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 .
Election/Restrictions
Applicant’s election without traverse of Group I, claims 1-12 and 15-19 in the reply filed on 4/27/26 is acknowledged.
Claims 13-14 and 20 are withdrawn from further consideration pursuant to 37 CFR 1.142(b), as being drawn to a nonelected inventions, there being no allowable generic or linking claim. Applicant timely traversed the restriction (election) requirement in the reply filed on 4/27/26.
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.
Claims 1-12 and 15-19 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Gilbert et al (US20160367941).
Gilbert teaches a zoned exhaust system.
Gilbert, paragraph 54 of the PGPUB, teaches a catalyst article comprises a substrate having an inlet and an outlet, a first zone comprising an SCR catalyst, a second zone comprising an ammonia slip catalyst (ASC) and a third zone comprising a diesel oxidation catalyst. FIG. 2 depicts a configuration in which the SCR is positioned at the inlet of the substrate within the exhaust gas flow, the ASC is positioned downstream of the SCR catalyst and the DOC is positioned downstream of the ASC at the outlet of the substrate.
Gilbert, paragraph 86 of the PGPUB, teaches the first SCR can comprise an cerium or ceria.
Gilbert, paragraph 105 of the PGPUB, teaches the ammonia oxidation catalyst can comprise a platinum group metal, preferably platinum or palladium.
Gilbert, paragraph 102 of the PGPUB, teaches the diesel oxidation catalyst (DOC) can comprise a noble metal, a base metal or a zeolite, preferably a platinum group metal or mixtures thereof.
Gilbert, paragraph 86 of the PGPUB, teaches the base metal can be copper (Cu).
Regarding claims 2-3, Gilbert, paragraph 86 of the PGPUB, teaches the first and second SCR catalysts comprise an active component independently selected from the group consisting of a base metal, an oxide of a base metal, a molecular sieve, a metal exchanged molecular sieve or a mixture thereof. The base metal can be selected from the group consisting of vanadium (V), molybdenum (Mo), tungsten (W), chromium (Cr), cerium (Ce), manganese (Mn), iron (Fe), cobalt (Co), nickel (Ni), and copper (Cu), and mixtures thereof.
Gilbert, paragraph 98 of the PGPUB, teaches a metal exchanged molecular sieve can contain in the range of about 0.10% and about 10% by weight of a group VB, VIB, VIIB, VIIIB, IB, or IIB metal located on extra framework sites on the external surface or within the channels, cavities, or cages of the molecular sieve.
Rhodium and nickel are considered a VIIIB metal.
It 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 to have a combination of cerium and a rhodium or nickel exchanged molecular sieve as the SCR catalyst as this is one combination of active components used to make SCR catalysts.
It 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 to have rhodium or nickel present in an amount in the SCR catalyst to maximum the catalytic activity of the catalyst.
Regarding claim 4, Gilbert, paragraph 86 of the PGPUB, teaches the first SCR can comprise an cerium or ceria.
It 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 to have cerium present in an amount in the SCR catalyst to maximum the catalytic activity of the catalyst.
Regarding claim 5, Gilbert, paragraph 105 of the PGPUB, teaches the ammonia slip catalyst can comprise a blend of platinum on a support with low ammonia storage with an SCR catalyst. The platinum group metal loading in the ammonia oxidation catalyst can range from about 0.5 to about 10 g/ft3, inclusive, preferably from about 1 to about 5 g/ft3, inclusive.
Gilbert, paragraph 108 of the PGPUB, teaches the ammonia oxidation catalyst can comprise platinum on a support with low ammonia storage. The support with low ammonia storage can be a siliceous support. The siliceous support can comprise a silica or a zeolite with a silica-to-alumina ratio of at least one of: (a) at least 100, (b) at least 200, (c) at least 250, (d) at least 300, (e) at least 400, (f) at least 500, (g) at least 750 and (h) at least 1000.
Regarding claim 6, Gilbert, paragraph 103 of the PGPUB, teaches the DOC can be a DEC. The DEC can comprise a noble metal, a base metal or a zeolite.
Gilbert, examples, teach a Cu/CHA zeolite.
It 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 that a Cu/CHA zeolite can be used as a DOC catalyst as this type of zeolite is compatible with the whole catalyst system.
Regarding claims 7-8, Regarding claim 6, Gilbert, paragraph 103 of the PGPUB, teaches the DOC can be a DEC. The DEC can comprise a noble metal, a base metal or a zeolite.
It 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 to have this section split into two sections to ensure maximum oxidation.
Regarding claim 9, Gilbert, paragraph 113 of the PGPUB, teaches the passages, which are essentially straight paths from their fluid inlet to their fluid outlet, are defined by walls onto which the SCR catalyst is coated as a “washcoat” so that the gases flowing through the passages contact the catalytic material.
