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 Status
Claims 1-20 are rejected.
Drawings
The drawings are objected to because Fig. 2 states “Using our patented process”. It is not clear what applicant is referring to, since the present application is not patented yet and it is not drawn to a process. Is the process “prior art”? The Examiner suggests that the words “Using our patented process” may be removed from the drawing or clarification into what is applicant referring. Corrected drawing sheets in compliance with 37 CFR 1.121(d) are required in reply to the Office action to avoid abandonment of the application. Any amended replacement drawing sheet should include all of the figures appearing on the immediate prior version of the sheet, even if only one figure is being amended. The figure or figure number of an amended drawing should not be labeled as “amended.” If a drawing figure is to be canceled, the appropriate figure must be removed from the replacement sheet, and where necessary, the remaining figures must be renumbered and appropriate changes made to the brief description of the several views of the drawings for consistency. Additional replacement sheets may be necessary to show the renumbering of the remaining figures. Each drawing sheet submitted after the filing date of an application must be labeled in the top margin as either “Replacement Sheet” or “New Sheet” pursuant to 37 CFR 1.121(d). If the changes are not accepted by the examiner, the applicant will be notified and informed of any required corrective action in the next Office action. The objection to the drawings will not be held in abeyance.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 103
The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 103 which forms the basis for all obviousness rejections set forth in this Office action:
A patent for a claimed invention may not be obtained, notwithstanding that the claimed invention is not identically disclosed as set forth in section 102, if the differences between the claimed invention and the prior art are such that the claimed invention as a whole would have been obvious before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to a person having ordinary skill in the art to which the claimed invention pertains. Patentability shall not be negated by the manner in which the invention was made.
Claim(s) 1-2, 8-12 and 18-20 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Al-anzi (US 2014/0110323) in view of Riley (US 2007/0151914).
With respect to claims 1 and 11, Al-anzi discloses a mobile buoyant aerator 310, as shown in Fig. 7, having: a vessel comprising one or more propeller 42 (thrusters), as shown in Fig. 7, a base 12, 20, as shown in Fig. 7, and a wall 18 (dome), as shown in Fig. 7, wherein the base 12, 20, and the dome 18 form a housing when attached to each other, as shown in Fig. 7, and wherein the one or more thrusters 42 are configured to rotate along an axis to steer the vessel, as shown in Fig. 7; one or more solar cells 60 (flexible solar panels) mounted on an exterior surface of the dome 18 and defining a contoured surface, as shown in Fig. 7; and a gas delivery tube 26 (gas infusion system) disposed inside in the housing, as shown in Fig. 8, the gas infusion system 26 configured to receive a flow of water from a body of water, to infuse said flow of water with oxygen and to simultaneously remove dissolved nitrogen from said flow of water, and to return the oxygen infused water to the body of water under pressure to propel the vessel along the body of water (see paragraph 0036).
Al-anzi lacks one or more batteries disposed inside the housing, wherein the one or more batteries are recharged by energy generated by at least one of the one or more solar panels.
Riley discloses a skimmer 8, as shown in Fig. 5, having a solar plates, or panels 74 which may be placed on first and second handle sections 18, 20 or elsewhere on the skimmer 8, as shown in Fig. 5. The solar panels 74 are connected to a battery 42, said 40 battery 42 is disposed within a housing 10, as shown in Fig. 4, in order to recharge the battery for continuous operation (see paragraph 0017). The battery supplies power to the motor 42 which rotates a propeller 52 to move the skimmer 8 across the surface of the water (see paragraph 0018). It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art to provide the device disclosed by Al-anzi with one or more batteries disposed inside the housing, wherein the one or more batteries are recharged by energy generated by at least one of the one or more solar panels, as taught by Riley, in order to provide continuous operation of the device (see paragraphs 0017-0018).
With respect to claims 2 and 12, Al-anzi discloses wherein the housing includes a watertight seal around an edge where the base 12, 20, and the dome 18 attach to each other, as shown in Fig. 8.
With respect to claims 8 and 18, Al-anzi discloses a position system for tracking and monitoring a position of the vessel (see paragraph 0027).
With respect to claims 9 and 19, Al-anzi discloses wherein the position system includes a system having at least one of a GPS, LIDAR, and sonar capability (see paragraph 0027).
With respect to claims 10 and 20, Al-anzi as modified by Riley lacks wherein the one or more batteries can be wirelessly recharged when the vessel is anchored to a docking station. However, this would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art since a docking station is common in the art for servicing the device and wireless charging a battery is within the knowledge of one of ordinary skill and since Al-anzi already suggests that any conventional power source may be used (see paragraph 0027 of Al-anzi).
