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
Claims 3-6 withdrawn from further consideration pursuant to 37 CFR 1.142(b) as being drawn to a nonelected invention, there being no allowable generic or linking claim.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 06/12/2026.
Applicant’s election without traverse of claims 1-2 in the reply filed on 06/12/2026 is acknowledged.
Claim Objections
Claims 1-2 objected to because of the following informalities:
Claim 1 should be re-written as following:
a battery fractionation unit for obtaining electrode material, ferromagnetic and non-ferrous metal from batteries, the fractionation unit containing:
a battery container having measurements of temperature and gaseous phase composition, and the battery container having a chute for supplying the batteries and a chute for supplying dry ice granules to the container,
wherein an outlet of cooled batteries from the battery container is located inside a working chamber of a cutting unit, an outlet chute of crushed batteries from the cutting unit is connected to an inlet of an impact mill containing a pneumatic separator unit, and an outlet chute of milled material from the impact mill is connected to a vibrating sieve chamber, the vibrating sieve chamber equipped with a pneumatic separator unit for separation of fraction of plastics present in battery housings,
wherein the vibrating sieve chamber having an upper sieve and a lower sieve, a tray located under the lower sieve for sieved material, and temperature and gaseous phase composition sensors,
wherein the battery container having a hot chamber for initial battery cooling in a gaseous CO2 atmosphere and a cold chamber for dosing the dry ice granules to the initially cooled batteries, and the battery container having a chute dosing mixture of the dry ice granules and the batteries to the cutting unit,
wherein the outlet of the chute of the crushed batteries with the dry ice from the cutting unit is located inside a chamber of the impact mill, and the outlet of the chute of the milled material from the impact mill is located inside the vibrating sieve unit chamber,
wherein the upper sieve chamber having a built-in intake and outlet line of the pneumatic separator of the vibrating sieve chamber, the lower sieve having a magnetic separator unit, and the tray for the sieved material having a magnetic separator unit,
wherein the vibrating sieve chamber is configured for separating the non-ferrous metal, the electrode material, and the ferromagnetic material;
wherein an outlet of the lower sieve is connected to a container for receiving the non-ferrous metal, an outlet of the tray of the sieved material is connected to an inlet of a storage container for receiving the electrode material for further processing, and a chute for the ferromagnetic material is connected to an inlet chute to of a storage container for receiving the ferromagnetic material.
Claim 2 should be re-written as following:
The battery fractionation unit according to claim 1, wherein the cutting unit having two rows of meshing cutting knives, each of the cutting knives being 7 mm to 12 mm wide.
Appropriate correction is required.
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 1-2 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.
Regarding claim 1, the claim is narrative in form and replete with indefinite language. The claim is generally narrative and indefinite, failing to conform with current U.S. practice. They appear to be a literal translation into English from a foreign document and are replete with grammatical and idiomatic errors.
Claim 2 is rejected because it depends from claim 1.
Allowable Subject Matter
The following is a statement of reasons for the indication of allowable subject matter:
Regarding claim 1, the closet prior art is Catya (ITVI20100232A1), however in the opinion of the Examiner that the arts of record neither anticipates nor render obvious the limitations of the claim as recited.
Claim 2 is depended from claim 1.
Claim 1 would be allowable if rewritten or amended to overcome the rejection(s) under 35 U.S.C. 112(b) or 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), 2nd paragraph, set forth in this Office action.
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to MOHAMMED S ALAWADI whose telephone number is (571)272-2224. The examiner can normally be reached 08:00 am- 05:00 pm.
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If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, CHRISTOPHER TEMPLETON can be reached at (571)270-1477. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/MOHAMMED S. ALAWADI/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3725
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