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 .
DETAILED ACTION
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 1-20 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.
Regarding claims 1, 8, and 15, the phrase "for example" renders the claims indefinite because it is unclear whether the limitation(s) following the phrase are part of the claimed invention. See MPEP § 2173.05(d).
Claim 7, last line, recites the term “until” rendering the claim vague and indefinite
Claim 20, 2nd line, recites the term “until” rendering the claim vague and indefinite
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.
(a)(2) the claimed invention was described in a patent issued under section 151, or in an application for patent published or deemed published under section 122(b), in which the patent or application, as the case may be, names another inventor and was effectively filed before the effective filing date of the claimed invention.
Claims 1-4, 6-10, 12-16, and 18-20, as understood, are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1)/(a)(2) as being anticipated by Koizumi (EP 1736707), which shows all of the claimed limitations. Koizumi shows:
1. Apparatus for combustion of synthetic gases deriving from the treatment of organic material, for example through pyrolysis, said apparatus comprising: a burner 13; a combustion chamber 12 cooperating with the burner and having an outlet destined to eject exhaust gases 110 (fig. 1; Abstract); and a fluid supply circuit configured for supplying a comburent gas 102,102a to the burner, wherein the fluid supply circuit is at least partially outside the combustion chamber and has one or more channels in contact with an outer surface of the combustion chamber for exchanging heat with the combustion chamber (fig. 1); wherein the burner comprises: a combustible access configured for receiving a combustible gas 200,201, a comburent access configured for receiving the comburent gas from the fluid supply circuit, a mixing chamber in communication with the comburent access and the combustible access for mixing said gases in inlet through said accesses (fig. 1; mixing occurs at the nozzle/inlet area), an activation device operating in the mixing chamber and configured for triggering the combustion of said gases (para. 0022).
2. Apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the fluid supply circuit has a gas access for receiving the comburent gas from an environment outside the combustion chamber and a gas outlet in communication with the combustion chamber or with the comburent access of the burner; and wherein the burner is placed upstream or internally to the combustion chamber (fig. 1).
3. Apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said one or more channels of the fluid supply circuit are formed from subsequent sections of a single continuous channel or from distinct channels in communication to each other, wherein said one or more channels are overlapped to a preponderant part of the outer surface of the combustion chamber (fig. 1).
4. Apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the combustion chamber extends along a development direction, and wherein said one or more channels of the fluid supply circuit are arranged transversely to the development direction of the combustion chamber (fig. 1).
6. Apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said one or more channels form annular-shaped segments extending around to the outer surface of the combustion chamber, wherein each of said segments is in communication with an adjacent channel (fig. 1).
7. Apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the combustion chamber has a hollow tubular conformation; wherein the combustion chamber has a first and a second terminal wall which longitudinally delimit the combustion chamber (fig. 1; inherent); wherein the burner is carried by the first terminal wall (fig. 1); and wherein the fluid supply circuit contacts the outer surface from an area next to the second terminal wall until an area next to the first terminal wall (fig. 1).
8. Apparatus for combustion of synthetic gases deriving from the treatment of organic material, for example through pyrolysis, said apparatus comprising: a burner; a combustion chamber cooperating with the burner and having an outlet destined to eject exhaust gases; and a fluid supply circuit configured for supplying a comburent gas to the burner, wherein the fluid supply circuit is at least partially outside the combustion chamber and has one or more channels in contact with an outer surface of the combustion chamber for exchanging heat with the combustion chamber; wherein the fluid supply circuit comprises a sleeve which wraps the combustion chamber and is radially outside the outer surface of the combustion chamber to form a gap for receiving said comburent gas (see previous claims).
9. Apparatus according to claim 8, wherein the fluid supply circuit comprises one or more walls arranged transversely to a development direction of the combustion chamber, wherein subsequent sections of the one or more separating walls are parallel to each other; and wherein said one or more channels are laterally delimited by subsequent sections of the one or more separating walls and radially delimited by the sleeve (see previous claims).
10. Apparatus according to claim 9, wherein said walls extend radially, outside the outer surface of the combustion chamber and internally to the sleeve (see previous claims).
12. Apparatus according to claim 8 comprising a case radially outside the sleeve which defines a gap between the sleeve and an inner surface of the case, wherein at least one of: the combustion chamber, the sleeve, and the case is devoid of coatings made in refractory or thermally insulating materials (see previous claims; the is no mention of refractory or insulating materials).
13. Apparatus according to claim 8, wherein the burner comprises an auxiliary access in communication with the combustion chamber for receiving combustible gas and allowing an initial ignition of the apparatus (see previous claims).
14. Apparatus according to claim 8, wherein the fluid supply circuit comprises a connection duct which connects the burner with a terminal part of the gap formed by said sleeve (see previous claims).
15. Apparatus for combustion of synthetic gases deriving from the treatment of organic material, for example through pyrolysis, said apparatus comprising: a burner; a combustion chamber cooperating with the burner and having an outlet destined to eject exhaust gases, wherein the combustion chamber extends along a development direction; a fluid supply circuit configured for supplying a comburent gas to the burner; wherein the fluid supply circuit is at least partially outside the combustion chamber and has one or more channels in contact with an outer surface of the combustion chamber for exchanging heat with the combustion chamber; wherein said one or more channels of the fluid supply circuit are formed from subsequent sections of a single continuous channel or from distinct channels in communication to each other; wherein said one or more channels overlap a preponderant part of the outer surface of the combustion chamber; and wherein said one or more channels of the fluid supply circuit are arranged transversely to the development direction of the combustion chamber (see previous claims).
16. Apparatus according to claim 15, wherein the fluid supply circuit has a gas access for receiving the comburent gas from an environment outside the combustion chamber and a gas outlet in communication with the combustion chamber or with the comburent access of the burner; and wherein the burner is placed upstream or internally to the combustion chamber (see previous claims).
18. Apparatus according to claim 15, wherein said one or more channels form annular-shaped segments extending around to the outer surface of the combustion chamber, wherein each of said segments is in communication with an adjacent channel (see previous claims).
19. Apparatus according to claim 15, wherein the combustion chamber has a hollow tubular conformation; wherein the combustion chamber has a first and a second terminal wall which longitudinally delimit the combustion chamber; wherein the burner is carried by the first terminal wall (see previous claims).
20. Apparatus according to claim 19, wherein the fluid supply circuit contacts the outer surface from an area next to the second terminal wall until an area next to the first terminal wall (see previous claims).
Prior Art
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure. These references disclose devices with many of the claimed components. Nevertheless, in order to avoid overburdening the applicant with redundant rejections, these references were not applied.
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to ALFRED BASICHAS whose telephone number is 571 272 4871. The examiner can normally be reached on Monday through Friday during regular business hours.
To contact the examiner’s supervisor please call MICHAEL HOANG whose telephone number is 571 272 6460.
Any inquiry of a general nature or relating to the status of this application or proceeding should be directed to the Tech Center telephone number is 571 272 3700.
September 11, 2026
/ALFRED BASICHAS/Primary Patent Examiner, Art Unit 3762
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