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 .
Response to Amendment
The amendment filed April 14th, 2026 has been entered. Claims 1-3 and 5-11 are remain pending in the application. The amendments to the claims have overcome each and every claim objection previously cited in the Non-Final rejection mailed January 15th, 2026. However, the amendment has raised other issues detailed below.
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.
Claims 7-11 are 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.
A broad range or limitation together with a narrow range or limitation that falls within the broad range or limitation (in the same claim) may be considered indefinite if the resulting claim does not clearly set forth the metes and bounds of the patent protection desired. See MPEP § 2173.05(c). In the present instance, claim 7 recites the broad recitation “a coolant that contains: 20 to 35 % mol of dinitrogen or 30 to 50 % mol of argon or 35 to 50 % mol of a mix of dinitrogen and argon, and 35 to 55 % mol of methane”, and the claim also recites “wherein said coolant contains a part of methane and dinitrogen and/or argon between 70 and 85% mol of the coolant, with the rest comprising a mix of hydrocarbons made of at least ethane and/or propane and/or butane and/or ethylene and/or propylene” which is the narrower statement of the range/limitation. The claim(s) are considered indefinite because there is a question or doubt as to whether the feature introduced by such narrower language is (a) merely exemplary of the remainder of the claim, and therefore not required, or (b) a required feature of the claims. For purposes of examination, the Examiner will interpret the narrower language as (a) merely exemplary of the remainder of the claim, and therefore not required.
Claims 7-10 are also rejected by virtue of their dependency on claim 6.
Claim 11 is also rejected by virtue of its dependency on claim 10.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 103
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 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.
Claims 1, 3, and 6 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Schleicher et al. (US 20190056175), hereinafter Schleicher in view of Vezil et al. (EP 2789855), hereinafter Vezil.
Regarding claim 1, Schleicher discloses a compression system designed to equip a coolant circuit (Fig. 1, compression system 106, compressor 105, refrigerant supply system 102; Pg. 1-2, paragraph 14, FIG. 1 illustrates one embodiment of a new LNG liquefaction system 100. The liquefaction system 100 includes a refrigerant supply system 102 containing a mixed refrigerant MR 102v in a vapor state, a compression system 106, one or more condensers 108, a heat exchanger 112, and a natural gas (NG) supply system 114 containing natural gas (NG) feedstock 114v in a vapor state. The refrigerant supply system 102 is in fluid communication with the compression system 106), comprising:
at least a compression device configured to compress a coolant (Fig. 1, compressor 105; Pg. 2, paragraph 15, Operation of the liquefaction system 100 is discussed with further reference to FIG. 1. The valve 104 regulates a flow of mixed refrigerant, supply MR 102v in a vapor state at a first temperature Tl and a first pressure P1 from the refrigerant supply system 102 to the compression system 106. The compression system 106 can be, e.g., a multistage compression system including a compressor 105; Pg. 2, paragraph 27, FIG. 2 illustrates a cross-sectional view of a compressor 200 including a seal assembly 201 that can be used within a compression system, such as the compression system 106 shown in FIG. 1, to contain MR (e.g., supply MR 102v and/or high-temperature, high-pressure MR 102v')), wherein the at least one compression device includes at least a compression mechanism driven by a driving device (Pg. 2, paragraph 16, Embodiments of the compressors 105 can adopt a variety of forms. Examples of the compressor 105 can include a single-casing compressors, multi-stage compressors, and trains of multiple compressors, each with one or more compression stages. The compressors 105 are driven by a mover, which can be, e.g., a gas turbine, a steam turbine, an expander, or an electric motor that receives electric power 107 from an external power source (not shown)), which are connected together by at least one bearing configured to be at least partly sealed by the coolant (Fig. 2, compression side 209, bearing side 211; Pg. 2, paragraph 27, The compression side 209 can include a compression chamber (not shown) used to compress MR (e.g., supply MR 102v), and the bearing side 211 can include one or more bearings (not shown) positioned about the shaft 203 of the compressor to allow the shaft 203 to rotate; Pg. 2, paragraph 31, In order to prevent the unfiltered MR 209 from leaking through the sealing element 230, filtered, high-pressure MR 208, or another seal gas, can be delivered to a region 205 of the seal assembly 201 positioned adjacent the compressor side 209. The filtered, high-pressure MR 208 can pressurize a cavity 207 located adjacent the sealing element 230 to a fourth pressure P4 that is higher than that of the second pressure P2 on the compressor side 209, thereby preventing the unfiltered MR 209 from leaking into the seal assembly 201; Further, the bearings of the compressor 105, 200 of Schleicher have the same structure as the claimed bearings and are capable of functioning in the manner claimed), and
