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 Objections
Claim 1 is objected to because of the following informalities: where a claim sets forth a plurality of elements, each element should be separated by a line indentation. 37 CFR 1.75(i). 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.
Claim 1 is 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.
Regarding claim 1, it is unclear what is meant by the limitation “tongue piece-like sending member,” in particular with respect to use of the word “like”. It is unclear what variations from a tongue piece sending member are intended to be encompassed by use of the term “like.”
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.
The factual inquiries for establishing a background for determining obviousness under 35 U.S.C. 103 are summarized as follows:
1. Determining the scope and contents of the prior art.
2. Ascertaining the differences between the prior art and the claims at issue.
3. Resolving the level of ordinary skill in the pertinent art.
4. Considering objective evidence present in the application indicating obviousness or nonobviousness.
Claim 1 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Tomoaki (WO 2013/011555) in view of Kageyama et al (US 2018/0237034).
Tomoaki is cited from English machine translation, provided herewith.
Regarding claim 1, Tomoaki discloses an apparatus for carbonizing organic materials, comprising (see Abstract; Fig. 1):
a storage container 2 that stores an object to be subjected to carbonization oil-conversion processing (see p. 2);
a furnace 3 having inside thereof a transfer path for the storage container, the furnace being a tubular member having opening parts 3a,b on both ends in a longitudinal direction (see p. 2);
a superheated steam generator 4 (see p. 4); and
a supply pipe portion 5 that supplies the inside of the furnace with superheated steam generated in the superheated steam generator (see p. 4);
wherein:
end shutters 40, 44 are provided at the opening parts on the both ends of the furnace (see p. 2);
partition shutters 41, 42, 43 are arranged apart from each other in the longitudinal direction of the furnace to partition both ends of an internal processing space individually formed in the furnace, the end shutters and the partition shutters being respectively provided to be freely opened and closed (see p. 2);
a plurality of independent processing spaces 51, 52, 53, 54 are formed by closing the end shutters and the partition shutters, each of the independent processing spaces being supplied with superheated steam from the supply pipe portion, a temperature of the superheated steam supplied to each independent processing space from the supply pipe portion being variably controlled for each independent processing space (see pp. 2 & 5).
Tomoaki discloses a conveyor system comprising conveyors and a drive device (see p. 3), but does not disclose a conveyor system arrangement as claimed.
Kageyama is directed to a conveyance system that transfers moving members by rotation of pinions meshed with racks provided to the moving members (see [0001]). In particular, the conveyance system comprises a drive motor installed under a transfer path, at sites along the path (pinions 130 and rotary shaft 132), a tongue piece-like sending member (pinion teeth 131), the rotation shaft protruding on a surface side of the transfer path, and a plurality of contact-engagement-separation members (rack teeth 124) are provided at constant intervals on a back side of a bottom surface of a container (connected to support shaft 125), the tongue piece-like sending member coming into contact with one of the contact engagement-separation members when the tongue-piece-like sending member revolves by the drive motor, and engaging with and separating from the contact-engagement-separation member so that a transfer force in an advancing direction is transmitted to the container in response to the revolution. The tongue piece-like sending member sequentially and repeatedly comes into contact with, engages with, and separates from each of the plurality of contact-engagement-separation members provided at the constant intervals each time the sending member is revolved, to allow the container to be transferred in the advancing direction (see Figs. 1-6; [0051]-[0063]).
Kageyama discloses that the system is made up of simple mechanical structures and is free of malfunctions, reliably meshing with and separating from a plurality of pinions one after another without stoppage or breakage with less impact, vibration, and noise, even if subjected to temperature changes (see [0020]).
It would have been obvious to a person of ordinary skill in the art at the time of filing the instant claimed invention to modify the apparatus of Tomoaki by implementing the conveyance system disclosed by Kageyama, wherein Kageyama discloses that such conveyance system is made up of simple mechanical structures which avoids malfunctions and is able to withstand temperature changes, which would be desirable in the Tomoaki apparatus, given the difference in temperature changes between the processing spaces therein.
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to RENEE ROBINSON whose telephone number is (571)270-7371. The examiner can normally be reached Monday - Thursday 8:00a-5:00p and Friday 8:00a-2:00p.
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/Renee Robinson/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 1772