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
Applicant’s election of group IV, claims 23-25 in the reply filed on 7/21/26 is acknowledged. Because applicant did not distinctly and specifically point out the supposed errors in the restriction requirement, the election has been treated as an election without traverse (MPEP § 818.01(a)).
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 102
In the event the determination of the status of the application as subject to AIA 35 U.S.C. 102 and 103 (or as subject to pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 102 and 103) is incorrect, any correction of the statutory basis (i.e., changing from AIA to pre-AIA ) for the rejection will not be considered a new ground of rejection if the prior art relied upon, and the rationale supporting the rejection, would be the same under either status.
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)(2) the claimed invention was described in a patent issued under section 151, or in an application for patent published or deemed published under section 122(b), in which the patent or application, as the case may be, names another inventor and was effectively filed before the effective filing date of the claimed invention.
Claim(s) 23-25 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(2) as being anticipated by Rudolph et al. US 2026/0015258.
Claim 23, Rudolph teaches a method for removing long-chain and short chain PFAS from a solution having PFAS therein using foam fractionation, the method comprising: receiving the solution having PFAS therein and generating microbubbles (par 35), turbulence (par 60) and foam (abstract) to remove a majority of long-chain PFAS, generating a treated flow of a solution having a majority of the long-chain PFAS removed, introducing a foam boosting agent (par 56-57) into the treated flow (par 50, 58), receiving the treated solution having a majority of the long-chain PFAS removed and the foam boosting agent and generating microbubbles, turbulence and foam, the foam boosting agent configured to augment the formation of foam to facilitate the removal of short-chain PFAS and generating a treated flow of a solution having a majority of the long-chain and short-chain PFAS removed (par 10-12, 31, 53, 88).
Claims 24-25, Rudolph further teaches the foam boosting agent includes a supplemental surfactant including anionic, cationic, zwitterionic and nonionic surfactants (par 57).
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to BENJAMIN M KURTZ whose telephone number is (571)272-8211. The examiner can normally be reached Monday-Friday 8:30-5.
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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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/BENJAMIN M KURTZ/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 1779
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