DETAILED ACTION
Response to Arguments
Applicant's arguments filed 4/17/26 have been fully considered but they are not persuasive. Applicant asserts that Meyerhoeffer does not disclose the claimed sinking zone and cleaning zone, in particular that the zones are positioned that the material first enters the sinking zone and then enters the cleaning zone. However, neither zone is required to have any particular structural delineation; Meyerhoeffer’s system may reasonably be interpreted to have the zones as claimed. See annotated fig. 8 of Meyerhoeffer below, which presents one interpretation of the zones that would satisfy the claim limitations.
[AltContent: textbox (“Cleaning zone” within shaded square
“Sinking zone” is all other areas)][AltContent: rect]
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As shown, material may first enter the sinking zone – any location outside of the shaded square, and then travel into the cleaning zone (within the shaded square). Such movement would have reasonably been expected to occur or potentially occur.
Response to Amendments
The rejections of claims 1-5 and 7 under 35 USC 102(a)(1) and claim 6 under 35 USC 103 set forth in the prior Office action are withdrawn in order to present new rejections in view of amendments to the claims.
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, 2, 4, 5, and 7 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by U.S. Patent 8646139 granted to Meyerhoeffer et al.
As to claim 1, Meyerhoeffer discloses a washing system suitable for continuous processing for the pre-treatment of keratinaceous material, the system comprising an infeed device for feeding the material to the system (see fig. 8, infeed of material 8300, while not explicitly disclosed an infeed device would be necessary to transport the material into the system); a washing space 8100 for washing the material with an aqueous washing liquid 8200; a washing liquid system for supplying and extracting the washing liquid (fig. 8, col. 3, ll. 8-10, liquid is supplied via a pump and pipe 8250; liquid is extracted via outlet 8800 and drum 11200 and pumped back to pipe 8250, see figs. 8, 10, 11 and col. 4, ll. 9-12, 24-25); wherein the washing space comprising a sinking zone wherein material with a higher density sinks (fig. 8, area in which sinking material 8370 is directed); an extracting system 8700 at the bottom of the sinking zone; at least one washing structure (paddle 8400) that sloshes and/or causes turbulence in the washing liquid; and an outfeed device for extracting the keratinaceous material from the washing system (fig. 14; col. 4, ll. 30-37).
Meyerhoeffer further discloses that the washing space has a cleaning zone, the cleaning zone and sinking zone positioned such that the material first enters the sinking zone before entering the cleaning zone, wherein at least one washing structure is located in the cleaning zone (fig. 8, sinking zone may be any portion of tank 8100 since sinking may take place anywhere in the tank, cleaning zone may be any portion of tank 8100 since cleaning may occur wherever the material is within the cleaning liquid, material may enter the tank 8100 at a portion beside washing structure 8400 in a “sinking zone” and be moved to “cleaning zone” at paddle 8400 by liquid flow from manifold 8900).
As to claim 2, Meyerhoeffer discloses a flow system 8900 (fig. 9) to impart a flow to the washing liquid in the sinking zone such that the material is kept in suspension and moved away from the extracting system.
As to claim 4, Meyerhoeffer discloses that the washing liquid system further comprises a recycling system for reusing the washing liquid, the recycling system comprising a solid separation system (e.g. drum 11200; fig. 12; col. 4, ll. 9-27).
As to claim 5, Meyerhoeffer discloses an excess washing liquid removal device (e.g. tube 11500, perforations 11300, tank 11400) for extracting excess washing liquid from the material after the material has been washed in the washing space (fig. 12; col. 4, ll. 9-27).
As to claim 7, Meyerhoeffer discloses that a bottom surface of the sinking zone is slanted towards the extracting system 8700 and the extracting system comprises a cork screw extractor (figs. 8 and 9).
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 6 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over U.S. Patent 8646139 granted to Meyerhoeffer et al.
As to claim 6, Meyerhoeffer teaches that washing structure 8400 (fig. 8) is rotatably mounted on the washing system and at least partially submerges the material (col. 3, ll. 42-44). Meyerhoeffer does not teach in its embodiment of fig. 8 that the washing structure (paddle 8400) is cylindrically shaped and comprises one or more protrusions on the cylindrical surface. However, one of ordinary skill in the art would have recognized as obvious to embody the paddle structure 8400 as a cylinder as claimed. Meyerhoeffer teaches in another exemplary embodiment that a paddle to submerge material may be embodied as a cylinder having protrusions on its surface (paddle 2200; fig. 2; col. 2, ll. 24-28). One of ordinary skill in the art would have had a reasonable expectation of success of using the paddle of the fig. 2 embodiment in the system of fig. 8 since Meyerhoeffer teaches that it functions in substantially the same way and serves the same purpose and intended effect. Therefore, the claimed invention would have been obvious at its effective filing date.
Conclusion
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.
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/SPENCER E. BELL/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 1711
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