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 .
Summary
This is a non-final office action for application 18/474,322 filed on 26 September 2023. Claims 1-2 are currently pending in this application.
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 1-2 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Shigekazu (JP-2003010658-A) in view of Kenichi (WO-2020255867-A1) and Sampath (US-20210115341-A1).
Regarding Claim 1, Shigekazu discloses a reactor (a reactor; see [0001]) comprising: a separation membrane (reactor that incorporates the gas separation material; see [0001] and a gas separation material equipped with the gas separation membrane; see [0006]) permeable to a product of a conversion reaction of a raw material gas (gas separation membrane with a relatively high gas permeability; see [0009]) containing at least hydrogen and carbon oxide (hydrogen separation membrane for permeating hydrogen; see [0016]); a non-permeation side flow path extending in an approximately vertical direction on a non-permeation side of the separation membrane (a reaction section, i.e., a hydrogen generation section 24, is formed around the hydrogen separation material 30… gas discharge pipe 26 that discharges the gas inside chamber 22; see [0048] and Fig. 8), the raw material gas flowing through the non-permeation side flow path (gas introduced into the hydrogen generation unit 24 that does not permeate the hydrogen separation membranes; see [0049]); and a catalyst configured to fill the non-permeation side flow path and promote the conversion reaction (hydrogen generation section 24, is formed around the hydrogen separation material 30, which is filled with a catalyst for hydrogen generation reaction (reforming); see [0048]), Shigekazu does not explicitly teach the ability of the reactor/membrane to handle liquid. However, Kenichi discloses the ability to separate a mixture containing liquids (the separation of a mixture containing multiple types of gases or liquids).
Shigekazu and Kenichi are both considered to be analogous to the claimed invention because they are in the same field of catalytic membrane reactors. This modification would have been obvious to a person of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention because Kenichi provides the motivation of the membrane therefore enabling separation of liquids (see [0075]).
Shigekazu does not explicitly teach catalyst layers with varying size. However, Sampath discloses a catalyst including a first layer and a second layer disposed upward of the first layer, and a mean equivalent circle diameter of catalyst particles included in the first layer is larger than a mean equivalent circle diameter of catalyst particles included in the second layer (smaller diameter cylindrical catalyst pellets in the entry zone… and larger size cylindrical pellets in the exit zone; see [0054]).
Shigekazu and Sampath are both considered to be analogous to the claimed invention because they are in the same field of catalytic reactors. This modification would have been obvious to a person of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention because Sampath offers the motivation of improved pressure drop conditions (Bed pressure drop tends to be higher in the bottom zone…. Guide us to use larger size pellets in the bottom zone; see [0109).
Regarding Claim 2, Shigekazu, Kenichi, and Sampath together disclose the reactor according to claim 1. Sampath further discloses wherein the first layer is located at a lowermost layer of the catalyst (use larger size pellets in the bottom zone; see [0109). This modification would have been obvious to a person of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention because Sampath offers the motivation of improved pressure drop conditions (Bed pressure drop tends to be higher in the bottom zone…. Guide us to use larger size pellets in the bottom zone; see [0109).
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to ALYSSA LEE KUYKENDALL whose telephone number is (571)270-3806. The examiner can normally be reached Monday- Friday 9:00am-5:00pm.
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/A.L.K./Examiner, Art Unit 1774
/CLAIRE X WANG/Supervisory Patent Examiner, Art Unit 1774
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