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 1-15 are rejected.
Claim Objections
Claims 3, 8 and 13 are objected to because of the following informalities:
Claim 3: “one inlet of said of said” in line 2 should be replaced with --one inlet of said--.
Claim 8: “systems” in line 1 should be replaced with --system--.
Claim 13: “at least sensor” in line 1 should be replaced with --at least one sensor--.
Appropriate correction is required.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 112
The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 112(b):
(b) CONCLUSION.—The specification shall conclude with one or more claims particularly pointing out and distinctly claiming the subject matter which the inventor or a joint inventor regards as the invention.
The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), second paragraph:
The specification shall conclude with one or more claims particularly pointing out and distinctly claiming the subject matter which the applicant regards as his invention.
Claims 3-4 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 112(b) or 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), second paragraph, as being indefinite for failing to particularly point out and distinctly claim the subject matter which the inventor or a joint inventor (or for applications subject to pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, the applicant), regards as the invention.
Claim 3 recites the limitation "said at least two water treatment systems" in line 2-3. There is insufficient antecedent basis for this limitation in the claim.
Claim 4 recites the limitation "the flow of input water" in line 3. There is insufficient antecedent basis for this limitation in the claim.
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.
Claim(s) 1-3 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Gray (US 2004/0168978).
With respect to claim 1, Gray discloses a recirculating type reverse osmosis system, as shown in Fig. 1, including the method steps of: flowing feed water from feed tank 44 into at least one inlet 14 of at least one RO element 15 (water treatment system), as shown in Fig. 1, said at least one water treatment system 15 having reverse osmosis components for separation of feed water into product water and concentrate, as shown in Fig. 1; mixing at least a portion of said concentrate produced by the at least one water treatment system 15 with feed water, as shown in Fig. 1; flowing said mixture of feed water and concentrate to at least one inlet of said at least one water treatment system 15, as shown in Fig. 1.
With respect to claim 2, Gray discloses wherein feed water is flowed into a single water treatment system 15 and concentrate from said single water treatment system 15 is mixed with a portion of feed water and flowed to said at least one inlet 14 of said single water treatment system 15, as shown in Fig. 1.
With respect to claim 3, Gray discloses wherein an external controller 24, 21, 13, regulates the flow of concentrate and feed water flowed to said at least one inlet 14 of at least two water treatment systems 15, 26, as shown in Fig. 5.
Claim(s) 1-4 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Deslauniers (WO 95/29750).
With respect to claim 1, Deslauniers discloses filtration system, as shown in Fig. 1, including the method steps of: flowing feed water into at least one inlet of at least one reverse osmosis unit 60, 60’ (water treatment system), as shown in Fig. 1, said at least one water treatment system 60, 60’ having reverse osmosis components for separation of feed water into product water and concentrate, as shown in Fig. 1; mixing at least a portion of said concentrate produced by the at least one water treatment system 60, 60’ with feed water, as shown in Fig. 1; flowing said mixture of feed water and concentrate to at least one inlet of said at least one water treatment system 60, 60’, as shown in Fig. 1.
With respect to claim 2, Deslauniers discloses wherein feed water is flowed into a single water treatment system 60, 60’ and concentrate from said single water treatment system 60, 60’ is mixed with a portion of feed water and flowed to said at least one inlet of said single water treatment system 60, 60’, as shown in Fig. 1.
With respect to claim 3, Deslauniers discloses wherein an external controller 72, 76, 78, 52, regulates the flow of concentrate and feed water flowed to said at least one inlet of at least two water treatment systems 60, 60’ as shown in Fig. 1.
With respect to claim 4, Deslauniers discloses at least two water treatment systems 60, 60’, wherein said at least two water treatment systems 60, 60’ are linked in parallel with respect to the flow of input water, as shown in Fig. 1.
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) 4 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Gray (US 2004/0168978) in view of Zhai (US 2020/0039846).
With respect to claim 4, Gray lacks wherein comprising at least two water treatment systems, wherein said at least two water treatment systems are linked in parallel with respect to the flow of input water.
