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 and Claim Status
1. Applicant’s election without traverse of Species D (Fig. 4) and claims 1, 2, 4, and 6 in the reply filed on 01/09/26 is acknowledged.
2. However, claim 1 is allowable (see explanation below). Claims 3 and 5, previously withdrawn from consideration as a result of a restriction requirement, require all the limitations of an allowable claim. Pursuant to the procedures set forth in MPEP § 821.04(a), the restriction requirement among inventions A- L, as set forth in the Office action mailed on 11/17/25, is hereby partially withdrawn and claims 3 and 5 are hereby rejoined and fully examined for patentability under 37 CFR 1.104. In view of the withdrawal of the restriction requirement, applicant(s) are advised that if any claim presented in a divisional application is anticipated by, or includes all the limitations of, a claim that is allowable in the present application, such claim may be subject to provisional statutory and/or nonstatutory double patenting rejections over the claims of the instant application. Once the restriction requirement is withdrawn, the provisions of 35 U.S.C. 121 are no longer applicable. See In re Ziegler, 443 F.2d 1211, 1215, 170 USPQ 129, 131-32 (CCPA 1971). See also MPEP § 804.01.
3. Generic claim 1 requires “a liquid vessel installed in the nuclear reactor containment vessel.” This limitation is present in Species A (Fig. 1), B (Fig. 2), D (Fig. 4), F (Fig. 6), G (Fig. 7), H (Fig. 8), I (Fig. 9), and K (Fig. 11). The election of species requirement is withdrawn as to these species. The requirement is maintained among species C (Fig. 3), E (Fig. 5), J (Fig. 10), and L (Fig. 12).
Allowable Subject Matter
4. Claims 1-6 would be allowable if rewritten to overcome the rejection(s) under 35 U.S.C. 112(b) or 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), 2nd paragraph, set forth in this Office action and to include all of the limitations of the base claim and any intervening claims.
5. The following is a statement of reasons for the indication of allowable subject matter: the closest prior art (see attached PTO-892) does not disclose or suggest a liquid vessel installed in the containment vessel and containing a non-volatile liquid that is fluidly connected to a filtered containment venting vessel such that pressure and heat from the containment building atmosphere cause the non-volatile liquid and atmosphere from the containment vessel to flow into the filtered containment venting vessel.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 112
6. 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.
7. Claims 1-6 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 pre-AIA the applicant regards as the invention.
8. Claims 1 and 4 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 112(b) or 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), second paragraph, as being incomplete for omitting essential structural cooperative relationships of elements, such omission amounting to a gap between the necessary structural connections. See MPEP § 2172.01. The omitted structural cooperative relationships are:
between the introduction pipe and the containment vessel and the liquid vessel (claim 1)
between the liquid vessel and the filtered containment venting vessel (claim 1)
between the first pipe and the containment vessel (claim 1)
between the discharge pipe and the vessels (claim 4)
9. Further regarding claim 1, the claim first introduces “a fluid containing organic iodine in the nuclear reactor containment vessel” and subsequently “ through which fluid vented from the nuclear reactor containment vessel is passed.” Are these the same fluid? Additionally, the preamble introduces organic iodine and the body of the claim re-introduces the same. The claim further introduces “a first pipe,” which is unclear because no second pipe is ever recited. The claim further refers to “the pressurized gas,” but that term was never introduced
10. Regarding claim 2, the claim introduces “a dry well” and subsequently states that “the liquid vessel is installed in a dry well.” Are these the same dry well? Claim 3 is indefinite for the same reason.
11. Claims 5 and 6 are indefinite because they lack antecedent basis for the recitations “the inlet.” They are further indefinite because they lack antecedent basis for “the dry/wet well,” which are introduced in claims 2 and 3.
12. The following claim language is suggested to place the application in condition for allowance:
1. An organic iodine trapping apparatus that traps organic iodine in a nuclear reactor containment vessel, comprising:
a liquid vessel, installed in the nuclear reactor containment vessel[[,]] and containing a non-volatile liquid capable of decomposing the organic iodine;
an introduction pipe and a pressure release valve providing a fluidic connection between a fluid in the nuclear reactor containment vessel and in the liquid vessel; and
a filtered containment venting vessel fluidly connected to the liquid vessel by an upstream vent pipe and to an exhaust stack by a downstream vent pipe
wherein the liquid vessel is configured to be heated and pressurized by the fluid in the nuclear reactor containment vessel such that non-volatile liquid and the fluid flow through the upstream vent pipe to the filtered containment venting vessel
2. The organic iodine trapping apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the nuclear reactor containment vessel further comprises: a dry well, wherein the liquid vessel is installed in [[a]]the dry well
3. The organic iodine trapping apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the nuclear reactor containment vessel further comprises: a wet well, wherein the liquid vessel is installed in [[a]]the wet well
4. The organic iodine trapping apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the introduction pipe connects to an upper portion of the liquid vessel and the upstream vent pipe connects to a lower portion of the liquid vessel.
5. The organic iodine trapping apparatus according to claim [[1]]2, wherein [[the]] an inlet of the introduction pipe is open at the dry well
6. The organic iodine trapping apparatus according to claim [[1]]2, wherein the nuclear reactor containment vessel further comprises: a wet well and an inlet of the introduction pipe is open at the wet well
Interviews
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Additional References
The attached Notice of Reference Cited (PTO-892) cites additional prior art made of record and not relied upon that is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure.
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to SHARON M DAVIS whose telephone number is (571)272-6882. The examiner can normally be reached Monday - Thursday, 7:00 - 5:00 pm ET.
If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Jack Keith can be reached at 571-272-6878. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/SHARON M DAVIS/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3646