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 .
Priority
Acknowledgment is made of applicant's claim for foreign priority based on an application filed in Poland on 12/15/2021. It is noted, however, that applicant has not filed a certified copy of the 439844 application as required by 37 CFR 1.55.
Drawings
The drawings are objected to because:
Figs. 1,3a,3b,4a,4b: (l) Character of lines, numbers, and letters. All drawings must be made by a process which will give them satisfactory reproduction characteristics. Every line, number, and letter must be durable, clean, black (except for color drawings), sufficiently dense and dark, and uniformly thick and well-defined. The weight of all lines and letters must be heavy enough to permit adequate reproduction. This requirement applies to all lines however fine, to shading, and to lines representing cut surfaces in sectional views. Lines and strokes of different thicknesses may be used in the same drawing where different thicknesses have a different meaning. MPEP 608.02.V; 37 CFR 1.84.(l).
Corrected drawing sheets in compliance with 37 CFR 1.121(d) are required in reply to the Office action to avoid abandonment of the application. Any amended replacement drawing sheet should include all of the figures appearing on the immediate prior version of the sheet, even if only one figure is being amended. The figure or figure number of an amended drawing should not be labeled as “amended.” If a drawing figure is to be canceled, the appropriate figure must be removed from the replacement sheet, and where necessary, the remaining figures must be renumbered and appropriate changes made to the brief description of the several views of the drawings for consistency. Additional replacement sheets may be necessary to show the renumbering of the remaining figures. Each drawing sheet submitted after the filing date of an application must be labeled in the top margin as either “Replacement Sheet” or “New Sheet” pursuant to 37 CFR 1.121(d). If the changes are not accepted by the examiner, the applicant will be notified and informed of any required corrective action in the next Office action. The objection to the drawings will not be held in abeyance.
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.
Claims 1-14 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 112(b) as being indefinite for failing to particularly point out and distinctly claim the subject matter which the inventor or a joint inventor regards as the invention.
Claim 1 line(s) 9 sets forth the limitation “the axis of the inlet”. There is insufficient antecedent basis for this limitation in the claim.
Claim 1 line(s) 9-10 sets forth the limitation “the wall of the tank”. There is insufficient antecedent basis for this limitation in the claim.
Claim 1 line(s) 16 sets forth the limitation “the condensate”. There is insufficient antecedent basis for this limitation in the claim.
Claim 1 line(s) 23-24 sets forth the limitation “the periphery of the pressure ring”. There is insufficient antecedent basis for this limitation in the claim.
Claim 1 line(s) 23-24 sets forth the limitation “the pressure ring”. There is insufficient antecedent basis for this limitation in the claim.
Claim 1 line(s) 24 sets forth the limitation “the periphery of the filter cartridge”. There is insufficient antecedent basis for this limitation in the claim.
Claim 2 line(s) 4-5 sets forth the limitation “the connection point of the arches”. There is insufficient antecedent basis for this limitation in the claim.
Claim 3 line(s) 3 sets forth the limitation “the point of connection of the arches”. There is insufficient antecedent basis for this limitation in the claim.
Regarding claim 5, the claim scope is not clear as the claim is not clearly dependent on another claim.
Claim 9 line(s) 4 sets forth the limitation “the pump tank”. There is insufficient antecedent basis for this limitation in the claim.
Claim 9 line(s) 5 sets forth the limitation “the filtering device”. There is insufficient antecedent basis for this limitation in the claim.
Claim 9 line(s) 7 sets forth the limitation “the tank of the filtering device”. There is insufficient antecedent basis for this limitation in the claim.
Claim 9 line(s) 11 sets forth the limitation “the filter cartridge”. There is insufficient antecedent basis for this limitation in the claim.
Claim 9 line(s) 13 sets forth the limitation “the inlet”. There is insufficient antecedent basis for this limitation in the claim.
Claim 9 line(s) 13 sets forth the limitation “the wall of the tank”. There is insufficient antecedent basis for this limitation in the claim.
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 1-14 have allowable subject matter over the prior art of record. The prior art neither teaches, suggests, nor makes obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art a self-cleaning filtering device comprising the combination of claimed elements. The prior art neither teaches, suggests, nor makes obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art a system for preparing a mixture of liquid sulfur with bentonite for granulation comprising the combination of claimed elements. The prior art neither teaches, suggests, nor makes obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art a method of preparing a mixture of liquid sulphur with bentonite for granulation comprising the combination of claimed steps.
MASETTO (US 20180161706) discloses a device and method for separating the solid fraction from the liquid fraction of a slurry (title, Figs.) including a self-cleaning filter (Fig. 1 #2) comprising:
a filter (Fig. 1 #4);
a tank (Fig. 1 #2) having an upper section and a lower section separated by the filter;
a heating jacket (Fig. 1 #91) surrounding the tank;
an inlet (Fig. 1 #21) arranged above the filter;
an outlet (Fig. 1 #23);
a steam inlet (par. [0068]) and condensate outlet (implied); and,
a cover (Fig. 1 #203).
ZAHARKO (US 4569859) discloses process for forming prill (granulation) for sulphur and bentonite (title, Figs.) comprising:
mixing a liquid (molten) sulfur with bentonite in a mixer (abstract; Fig. 1 #10); and,
feeding the mixture into a filtering device (Fig. 1 #35).
FERNANDEZ (US 4039452) discloses a self-cleaning filter (title, Figs.) including a compression springs for applying spring pressure to a filter element and spinning agitators.
NAZZER (US 11072541) discloses process and apparatus for separating valuable or harmful liquids from slurries (title, Figs.) including a filter (e.g. Fig. 4 #44) and an agitator (Fig. 4 #45).
CONNER (US 3698555) discloses a self-cleaning filter with a tangential inlet.
PEDERSEN (US 20120036906) discloses dispersible sulphur fertilizer pellets with bentonite clay in particles passing through a screen.
Telephonic Inquiries
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to LIAM A ROYCE whose telephone number is (571)270-0352. The examiner can normally be reached Tuesday,Thursday ~08:00~15:00.
Examiner interviews are available via telephone, in-person, and video conferencing using a USPTO supplied web-based collaboration tool. To schedule an interview, applicant is encouraged to use the USPTO Automated Interview Request (AIR) at http://www.uspto.gov/interviewpractice.
If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Ben Lebron can be reached at (571) 272-0475. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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LIAM A. ROYCE
Primary Examiner
Art Unit 1773
/Liam Royce/ Primary Examiner, Art Unit 1773
Prosecution Insights