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 .
Election/Restrictions
Applicant’s election without traverse of Group 2 (claims 9-20) in the reply filed on 05/13/2026 is acknowledged.
Information Disclosure Statement
The information disclosure statement (IDS) submitted on 10/11/2023 was filed before the mailing date of the FAOM. The submission is in compliance with the provisions of 37 CFR 1.97. Accordingly, the information disclosure statement is being considered by the examiner.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 102
In the event the determination of the status of the application as subject to AIA 35 U.S.C. 102 and 103 (or as subject to pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 102 and 103) is incorrect, any correction of the statutory basis (i.e., changing from AIA to pre-AIA ) for the rejection will not be considered a new ground of rejection if the prior art relied upon, and the rationale supporting the rejection, would be the same under either status.
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 9-20 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Yokoyama (WO2022259681A1 published 12/15/2022) as evidenced by Agilent 7820A Gas Chromatograph Operating Guide (published 2011) and Cyanopropyl-phenyl – Dimethylpolysiloxane GC column (hereinafter Target Analytes NPL published 2026).
Regarding claim 9, Yokoyama teaches a system for measuring a purity of a glycol sample in a pipeline, the system comprising:
at least one type of testing equipment connected to the pipeline via at least one test line (an syringe with needle – paragraphs 22, 51),
the at least one type of testing equipment comprising: a gas chromatography instrument (a gas chromatography analyzer 1 such as an Agilent GC-7820A – Fig. 1 and paragraph 52); an evaporation instrument (preheat the syringe by placing it in a hot air circulating oven or similar device – paragraphs 34 and 42); and a titration instrument (The moisture content can be measured using a Karl Fischer apparatus – paragraph 36, 51); and
an interfacial online data processor in communication with the at least one type of testing equipment (the Agilent GC-7820A comprises a GC remote controller software that is installed on a computer, and in communication with the Agilent GC-7820A over a network – Agilent 7820A Gas Chromatograph Operating Guide pages 30-31).
Regarding claim 10, Yokoyama teaches the system of claim 9, wherein the glycol sample (“the glycol sample” is not positively recited in the claim, per MPEP 2115 the claim is interpreted to read on a system capable of processing glycol samples with monoethylene glycol) comprises monoethylene glycol (the gas chromatography analyzer 1 such as an Agilent GC-7820A is capable of processing glycol samples with monoethylene glycol – Figure 1 and paragraph 52).
Regarding claim 11, Yokoyama teaches the system of claim 9, wherein the glycol sample (“the glycol sample” is not positively recited in the claim, per MPEP 2115 the claim is interpreted to read on a system capable of processing glycol samples with triethylene glycol) comprises triethylene glycol (the gas chromatography analyzer 1 such as an Agilent GC-7820A is capable of processing glycol samples with triethylene glycol – Figure 1 and paragraph 52).
Regarding claim 12, Yokoyama teaches the system of claim 9, wherein one of the at least one test line feeds to an evaporation instrument for measuring the purity of the glycol sample (the sample in the syringe is place into the heater/oven – Figure 1 and paragraph 42).
Regarding claim 13, Yokoyama teaches the system of claim 12, wherein the evaporation instrument is a distillation instrument (the heater/oven capable of heating and is thus capable of being used to distill a sample liquid – Figure 1 and paragraph 42).
Regarding claim 14, Yokoyama teaches the system of claim 9, wherein one of the at least one test line feeds to a titration instrument for measuring the purity of the glycol sample (the syringe injects samples into the Karl Fischer apparatus – paragraph 51).
Regarding claim 15, Yokoyama teaches the system of claim 14, wherein the titration instrument is a Karl Fischer volumetric titrator (the Karl Fischer apparatus – paragraph 51).
Regarding claim 16, Yokoyama teaches the system of claim 9, wherein the gas chromatography instrument comprises a dimethylpolysiloxane column (Apparatus: Agilent GC-7820A Column: DB-1701 – paragraph 53) (DB-1701 is a dimethylpolysiloxane column – Target Analytes NPL).
Regarding claim 17, Yokoyama teaches the system of claim 9, wherein the gas chromatography instrument includes a flame ionization detector (detector 30 such as flame ionization detectors (FID) – paragraph 29 and Fig. 1).
Regarding claim 18, Yokoyama teaches the system of claim 9, wherein the interfacial online data processor (the GC remote controller software – Agilent 7820A Gas Chromatograph Operating Guide pages 30-31) transmits the purity of the glycol sample (“transmits the purity of the glycol sample” is an intended use limitation of the data processor and deemed to read on a computer capable of transmitting data) from the at least one type of testing equipment to a distributed control system (the GC remote controller software stores and sends Methods with chromatogram data to and from the network computer – Yokoyama Fig. 1 and Agilent 7820A Gas Chromatograph Operating Guide pages 41, 54).
Regarding claim 19, Yokoyama teaches the system of claim 18, wherein the interfacial online data processor transmits the purity of the glycol sample (“transmits the purity of the glycol sample” is an intended use limitation of the data processor and deemed to read on a computer capable of transmitting data) individually from each of the at least one type of testing equipment (the GC remote controller sends chromatogram data from the gas chromatography analyzer 1 to and from the network computer – Yokoyama Fig. 1 and Agilent 7820A Gas Chromatograph Operating Guide pages 41, 54).
Regarding claim 20, Yokoyama teaches the system of claim 18, wherein the interfacial online data processor transmits the purity of the glycol sample (“transmits the purity of the glycol sample” is an intended use limitation of the data processor and deemed to read on a computer capable of transmitting data) as an average from all of the at least one type of testing equipment (the GC remote controller sends chromatogram data to an automated data analysis system and is capable of reporting an average from the gas chromatography analyzer 1 – Yokoyama Fig. 1 and Agilent 7820A Gas Chromatograph Operating Guide pages 41, 54).
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure.
US20180136177A1 – teaches steps for measuring moisture content using a Karl Fischer method and a gas chromatography method
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/T.C.S./Examiner, Art Unit 1796
/CHARLES CAPOZZI/Supervisory Patent Examiner, Art Unit 1798
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