DETAILED ACTION
Claim amendments filed 19 January 2026 have been entered. The amendments have overcome the 112 rejections and objections of the previous office action. Claims 1 and 2 are pending.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 102
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 1 and 2 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Ide (US 3,934,990)
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Applicant’s disclosed invention, fig 3
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Ide fig 1
Claim 1, Ide discloses a multistage turbocompressor system (compressor stage, cooler/cleaner stage, abstract) with a
compressed air-moisture separating unit (fig 1), the system comprising:
an outside air intake unit (outside air, c 1 ln 30) through which outside air is drawn into the
system (id.);
an outside air filtering unit (filter 75) that filters the outside air drawn in through the outside air intake unit (id);
a turbo air compression unit (compressor, abstract) that generates compressed air from the outside air filtered by the outside air filtering unit (id.);
a turbo air compression cooling unit (air cooler, c 4 ln 43) that cools the turbo air compression unit (id);
a turbo air compression power supply unit (engine, c 9 ln 47) that drives the turbo air compression unit (id.);
a compressed air cooling intercooler unit (air cooler passage 72 cools air compressed by compressor, c 7 ln 41-50) that cools the compressed air generated by the turbo air compression unit (id.); and
a compressed air-moisture separating unit (moisture is condensed and separated, c 7 ln 44) that separates a condensed moisture (moisture is condensed, c 7 ln 45) from the compressed air cooled by the compressed air cooling intercooler unit, the compressed air-moisture separating unit comprising:
a cylindrical compressed air-moisture separation chamber housing module (fig 1, annulus shaped air passageway 72, or air riser tube 34) configured to receive the compressed air from the turbo air compression unit (compressed air delivered to cooler, c 5 ln 13-19) and enable separation of condensed moisture from the compressed air (c 7 ln 45):
a compressed air inlet module (38) formed in an upper portion of the compressed air-moisture separation chamber housing module (fig 1 shows 38 higher than the bottom of 34, c 3 ln 18-20; this matches the arrangement of applicant’s fig 3 arrangement of inlet 720 and bottom of 740) and offset from a central axis of the compressed air-moisture separation chamber housing module (fig 1 shows the tangential entry from 39), through which the compressed air enters the compressed air- moisture separation chamber housing module (fig 1) so as to create a swirling airflow inside the compressed air-moisture separation chamber housing module (swirl of air is created, c 5 ln 30);
an intra-compressed air moisture-removal flow guide vane module (inward extension 44, with angled horizontal slot 45, c 5 ln 33-40) fixed within the compressed air-moisture separation chamber housing module (fixed and formed integrally, c 5 ln 34), the flow guide vane module causing the compressed air entering through the compressed air inlet module to swirl inside the compressed air- moisture separation chamber housing module (44 causes swirling with tangential discharge, c 5 ln 40); and thereby inducing friction that removes condensed moisture from the compressed air (condensation occurs via surface contact on the inner wall surface causing condensation, c 7 ln 45-50; since contact is required for condensation, inherently friction must result from the physical contact because friction is an inherent product of all physical contact);
an intra-compressed air moisture-removal filtering housing module (desiccator cartridge, c 7 ln 50-55) disposed coaxially inside the compressed air-moisture separation chamber housing module (id.) and configured to remove remaining condensed moisture from the swirling compressed air (removal of any remaining traces of moisture, c 7 ln 50-55), the intra-compressed air moisture-removal filtering housing module being further configured to discharge the compressed air from which the condensed moisture has been removed (fig 1 shows the discharge out of 77 which is above the air desiccator cartridge, c 7 ln 50-55), out of the compressed air-moisture separation chamber housing module to a compressed air outlet unit (outlet 82, c 7 ln 57); and
a condensed moisture discharging mesh module (fig 13, disc 67 is perforated and intended to permit the passage of air in the cooling chamber; c 6 ln 57; the perforations make the plate reasonably meet the term mesh under a BRI because mesh is known as a perforated plate) configured to collect condensed moisture separated from the compressed air and discharge the collected moisture out of the compressed air-moisture separation chamber housing module (67 is within the moisture separating housing, c 6 ln 57 – c 6 ln 10; the arrangement of air flow on the inner surface of the cooling chamber 33 is explicitly to allow condensation downward flow of fluid, c 7 ln 9-10, 40-50), the compressed air outlet unit through which the compressed air from which the condensed moisture has been removed is discharged from the multistage turbocompressor system (discharged out 82);
wherein the outside air drawn in through the outside air intake unit is filtered by the outside air filtering unit (outside air is compressed by the compressor and pushed through the filters 75, c 7 ln 25-40), compressed by the turbo air compression unit (c 7 ln 41), cooled by the compressed air cooling intercooler unit (c 7 ln 40-45), and passed through the compressed air-moisture separating unit (c 7 ln 40-55), such that the compressed air from which the condensed moisture has been removed is discharged through the compressed air outlet unit (c 7 ln 55-60).