a recycling device for the coolant in the driving device (Fig. 1, MR recovery system 300; Pg. 3, paragraph 26, The MR recovery system 300 is further configured to reintroduce recovered MR back into the compressor 105 of compression system 106, and/or into circulation within other portions of the liquefaction system 100 (e.g., between the condensers 108 and the expansion valve 110), with the coolant recycling device configured to return a recycled coolant through the driving device to the coolant circuit (Pg. 3, paragraph 26, The MR recovery system 300 is further configured to reintroduce recovered MR back into the compressor 105 of compression system 106, and/or into circulation within other portions of the liquefaction system 100 (e.g., between the condensers 108 and the expansion valve 110; Further, the MR recovery system 300 of Schleicher has the same structure as the claimed recycling device and is capable of functioning in the manner claimed).
However, Schleicher does not disclose wherein the driving device comprises a gear box and an actuator that rotatively drives at least one gear of the gear box, and
wherein the recycling device is in fluidic communication with an upper part of the gear box.
Vezil teaches wherein the driving device comprises a gear box and an actuator that rotatively drives at least one gear of the gear box, and
wherein the recycling device is in fluidic communication with an upper part of the gear box (Fig. 2, gas compressor system 101, compressor 10, drive motor 12, gearbox 14, warm exhaust gas flow 41).
Schleicher fails to teach wherein the driving device comprises a gear box and an actuator that rotatively drives at least one gear of the gear box, wherein the recycling device is in fluidic communication with an upper part of the gear box, however Vezil teaches that it is a known method in the art of compressor cooling arrangements to include wherein the driving device comprises a gear box and an actuator that rotatively drives at least one gear of the gear box, wherein the recycling device is in fluidic communication with an upper part of the gear box. This is strong evidence that modifying Schleicher as claimed would produce predictable results (i.e. circulation of compressor coolant to improve overall system efficiencies). Accordingly, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art prior to the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify Schleicher by Vezil and arrive at the claimed invention since all claimed elements were known in the art and one having ordinary skill in the art could have combined the elements as claimed by known methods with no changes in their respective functions and the combination would have yielded the predictable result of circulation of compressor coolant to improve overall system efficiencies.
Regarding claim 3, Schleicher as modified discloses the compression system according to claim 1 (see the combination of references used in the rejection of claim 1 above), wherein the recycling device comprises at least one filtration mechanism (Schleicher, Fig. 3, heat exchanger 302, nitrogen removal assembly 303, two-phase separator 308; Pg. 3-4, paragraph 36, The MR recovery system 300 includes a heat exchanger 302 and a two-phase separator 308. The heat exchanger 302 is configured to receive a cold fluid 304 and a nitrogen rich vapor 305 having MR components and nitrogen (e.g., mixture 218) from a compressor of a compression system, such as compressor 105 of the compression system 106 shown in FIG. 1. The heat exchanger 302 can include at least one cooling element configured to receive the cold fluid 304 and provide refrigeration to the nitrogen rich vapor 305. The two-phase separator 308 is configured to separate an input fluid into two or more different phases; Pg. 4, paragraph 39, In some embodiments, prior to being delivered to the heat exchanger 302, the nitrogen rich vapor 305 is delivered to a nitrogen removal assembly 303 positioned upstream of the heat exchanger 302. As discussed above, the nitrogen rich vapor 305 can be the mixture 218 of leaked MR and nitrogen. The nitrogen removal assembly 303 is configured to removes a portion of the nitrogen from the nitrogen rich vapor 305 and outputs a nitrogen poor vapor 307 that contains less nitrogen than the nitrogen rich vapor 305. As an example, the nitrogen removal assembly 303 can be an absorption bed. The nitrogen poor vapor 307 exiting the nitrogen removal assembly 303 is delivered to the heat exchanger 302; Pg. 4, paragraph 41, The mixture 306 exiting the heat exchanger 302 flows to the two-phase separator 308. The two-phase separator 308 is configured to receive the mixture 306 of the nitrogen rich vapor 310 and hydrocarbon rich liquid 312 from the heat exchanger 302 and to separate the nitrogen rich vapor 310 and the hydrocarbon rich liquid 312. As shown, the hydrocarbon rich liquid 312 is delivered to a pump 316 that pumps the hydrocarbon rich liquid 312 to a refrigerant supply system, such as refrigerant supply system 102 shown in FIG. 1, and the nitrogen rich vapor 310 is delivered to a flare 322).
