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 .
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.
Re Claim 1, it is unclear whether the language “having an adsorbent arrangement space in which an adsorbent capable of adsorbing a hydrocarbon is to be arranged” is intended to require an adsorbent or only a space to be used for it.
Claims 2-20 are rejected as they depend from Claim 1 without curing the deficiency.
It appears that the claimed hydrocarbon recovery device including elements a)-h) and an adsorbent, and particularly the claimed valve controller configured to perform a gas-treating operation in which the treatment-target-gas introduction valve and the treated-gas discharge are opened while the vacuum suction valve and the atmospheric relief valve are closed, as well as an adsorbent-regenerating operation in which a suction sub-operation for closing the atmospheric relief valve and opening the vacuum suction valve, and an atmospheric relief sub-operation for opening the atmospheric relief valve and closing the vacuum suction valve, are alternately performed a plurality of times, with the treatment-target-gas introduction valve and the treated-gas discharge valve closed, would read over the prior art.
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to JASON Y KO whose telephone number is (571)270-7451. The examiner can normally be reached M-F: 9:00-6:00.
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JASON Y. KO
Primary Examiner
Art Unit 1711
/JASON Y KO/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 1711