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 .
DETAILED ACTION
Election/Restrictions
Applicant's election with traverse of Invention I in the reply filed on 9/11/25 is acknowledged. The traversal is on the ground(s) that searching both inventions would not be burdensome. This is found persuasive because the floating condenser was found to be an obvious variant in Ullman (20100199667).
The requirement is withdrawn.
Claim Objections
Claim 17 is objected to because of the following informalities:
In claim 17, line 2, “a different elevation” should be --at different elevations--. Appropriate correction is required.
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, 2, 4-7, 13, and 19 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Ullman (20100199667). Ullman discloses (claim 1) a low-grade waste heat (“LGWH”) recovery system, with at least one primary storage chamber (sump 134) comprising a working fluid and configured to receive heat from a heat source 102 to heat the working fluid from a liquid form to a vapor form, a condenser 114 fluidly connected to the at least one primary storage chamber 134 and configured to receive the working fluid in vapor form and cool the working fluid back to liquid form (Fig. 1), a primary turbine 120 fluidly connected to the condenser 114 and configured for rotation caused by descent of the working fluid from the condenser 114, and a return duct 122 configured to receive the working fluid passing through the turbine 120 and return the working fluid to the at least one primary storage chamber 134, wherein the LGWH recovery system is a closed system.
Regarding claim 2, Ullman discloses that the working fluid is water.
Regarding claim 4, Ullman discloses that condenser 114 is at a higher elevation than the primary storage chamber 134.
Regarding claim 5, Ullman further discloses a first column 108 fluidly connecting the primary storage chamber 134 with the condenser 114 and configured to guide the working fluid in vapor form from the primary storage chamber 134 to the condenser 114.
Regarding claim 6, Ullman discloses that the first column 108 comprises one or more of a fan, valve 106, and pump to facilitate flow of the working fluid in vapor form to the condenser 114.
Regarding claim 7, Ullman further discloses a second column 118 configured to guide the working fluid in liquid form from the condenser to the primary turbine 120.
Regarding claim 13, Ullman discloses that the heat source is geothermal heat (paragraph [0027]).
Regarding claim 19, Ullman further discloses a method of recovering energy by rotation of the primary turbine 120.
Claims 1, 2, 4-12, 19, and 20 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Al Ghizzy (10,060,299). Al Ghizzy discloses (claim 1) a low-grade waste heat (“LGWH”) recovery system, comprising at least one primary storage chamber 110,200 comprising a working fluid and configured to receive heat from a heat source 206 to heat the working fluid from a liquid form to a vapor form, a condenser 220 fluidly connected to the at least one primary storage chamber 110,200 and configured to receive the working fluid in vapor form and cool the working fluid back to liquid form, a primary turbine 232 fluidly connected to the condenser 220 and configured for rotation caused by descent of the working fluid from the condenser 220, and a return duct (not numbered) configured to receive the working fluid passing through the turbine 232 and return the working fluid to the at least one primary storage chamber 110,200, wherein the LGWH recovery system is a closed system (Fig. 2).
Regarding claim 2, Al Ghizzy discloses that the working fluid is water (col. 3, lines 17-18).
Regarding claim 4, Al Ghizzy discloses that the condenser 220 is at a higher elevation than the primary storage chamber 110,200.
Regarding claim 5, Al Ghizzy further discloses a first column 112 fluidly connecting the primary storage chamber 110,200 with the condenser 220 and configured to guide the working fluid in vapor form from the primary storage chamber 110,200 to the condenser 220.
Regarding claim 6, Al Ghizzy discloses that first column 112 comprises one or more of a fan, valve, and pump (140,210 col. 6, lines 43-55) to facilitate flow of the working fluid in vapor form to the condenser 220.
Regarding claim 7, Al Ghizzy further discloses a second column 116 configured to guide the working fluid in liquid form from the condenser 220 to the primary turbine 232.
Regarding claim 8, Al Ghizzy discloses that the first column 112 is insulated (col. 5, lines 25-27).
Regarding claim 9, Al Ghizzy discloses that the condenser 220 is cooled by a compressor (col. 6, lines 2-4).
Regarding claim 10, Al Ghizzy further discloses a secondary storage chamber (multiple chambers 222) fluidly connected to the condenser 110,200 and the primary turbine 232.
Regarding claim 11, Al Ghizzy discloses that the secondary storage chamber 222 is at a lower elevation than the condenser 220 and a higher elevation than the turbine 232.
Regarding claim 12, Al Ghizzy further discloses a plurality of primary storage chambers (multiple chambers 200).
Regarding claim 19, Al Ghizzy discloses recovering energy produced by rotation of the primary turbine 232.
