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 Interpretation
The term “dense layer” is broadly interpreted by the examiner as a thin layer located at an interface between a porous support and a separation function layer. There is no minimum specific density threshold associated with the “dense layer.”
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 13-30 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Hotta (WO 2020/241860, the passages cited below refer to the machine-generated English translation provided with the instant office action).
Per claim 13, Hotta a method for producing a forward osmosis membrane module (Abstract, Provided are a forward osmosis membrane, a forward osmosis membrane module, and a manufacturing method thereof, wherein a forward osmosis membrane,), comprising the following steps:
(I) a separation function layer-forming step in which a plurality of hollow fiber support membranes each with a porous support are used, forming a separation function layer on a surface of each hollow fiber support membrane to fabricate a hollow fiber forward osmosis membrane module comprising hollow fiber forward osmosis membranes (page 4, The forward osmosis membrane of the present embodiment has a separation active layer composed of a semipermeable membrane that permeates only a specific substance, and the separation active layer is the surface of a microporous support membrane, more specifically, the inner surface or the outer surface. It is composed of a microporous support membrane that physically supports it.),
(II) a liquid-encapsulating step in which a liquid is encapsulated and held in the hollow fiber forward osmosis membrane module, at least on the separation function layer-forming surface side (page 19, Example 6, A separation active layer was applied on the inner surface of the hollow fiber. After that, excess n-hexane solution is removed by flowing nitrogen gas, then hot water at 70 ° C. is flowed inside the hollow fiber for 30 minutes, and then the module is placed in an autoclave (ES-315 manufactured by Tomy Seiko). , 132 ° C. high temperature steam was applied for 20 minutes.),
and
(III) a heat treatment step in which temperatures of the hollow fiber forward osmosis membrane module and the liquid are raised to 50°C or higher (page 14, In promoting the cross-linking reaction of the polymer polymer of the forward osmosis membrane, for example, 100 ° C. to 170 ° C. to 170 for the forward osmosis membrane in which the separation active layer of the polymer polymer thin film is provided on the inner surface of the microporous hollow thread support membrane.).
Per claim 14, wherein a membrane area of the forward osmosis membrane module is 0.1 m² or greater (page 15, 1750 microporous hollow fiber support membranes were packed in a cylindrical plastic housing having a diameter of 5 cm and a length of 50 cm to prepare a support membrane module as shown in FIG. 1 having an effective inner surface area of 1.65 m .sup.2 .).
Per claim 17, wherein in the separation function layer-forming step (1), the porous support includes polysulfone or polyether sulfone as a main component (page 10, The separation active layer of the polymer polymer in the present embodiment is a membrane having substantially separation performance, which preferentially allows a solvent to pass through and blocks solutes. As such a separation active layer, for example, polyamide, polyvinyl alcohol / polypiperazine amide, sulfonated polyether sulfone, polypiperazine amide, and polyimide are preferably used.).
Per claim 18, wherein in the separation function layer-forming step (1),
the separation function layer is a membrane including a macromolecular polymer of at least one first monomer selected from among polyfunctional amines and at least one second monomer selected from among polyfunctional acid halides (page 10, Further, the polymer polymer is polycondensed with one or more first monomers selected from the group consisting of polyfunctional amines and one or more second monomers selected from the group consisting of polyfunctional acid halides. It is preferably a product. More specifically, for example, the above-mentioned polyamide obtained by an interfacial polycondensation reaction between a polyfunctional amine and a polyfunctional acid halide can be mentioned.), and
a liquid membrane of a first solution comprising one of the first monomer and the second monomer is formed on an inner surface of the hollow fiber support membrane, after which a pressure difference is created between an inside and outside of the hollow fiber support membrane, so as to satisfy the relationship: (inside pressure) > (outside pressure) (Example 6, An aqueous solution (first solution) containing 2.0% by mass of m-phenylenediamine and 0.15% by mass of sodium lauryl sulfate was passed through the inner surface side of the hollow fiber of the support membrane module for 40 minutes. After that, the liquid is drained, the outer part of the support membrane module is held under reduced pressure at 90 kPaG with the inside of the hollow fiber wet with the first solution, and then air is flowed at a flow rate of 100 L / min for 10 minutes to obtain excess), and a second solution comprising the other of the first monomer and second monomer is then contacted with the liquid membrane of the first solution (Example 6, Then, an n-hexane solution (second solution) containing 0.20% by mass of 1,3,5-trimesic acid chloride was passed through the solution for 3 minutes at a flow rate of 1.75 L / min by an interfacial polymerization method.).
Per claim 19, wherein the pressure difference is created by pressure reduction on the outside of the hollow fiber support membrane (Example 6, An aqueous solution (first solution) containing 2.0% by mass of m-phenylenediamine and 0.15% by mass of sodium lauryl sulfate was passed through the inner surface side of the hollow fiber of the support membrane module for 40 minutes. After that, the liquid is drained, the outer part of the support membrane module is held under reduced pressure at 90 kPaG with the inside of the hollow fiber wet with the first solution, and then air is flowed at a flow rate of 100 L / min for 10 minutes to obtain excess).