Regarding claim 6, Schleicher as modified discloses a coolant circuit comprising at least two heat exchangers, an expansion device (Schleicher, Fig. 1, refrigerant supply system 102, condensers 108, heat exchanger 112, expansion valve 110) and the compression system according to claim 1 (see the combination of references used in the rejection of claim 1 above).
Claims 2 and 8 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Schleicher as modiied by Vezil as applied to claims 1 and 6 above, respectively, and further in view of Weber et al. (WO 2005090793), hereinafter Weber.
Regarding claim 2, Schleicher as modified discloses the compression system according to claim 1 (see the combination of references used in rejection of claim 1 above), at least a pipe, wherein the pipe extends from the driving device to an injection point that is configured for positioning on a low-pressure part of the coolant circuit (Schleicher, Fig. 1, valve 104, supply MR 102v; Fig. 3, pipeline for fluids 305, 307, 306, and 312; Pg. 3, paragraph 32, The nitrogen 214 that leaks through the sealing element 232 can combine with the MR that leaks through the primary seal 202 (e.g., unfiltered MR 209, filtered MR 208) to create a mixture 218 of MR leakage and the nitrogen 214 at the primary vent 212; Pg. 3, paragraph 34, As discussed in detail below, rather than flaring the mixture 218 of leaked MR and nitrogen 214 from the primary vent 212, as commonly done, embodiments of the present disclosure illustrate systems and corresponding methods that facilitate recovery of the MR (e.g., unfiltered MR 209, filtered MR 208) that leaks from a compressor of a liquefaction system (e.g., compressor 105 of liquefaction system 100) can be recovered and returned to circulation. This significantly reduces the need to stock, purchase and reintroduce "lost" MR into the liquefaction system 100; Pg. 3-4, paragraph 36, The MR recovery system 300 includes a heat exchanger 302 and a two-phase separator 308. The heat exchanger 302 is configured to receive a cold fluid 304 and a nitrogen rich vapor 305 having MR components and nitrogen (e.g., mixture 218) from a compressor of a compression system, such as compressor 105 of the compression system 106 shown in FIG. 1. The heat exchanger 302 can include at least one cooling element configured to receive the cold fluid 304 and provide refrigeration to the nitrogen rich vapor 305. The two-phase separator 308 is configured to separate an input fluid into two or more different phases; Pg. 4, paragraph 39, In some embodiments, prior to being delivered to the heat exchanger 302, the nitrogen rich vapor 305 is delivered to a nitrogen removal assembly 303 positioned upstream of the heat exchanger 302. As discussed above, the nitrogen rich vapor 305 can be the mixture 218 of leaked MR and nitrogen. The nitrogen removal assembly 303 is configured to removes a portion of the nitrogen from the nitrogen rich vapor 305 and outputs a nitrogen poor vapor 307 that contains less nitrogen than the nitrogen rich vapor 305. As an example, the nitrogen removal assembly 303 can be an absorption bed. The nitrogen poor vapor 307 exiting the nitrogen removal assembly 303 is delivered to the heat exchanger 302; Pg. 4, paragraph 41, The mixture 306 exiting the heat exchanger 302 flows to the two-phase separator 308. The two-phase separator 308 is configured to receive the mixture 306 of the nitrogen rich vapor 310 and hydrocarbon rich liquid 312 from the heat exchanger 302 and to separate the nitrogen rich vapor 310 and the hydrocarbon rich liquid 312. As shown, the hydrocarbon rich liquid 312 is delivered to a pump 316 that pumps the hydrocarbon rich liquid 312 to a refrigerant supply system, such as refrigerant supply system 102 shown in FIG. 1, and the nitrogen rich vapor 310 is delivered to a flare 322).
