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 I, claims 8-14, in the reply filed on 01-21-2026 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)).
Claims 15-16 are withdrawn from further consideration pursuant to 37 CFR 1.142(b) as being drawn to a nonelected invention, there being no allowable generic or linking claim. Election was made without traverse in the reply filed on 01-21-2026.
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 11 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.
Claim 11 recites the limitation "the cooling liquid" in line 2. There is insufficient antecedent basis for this limitation in the claim.
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.
Claim(s) 8 and 14 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Yin ‘573 (CN 112624573 A - English language translation provided herewith and referenced herein).
Regarding claim 8, Yin ‘573 teaches:
a transfer pipe through which molten glass flows (platinum channel 7 with molten glass 8, Figs. 1-2; p. 5, lines 14-15)
a retaining brick, which is arranged on an outer peripheral side of the transfer pipe, and retains the transfer pipe (cladding brick 1/101, Figs. 1-2; p. 5, lines 15-16)
a casing, which accommodates the transfer pipe and the retaining brick, and includes a space defined by the retaining brick (support brick 2/201 and/or insulation brick 3/301 including cavity 11, Figs. 1-2; p. 5, lines 16-20)
a cooling device configured to cool the casing is provided (vent brick 4/401 and 5/501 with air inlet pipe 12 and air outlet pipe 13, Figs. 1-2; p. 4, lines 38-53; p. 5, lines 17-39 - wherein the cooling air flow contacts the casing and is capable of cooling the casing if the casing temperature is above the cooling air temperature).
Regarding claim 14, Yin ‘573 further teaches a gas supply/discharge device configured to supply and discharge gas into and from the space (supply of cooling gas into air inlet pipe 12, and air outlet pipe 13 with exhaust fan; p. 4, lines 46-53; p. 5, lines 37-35).
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(s) 8, 11, and 14 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over De Angelis ‘398 (WO 2018/017398 A1) in view of Yin ‘573 (CN 112624573 A - English language translation provided herewith and referenced herein).
Regarding claim 8, De Angelis ‘398 teaches:
a transfer pipe through which molten glass flows (conduit 137 with vessel wall 161 with molten glass material 121, Figs. 2-3; ¶ [0035])
a casing, which accommodates the transfer pipe, and includes a space around the transfer pipe (housing walls 201/205 and casing around coil 345, with fluid circulation area 315, Figs. 2-3; ¶ [0038], [0050], [0054])
a cooling device configured to cool the casing is provided (cooling coil 345 with cooling fluid source 350 and/or fluid pressure source 320 and/or fluid pressure source 340, Fig. 3; ¶ [0041], [0050], [0053]).
De Angelis ‘398 is silent regarding a retaining brick, which is arranged on an outer peripheral side of the transfer pipe, and retains the transfer pipe. In analogous art of molten glass conduits, Yin ‘573 suggests providing a retaining brick arranged on an outer peripheral side of a transfer pipe through which molten glass flows, and retains the transfer pipe, for the benefit of supporting and protecting the transfer pipe (cladding brick 1/101 arranged on platinum channel 7 with molten glass 8, Figs. 1-2; p. 4, lines 30-31; p. 5, lines 14-16). In Yin ‘573, there is also a casing which accommodates the transfer pipe and the retaining brick and includes a space defined by the retaining brick (support brick 2/201 and/or insulation brick 3/301 including cavity 11, Figs. 1-2; p. 5, lines 16-20). It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify the apparatus of De Angelis ‘398 by providing a retaining brick, which is arranged on an outer peripheral side of the transfer pipe, and retains the transfer pipe, and which is accommodated by the casing and defines a space of the casing, for the benefit of supporting and protecting the transfer pipe, as suggested by Yin ‘573.
Regarding claim 11, De Angelis ‘398 further teaches the cooling device comprises a cooling flow passage provided in the casing, through which a cooling fluid flows (passage defined by the casing around coil 345 and left wall 201, Fig. 3), and a fluid supply/discharge device configured to supply and discharge the cooling fluid to and from the cooling flow passage (cooling fluid source 350, Fig. 3; ¶ [0053] - wherein cooling fluid source 350 is outside of the passage, and fluid is described as being circulated through coil 345, such that source 350 must supply and discharge the cooling fluid to and from the passage). De Angelis ‘398 is silent regarding the cooling fluid being cooling liquid. However, a fluid is either a liquid or a gas, and it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to try either option, including cooling liquid, as one of a finite number of options, with a predictable result of removing heat from the housing.
Regarding claim 14, De Angelis ‘398 suggest circulating gas in the space (¶ [0050], but is silent regarding a gas supply/discharge device configured to supply and discharge gas into and from the space. Yin ‘573 suggests a gas supply/discharge device configured to supply and discharge gas into and from a space between a casing and a retaining brick for the benefit of flowing gas into and out of the space to provide efficient cooling and to control cooling through the space (supply of cooling gas into air inlet pipe 12, and air outlet pipe 13 with exhaust fan; p. 4, lines 46-53; p. 5, lines 37-35). It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify the apparatus of De Angelis ‘398 by providing a gas supply/discharge device configured to supply and discharge gas into and from the space for the benefit of flowing gas into and out of the space to provide efficient cooling and to control cooling through the space, as suggested by Yin ‘573.
Claim(s) 9-10 and 12-13 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over De Angelis ‘398 (WO 2018/017398 A1) in view of Yin ‘573 (CN 112624573 A - English language translation provided herewith and referenced herein) and Radecki ‘819 (US 4,676,819).
Regarding claims 9-10, De Angelis ‘398 is silent regarding the cooling device comprising a nozzle configured to eject cooling liquid to the casing and a collecting device configured to collect the cooling liquid ejected to the casing. In analogous art of cooling molten glass containing structures, Radecki ‘819 suggests a cooling device comprising a nozzle configured to eject cooling liquid to a casing (end of conduit 40, Fig. 1; column 4, lines 30-44) and a collecting device configured to collect the cooling liquid ejected to the casing (trough 42, conduit 43, trough 32, Fig. 1; column 4, lines 30-44) for the benefit of assuring thermal stability of the structure (column 2, lines 30-40). It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify the apparatus of De Angelis ‘398 by making the cooling device comprise a nozzle configured to eject cooling liquid to the casing and a collecting device configured to collect the cooling liquid ejected to the casing as a known manner of cooling a casing of a molten glass containing structure, and for the benefit of assuring thermal stability of the structure, as suggested by Radecki ‘819.
Regarding claims 12-13, De Angelis ‘398 further teaches the cooling device comprises a cooling flow passage provided in the casing, through which a cooling fluid flows (passage defined by the casing around coil 345 and left wall 201, Fig. 3), and a fluid supply/discharge device configured to supply and discharge the cooling fluid to and from the cooling flow passage (cooling fluid source 350, Fig. 3; ¶ [0053] - wherein cooling fluid source 350 is outside of the passage, and fluid is described as being circulated through coil 345, such that source 350 must supply and discharge the cooling fluid to and from the passage). De Angelis ‘398 is silent regarding the cooling fluid being cooling liquid. However, a fluid is either a liquid or a gas, and it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to try either option, including the cooling liquid, as one of a finite number of options, with a predictable result of removing heat from the housing.
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure. The cited references are related to structure and cooling of molten glass containing structures.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to Erin Snelting whose telephone number is (571)272-7169. The examiner can normally be reached Monday to Friday, 8:00 to 5:00.
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/ERIN SNELTING/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 1741
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