGS. 3, 4, and 5 illustrate a model of hyperbolic tangents in a capillary pressure and water saturation system according to an embodiment. FIG. 3 illustrates a single hyperbolic tangent 310 in a capillary pressure and water saturation system created using Equation 2 above with the constraints therein; para [0064], where the saturation height function may be a function of the capillary pressure) and performing a regression analysis to obtain parameter values corresponding to slope and intercept (para [0098], where least square linear regression may be used to predict the saturation below the closure correction pressure cutoff 803 until obtaining a wetting phase saturation of 100%. For example, the least square linear regression may be used to extrapolate the extrapolated capillary pressure curve 980 to the 100% wetting phase saturation point using a linear equation, see “D”).
Regarding Claims 7 and 14, Wlodarczyk and Walls disclose the method of claim 6/ the non-transitory, computer-readable medium of claim 13, further Wlodarczyk disclose wherein the parameter values are functions of the capillary pressure (para [0068], where a first equation solving for a set of unknown parameters using measured capillary pressure data, and a second equation using the solved unknown parameters to apply a set of hyperbolic tangents to fit capillary pressure data).
Claims 4 and 11 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Wlodarczyk in view of Walls, as applied above and further in view of Li et al., (US Pub.20210062076A1), hereinafter Li.
Regarding Claims 4 and 11, Wlodarczyk and Walls disclose the method of claim 1/ the non-transitory, computer-readable medium of claim 8, wherein scanning the porous medium at a plurality of confining pressures, as recited in claim 1,
Wlodarczyk and Walls do not disclose:
extracting a plurality of micro plugs from the porous medium; and
scanning each of the plurality of micro plugs at a different confining pressure.
Li discloses extracting a plurality of micro plugs from the porous medium (para [0062], where pressure of the injecting fluid causes the formation to fracture, and while the fluid is allowed to flow back to the surface, the coated particles 100 remain in the fracture and prevent the formation from closing or collapsing. para [0063], where the coated particles 100 and the hydraulic fracturing compositions including the coated particles 100); and
scanning each of the plurality of micro plugs (para [0079], where optical or scanning-electron micrographs of the various uncoated and coated particles are provided in FIGS. 5, 6A-6E, 7A-7B, 8A-8B, 9A-9B, 10A-10D, and 11. The particles in FIGS. 5, 6A-6E, 7A-7B represent the comparative examples) at a different confining pressure (Table 3, where various uncoated and coated particles crushed at various pressures).
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art at the time the applicants' invention was made to provide plurality of micro plugs, as taught by Li in combination of Walls and Wlodarczyk in order to better analyze and predict the material behavior.
Claims 5, and 12 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Wlodarczyk in view of Walls, as applied above and further in view of Nie et al., (US Pub.20210132026A1), hereinafter Nie.
Regarding Claims 5 and 12, Wlodarczyk and Walls disclose the method of claim 1/ the non-transitory, computer-readable medium of claim 8, wherein creating the capillary pressure curve for each digital model, as recited in claim 1.
Wlodarczyk and Walls do not disclose includes simulating a porous plate technique for each of each digital model.
Nie disclose simulating a porous plate technique (para [0030], where simulating the flow of the digital porous plate experiment).
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art at the time the applicants' invention was made to provide simulating a porous plate technique, as taught by a Nie into each digital model of Wlodarczyk in view of Walls in order to reducing the long, time-consuming nature of physical tests while allowing for the precise visualization of pressure, saturation profiles, and fluid-solid interactions.
Claims 15-17 and 20 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Wlodarczyk et al., (US Pub.20180163533A1), hereinafter Wlodarczyk in view of Walls and Andersen (WO2015084481A1), hereinafter Andersen.