However, Schleicher as modified does not disclose wherein the recycling device comprises at least one compression element positioned on the pipe.
Weber teaches wherein the recycling device comprises at least one compression element positioned on the pipe (Fig. 1, lines 1a, 1b, 2e, 2o, compressor 1c).
Therefore, it would have been obvious before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify the compression system of Schleicher as modified wherein the recycling device comprises at least one compression element positioned on the pipe as taught by Weber. One of ordinary skill in the art would have been motivated to make this modification to ensure sufficient pressure is provided to the sealing gas to improve overall system efficiencies (Weber, Pg. 6, lines 19-21).
Regarding claim 8, Schleicher as modified discloses the coolant circuit according to claim 6 (see the combination of references used in the rejection of claim 6 above), at least a pipe, wherein the pipe extends from the driving device to an injection point that is configured for positioning on a low-pressure part of the coolant circuit (Schleicher, Fig. 1, valve 104, supply MR 102v; Fig. 3, pipeline for fluids 305, 307, 306, and 312; Pg. 3, paragraph 32, The nitrogen 214 that leaks through the sealing element 232 can combine with the MR that leaks through the primary seal 202 (e.g., unfiltered MR 209, filtered MR 208) to create a mixture 218 of MR leakage and the nitrogen 214 at the primary vent 212; Pg. 3, paragraph 34, As discussed in detail below, rather than flaring the mixture 218 of leaked MR and nitrogen 214 from the primary vent 212, as commonly done, embodiments of the present disclosure illustrate systems and corresponding methods that facilitate recovery of the MR (e.g., unfiltered MR 209, filtered MR 208) that leaks from a compressor of a liquefaction system (e.g., compressor 105 of liquefaction system 100) can be recovered and returned to circulation. This significantly reduces the need to stock, purchase and reintroduce "lost" MR into the liquefaction system 100; Pg. 3-4, paragraph 36, The MR recovery system 300 includes a heat exchanger 302 and a two-phase separator 308. The heat exchanger 302 is configured to receive a cold fluid 304 and a nitrogen rich vapor 305 having MR components and nitrogen (e.g., mixture 218) from a compressor of a compression system, such as compressor 105 of the compression system 106 shown in FIG. 1. The heat exchanger 302 can include at least one cooling element configured to receive the cold fluid 304 and provide refrigeration to the nitrogen rich vapor 305. The two-phase separator 308 is configured to separate an input fluid into two or more different phases; Pg. 4, paragraph 39, In some embodiments, prior to being delivered to the heat exchanger 302, the nitrogen rich vapor 305 is delivered to a nitrogen removal assembly 303 positioned upstream of the heat exchanger 302. As discussed above, the nitrogen rich vapor 305 can be the mixture 218 of leaked MR and nitrogen. The nitrogen removal assembly 303 is configured to removes a portion of the nitrogen from the nitrogen rich vapor 305 and outputs a nitrogen poor vapor 307 that contains less nitrogen than the nitrogen rich vapor 305. As an example, the nitrogen removal assembly 303 can be an absorption bed. The nitrogen poor vapor 307 exiting the nitrogen removal assembly 303 is delivered to the heat exchanger 302; Pg. 4, paragraph 41, The mixture 306 exiting the heat exchanger 302 flows to the two-phase separator 308. The two-phase separator 308 is configured to receive the mixture 306 of the nitrogen rich vapor 310 and hydrocarbon rich liquid 312 from the heat exchanger 302 and to separate the nitrogen rich vapor 310 and the hydrocarbon rich liquid 312. As shown, the hydrocarbon rich liquid 312 is delivered to a pump 316 that pumps the hydrocarbon rich liquid 312 to a refrigerant supply system, such as refrigerant supply system 102 shown in FIG. 1, and the nitrogen rich vapor 310 is delivered to a flare 322), and
wherein the injection point is positioned on the coolant circuit between an outlet of the expansion device and an inlet of the compression element, which delineates the low-pressure part of the coolant circuit (Fig. 1 of Schleicher depicts the supply MR 102v to enter the coolant circuit at valve 104 between an outlet of the expansion valve 110 and an inlet of the compressor 105 further delineating delineates the low-pressure part of the coolant circuit).
