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 for Election/Restrictions
Applicant's election of Group II (claims 4-8) in the reply filed on 01/16/2026 is acknowledged. Non-elected Group I (claims 1-3 and 9-10) is withdrawn from consideration. Since the applicant did not point out errors of restriction; therefore, the restriction will be treated as without traverse.
The requirement is still deemed proper and is therefore made FINAL.
Information Disclosure Statement
The information disclosure statement (IDS) submitted on 07/02/2024. The submission is in compliance with the provisions of 37 CFR 1.97. Accordingly, the information disclosure statement is being considered by the examiner.
Claim Objections
Claims 5-6 and 8 are objected to because of the following informalities:
In claims 5-6 and 8: the term: “approximately” is a relative term, it should be removed. Appropriate correction is required.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 103
The following is a quotation of AIA 35 U.S.C. 103 which forms the basis for all obviousness rejections set forth in this Office action:
A patent may not be obtained though the invention is not identically disclosed or described as set forth in section 102 of this title, if the differences between the subject matter sought to be patented and the prior art are such that the subject matter as a whole would have been obvious at the time the invention was made to a person having ordinary skill in the art to which said subject matter pertains. Patentability shall not be negatived by the manner in which the invention was made.
The factual inquiries set forth in Graham v. John Deere Co., 383 U.S. 1, 148 USPQ 459 (1966), that are applied for establishing a background for determining obviousness under AIA 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 4-8 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Zaitu (US 4561347), in view of Horn (US 6487962 B1).
Regarding claim 4, Zaitu discloses
A continuous grain cooker (grain processor, fig.1) comprising:
a continuous conveyor belt (conveyor belt 61, fig.1) adapted to carry grains through the continuous grain cooker (grain processor, fig.1);
a first forced steam zone (F, annotated figure below);
a boiling water zone (B, annotated figure below);
a second forced steam zone (S, annotated figure below); and
one or more forced steam blowers (fan 67, fig.1) adapted to blow steam into the first forced steam zone (F) and into the second forced steam zone (S) under pressure.
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However, Zaitu does not disclose the boiling water zone comprising boiling water nozzles adapted to spray boiling water onto grains on the conveyor belt.
Horn discloses a continuous grain cooker (batch cooking apparatus, fig.8) comprising: a boiling water zone comprising boiling water nozzles (water misters 139, fig.8).
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It would have been obvious to a person of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filling date of the claimed invention to modify a boiling water zone of Zaitu, by including boiling water nozzles, as taught by Horn, in order to spray boiling water onto grains on the conveyor belt.
Regarding claim 5, Zaitu does not disclose
the first forced steam zone blowers maintain a velocity of forced steam into the first forced steam zone of approximately 3.5 m/s.
Regarding claim 6, Zaitu does not disclose
the second forced steam zone blowers maintain a velocity of forced steam into the second forced steam zone of approximately 3.5 m/s.
It would have been obvious to a person of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filling date of the claimed invention to modify an apparatus of Zaitu, with the first forced steam zone blowers maintain a velocity of forced steam into the first forced steam zone of approximately 3.5 m/s; and the second forced steam zone blowers maintain a velocity of forced steam into the second forced steam zone of approximately 3.5 m/s, as it well known in the art of manufacturing design choice purpose, in order to blow an amount of heat to first and second forced steam zones..
Regarding claim 7, Zaitu discloses
the second forced steam zone (S, annotated figure below) further comprises water drizzle nozzles (steam-jet pipes 62, fig.1) that are adapted to drizzle water onto the rice as the rice passes through the second forced steam zone (S).
Regarding claim 8, Zaitu does not disclose
the water drizzle nozzles of the second forced steam zone maintain a flow rate of drizzled water into the second forced steam zone of approximately 1 L/s.
It would have been obvious to a person of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filling date of the claimed invention to modify a water drizzle nozzles of the second forced steam zone of Zaitu, to maintain a flow rate of drizzled water into the second forced steam zone of approximately 1 L/s, as it well known in the art of manufacturing design choice purpose, in order to provide an amount of steam-jet on into the second forced steam zone.
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to PHUONG T NGUYEN whose telephone number is (571)270-1834. The examiner can normally be reached 9.00am-5.00pm.
If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Steven Crabb can be reached on 571-270-5095. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/PHUONG T NGUYEN/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3761
02/08/2026