Per claim 20, wherein the pressure difference is created by pressurization of the outside and inside of the hollow fiber support membrane to respectively different pressures (Example 6, An aqueous solution (first solution) containing 2.0% by mass of m-phenylenediamine and 0.15% by mass of sodium lauryl sulfate was passed through the inner surface side of the hollow fiber of the support membrane module for 40 minutes. After that, the liquid is drained, the outer part of the support membrane module is held under reduced pressure at 90 kPaG with the inside of the hollow fiber wet with the first solution, and then air is flowed at a flow rate of 100 L / min for 10 minutes to obtain excess).
Per claim 21, wherein the pressure difference is 10 to 90 kPa (Example 6, An aqueous solution (first solution) containing 2.0% by mass of m-phenylenediamine and 0.15% by mass of sodium lauryl sulfate was passed through the inner surface side of the hollow fiber of the support membrane module for 40 minutes. After that, the liquid is drained, the outer part of the support membrane module is held under reduced pressure at 90 kPaG with the inside of the hollow fiber wet with the first solution, and then air is flowed at a flow rate of 100 L / min for 10 minutes to obtain excess).
Per claim 22, wherein in the liquid-encapsulating step (II), the liquid is added to and held on insides and outsides of the hollow fiber forward osmosis membranes (page 13, As a preferred permeation method, for example, in the case of a hollow fiber forward osmosis membrane, by providing a fluid on the inside or outside of the hollow fiber or on both sides thereof, the front side, the back side and the inside of the separation active layer, and the microporous support membrane can be provided. A method of bringing a fluid into contact with the pores can be mentioned.; page 14, In another example of this embodiment, a method of applying high temperature water vapor to the forward osmosis membrane is also preferably used. High-temperature steam refers to water in a gaseous state at 100 ° C. or higher, especially under high-pressure conditions. High-temperature steam can be generated in a pressure cooker such as an autoclave generally used for high-pressure steam sterilization. In promoting the cross-linking reaction of the polymer polymer of the forward osmosis membrane, for example, 100 ° C. to 170 ° C. to 170 for the forward osmosis membrane in which the separation active layer of the polymer polymer thin film is provided on the inner surface of the microporous hollow thread support membrane.).
Per claim 23, wherein in the liquid-encapsulating step (II), the liquid is pressurized to fill the hollow fiber forward osmosis membranes, so that the liquid is held in the hollow fiber forward osmosis membranes (Example 6, After that, excess n-hexane solution is removed by flowing nitrogen gas, then hot water at 70 ° C. is flowed inside the hollow fiber for 30 minutes,).
Per claim 24, wherein in the liquid-encapsulating step (II), the liquid is water (Example 6, After that, excess n-hexane solution is removed by flowing nitrogen gas, then hot water at 70 ° C. is flowed inside the hollow fiber for 30 minutes,).
Per claim 25, wherein in the liquid-encapsulating step (II), the forward osmosis
membrane module is immersed in the liquid (Example 6, After that, excess n-hexane solution is removed by flowing nitrogen gas, then hot water at 70 ° C. is flowed inside
the hollow fiber for 30 minutes,).
Per claim 26, wherein in the liquid-encapsulating step (II), the liquid is encapsulated in the forward osmosis membrane module (Example 6, After
that, excess n-hexane solution is removed by flowing nitrogen gas, then hot water at 70 ° C. is flowed inside the hollow fiber for 30 minutes, and then the module is placed in an autoclave (ES-315 manufactured by Tomy Seiko). , 132 ° C. high temperature steam was applied for 20 minutes. Further, it was washed with water at 20 ° C. for 30 minutes or more to obtain a forward osmosis membrane module.).
Per claim 27, wherein in the heat treatment step (III), the temperatures of the
forward osmosis membrane module and the liquid are raised to 100°C or higher (page 14, In promoting the cross-linking reaction of the polymer polymer of the forward osmosis membrane, for example, 100 ° C. to 170 ° C. to 170 for the forward osmosis membrane in which the separation active layer of the polymer polymer thin film is provided on the inner surface of the microporous hollow thread support membrane.).
Per claim 28, wherein in the heat treatment step (III), the temperatures of the
forward osmosis membrane module and the liquid are raised to 121°C or higher (page 14, In promoting the cross-linking reaction of the polymer polymer of the forward osmosis membrane, for example, 100 ° C. to 170 ° C. to 170 for the forward osmosis membrane in which the separation active layer of the polymer polymer thin film is provided on the inner surface of the microporous hollow thread support membrane.).
