DETAILED ACTION
This detailed action is in response to the application filed on March 8, 2024, and any subsequent filings.
Claims 1-30 stand subject to restriction.
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 Claims 1-22 in the reply filed on July 7, 2026 is acknowledged.
Claim Objections
Claim 2 is objected to because of the following informalities: the definite article “the” is required before “particulates” in line 3. 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.
Claims 2, 3, 6, 7, 11, 17, and 19-22 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 2 recites a “dissolved air floatation system” yet nothing in the claims, specification, or drawings indicates what is meant by this limitation. For purposes of examination, the limitation will be interpreted as a device that remove particulates.
Claim 3 recites a “membrane filtration system” yet nothing in the claims, specification, or drawings indicates what is included in the system. For purposes of examination, the limitation will be interpreted to mean a filtration membrane.
Claim 6 recites “color thresholds” yet nothing in the claims, specification, or drawings indicates what is meant by thresholds such as whether a range or a single point. For purposes of examination, the limitation will be interpreted to mean one or more color standard values.
Claim 7 recites a “range associated with the one or more color thresholds” which renders the claim indefinite because the claim depends from Claim 6 which does not define the limitation color threshold such that a range could be associated with that limitation.
Claim 12 recites the limitations “characteristic thresholds” yet nothing in the claims, specification, or drawings indicates what is meant by thresholds such as whether a range or a single point. For purposes of examination, the limitation will be interpreted to mean one or more standard values.
Claim 17 recites the limitation "clarified water returned to the one or more textile washers" in lines 1-2. There is insufficient antecedent basis for this limitation in the claim as Claim 1 from which the claim depends indicates that all of the clarified water may be discarded.
Claim 19 recites the limitation "clarified water returned to the one or more textile washers" in lines 1-2. There is insufficient antecedent basis for this limitation in the claim as Claim 1 from which the claim depends indicates that all of the clarified water may be discarded.
Claim 20 recites the limitation “chemically treating” yet nothing in the claims, specification, or drawings indicates what is meant by this terminology. For purposes of examination, the limitation will be interpreted as the presence of any chemical species being added.
Claim 21 recites a physical separation on the reuse water yet what is separated is not state leaving the metes and bounds of the claim indefinite.
Claim 22 recites sending the clarified water to both the washers and discarding a portion which is a logical fallacy given Claim 1 from which the claim depends recites all of the clarified water goes to either the washers or is discarded.
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 1-22 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Huang, et al., U.S. Publication No. 2018/0312419 (“Huang”).
Applicant’s claims are directed towards a method.
Regarding Claims 1-22, Huang discloses a method comprising receiving wastewater generated by one or more textile washers (Fig. 1, items 108, 110, Paragraphs 2,20,33,34 (“Pr”)); processing the wastewater to remove particulates from the wastewater to generate a clarified water (Fig. 1, item 120, Pr24,31,39); measuring one or more characteristics of the clarified water to provide one or more measured characteristics of the clarified water (Fig. 1, item 112, Pr6,7,21,26,37); and controlling supply of the clarified water based on the one or more measured characteristics to either (a) return the clarified water to the one or more textile washers for reuse (Fig. 1, item 106, Pr5,7,35,40,59) or (b) discard the clarified water (Fig. 3, Pr45,59).
Additional Disclosures Included: Claim 2: wherein processing the wastewater to remove particulates from the wastewater to generate the clarified water comprises processing the wastewater in a dissolved air floatation system to remove particulates from the wastewater to generate the clarified water (Pr24,29; see also 112(b) analysis supra). Claim 3: wherein processing the wastewater to remove particulates from the wastewater to generate the clarified water comprises processing the wastewater through a membrane filtration system to remove particulates from the wastewater to generate the clarified water (Fig. 1, item 120, Pr31,39; see also 112(b) analysis supra). Claim 4: wherein measuring one or more characteristics of the clarified water comprises measuring an optical characteristic of the clarified water using an optical sensor (Pr27). Claim 5: wherein the optical characteristic is a characteristic indicative of a color of the clarified water (Pr52). Claim 6: wherein the one or more measured characteristics of the clarified water comprises a measured characteristic indicative of color (Pr54), and further comprising comparing the measured characteristic indicative of color to one or more color thresholds (Pr54,85), wherein controlling supply of the clarified water based on the one or more measured characteristics comprises controlling supply of the clarified water based on comparison of the measured characteristic indicative of color to the one or more color thresholds (Pr57,59). Claim 7: wherein controlling supply of the clarified water based on the one or more measured characteristics to either (a) return the clarified water to the one or more textile washers for reuse or (b) discard the clarified water comprises: supplying the clarified water to the one or more textile washers for reuse if the measured characteristic indicative of color is within a range associated with the one or more color thresholds (Pr35,36,52,54,59); and supplying the clarified water to discard if the measured characteristic indicative of color is outside of a range associated with the one or more color thresholds (Pr35,36,52,54,59). Claim 8: wherein measuring one or more characteristics of the clarified water indicative of the color of the clarified water comprises measuring at least one of an absorbance and a transmittance of the clarified water at two or more wavelengths (Pr52,54 (note measurement of multiple wavelengths)). Claim 9: wherein the two or more wavelengths are wavelengths indicative of a color selected from the group consisting of red, yellow, blue, and combinations thereof (Pr52,54 (note measurement across full visible spectrum includes claimed colors)). Claim 10: wherein the optical characteristic is one or both of turbidity and total suspended solids (Pr27,51 (note water quality and component measurements)) and the one or more measured characteristics comprises one or both of a measured turbidity and a measured total suspended solids, and further comprising comparing one or both of the measured turbidity to one or more turbidity thresholds and the measured total suspended solids to one or more total suspended solids thresholds, wherein controlling supply of the clarified water based on the one or more measured characteristics comprises controlling supply of the clarified water based on comparison of one or both of the measured turbidity to the one or more turbidity thresholds and the measured total suspended solids to one or more total suspended solids thresholds (Pr51,57,59,73,74). Claim 11: wherein: the one or more measured characteristics comprise a first characteristic indicative of a color of the clarified water (Pr52) and a second characteristic indictive of one or both of a turbidity and a total suspended solids of the clarified water (Pr27,51 (note water quality and component measurements)); and controlling supply of the clarified water based on the one or more measured characteristics comprises controlling supply of the clarified water based on both the first characteristic and the second characteristic (Pr35,36,51,52,54,57,59,73,74). Claim 12: comparing the first characteristic to at least one first characteristic threshold (Pr35,36,52,54,57,59); comparing the second characteristic to at least on second characteristic threshold (Pr51,57,59,73,74); supplying the clarified water to the one or more textile washers for reuse if the first characteristic is within the at least one first characteristic threshold and the second characteristic is within the at least one second characteristic threshold (Pr35,36,51,52,54,57,59,73,74); and supplying the clarified water to discard if either the first characteristic is outside of the at least one first characteristic threshold or the second characteristic is outside of the at least one second characteristic threshold (Pr35,36,51,52,54,57,59,73,74). Claim 13: wherein measuring one or more characteristics of the clarified water comprises measuring a non-optical characteristic of the clarified water comprising one or both of (a) a metal concentration in the clarified water and (b) a fat, oil, and grease concentration in the clarified water (Pr51). Claim 14: wherein controlling supply of the clarified water based on the one or more measured characteristics comprises at least one of (a) controlling a valve directing the clarified water to either return to the one or more textile washers or directing the clarified water to discard (Pr35,36,59,78) or (b) controlling a pump to pump the clarified water for return to the one or more textile washers (Pr68,73,78). Claim 15: delivering the clarified water to a receiving vessel (Fig. 4, item 110A, Pr48), wherein controlling supply of the clarified water based on the one or more measured characteristics comprises supplying the clarified water from the receiving vessel to either the one or more textile washers for reuse or to discard (Pr35,36,52,54,59). Claim 16: wherein measuring one or more characteristics of the clarified water to provide one or more measured characteristics of the clarified water comprises measuring one or more characteristics of the clarified water in the receiving vessel (Fig. 4, items 110A, 112, Pr37,48). Claim 17: wherein a portion of the clarified water returned to the one or more textile washers for reuse defines a reuse water (Fig. 1), and further comprising measuring one or more characteristics of the reuse water to provide one or more measured characteristic of the reuse water (Fig. 1, item 112, Pr37). Claim 18: controlling a composition of the reuse water based on the one or more measured characteristics (Fig. 1, item 114, Pr37-38). Claim 19: wherein a portion of the clarified water returned to the one or more textile washers for reuse defines a reuse water (Fig. 1), and further comprising processing the reuse water to remove one or more impurities prior to supplying the reuse water to the one or more textile washers (Fig. 1). Claim 20: wherein processing the reuse water to remove one or more impurities comprises chemically treating the reuse water (Fig. 1, item 114, Pr37-38; see also 112(b) analysis supra). Claim 21: wherein processing the reuse water to remove one or more impurities comprises performing a physical separation process on the reuse water (Fig. 1, item 116, Pr39; see also 112(b) analysis supra). Claim 22: wherein controlling supply of the clarified water based on the one or more measured characteristics to either (a) return the clarified water to the one or more textile washers for reuse or (b) discard the clarified water comprises returning a first portion of the clarified water to the one or more textile washers for reuse and sending a second portion of the clarified water to discard (Fig. 1, Pr59).
Conclusion
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/PATRICK ORME/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 1779
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