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 without traverse of Group I, claims 1-10, in the reply filed on 1/13/2026 is acknowledged.
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)(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 1-10 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 1029(a)(1) as being anticipated by Van der Ree (US 2018/000050 A1).
Van der Ree discloses:
pyrolyzing waste plastic to form a pyrolysis effluent (¶¶ [0020]–[0024], [0035], [0041]);
heating a non-aqueous HTM (thermal oil) with at least a portion of the pyrolysis effluent, namely by using C1–C4 gases exiting the cracking reactor as fuel to heat the thermal oil (¶¶ [0024], [0041], [0079]); and
heating waste plastic upstream of the cracking reactor with the heated thermal oil via indirect heat exchange in upstream heating devices (¶¶ [0021]–[0023], [0038], [0044], [0063]–[0064], [0110]–[0112]).
Accordingly, Van der Ree discloses each and every limitation of claim 1, arranged as claimed.
Claim 6
Van der Ree discloses heating the non-aqueous HTM via indirect heat exchange using tube heat exchangers flushed with thermal oil (¶¶ [0038], [0044], [0046]) and using the heated HTM to heat waste plastic upstream of the cracking reactor (¶¶ [0021]–[0023], [0063]–[0064]).
Claims 2 and 7
Van der Ree discloses upstream melting/liquefaction of waste plastic in heating devices before the cracking reactor (¶¶ [0021]–[0023], [0063]–[0064]).
Claims 3 and 8
Van der Ree discloses pyrolysis effluent comprising gaseous hydrocarbons (C1–C4) and heavier hydrocarbons separated by condensation/distillation (¶¶ [0024], [0035], [0041], [0079]).
Claims 4 and 9
Van der Ree expressly teaches that the HTM comprises thermal oil (¶¶ [0031], [0038], [0044], [0046]).
Claims 5 and 10
Van der Ree discloses HTM-based heating at temperatures of at least 300 °C (¶¶ [0021]–[0022], [0063]–[0064]).
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to TAM M NGUYEN whose telephone number is (571)272-1452. The examiner can normally be reached Mon - Frid.
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/TAM M NGUYEN/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 1771