DETAILED ACTION
Application Status
The present application, filed on or after March 16, 2013, is being examined under the first inventor to file provisions of the AIA . This action is in response to Applicant’s submission dated 06/09/2026. Claim(s) 1–18 are pending.
Election/Restrictions
Claims 8–18 are withdrawn from further consideration pursuant to 37 CFR 1.142(b) as being drawn to a non-elected invention, there being no allowable generic or linking claim. Election was made without traverse in the reply filed on 06/09/2026.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 112
The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 112(b):
(b) CONCLUSION.—The specification shall conclude with one or more claims particularly pointing out and distinctly claiming the subject matter which the inventor or a joint inventor regards as the invention.
The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), second paragraph:
The specification shall conclude with one or more claims particularly pointing out and distinctly claiming the subject matter which the applicant regards as his invention.
Claims 1–7 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 112(b) or 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), second paragraph, as being indefinite for failing to particularly point out and distinctly claim the subject matter which the inventor or a joint inventor (or for applications subject to pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, the applicant), regards as the invention. Specifically, claim 1 includes a limitation that states: “heating a high-moisture solid fuel while contacting the high-moisture solid fuel with an oxygen-depleted gas stream to produce a dried solid fuel and a moist oxygen-depleted gas stream.” Claim 1 also claims: “transferring heat to the recirculating thermal fluid by indirect heat exchange with the first portion of the combustion products stream.”
First, the latter limitation lacks proper antecedent basis because “a recirculating thermal fluid” is not previously recited in the claim.
Second, it is unclear what the recirculating thermal fluid is or does. According to the Specification, a heated recirculating thermal fluid (44) is used to heat the dryer by indirect heat exchange (¶ 0065); however, claim 1 states that the solid fuel in the dryer is directly heated by an oxygen-depleted gas stream (presumably one of the partial combustion products streams). Thus, it is unclear whether the dryer is both directly and indirectly heated or whether the recirculating thermal fluid is the oxygen-depleted gas stream and the dryer is solely directly heated. Because of the ambiguity, examination under §§ 102 & 103 is not possible at this time. However, Examiner does not the presence of a number of X references in the PCT Search Report, which may be applied at a later date once the claim ambiguity is resolved.
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure: see attached PTO-892. Applicant is encouraged to review the cited references prior to submitting a response to this office action.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to DAVID J LAUX whose telephone number is (571)270-7619. The examiner can normally be reached 8:30-5:30 M-F.
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If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Helena Kosanovic can be reached at (571) 272-9059. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/DAVID J LAUX/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3762
June 21, 2026
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