However, Schleicher as modified does not disclose wherein the recycling device comprises at least one compression element positioned on the pipe.
Weber teaches wherein the recycling device comprises at least one compression element positioned on the pipe (Fig. 1, lines 1a, 1b, 2e, 2o, compressor 1c).
Therefore, it would have been obvious before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify the coolant circuit of Schleicher as modified wherein the recycling device comprises at least one compression element positioned on the pipe as taught by Weber. One of ordinary skill in the art would have been motivated to make this modification to ensure sufficient pressure is provided to the sealing gas to improve overall system efficiencies (Weber, Pg. 6, lines 19-21).
Claims 5 and 9 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Schleicher as modiied by Vezil as applied to claims 1 and 6 above, respectively, and further in view of Jeung et al. (US Patent No. 10,774,873), hereinafter Jeung.
Regarding claim 5, Schleicher as modified discloses the compression system according to claim 1 (see the combination of references used in the rejection of claim 1 above).
However, Schleicher as modified does not disclose which comprises a pipe connected to the bearing and configured for fluidic communication to a high-pressure part of the coolant circuit.
Jeung teaches which comprises a pipe connected to the bearing and configured for fluidic communication to a high-pressure part of the coolant circuit (Fig. 1, refrigerant circuit 10, compressor 12 refrigerant line 20, first fluid line 26; Col. 4, lines 11-19, In the illustrated embodiment, a first fluid line 26 can be connected at a location at which fluid may be drawn from the compressor 12 and provided to a porous gas bearing in the compressor 12. In an embodiment, fluid line 26 can be connected at a location at which fluid provided to the porous gas bearing is gaseous or substantially gaseous. Embodiments of porous gas bearings are discussed in additional detail in accordance with FIGS. 2A-9B below).
Therefore, it would have been obvious before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify the compression system of Schleicher as modified to include a pipe connected to the bearing and configured for fluidic communication to a high-pressure part of the coolant circuit as taught by Jeung. One of ordinary skill in the art would have been motivated to make this modification provide advantageous heat transfer properties to reduce a likelihood of bearing seizure due to thermal expansion of a shaft supported by the porous gas bearing (Jeung, Col. 3, lines 9-12).
Regarding claim 9, Schleicher as modified discloses the coolant circuit according to claim 6 (see the combination of references used in the rejection of claim 6 above).
However, Schleicher as modified does not disclose which comprises a pipe connected to the bearing and configured for fluidic communication to a high-pressure part of the coolant circuit,
wherein the pipe is connected to the coolant circuit at a point located between an outlet of the compression mechanism and an inlet of the expansion device, which constitutes the high-pressure part of the coolant circuit.
Jeung teaches which comprises a pipe connected to the bearing and configured for fluidic communication to a high-pressure part of the coolant circuit (Fig. 1, refrigerant circuit 10, compressor 12 refrigerant line 20, first fluid line 26; Col. 4, lines 11-19, In the illustrated embodiment, a first fluid line 26 can be connected at a location at which fluid may be drawn from the compressor 12 and provided to a porous gas bearing in the compressor 12. In an embodiment, fluid line 26 can be connected at a location at which fluid provided to the porous gas bearing is gaseous or substantially gaseous. Embodiments of porous gas bearings are discussed in additional detail in accordance with FIGS. 2A-9B below),
wherein the pipe is connected to the coolant circuit at a point located between an outlet of the compression mechanism and an inlet of the expansion device, which constitutes the high-pressure part of the coolant circuit (Fig. 1 of Jeung depicts first fluid line 26 to be connected at a point located between an outlet of the compressor 10 and an inlet of the expansion device 1; Col. 4, lines 11-19, In the illustrated embodiment, a first fluid line 26 can be connected at a location at which fluid may be drawn from the compressor 12 and provided to a porous gas bearing in the compressor 12. In an embodiment, fluid line 26 can be connected at a location at which fluid provided to the porous gas bearing is gaseous or substantially gaseous. Embodiments of porous gas bearings are discussed in additional detail in accordance with FIGS. 2A-9B below).