Regarding claim 15, Wlodarczyk discloses a system for correcting ambient capillary pressure curves, comprising: a capillary pressure apparatus;
a memory storage including a non-transitory, computer-readable medium comprising instructions (para [0012], where non-transitory computer-readable media storing instructions that, when executed by one or more processors of a computing system, cause the computing system to perform operations); and
a hardware-based processor that executes the instructions (para [0012], where non-transitory computer-readable media storing instructions that, when executed by one or more processors of a computing system, cause the computing system to perform operations) to carry out stages comprising:
receiving, from the capillary pressure apparatus (para [0065], where capillary pressure data may be measured via experimentation or may be received into the model… capillary pressure may be measured via porous plate, centrifuge, e.g., centrifuge apparatus corresponds to the capillary pressure apparatus), a measurement of capillary pressure curve of a porous medium in non-reservoir conditions (para [0065], where capillary pressure data may be measured via experimentation or may be received into the model. For example, capillary pressure may be measured via porous plate, centrifuge, or mercury injection experiments … a record of laboratory capillary pressure data vs. wetting phase saturation or non-wetting phase saturation is obtained and is used to build the saturation height function, e.g., laboratory experiment corresponds to the non-reservoir conditions);
[scans]/ measure of the porous medium at a plurality of confining pressures(para [0065], where capillary pressure may be measured via porous plate, centrifuge, or mercury injection experiments. Capillary pressure data may include measurement of saturation at different level of pressure and/or height, e.g., measurement saturation(property of a porous medium) at different level of pressure and/or height corresponds to the plurality of confining pressures and measuring capillary pressure show how fluid flow behavior in porous material);
creating a model of the porous medium at each of the plurality of confining pressures (F) (para [0065], where measurement of saturation at different level of pressure and/or height and further; para [003], where saturation models may rely on saturation height functions for single pore throat systems; para [0078], where FIGS. 6-8, a capillary pressure model incorporating Equations 1 and 2 shows a good fit to the measured capillary pressure data wells, e.g., each model corresponds to the Eq. 1 and Eq. 2, which is comprising saturation models in porous media at different level of pressure/height);
creating a capillary pressure curve for each model (Fig. 7, Abstract, where creating a capillary pressure curve using multiple linked hyperbolic tangents; para [0065], where capillary pressure data may be measured via experimentation or may be received into the model. Capillary pressure data may include measurement of saturation at different level of pressure and/or height.);
calculating a fitting equation for each capillary pressure curve (para [0077], where FIGS. 6, 7, and 8 illustrate a capillary pressure model according to embodiments of this disclosure. FIG. 6 illustrates capillary pressure data from a multi-pore throat system. FIG. 7 illustrates a best-fit curve 410 over the capillary pressure data. As illustrated in FIG. 7, the best fit curve 410 is the sum of three hyperbolic tangents 420, 430, and 440); calculating an average fitting equation based on the fitting equations (para [0077], where as illustrated in FIG. 7, the best fit curve 410 is the sum of three hyperbolic tangents 420, 430, and 440, e.g., the curve 410 is average of the 420, 430 and 440 curves); and
adjusting the measured capillary pressure curve using the average fitting equation (para [0078], where FIGS. 6-8, a capillary pressure model incorporating Equations 1 and 2 shows a good fit to the measured capillary pressure data wells, and a number of hyperbolic tangents N can be set to fit the number of pore throats in the system. In some embodiments, a good fit is determined by the amount of error in Equation 1: the least error on Equation 1 signifying the best fit, whereas a higher error value indicates a lower quality of the fit).
Wlodarczyk does not disclose a scanning device; creating a digital model; digital model; receiving, from the scanning device.
Walls disclose creating a digital model; digital model (Figures 7A and 7B , para [009, where digital rock physics techniques for estimating rock properties have the advantage that they can accurately produce digital images of very fine pore structures and identify small volumes of organic materials present in the pore structure of the rock).
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art at the time the applicants' invention was made to provide digital model, as taught by Walls into Wlodarczyk in order to more effectively analyze the material properties with high fidelity.
Andersen disclose a scanning device (para [0026], where surface unit 112 may be provided with scanning and other laboratory facilities for obtaining 3D porous solid images of the core samples and/or performing laboratory tests on the core samples obtained by the wellsite system 110);
receiving, from the scanning device, scans (para [0026], where surface unit 112 may then send the 3D porous solid image and laboratory test results to the RP computer system 208 for analysis. The surface unit 112 may then send command signals to the field 100 in response to data received, for example to control and/or optimize various field operations described above).
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art at the time the applicants' invention was made to receive, from the scanning device scans, as taught by Andersen into Wlodarczyk in order to more provide high resolution images and allowing for accurate analysis.
Regarding Claim 16, Wlodarczyk and Walls and Andersen disclose the system of claim 15, further Wlodarczyk disclose wherein the capillary pressure apparatus is a centrifuge apparatus (para [0065], where capillary pressure data may be measured via experimentation or may be received into the model. For example, capillary pressure may be measured via porous plate, centrifuge).
Regarding Claim 17, Wlodarczyk and Walls and Andersen disclose the system of claim 15, Wlodarczyk does not disclose wherein the scanning device is a micro computed tomography scanner.
