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 with traverse of Groups I-III in the reply filed on 7/9/26 is acknowledged. The traversal is on the ground that it should be clear that
there is an overlap of the technical features within Groups I and II. A search relative to the Group I claims will encompass the same parameters as a search relative to the Group II claims.
This is not found persuasive because the instant application is a national stage entry filed under 35 U.S.C. 371 and is therefore not subject to US restriction practice but rather subject to lack of unity practice, see MPEP 1893.03(d). It is noted that undue search burden is not a criterion in lack of unity analysis. The test is whether or not special technical features can be established. It is noted that inventions listed as Groups I-III do not relate to a single general inventive concept under PCT Rule 13.1 because, under PCT Rule 13.2, they lack the same or corresponding special technical features as set forth in the previous Office Action.
Therefore, given that the Examiner has properly established that Groups I-III lack unity as set forth in the Office Action mailed 7/9/26, it is the Examiner's position that the restriction is proper.
The requirement is still deemed proper and is therefore made FINAL.
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 1-2, 4-5 and 10-12 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Shen et al (TW201912235, English translation, cited on the 7/9/26 IDS) in view of Fan et al (CN111332446, English translation).
Shen teaches a gas treatment method.
Shen, paragraph 10 of the English translation, teaches an ammonia-containing exhaust gas treatment method comprising the steps of: (a) providing a mixed gas containing ammonia; (b) mixing the mixed gas with contact with the aqueous solution, the ammonia in the mixed gas is absorbed by the aqueous solution to form an aqueous ammonia solution and a pretreatment gas, and the ammonia aqueous solution is subjected to a recovery treatment procedure, and the aqueous solution after removing the ammonia is returned to reabsorb the ammonia in the exhaust gas. (c) contacting the pretreatment gas with a mixed solution of monophosphate, reacting the phosphoric acid mixture with the pretreatment gas to form an ammonium monophosphate rich solution; (d) performing a recovery treatment procedure on the ammonium phosphate rich solution, Removing a portion of the ammonia in the ammonium phosphate rich liquid to obtain an ammonium monophosphate recovery liquid; and (e) introducing the ammonium phosphate recovery liquid back into the pretreatment gas formed in the step (b), and absorbing the ammonium phosphate recovery liquid The ammonia in the pretreatment gas of step (c) is formed to form an ammonia water absorption liquid for recycling.
Shen, FIG. 4, teaches an ammonia-containing exhaust gas treatment device of the present invention comprises a first processing unit 41 for accommodating an aqueous solution and a mixed gas 1 containing at least ammonia.
A mixed gas containing ammonia as taught by Shen reads on an ammonia containing purge gas stream as claimed in claim 1.
The pre-treatment gas as taught by Shen reads on a reduced ammonia vent stream as claimed in claim 1.
A first processing unit 41 as taught by Shen reads on a first tank containing water as claimed in claim 1.
Although Shen teaches a mixed gas containing ammonia, Shen does not teach the source of the mixed gas.
Fan, abstract, English translation, teaches a dual-shaft dual-motor ship ammonia-electric hybrid power system with waste heat utilization, comprising an ammonia fuel engine.
Fan, claim 10, teaches an ammonia fuel engine waste gas.
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 the mixed gas as taught by Shen can come from an ammonia fuel engine as taught by Fan as Fan teaches aa fuel engine that uses ammonia which produces an ammonia waste gas.
Regarding claim 2, Shen teaches mixing the mixed gas with contact with the aqueous solution.
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 use conventional methods to mix the mixed gas with the aqueous solution such as sparging.
Regarding claim 4, Shen teaches (c) contacting the pretreatment gas with a mixed solution of monophosphate.
Regarding claim 5, Examiner interprets the first processing unit 41 as taught by Shen as a first stage as claimed in claim 5.
Regarding claim 10, Shen teaches ammonia-containing exhaust gas treatment method comprising the steps of: (a) providing a mixed gas containing ammonia.
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 nitrogen in a small amount may be present in the exhaust gas as this is one common gas found in exhaust gas.
Regarding claim 11, Fan, claim 10, teaches an ammonia fuel engine waste gas.
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 nitrogen in a small amount may be present in the exhaust gas as this is one common gas found in exhaust gas.
Regarding claim 12, Shen teaches preferably, the ammonia gas portion removed by the mixed gas 1 accounts for 80 to 98% of the total ammonia content in the mixed gas 1 in terms of volume (or weight).