Therefore, it would have been obvious before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify the coolant circuit of Schleicher as modified to include a pipe connected to the bearing and configured for fluidic communication to a high-pressure part of the coolant circuit wherein the pipe is connected to the coolant circuit at a point located between an outlet of the compression mechanism and an inlet of the expansion device, which constitutes the high-pressure part of the coolant circuit as taught by Jeung. One of ordinary skill in the art would have been motivated to make this modification provide advantageous heat transfer properties to reduce a likelihood of bearing seizure due to thermal expansion of a shaft supported by the porous gas bearing (Jeung, Col. 3, lines 9-12).
Claim 7 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Schleicher as modiied by Vezil as applied to claim 6 above, and further in view of Cardella et al. (US 11,340,012), hereinafter Cardella.
Regarding claim 7, Schleicher as modified discloses the coolant circuit according to claim 6 (see the combination of references used in the rejection of claim 6 above).
However, Schleicher as modified does not disclose the coolant that contains:
20 to 35 % mol of dinitrogen or 30 to 50 % mol of argon or 35 to 50 % mol of a mix of dinitrogen and argon, and
35 to 55 % mol of methane,
wherein said coolant contains a part of methane and dinitrogen and/or argon between 70 and 85 % mol of the coolant, with the rest comprising a mix of hydrocarbons made of at least ethane and/or propane and/or butane and/or ethylene and/or propylene.
Cardella teaches a coolant that contains:
20 to 35 % mol of dinitrogen, and
35 to 55 % mol of methane,
wherein said coolant contains a part of methane and dinitrogen between 70 and 85 % mol of the coolant, with the rest comprising a mix of hydrocarbons made of at least ethane and/or propane and/or butane and/or ethylene and/or propylene (Col. 3, lines 24-33, In certain embodiments, the refrigerant composition comprises nitrogen in the range of up to 25 mol. %, and, methane in the range of up to 40 mol. %, and, ethane or ethylene in the range of up to 45 mol. %, and I-butene, n-butane, isobutane, n-pentane or isopentane in the range of up to 35 mol. %, or propane or propylene in the range of up to 45 mol. %, provided that the sum of the above concentrations does not exceed 100 mol. %).
Therefore, it would have been obvious before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify the generic mixed component refrigerant of the coolant circuit of Schleicher as modified to contain20 to 35 % mol of dinitrogen, and 35 to 55 % mol of methane, wherein said coolant contains a part of methane and dinitrogen between 70 and 85 % mol of the coolant, with the rest comprising a mix of hydrocarbons made of at least ethane and/or propane and/or butane and/or ethylene and/or propylene as taught by Cardella. One of ordinary skill in the art would have been motivated to make this modification to provide a refrigerant with sufficient properties for use in gas liquefaction (Cardella, Col. 2, lines 20-29).
Claims 10-11 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Schleicher as modiied by Vezil as applied to claim 6 above, and further in view of Kim et al. (US 20250136262), hereinafter Kim.
Regarding claim 10, Schleicher as modified discloses a system for treatment of natural gas comprising at least a tank designed for transporting and/or storing liquid-state natural gas (Schleicher, Fig. 1, LNG liquefaction system 100, natural gas supply system 114, Fig. 3, storage vessel 320; Pg. 4, paragraph 37, The cold fluid 304 can be a liquefied product created by the liquefaction system 100. For example, the cold fluid 304 can be LNG, such as the LNG 124 that exits the heat exchanger 112 shown in FIG. 1. Accordingly, the cold fluid 304' that leaves the heat exchanger 302 is delivered to a storage vessel 320, via valve 311, to be stored and/or distributed as desired) and the coolant circuit according to claim 6 (see the combination of references used in the rejection of claim 6 above).
However, Schleicher as modified does not disclose the natural gas to be stored in a floating structure and a supply system designed to feed the natural gas to a consuming apparatus of the floating structure.