Zhai discloses a filtration system 40, as shown in Fig. 2, having first portion 16A and a second portion 16B (at least two water treatment systems), as shown in Fig. 2, wherein said at least two water treatment systems 16A, 16B, are linked in parallel with respect to feed water 12 (flow of input water), as shown in Fig. 2. The recirculation pump 24 and the order of flow can be switched between the last stage 20 and the first portion 16A of the first stage 16. When switched, the first portion 16A of the first stage 16 receives concentrate last and the last stage 20 receives feed water first in parallel with the second portion 16B of the first stage (see paragraph 0024). Each stage has pressure vessels plumbed in parallel (see paragraph 0026). Zhai teaches that it is typical in reverse osmosis systems to connect multiple pressure vessels in parallel and filtration systems with high recovery rates typically have at least two stages (see paragraphs 0003-0004). It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art to provide the system disclosed by Gray with at least two water treatment systems linked in parallel with respect to the flow of input water, as taught by Zhai, in order to increase the recovery rate and since this is common in the art (see paragraphs 0003-0004).
Claim(s) 5-15 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Deslauniers (WO 95/29750).
With respect to claims 5-7, Deslauniers discloses a filtration system, as shown in Fig. 1, having the method steps of: providing an assembly of at least two fluidly linked reverse osmosis units 60, 60’ (water treatment systems), each of said water treatment systems 60, 60’ having reverse osmosis components, as shown in Fig. 1; said assembly having an input water line 22, as shown in Fig. 1, a product water line 68, as shown in Fig. 1, and a concentrate line 62, as shown in Fig. 1, wherein said input water line 22, said product water line 68 and concentrate line 62 fluidly link said at least two water treatment systems 60, 60’, as shown in Fig. 1; said concentrate line 62 having at least one concentrate valve 74 corresponding to at least one of said water treatment systems 60, 60’, as shown in Fig. 1; flowing feed water through said input water line 22 to each of said at least two water treatment systems 60, 60’, wherein said at least two water treatment systems 60, 60’ form concentrate and product water, as shown in Fig. 1; wherein concentrate from said at least water treatment systems 60, 60’ corresponding to said concentrate valve 74 flows to mix with feed water, as shown in Fig. 1; and flowing said mix of feed water and concentrate to said input water line 22, as shown in Fig. 1 (see page 8, lines 20-26).
Deslauniers does not disclose closing at least one concentrate valve of said at least one concentrate valves; wherein closing of said at least one concentrate valve reverses the flow of concentrate in a section of said concentrate line; and wherein one concentrate valve is closed. However, Deslauniers teaches valves 74 and 92, as shown in Fig. 1. Valve 74 directs flow through concentrate line 62 and to drain line 94 and valve 92. It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art to close at least one concentrate valve, as claimed by applicant, in the system disclosed by Deslauniers, in order to direct the concentrate to a desired line and optimize the filtration system. It is obvious that closing concentrate valve 92 would reverse the flow of concentrate in a section of the concentrate line 62.
With respect to claim 8, Deslauniers discloses wherein concentrate from one water system 60, 60’ is mixed with feed water, as shown in Fig. 1.
With respect to claim 9, Deslauniers discloses wherein concentrate from at least two treatment systems 60, 60’ is mixed with feed water, as shown in Fig. 1.
With respect to claim 10, Deslauniers discloses wherein concentrate from at least three treatment systems 60, 60’, 90, is mixed with feed water, as shown in Fig. 1 (see page 9, lines 1-10).
With respect to claim 11, Deslauniers discloses wherein said at least one concentrate valve 74 is selected from the group consisting of manual valves, an automatic valve, solenoid valves and combinations thereof, as shown in Fig. 1.
With respect to claim 12, Deslauniers discloses wherein said assembly includes at least one external pump 56, as shown in Fig. 1.
With respect to claim 13, Deslauniers discloses wherein said assembly further comprises at least sensor 52 for monitoring the TDS content of said mix of feed water and concentrate, as shown in Fig. 1 (see page 7, lines 13-20).
With respect to claim 14, Deslauniers discloses wherein said at least two water treatment systems 60, 60’ are identical with respect to components contained therein, as shown in Fig. 1.
With respect to claim 15, Deslauniers lacks wherein at least one water treatment system may be delinked from said assembly without affect the other systems in the assembly. However, this would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art in order to perform maintenance of a system.
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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/MADELINE GONZALEZ/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 1773