Regarding claim 20, Al Ghizzy discloses a low-grade waste heat (“LGWH”) recovery system with at least one primary storage chamber 110,200 comprising a working fluid and configured to receive heat from a heat source 206 to heat the working fluid from a liquid form to a vapor form (in evaporator 208), a condenser 220 fluidly connected to the at least one primary storage chamber 110,200 and configured to receive the working fluid in vapor form therefrom via a first insulated column 112 fluidly connecting the primary storage chamber 110,200 with the condenser 220, the condenser 220 being configured to cool the working fluid back to liquid form, a secondary storage chamber 222 fluidly connected to the condenser 220 and configured to receive working fluid in liquid form therefrom, a primary turbine 232 fluidly connected to the secondary storage chamber 222 and configured for rotation caused by descent of the working fluid from the secondary storage chamber 222 via a second insulated column 116 configured to guide the working fluid in liquid form from the secondary storage chamber 222 to the primary turbine 232, and a return duct (not numbered) configured to receive the working fluid passing through the turbine 232 and return the working fluid to the at least one primary storage chamber 110,200, wherein the LGWH recovery system is a closed system.
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 14 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Ullman in view of Al Ghizzy. Ullman discloses (claim 14) a low-grade waste heat (“LGWH”) recovery system (Fig. 2) with a primary storage chamber 234 comprising a working fluid and configured to receive waste heat from a heat source 202 to heat the working fluid from a liquid form to a vapor form, a floating condenser 214 (“balloon 214” paragraphs [0034]-[0035]) movable between a first position, at which the floating condenser 214 is configured to receive the working fluid in vapor form from the primary storage chamber 234, and a second position, the floating condenser 214 being configured to cool the working fluid back to liquid form, a primary turbine 220 configured to receive the working fluid from the floating condenser 214 and configured for rotation caused by descent of the working fluid therefrom; wherein the LGWH recovery system is a closed system. Ullman does not disclose two or more secondary storage chambers, each of the secondary storage chambers configured to receive the working fluid from the floating condenser at a different position between the first and second positions to supply the working fluid to the primary turbine.
Al Ghizzy teaches for a low-grade waste heat (“LGWH”) recovery system as stated above and that there are two or more secondary storage chambers, each of the secondary storage chambers configured to receive the working fluid from the condenser at a different position than the condenser to supply the working fluid to the primary turbine for the purposes of storing working fluid until power generation is needed. See Al Ghizzy col. 7, lines 3-10.
Since Ullman and Al Ghizzy are both in the same field of endeavor the purpose disclosed by Al Ghizzy would have been recognized in the pertinent art of Ullman. It would have been obvious at a time before the invention was effectively filed to a person having ordinary skill in the art to modify the recovery system of Ullman to include two or more secondary storage chambers, each of the secondary storage chambers configured to receive the working fluid from the floating condenser at a different position between the first and second positions to supply the working fluid to the primary turbine for the purposes of storing working fluid until power generation is needed.
Regarding claim 15, Ullman discloses that the condenser 214 is expandable (a balloon).
Regarding claim 16, Ullman discloses that the second position is inherently at a higher elevation than the first position (the tether holding the balloon will inherently cause different elevations based on the temperature/pressure conditions in the floating condenser/balloon 214, see paragraphs [0034]-[0035]).
Regarding claim 18, Al Ghizzy teaches that the working fluid from each of the secondary storage chambers is collected in a central conduit configured to guide the working fluid to the primary turbine.
Claim 3 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Al Ghizzy, as applied to claim 1 above. Al Ghizzy disclosed all of the claimed subject matter but is silent of how the heat is transferred from the heat source to the primary storage chamber and if coils are used to transfer heat to the working fluid.
Official notice is taken that the use of a coils to transfer heat to a fluid for cooling of the hot medium and heating of the cold medium is well known. It would have been obvious at the time the invention was made to a person having ordinary skill in the art to modify the low grade waste heat recovery system of Al Ghizzy such that heat is transferred from the heat source to the primary storage chamber via coils wherein the working fluid is exposed to the coils as a matter of engineering expedience.
Prior Art
Prior art made of record but not relied upon is considered pertinent to Applicant's disclosure for showing other energy recovery/generation systems with turbines driven by water.
Allowable Subject Matter
Claim 17 is 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 improvement comprises each of the secondary storage chambers being positioned as different elevations.
Contact Information
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communication from the examiner should be directed to Thomas Lazo whose telephone number is (571) 272-4818. The examiner can normally be reached on Monday-Friday from 8:00 am to 4:30 pm.
If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner's supervisor Nathaniel Wiehe, can be reached on (571) 272-8648. The fax phone number for this Group is (571) 273-8300.
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/THOMAS E LAZO/Primary Examiner,
Art Unit 3745
September 29, 2025