Gilbert, paragraph 118 of the PGPUB, teaches a washcoat comprising one or more of the catalyst can be applied to a substrate using a method known in the art.
Regarding claim 10, Gilbert, fig. 11, teaches the DOC zone on top of the ASC zone.
Gilbert, paragraph 60 of the PGPUB, teaches the ASC layer can cover from about 10% to about 50%, preferably from about 15% to about 40% of the length of the substrate. The first SCR layer can cover from about 0% to about 75% of the top length of the ammonia oxidation catalyst.
Gilbert, paragraph 64 of the PGPUB, teaches the DOC or DEC layer can cover from about 10% to about 30% of the length of the ammonia oxidation catalyst.
Regarding claim 11, Gilbert, paragraph 103 of the PGPUB, teaches the DOC can be a DEC. The DEC can comprise a noble metal, a base metal or a zeolite.
It 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 to have this section split into two sections to ensure maximum oxidation.
It 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 to change the configuration of the system to obtain maximum catalytic activity of the system as a whole.
Regarding claim 12, Gilbert, fig. 11, teaches the DOC zone on top of the ASC zone.
Gilbert, paragraph 60 of the PGPUB, teaches the ASC layer can cover from about 10% to about 50%, preferably from about 15% to about 40% of the length of the substrate. The first SCR layer can cover from about 0% to about 75% of the top length of the ammonia oxidation catalyst.
Gilbert, paragraph 64 of the PGPUB, teaches the DOC or DEC layer can cover from about 10% to about 30% of the length of the ammonia oxidation catalyst.
Gilbert, paragraph 103 of the PGPUB, teaches the DOC can be a DEC. The DEC can comprise a noble metal, a base metal or a zeolite.
It 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 to have this section split into two sections to ensure maximum oxidation.
Regarding claim 15, Gilbert, paragraph 102 of the PGPUB, teaches the diesel oxidation catalyst (DOC) can comprise a noble metal, a base metal or a zeolite, preferably a platinum group metal or mixtures thereof.
Gilbert, paragraph 86 of the PGPUB, teaches the first and second SCR catalysts comprise an active component independently selected from the group consisting of a base metal, an oxide of a base metal, a molecular sieve, a metal exchanged molecular sieve or a mixture thereof.
Gilbert, paragraph 105 of the PGPUB, teaches the ASC can contain a zeolite or a metal exchanged zeolite in addition to the PGM on a support.
Regarding claim 16, Gilbert, paragraph 102 of the PGPUB, teaches the diesel oxidation catalyst (DOC) can comprise a noble metal, a base metal or a zeolite, preferably a platinum group metal or mixtures thereof.
It 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 to have this section split into two sections to ensure maximum oxidation.
Gilbert, paragraph 86 of the PGPUB, teaches the first and second SCR catalysts comprise an active component independently selected from the group consisting of a base metal, an oxide of a base metal, a molecular sieve, a metal exchanged molecular sieve or a mixture thereof.
Gilbert, paragraph 105 of the PGPUB, teaches the ASC can contain a zeolite or a metal exchanged zeolite in addition to the PGM on a support.
Regarding claim 17, Gilbert, paragraph 118 of the PGPUB, teaches a washcoat comprising one or more of the catalyst can be applied to a substrate using a method known in the art.
Gilbert, fig. 11, teaches the DOC zone on top of the ASC zone.
Regarding claim 18, Gilbert, paragraph 64 of the PGPUB, teaches the DOC or DEC layer can cover from about 10% to about 30% of the length of the ammonia oxidation catalyst.
Gilbert, paragraph 103 of the PGPUB, teaches the DOC can be a DEC. The DEC can comprise a noble metal, a base metal or a zeolite.
It 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 to have this section split into two sections to ensure maximum oxidation.
Further, it 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 to change the configuration of the system to obtain maximum catalytic activity of the system as a whole.
Regarding claim 19, Gilbert, paragraph 54 of the PGPUB, teaches a catalyst article comprises a substrate having an inlet and an outlet, a first zone comprising an SCR catalyst, a second zone comprising an ammonia slip catalyst (ASC) and a third zone comprising a diesel oxidation catalyst. FIG. 2 depicts a configuration in which the SCR is positioned at the inlet of the substrate within the exhaust gas flow, the ASC is positioned downstream of the SCR catalyst and the DOC is positioned downstream of the ASC at the outlet of the substrate.
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure.
US20140274665 teaches selective catalytic reduction catalyst systems.
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/STEFANIE J COHEN/Examiner, Art Unit 1732 5/7/26
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