Claim(s) 3-4 and 13-14 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Al-anzi (US 2014/0110323) in view of Riley (US 2007/0151914) as applied to claim 1 above, and further in view of Rearden (US 2019/0282971).
With respect to claims 3 and 13, Al-anzi teaches wherein the gas infusion system comprises a gas infusion module 26, and a pump 56 (circulation pump), as shown in Fig. 8. Al-anzi as modified by Riley lacks a plurality of gas infusion modules, and a recirculation pump.
Rearden discloses a system for infusing gas into liquid, as shown in Fig. 1A, having: a fixture 100 having modular devices 200, as shown in Fig. 1B. Each modular device 200 includes a plurality of microporous hollow fibers 202, as shown in Fig. 2A, and pressurized oxygen is injected into the flow of water via the plurality of microporous hollow fibers 202 (see paragraph 022). It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art to provide a plurality of gas infusion modules, as taught by Rearden, in order to improve the infusion of gas in water (see paragraph 022). Furthermore, it would have been obvious to provide the device disclosed by Al-anzi as modified by Riley with a recirculation pump in order to recycle the water and improve the decontamination process and since Al-anzi already teaches that the water may flow outward through a drain hose or line 40 for additional processing, cleaning, etc. (see paragraph 0026 of Al-anzi) and it would be obvious to use a recirculation pump for this purpose.
With respect to claims 4 and 14, Al-anzi as modified by Riley lacks wherein the plurality of gas infusion modules comprises a plurality of microporous hollow fibers, and wherein the pressurized oxygen is injected into the flow of water via the plurality of microporous hollow fibers.
Rearden discloses a system for infusing gas into liquid, as shown in Fig. 1A, having: a fixture 100 having modular devices 200, as shown in Fig. 1B. Each modular device 200 includes a plurality of microporous hollow fibers 202, as shown in Fig. 2A, and pressurized oxygen is injected into the flow of water via the plurality of microporous hollow fibers 202 (see paragraph 022). It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art to provide the plurality of gas infusion modules disclosed by Al-anzi as modified by Riley, with a plurality of microporous hollow fibers, and wherein the pressurized oxygen is injected into the flow of water via the plurality of microporous hollow fibers, as taught by Rearden, in order to improve the infusion of gas in water (see paragraph 022).
Claim(s) 5 and 15 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Al-anzi (US 2014/0110323) in view of Riley (US 2007/0151914) as applied to claim 1 above, and further in view of Kaw (US 2015/0329392).
With respect to claims 5 and 15, Al-anzi as modified by Riley lacks an ultraviolet treatment (UV) system disposed downstream of the gas infusion system and configured to destroy at least one of a chlorine, chloramines, and a pathogen from said flow of water before returning the flow of water to the body of water.
Kaw discloses a bioreactor and aerator system 500, as shown in Fig. 5A. Kaw teaches that a UV flow tube may be installed in the system for disinfection (see paragraph 0080). It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art to provide the device disclosed by Al-anzi as modified by Riley with an ultraviolet treatment (UV) system disposed downstream of the gas infusion system, as taught by Kaw, in order to disinfect the water (see paragraph 0080) and since UV treatments are known in the art in order to kill pathogens and disinfect water.
Claim(s) 6-7 and 16-17 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Al-anzi (US 2014/0110323) in view of Riley (US 2007/0151914) as applied to claim 1 above, and further in view of Brown (US 6,428,694).
With respect to claims 6-7 and 16-17, Al-anzi as modified by Riley lacks a plurality of sensors for monitoring one or more parameters of the water; and wherein the one or more parameters include at least one of an oxygen level, nitrogen level, phosphorus level, pH, ORP, TSS, and salinity.
Brown discloses a bioremediation device, having a solar panel, as shown in Fig. 3C. The device may contain sensors located in proximity to means for effectuating remediation and such sensors may detect parameters, for example, dissolved oxygen levels, and pH (see col. 5, lines 16-20). It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art to provide the device disclosed by Al-anzi as modified by Riley with a plurality of sensors for monitoring one or more parameters of the water; and wherein the one or more parameters include at least one of an oxygen level, nitrogen level, phosphorus level, pH, ORP, TSS, and salinity, as taught by Brown, in order to monitor the device for optimum performance.
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to MADELINE GONZALEZ whose telephone number is (571)272-5502. The examiner can normally be reached M-F 9-5:30.
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If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Benjamin Lebron can be reached at 571-272-0475. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/MADELINE GONZALEZ/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 1773