Per claim 29, wherein in the heat treatment step (III), the temperatures of the
forward osmosis membrane module and the liquid are raised in a range of 145°C or lower (page 14, In promoting the cross-linking reaction of the polymer polymer of the forward osmosis membrane, for example, 100 ° C. to 170 ° C. to 170 for the forward osmosis membrane in which the separation active layer of the polymer polymer thin film is provided on the inner surface of the microporous hollow thread support membrane.).
Per claim 30, wherein the heat treatment step (III) includes continuing to raise the
temperatures under pressure in a temperature range of a boiling point of the liquid or higher (page 14, In another example of this embodiment, a method of applying high temperature water vapor to the forward osmosis membrane is also preferably used. High-temperature steam refers to water in a gaseous state at 100 ° C. or higher, especially under high-pressure conditions. High-temperature steam can be generated in a pressure cooker such as an autoclave generally used for high-pressure steam sterilization. In promoting the cross-linking reaction of the polymer polymer of the forward osmosis membrane, for example, 100 ° C. to 170 ° C. to 170 for the forward osmosis membrane in which the separation active layer of the polymer polymer thin film is provided on the inner surface of the microporous hollow thread support membrane.).
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 1-12 are allowed.
Claims 15-16 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.
The following is a statement of reasons for the indication of allowable subject matter:
WO 2020/241860 to Hotta is considered by the examiner to be the closest prior art.
Per claim 1, Hotta disclose a forward osmosis membrane module (1) composed of a plurality of hollow fiber forward osmosis membranes (4; Abstract. Provided are a forward osmosis membrane, a forward osmosis membrane module….; page 7, The microporous support membrane is particularly preferably a hollow yarn because it can obtain a large surface area per module of the forward osmosis membrane module.; page 8, The forward osmosis membrane of this embodiment can be used as a membrane module (forward osmosis membrane module) having a plurality of membranes.; page 8, When the microporous support membrane is a hollow fiber, the diameter of the hollow fiber is not particularly limited, but the outer diameter is 100 μm to 3 in consideration of film forming stability, ease of handling, film area when made into a module, and the like.), wherein:
the forward osmosis membranes each have a separation function layer provided on a surface of a hollow fiber support membrane having a porous support (page 4, The forward osmosis membrane of the present embodiment has a separation active layer composed of a semipermeable membrane that permeates only a specific substance, and the separation active layer is the surface of a microporous support membrane, more specifically, the inner surface or the outer surface. It is composed of a microporous support membrane that physically supports it.),
a membrane area of the forward osmosis membrane module is 0.1 m² or greater (page 15, 1750 microporous hollow fiber support membranes were packed in a cylindrical plastic housing having a diameter of 5 cm and a length of 50 cm to prepare a support membrane module as shown in FIG. 1 having an effective inner surface area of 1.65 m .sup.2 .).
an average thickness of the separation function layer is 2.0 µm or lower (page 9, The thickness of the polymer polymer thin film is preferably as thin as possible without pinholes. However, in order to maintain mechanical strength and chemical resistance, it is desirable to have an appropriate thickness. Therefore, in consideration of film formation stability, water permeability, etc., the thickness of the polymer polymer thin film is preferably 0.1 μm to 3 μm, more preferably 0.2 μm to 2 μm.), and
the separation function layer has a coefficient of variation in the average thickness of the separation function layer of 30% or lower in a radial direction and a lengthwise direction of the forward osmosis membrane module (page 9, In one embodiment, it is obtained from a scanning electron microscope image obtained by photographing a cross section of the separation active layer in the thickness direction (more specifically, a method of measuring the mass of a microscope image output by the method described in [Example] of the present disclosure. The coefficient of variation of the average thickness of the separated active layer is preferably 0 to 0 in each of the radial direction and the length direction of the hollow fiber bundle from the viewpoint that partial functional defects can be further eliminated in the production. It is 60%, more preferably 0 to 50%, still more preferably 0 to 40%, and most preferably 0 to 30%.). In the examiner’s opinion the prior art fails to teach or render obvious the module further comprising the hollow fiber support membrane having a dense layer with a void percentage of 40% or lower at a location up to 1.0 µm in a depthwise direction from an interface between the porous support and the separation function layer.
Per claims 15-16, while claim 13 is not patentable for the reasons provided above, in the examiner’s opinion the prior art fails to teach or render obvious the method further comprising at least a step of wherein in the separation function layer-forming step (1), the hollow fiber support membrane has a dense layer at a location up to 1.0 µm in a depthwise direction from an interface between the porous support and the separation function layer, and a void percentage of the dense layer is 40% or lower.
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to FRED PRINCE whose telephone number is (571)272-1165. The examiner can normally be reached M-F: 0900-1730.
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If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Bobby Ramdhanie can be reached at (571)270-3240. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/FRED PRINCE/
Primary Examiner
Art Unit 1779