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 .
DETAILED ACTION
Status of Application
1. This application was filed on 12/14/2023.
Claims 1-10 were originally presented in this application for examination.
Claims 1-10 are currently pending in this application and under consideration.
Priority
2. Receipt is acknowledged of certified copies of papers required by 37 CFR 1.55.
The foreign document CN202310535757.X (filed on 05/12/2023) has been received and placed in this application.
Specification
3. The examiner has not checked the specification to the extent necessary to determine the presence of all possible minor errors (grammatical, typographical, and idiomatic). Cooperation of the applicant(s) is requested in correcting any errors of which applicant(s) may become aware of in the specification, in the claims and in any further amendment(s) that applicant(s) may file.
Applicant(s) is also requested to complete the status of the copending applications referred to in the specification by their Attorney Docket Number or Application Serial Number, if any.
The status of the parent application(s) and/or any other application(s) cross-referenced to this application, if any, should be updated in a timely manner.
Claim Objections
4. Claim 1 is objected to because of the following informalities:
A. In line 1, “An electrochemical regeneration method” should change to --A method for electrochemical regeneration--.
B. In line 5, “taking out” should change to --removing--.
Appropriate correction is required.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 112 (Second Paragraph)
5. 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.
Claim 7 is 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.
The claim recites “in the electrolysis system, the cathode is selected from the group consisting of a metal electrode and a composite metal electrode, and used as a supporting layer for placing the activated carbon to be regenerated; an anode is selected from the group consisting of a metal electrode, a metal oxide electrode, a graphite electrode, and a composite metal electrode”.
It is considered the instant claim lacks of sufficient antecedent basis, fails to define the anode which is further contained in the electrolysis system of claim 1, or not positively reciting anode being in the electrolysis system of claim 1.
Allowable Subject Matter
6. Claims 1-10 are allowable over the prior art made of record. The following is a statement of reason(s) for allowance of the claimed subject matter.
*Claim 7 would also be allowed if the rejection under 35 U.S.C. 112 (Second Paragraph) is overcome.
Bento et al. (US 2008/0286193 A1) is found to be the most relevant prior art relates to the claimed invention. Bento et al. teaches a process for regenerating used activated carbon, comprising contacting the used activated carbon with a regeneration solution, wherein the regeneration solution comprises an aqueous solution of ethanol, sodium hydroxide, and hydrogen peroxide (see page 5, claims 1-2).
Bento et al. does not teach the claimed features of using an electrolysis system containing a regeneration solution to serve as a cathode of the electrolysis system, a peroxide I (a persulfate), connecting to power and conducting a reaction, and continuously adding the peroxide II dropwise during the reaction.
There would be no motivation to combine the teachings of the prior art references together to arrive to the claimed invention.
Citations
7. The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure. All references are cited for related art. See PTO-892 Form prepared.
US 10,525,446 B2 (relates to a process for in-situ regeneration of activated carbon loaded with trihalomethane (THM)) with an aqueous alkaline solution in a fixed bed).
IUS 2022/0152546 A1 (relates to an activated carbon modification method by treating the surface of the activated carbon with hydrogen peroxide).
Conclusion
8. Claims 1-10 are pending. Claim 1 is objected. Claim 7 is rejected. Claims 2-6 & 8-10 are allowed.
Contacts
9. Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to Primary Examiner CAM N. NGUYEN whose telephone number is (571)272-1357. The examiner can normally be reached on M-F (8:30 am – 5:00 pm) at alternative worksite or at cam.nguyen@uspto.gov.
Examiner interviews are available via telephone, in-person, and video conferencing using a USPTO supplied web-based collaboration tool. To schedule an interview, applicant is encouraged to use the USPTO Automated Interview Request (AIR) at http://www.uspto.gov/interviewpractice.
If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Anthony Zimmer, can be reached at 571-270-3591. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/Cam N. Nguyen/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 1736
/CNN/
September 03, 2026
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