Claims 1-5 and 10-12 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Liu et al (CN212632240, English translation, cited on the 7/9/26 IDS) in view of Fan et al (CN111332446, English translation).
Liu it absorbs system to contain ammonia tail gas, as shown in figure 1, includes buffer tank 1 and ammonia absorption tank 2, the top of buffer tank 1 is equipped with manometer 11, contains ammonia waste gas and cache in getting into buffer tank 1 earlier, avoids pipeline pressure too big. The top of the buffer tank 1 and the bottom of the ammonia absorption tank 2 are connected with an air inlet pipe 12, and the air outlet end of the air inlet pipe 12 is connected with a distributor 25. The ammonia absorber 2 is internally filled with water for absorbing ammonia gas, and because a large amount of ammonia gas can emit a large amount of heat when being dissolved in water, the solubility of ammonia gas is influenced, the solubility of ammonia gas is increased by reducing the temperature of hot ammonia water, the water in the ammonia absorber 2 is provided with a heat exchange tube 26 which is spirally wound, one end of the heat exchange tube 26 is connected with cold water and enters the tube, and the other end of the heat exchange tube 26 is connected with a cold water outlet tube (not shown in the figure).
In order to ensure that ammonia is completely recovered, the top of ammonia absorption tank 2 is connected with ammonia recovery unit 6, ammonia recovery unit 6 is including retrieving jar 61, it is equipped with two packing layers 62 to retrieve jar 61 bottom, and water forms the water film on the packing surface when packing layer two 62, enlarges the area of contact of water and ammonia, is favorable to the absorption of ammonia. The top of the recovery tank 61 is connected with a water replenishing pipe 63 for replenishing water to the ammonia absorption tank 2, and one side of the upper part of the recovery tank 61 is connected with a non-condensable gas discharge pipe 64. The water flows into the ammonia absorption tank 2 from the water replenishing pipe 63, meanwhile, unabsorbed ammonia gas and other non-condensable gases move upwards to the recovery tank 61, the ammonia gas is absorbed by the water film on the second packing layer 62 when passing through the second packing layer 62, and the non-condensable gases are discharged into the atmosphere from the non-condensable gas discharge pipe 64.
Ammonia tail gas as taught by Liu reads on an ammonia containing purge gas stream as claimed in claim 1.
The non-condensable gases as taught by Liu reads on a reduced ammonia vent gas stream as claimed in claim 1.
The ammonia absorption tank as taught by Liu reads on the first tank as claimed in claim 1.
Although Liu teaches a tail containing ammonia, Shen does not teach the source of the tail gas.
Fan, abstract, English translation, teaches a dual-shaft dual-motor ship ammonia-electric hybrid power system with waste heat utilization, comprising an ammonia fuel engine.
Fan, claim 10, teaches an ammonia fuel engine waste gas.
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 the mixed gas as taught by Shen can come from an ammonia fuel engine as taught by Fan as Fan teaches aa fuel engine that uses ammonia which produces an ammonia waste gas.
Regarding claim 2, Liu teaches bubbling absorption.
Regarding claim 3, Liu teaches non-condensable gases are discharged into the atmosphere from the non-condensable gas discharge pipe 64.
Regarding claim 4, 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 the non-condensable gases can be further processed to be recycled back into the system.
Regarding claim 5, The ammonia absorption tank as taught by Liu reads on the first stage of a batch process as claimed in claim 5.
Regarding claim 10, Liu teaches a tail gas.
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 nitrogen in a small amount may be present in the exhaust gas as this is one common gas found in exhaust gas.
Regarding claim 11, Fan, claim 10, teaches an ammonia fuel engine waste gas.
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 nitrogen in a small amount may be present in the exhaust gas as this is one common gas found in exhaust gas.
Regarding claim 12, Liu teaches non-condensable gases.
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 6-9 are objected to as being dependent upon a rejected base claim, but would be allowable if rewritten in independent form including all of the limitations of the base claim and any intervening claims.
Regarding claims 6-9, although the references teach a gas treatment method, the references do not teach providing a second tank containing a caustic solution and passing the caustic solution from the second tank into the first tank to provide a resultant solution and a gaseous ammonia stream as claimed in claim 6.
There is no motivation in the references to modify the methods to obtain the method as claimed in claim 6-9.
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure.
US51114694 teaches ammonia recovery from purge gas.
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/STEFANIE J COHEN/Examiner, Art Unit 1732 7/15/26
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