Walls disclose the scanning device is a micro computed tomography scanner (Abstract, where imaging of sequential sub-samples of porous media using scanning electron microscopy (SEM), focused ion beam (FIB) or X-ray CT Tomography).
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art at the time the applicants' invention was made to provide tomography scanner, as taught by Walls in combination of Wlodarczyk and Andersen in order to provide high resolution imagine for quantitative data.
Regarding Claim 20, Wlodarczyk and Walls and Andersen disclose the method of claim 1/ the non-transitory, computer-readable medium of claim 8/ the non-transitory, computer-readable medium of claim 15.
Further, Wlodarczyk disclose wherein the fitting equation for each capillary pressure curve is in a form that calculates the water saturation as a function of the confining pressure (para [0062], where saturation of water and hydrocarbon in a reservoir can be computed from the saturation height function using permeability data, porosity data, and a height above free water level), at a specific capillary pressure (para [0064], where saturation height function may be a function of the capillary pressure; para [0065], where capillary pressure data may include measurement of saturation at different level of pressure and/or heigh, e.g., different level of pressure corresponds to the confining pressure), and wherein calculating the fitting equation for each capillary pressure curve includes inserting the water saturation for each confining pressure (Fig. 3 and 4, where water saturation and log Pc, para [0074], where, FIGS. 3, 4, and 5 illustrate a model of hyperbolic tangents in a capillary pressure and water saturation system according to an embodiment. FIG. 3 illustrates a single hyperbolic tangent 310 in a capillary pressure and water saturation system created using Equation 2 above with the constraints therein; para [0064], where the saturation height function may be a function of the capillary pressure) and performing a regression analysis to obtain parameter values corresponding to slope and intercept (para [0098], where least square linear regression may be used to predict the saturation below the closure correction pressure cutoff 803 until obtaining a wetting phase saturation of 100%. For example, the least square linear regression may be used to extrapolate the extrapolated capillary pressure curve 980 to the 100% wetting phase saturation point using a linear equation, see “D”).
Claim 18 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Wlodarczyk in view of Walls, and Andersen, as applied above and further in view of Li et al., (US Pub.20210062076A1), hereinafter Li.
Regarding Claim 18, Wlodarczyk and Walls and Andersen disclose the system of claim 15, received scan of the porous medium from the porous medium sample, at a different confine pressure as recited in claim 15,
Wlodarczyk and Walls and Andersen do not disclose:
each scan of a micro plug extracted; and
each micro plug having been scanned at a different confining pressure.
Li disclose each scan of a micro plug extracted (para [0062], where pressure of the injecting fluid causes the formation to fracture, and while the fluid is allowed to flow back to the surface, the coated particles 100 remain in the fracture and prevent the formation from closing or collapsing. para [0063], where the coated particles 100 and the hydraulic fracturing compositions including the coated particles 100); and
each micro plug having been scanned (para [0079], where Optical or scanning-electron micrographs of the various uncoated and coated particles are provided in FIGS. 5, 6A-6E, 7A-7B, 8A-8B, 9A-9B, 10A-10D, and 11. The particles in FIGS. 5, 6A-6E, 7A-7B represent the comparative examples) at a different confining pressure (Table 3, where various uncoated and coated particles crushed at various pressures).
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art at the time the applicants' invention was made to provide plurality of micro plugs, as taught by Li in combination of Walls and Wlodarczyk and Andersen in order to better analyze and predict the material behavior.
Claim 19 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Wlodarczyk in view of Walls, and Andersen, as applied above and further in view of Nie et al., (US Pub.20210132026A1), hereinafter Nie.
Regarding Claim 19, Wlodarczyk and Walls and Andersen disclose the non-transitory, computer-readable medium of claim 15, wherein creating the capillary pressure curve for each digital model, as recited in claim 1.
Wlodarczyk and Walls and Andersen do not disclose includes simulating a porous plate technique for each of each digital model.
Nie disclose simulating a porous plate technique (para [0030], where simulating the flow of the digital porous plate experiment).
Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art at the time the applicants' invention was made to provide simulating a porous plate technique, as taught by a Nie into each digital model of Wlodarczyk in view of Walls and Andersen in order to reducing the long, time-consuming nature of physical tests (often taking weeks), while allowing for the precise visualization of pressure, saturation profiles, and fluid-solid interactions.
Conclusion
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/KALERIA KNOX/
Examiner, Art Unit 2857
/ANDREW SCHECHTER/Supervisory Patent Examiner, Art Unit 2857