Kim teaches the natural gas to be stored in a floating structure and a supply system designed to feed the natural gas to a consuming apparatus of the floating structure (Fig. 1, storage tank T, engines E1, E2; Pg. 1, paragraph 16, FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of a boil-off gas treatment system for ships having engines E1, E2 fueled by boil-off gas generated from LNG, wherein boil-off gas compressed to a high pressure by compressors for fuel supply 10A, 10B is supplied as fuel to the engines and surplus compressed gas is cooled in a heat exchanger 20 using cold heat from boil-off gas, subjected to decompression 30 and gas-liquid separation 40, and returned to a storage tank).
Schleicher as modified fails to teach the natural gas to be stored in a floating structure and a supply system designed to feed the natural gas to a consuming apparatus of the floating structure, however Kim teaches that it is a known method in the art of natural gas treatment systems to include the natural gas to be stored in a floating structure and a supply system designed to feed the natural gas to a consuming apparatus of the floating structure. This is strong evidence that modifying Schleicher as modified as claimed would produce predictable results (i.e. boil off gas utilization for propulsion to improve overall system efficiencies). Accordingly, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art prior to the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify Schleicher as modified by Kim and arrive at the claimed invention since all claimed elements were known in the art and one having ordinary skill in the art could have combined the elements as claimed by known methods with no changes in their respective functions and the combination would have yielded the predictable result of boil off gas utilization for propulsion to improve overall system efficiencies.
Regarding claim 11, Schleicher as modified discloses the system for treatment of natural gas according to claim 10 (see the combination of references used in the rejection of claim 10 above), comprising the consuming apparatus of the natural gas as a fuel (Kim, Fig. 1, engines E1, E2; Pg. 1, paragraph 16, FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of a boil-off gas treatment system for ships having engines E1, E2 fueled by boil-off gas generated from LNG, wherein boil-off gas compressed to a high pressure by compressors for fuel supply 10A, 10B is supplied as fuel to the engines and surplus compressed gas is cooled in a heat exchanger 20 using cold heat from boil-off gas, subjected to decompression 30 and gas-liquid separation 40, and returned to a storage tank). Further, the limitations of claim 11 are the result of the modification of references used in the rejection of claim 10 above.
Response to Arguments
Applicant's arguments filed April 14th, 2026 have been fully considered but they are not persuasive.
Applicant argues on Pg. 8-10 (as numbered by the Applicant) of the Remarks, “Schleicher does not disclose that the driving device comprises a gear box and an actuator that rotatively drives at least one gear of the gear box, wherein the recycling device is in fluidic communication with an upper paii of the gear box, as claimed. Nevertheless, the Office Action considers that such aspect is disclosed by Vezil as a known method in the art of compressor cooling arrangements so that it is obvious for the person skilled in the art to combine Schleicher and Vezil and to arrive to the claimed invention. Applicant respectfully disagrees. In particular, Vezil discloses (see figure 1) a gas compression system 100 comprising a compressor 10 driven by a drive motor 12 and a gearbox 14. The system also comprises a coolant flow line 32 supplying a cooling fluid to the compressor 10 in order to cool it. Vezil discloses (see paragraph [0016]) that it may be desirable to heat the cooling fluid before it is introduced into the compressor 10. That's why the gas compressor system also comprises a plurality of heat exchangers 40, 42, 44 configured to operate a heat exchange between the cooling fluid and another fluid in order to heat the cooling fluid. The latter can be heated by an air flow carrying the heat generated by the compressor which circulates in the line 45 until the heat exchanger 44, or by a hot lubricant of the gearbox 14 which circulates in the line 15 until the heat exchanger 42, or by combustion gas generated by the drive motor 12 which circulates in the line 41 until the heat exchanger 40. Neve1iheless, the figures l and 2 of Vezil are misleading and give the impression that the cooling fluid and one of the other fluids configured to heat the cooling fluid are mixed together in a heat exchanger and circulates until the compressor 10 due to the arrows of the lines 41, 15, 45 which don't pass across the heat exchangers. Yet, it is not the case because Vezil discloses specifically a heat exchange between these fluids and not a mix. Moreover, it would be aberrant for the person skilled