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 Interpretation
The following claim interpretations are herein presented to clarify on the record the limitation(s) recited in each of the noted claims:
In independent claim 1, the terminology “reaction kettle is interpreted as reciting the equivalent of a relatively small or compact “reactor”, in view of recitation in dependent claim 2 of a “reaction system” and in view of recitations of methods of preparing V-type porous starch in a plurality of the cited prior art references.
In claims 1, 2 and 5, the recited “reaction system” is interpreted as referring to a volume of or compartment of the “reaction kettle” or “reactor” introduced in claim 1, which contains mixed starch and ethanol solution.
Also in claim 1, in part 2), “a mixture in the reaction kettle” is interpreted as a mixture of the starch, first ethanol solution mixed and added hydrochloric acid, as recited in claim 1, part 1).
Also in claim 1, in part 3), the recited method steps of centrifuging, washing of a collected precipitate with second ethanol solution, leaching, drying, cooling and pulverizing, as currently recited, are interpreted as occurring in any order, and with any combination of the steps occurring concurrently together.
In claim 2, “concentration of ethanol” is interpreted as referring back to the first ethanol solution being mixed.
In claim 3, “mass ratio of the starch to ethanol” is interpreted as referring to of the first ethanol solution introduced in claim 1, part 1) and/or to the second ethanol solution introduced in claim 1, part 3).
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.
Claims 1-8 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 112(b) as being indefinite for failing to particularly point out and distinctly claim the subject matter which the inventor or a joint inventor regards as the invention.
In claim 1, it is unclear what mixture materials introduced in parts 1) or 2) are referenced by recitation of “a mixture in the reaction kettle” in part 2); and
in part 3) the nexus or functional and structural relationships between the various steps or substeps of “centrifuging”, “washing”, “collecting precipitate”, “leaching”, “drying”, “cooling” and “pulverizing”, and the functional relationships and nexus between each of these steps or substeps is unclear, as to whether these concern the same or different materials or mixtures of materials and concerning the order of the steps or substeps (does the “collected precipitate” originate from the “centrifuging”?) .
In claim 2, it is unclear whether “concentration of ethanol in the reaction system” refers to “ethanol solution” of the method steps of claim 1, part 1) and/or claim 1, part 2).
In claim 3, it is unclear whether “mass ratio of the starch to ethanol” refers to “ethanol solution” of the method steps of claim 1, part 1) and/or claim 1, part 2).
In claim 5, it is unclear whether “an acid hydrolysis time” refers an additional process of acid hydrolysis which occurs in claim 1, part 1) as a result of adding of concentrated hydrochloric acid to the mixture of starch and first ethanol solution.
In claim 6, it is unclear whether “rotation speed” refers to the entire reaction kettle introduced in claim 1, part 1) or instead refers to rotation of the reaction system or another component of the reaction kettle; and
“when the reaction temperature decreases is an indefinite clause, as to whether a decrease in reaction temperature necessarily ever occurs.
In claim 8, the claim is ambiguous as to whether washing of the precipitate thrice further defines the substep introduced in claim 1, part 3) of “washing a collected precipitate with a second ethanol solution”, or instead introduces additional washing substep(s);
whether “a drying temperature…” further defines the substep introduced in claim 1, part 3) of “drying”, or instead introduces an additional drying substep(s); and
whether “powders obtained through grinding” further defines the substep introduced in claim 1, part 3) of “pulverizing”, or instead introduces an additional substep of grinding in addition to the previous substep of pulverizing.
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 1-8 would be allowable if rewritten or amended to overcome the rejections under 35 U.S.C. 112(b) set forth in this Office action.
Independent claim 1 would distinguish and be non-obvious over all of the prior art in view of recitation of: “A method for preparing V-type porous starch, comprising:
1) mixing starch and a first ethanol solution in a reaction kettle, adding concentrated hydrochloric acid to the reaction kettle for acidity regulation, and controlling a temperature of a reaction system in the reaction kettle at 80-150°C;
2) cooling the reaction kettle, and adding a sodium hydroxide solution to the reaction system in the reaction kettle, until a pH of a mixture in the reaction kettle is neutral, to yield a starch solution; and
3) centrifuging the starch solution, drying, cooling, and pulverizing, to yield V-type porous starch, all of which is cumulatively taught by the closest prior art (explanation to follow), in view of further recitation of the centrifuging the starch solution, drying, cooling, and pulverizing being accompanied by washing a collected precipitate with a second ethanol solution and leaching.
The closest prior art is represented by Zhou et al PGPUBS Document US 2022/0243238; the Zhou et al publication entitled "Preparation of V-type porous starch by amylase hydrolysis of V-type granular starch in aqueous ethanol solution", "International Journal of Biological Macromolecules", and the Escapenet machine English translations of CN patent publications: CN-101891831, CN-103304676, CN-104757369, CN-104961837, CN-105815760 and CN-107927731, which cumulatively teach methods of producing or preparing V-type porous starches, employing steps of preparing V-type porous starch, comprising:
1) mixing starch and a first ethanol solution in a reaction kettle, adding concentrated hydrochloric acid to the reaction kettle for acidity regulation, and controlling a temperature of a reaction system in the reaction kettle at 80-150°C;
2) cooling the reaction kettle, and adding a sodium hydroxide solution to the reaction system in the reaction kettle, until a pH of a mixture in the reaction kettle is neutral, to yield a starch solution; and
3) centrifuging the starch solution, drying, cooling, and pulverizing, to yield V-type porous starch, however fail to teach or suggest such substeps of step 3) to also include washing a collected precipitate with a second ethanol solution and leaching.
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to Primary Examiner Joseph Drodge at his direct government formal facsimile phone number telephone number of 571-272-1140. The examiner can normally be reached on Monday-Friday from approximately 8:00 AM to 1:00PM and 2:30 PM to 5:30 PM.
If attempts to reach the examiner are unsuccessful, the examiner' s supervisor, Benjamin Lebron, of Technology Center Unit 1773, can reached at 571-272-0475.
The telephone number, for official, formal communications, for the examining group where this application is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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JWD
06/30/2026
/JOSEPH W DRODGE/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 1773
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