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 .
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.
Claim(s) 1-4 and 12-14 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Lehr (5,561,685). Lehr discloses a sidewall (22) for a metallurgical furnace (10), the sidewall includes an upper wall (30); an outer wall coupled to the upper wall and extending downward from the upper wall; an inner wall coupled to the upper wall, the inner wall extending downward from the upper wall, the inner wall having an inner surface facing and circumscribed by the outer wall; a bottom wall (35) coupled to the inner wall, the bottom wall having a bottom extension wall (9) extending away from the inner wall; and a liner wall (10) attached to the bottom extension wall and extending upward in a spaced apart relationship to the inner wall (SEE Annotated Figure 1 for clarification); and a spray cooling assembly disposed between the inner wall and the outer wall, the spray cooling assembly (600, 620) configured to spray coolant on the inner surface of the inner wall (SEE Figure 4).
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In re claim 2, Lehr further discloses a cover wall (SEE Annotated Figure 1) attached to an upper portion of the liner wall, the cover wall extending away from the liner wall. In re claim 3, Lehr further discloses that the bottom extension wall (9) is attached to the bottom wall or the inner wall (SEE Annotated Figure 1). In re claim 4, as per Annotated Figure 1, Lehr discloses that the inner wall is substantially straight between the upper wall (30) and the bottom wall (35) (Figure 4). In re claim 12, Lehr discloses a metallurgical furnace (arc furnace 10) including a hearth; a plurality of refractory bricks (SEE bricks in Figure 4 with liner wall 10) lining a portion of the hearth; and a sidewall (22) disposed on the hearth, the sidewall includes an upper wall (30); an outer wall coupled to the upper wall and extending downward from the upper wall (SEE Annotated Figure 1); an inner wall coupled to the upper wall, the inner wall extending downward from the upper wall, the inner wall having an inner surface facing and circumscribed by the outer wall; a bottom wall (35) coupled to the inner wall, the bottom wall having a bottom extension wall (9) extending away from the inner wall; and a liner wall (10) attached to the bottom extension wall and extending upward in a spaced apart relationship to the inner wall (SEE Annotated Figure 1), the liner wall disposed along a portion the plurality of refractory bricks; and a spray cooling assembly (600, 620) disposed between the inner wall and the outer wall, the spray cooling assembly configured to spray coolant on the inner surface of the inner wall (SEE Figure 4). In re claim 13, Lehr further discloses a cover wall (SEE Annotated Figure 1) attached to an upper portion of the liner wall, the cover wall at partially disposed on a top surface of the plurality of refractory bricks. In re claim 14, Lehr discloses that the bottom extension wall (9) is attached to the bottom wall or the inner wall (SEE Annotated Figure 1).
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 17-20 are allowed.
Claims 5-11, 15 and 16 are objected to as being dependent upon a rejected base claim, but would be allowable if rewritten in independent form including all of the limitations of the base claim and any intervening claims.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to GREGORY A WILSON whose telephone number is (571)272-4882. The examiner can normally be reached M-F; 7:00am-4:30pm.
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If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Steve McAllister can be reached at 571-272-6785. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/GREGORY A WILSON/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3762 January 21, 2026
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