Claim 2, Ide discloses the multistage turbocompressor system of claim 1, wherein as the compressed air flows through the compressed air inlet module into the compressed air-moisture separation chamber housing module and then into the intra-compressed air moisture-removal filtering housing module condensed moisture is removed from the compressed air by frictional contact at multiple locations along a flow path (removed via swirl chamber condensation, c 7 ln 40-50; and removed by desiccator cartridge, c 7 ln 50-55), the multiple locations including;
an upper interior portion of the compressed air-moisture separation chamber housing module (fig 1, 33 is above 39 and therefore upper);
a surface of the intra-compressed air moisture-removal flow guide vane module (wall of the air-riser-tube 34, c 7 ln 49; the air riser tube is adjacent to the tangential entry by 44, and due to its proximity can reasonably be consider a component of the flow guide vane module 44);
an inner wall of the compressed air-moisture separation chamber housing module (c 7 ln 46) and an outer wall of the intra-compressed air moisture removal filtering housing module (funnel flange 25 is outside of 26, c 7 ln 47); and
an interior surface of a lower portion of the intra-compressed air moisture-removal filtering housing module (funnel flange 26 is lower than 25, c 7 ln 47), such that condensed,
Moisture is progressively separated from the compressed air along the flow path (condensed moisture flows downward, the further the moisture flows the further away it has separated, c 7 ln 40-50; the plain meaning of separation can refer to a distance) and the compressed air from which the condensed moisture has been removed is then discharged through the compressed air outlet unit (air is discharged from the top of the housing, c 7 ln 55-62).
Response to Arguments
Applicant’s arguments with respect to claims 1 and 2 have been considered but are moot because the new ground of rejection does not rely on any reference applied in the prior rejection of record for any teaching or matter specifically challenged in the argument.
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure. Tomiyama (WO 2021171662) shows an analogous cyclonic gas liquid separator, with vanes (50) causing tangential flow of gas (fig 3) and a demister mesh (fig 10, 360) located at the bottom of the cylindrical separator.
Applicant's amendment necessitated the new ground(s) of rejection presented in this Office action. Accordingly, THIS ACTION IS MADE FINAL. See MPEP § 706.07(a). Applicant is reminded of the extension of time policy as set forth in 37 CFR 1.136(a).
A shortened statutory period for reply to this final action is set to expire THREE MONTHS from the mailing date of this action. In the event a first reply is filed within TWO MONTHS of the mailing date of this final action and the advisory action is not mailed until after the end of the THREE-MONTH shortened statutory period, then the shortened statutory period will expire on the date the advisory action is mailed, and any nonprovisional extension fee (37 CFR 1.17(a)) pursuant to 37 CFR 1.136(a) will be calculated from the mailing date of the advisory action. In no event, however, will the statutory period for reply expire later than SIX MONTHS from the mailing date of this final action.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to GEOFFREY S LEE whose telephone number is (571)272-5354. The examiner can normally be reached Mon-Fri 0900-1800.
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/GEOFFREY S LEE/Examiner, Art Unit 3746
/DOMINICK L PLAKKOOTTAM/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3746