in the art to mix lubricant or combustion gas with a cooling fluid and to send these mixes to the compressor 10. That is why it is right that Vezil discloses a gearbox and an actuator, but Vezil does not disclose a fluidic communication between the gearbox and any circuit where the cooling fluid circulates. Therefore, Applicant submits that the combination of Schleicher and Vezil does not discloses all the characteristics of the claim 1 as amended. Moreover, even if Schleicher and Vezil are combined by the person skilled in the art, such combination didn't lead the person skilled in the art to obviously find the object covered by the claim l as modified. For example, the teachings of Vezil teach that the lubricant of the gearbox 14 or the combustion gas are used to heat the cooling fluid by heat exchange. Vezil does not incite at all to establish a fluidic connection between the gearbox and the recycled device (as said in the claim 4 as filed) on the one hand, and to configure this recycled device, which is fluidly connected to the gearbox, to return the recycled coolant to the coolant circuit (as said in the claim l as filed) on the other hand because Vezil also does not disclose any circulation of cooling fluid into the gearbox. The remaining applied art does not make up for the deficiencies of Schleicher and Vezil discussed above. Accordingly, withdrawal of the rejection under 35 U.S.C. § 102 as being anticipated by Schleicher, and the rejections under 35 U.S.C. § 103 as being unpatentable over Schleicher in view of Weber, Vezil, Jeung, Cardella and Kim, is respectfully requested.” However, this argument is not persuasive as Schleicher already discloses the use of a recycling device in fluid communication with a driving device of a compression mechanism (Schleicher, Fig. 1, MR recovery system 300; Pg. 2, paragraph 16, Embodiments of the compressors 105 can adopt a variety of forms. Examples of the compressor 105 can include a single-casing compressors, multi-stage compressors, and trains of multiple compressors, each with one or more compression stages. The compressors 105 are driven by a mover, which can be, e.g., a gas turbine, a steam turbine, an expander, or an electric motor that receives electric power 107 from an external power source (not shown); Pg. 3, paragraph 26, The MR recovery system 300 is further configured to reintroduce recovered MR back into the compressor 105 of compression system 106, and/or into circulation within other portions of the liquefaction system 100 (e.g., between the condensers 108 and the expansion valve 110)). The teachings of Vezil are simply relied upon to show it is known for a driving device of a compression mechanism to include an actuator and a gear box in fluid communication with heat transfer fluids of the system (Vezil, Fig. 2, gas compressor system 101, compressor 10, drive motor 12, gearbox 14, warm exhaust gas flow 41). Therefore, the teachings of Schleicher in view of Vezil suggest to a PHOSITA that an actuator and gearbox are a known driving device of a compression mechanism and can be in fluid communication with heat transfer fluids of the system providing the predictable results of circulation to compressor coolant to improve overall system efficiencies. Further, the test for obviousness is not whether the features of a secondary reference may be bodily incorporated into the structure of the primary reference; nor is it that the claimed invention must be expressly suggested in any one or all of the references. Rather, the test is what the combined teachings of the references would have suggested to those of ordinary skill in the art. See In re Keller, 642 F.2d 413, 208 USPQ 871 (CCPA 1981).
The rejection of independent claim 1 is maintained. The rejections of dependent claims 2-3 and 5-11 are also maintained for at least the reasons described herein.
Conclusion
Applicant's amendment necessitated the new ground(s) of rejection presented in this Office action. Accordingly, THIS ACTION IS MADE FINAL. See MPEP § 706.07(a). Applicant is reminded of the extension of time policy as set forth in 37 CFR 1.136(a).
A shortened statutory period for reply to this final action is set to expire THREE MONTHS from the mailing date of this action. In the event a first reply is filed within TWO MONTHS of the mailing date of this final action and the advisory action is not mailed until after the end of the THREE-MONTH shortened statutory period, then the shortened statutory period will expire on the date the advisory action is mailed, and any nonprovisional extension fee (37 CFR 1.17(a)) pursuant to 37 CFR 1.136(a) will be calculated from the mailing date of the advisory action. In no event, however, will the statutory period for reply expire later than SIX MONTHS from the mailing date of this final action.
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/DEVON MOORE/Examiner, Art Unit 3763 June 15th, 2026
/FRANTZ F JULES/Supervisory Patent Examiner, Art Unit 3763
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