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 .
Information Disclosure Statement
The information disclosure statement (IDS) submitted on 01/13/2025 has been considered by the Examiner.
Status of Claims
Claims 1-20, filed on 08/29/2024, are under consideration. Claims 1, 11 and 15 are independent.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 103
In the event the determination of the status of the application as subject to AIA 35 U.S.C. 102 and 103 (or as subject to pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 102 and 103) is incorrect, any correction of the statutory basis (i.e., changing from AIA to pre-AIA ) for the rejection will not be considered a new ground of rejection if the prior art relied upon, and the rationale supporting the rejection, would be the same under either status.
The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 103 which forms the basis for all obviousness rejections set forth in this Office action:
A patent for a claimed invention may not be obtained, notwithstanding that the claimed invention is not identically disclosed as set forth in section 102, if the differences between the claimed invention and the prior art are such that the claimed invention as a whole would have been obvious before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to a person having ordinary skill in the art to which the claimed invention pertains. Patentability shall not be negated by the manner in which the invention was made.
The factual inquiries for establishing a background for determining obviousness under 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 1-20 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Breu (US 5,225,044) in view of Martella et al. (US 2015/0027054).
For the device of claim 1 and the process of claims 11 and 15, Breu teaches a process and system for converting bales of waste material into a shredder and then into a rotary calciner to produce pyrolysis products: “A rotary, continuous pyrolytic conversion system converts solid hydrocarbons into gases, liquid hydrocarbons and char by pyrolyzing feed stocks including: plastic waste, tires and plastic from automobile shredding operations; containers and trays of styrofoam and other plastic materials such as used in "fast food" restaurants; rubber; leather; tires; garbage; sewage sludge; coal; oil shale; broken asphalt and the like. These materials are preferably shredded and kinds thereof having different melting points are mixed to facilitate movement of the feed stock through the converter without clogging. Preferably, the materials are baled and injected into the converter where they are severed as they are injected. The materials are fed by gravity from the input end of a converter drum to the discharge end thereof; the input end being elevated above the discharge end. The converter drum is contained within an outer drum which is in substantially air-tight relationship with the injector for the bales and with a discharge chute for the solid products of pyrolysis. A casing around the outer stationary drum defines an oven chamber which is heated by combustion products, from a burner providing a heat source, which circulate in heat exchange relationship with a matrix of fins extending into the oven from the stationary outer drum. A rod extends into the injection end of the converter drum for supporting scrapers against the inner periphery of the converter drum.”. The system is shown below.”.
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It is further disclosed that: “The feedstocks are prepared in a storage and preparation section of the system 10 which is not shown in the drawings. Conventional shredders, mixers and balers may be used to form the feedstock into comminuted pieces. The system preferably uses mixtures of different types of materials for its feedstocks. Each type which is mixed has a different melting point. This mixture of materials with different melting points facilitates smooth movement of the feedstock through the converter 12 without clogging and gumming thereof, as pyrolysis proceeds.” Col 4 lines 9-43.
Therefore, Brue is viewed to suggest the claimed limitations of:
a first chamber having an opening sized to accept bales of waste material (labels 14 and 16 in Fig. 1); the first chamber connected to a cutter section; the cutter section having interior walls and an outlet, and comprising cutting blades attached to its interior walls; a first bale mover to move bales into the first chamber; a second bale mover to move bales from the first chamber into the cutter section; a chute connected to the outlet of the cutter section; a first door located between the cutter section and the chute; a cylindrical rotary calciner (label 12 Fig. 1) having opposing first and second ends, and connected at its first end to the chute; the cylindrical rotary calciner comprising at least one internal fin (label 94 in Fig 5 and Col 7 lines 29-38; also as it relates to claim 19); a heat source to heat the cylindrical rotary calciner to a processing temperature; a conversion chamber connected to the second end of the cylindrical rotary calciner; the conversion chamber having an opening leading to a material removal chute; a second door located between the conversion chamber and the material removal chute (while the doors are not explicitly disclosed, they are viewed are obvious tooling means for operating the prior art invention).
It is noted that Breu is silent about a catalyst chamber fluidly connected to the conversion chamber, and a gas outlet fluidly connected to the catalyst chamber. It should be noted the Breu teaches gas phase product from pyrolysis, comprising methane with water vapor and other volatiles are removed by line 42 (Col 11 lines 23-32). Breu is also silent about the limitations of claim 9.
Also, a process for the continuous processing of waste material comprising: providing bales of waste material; placing a bale of waste material into a device according to claim 1; moving the bale of waste material into the first chamber with the first bale mover; moving the bale of waste material from the first chamber into the cutter section with the second bale mover; cutting the bale of waste material open with the cutting blades to provide loose waste material and cut baling material; opening the first door, and moving the loose waste material and cut baling material into the chute, through the chute, and into the cylindrical rotary calciner; heating the loose waste material and cut baling material to a processing temperature; processing the loose waste material and cut baling material; rotating the cylindrical rotary calciner to mix the loose waste material and cut baling material, and move the loose waste material and cut baling material from the first end to the second end of the cylindrical rotary calciner; continuing the processing of the loose waste material and cut baling material, and opening the second door and moving any unprocessed loose waste material and cut bailing material into the material removal chute.
It is noted, as relating to claim 11, that Breu is silent about the conversion chamber, and as relating to claim 15, about the post-heating chamber comprising one or more processing modules (also relating to claim 20).
However, Martella discloses catalytic treatment (label 5 of Fig. 1 and [0040]; steam reforming) of off gas from pyrolysis, or even catalytic methanation of cleaned off gas (label 8 in Fig. 1 and [0043]).
Therefore, and before the effective filing date, it would have been obvious to modify the process of Breu by treating the off gas from rotary kiln pyrolysis to provide additional useful products from stream reforming or methanation of said off gas and also because this involves applying known pyrolysis off gas treatment techniques with predictable results and a reasonable expectation of success—see MPEP 2143 I, 2143 A, 2143 D, and 2143.02.
For claims 2-3 and 17, Brue shows unions and drive gears/rotary scew (Fig. 6-9).
For claims 4-6, 13 and 18, Breu teaches using indirect flame heat to provide heat into the cyclinder, and its surrounding space (Col 5 lines 4-12).
The use of compressed air (claim 7, Col 5 line 9-10) and rotation (claim 8, Col 11 lines 9-22) are also viewed as obvious.
For claim 10, Breu teaches quench liquid (Col 6 lines 35-51).
For claim 12, and the limitations of claims 15-16 directed to “loose waste material”, this limitation is disclosed by the prior art which shreds the waste bails to provide loose waste material into pyrolysis. In general, pyrolyzing bales is not favorable because surface area of waste being pyrolyzed is limited to outer surfaces which limits the reaction area. The bales are useful for transportation due to their compact nature. However, for pyrolysis, these bales are shredded and pyrolyzed with maximum exposed surface.
For claim 14, Breu teaches temperature of 1200 °F (Col 12 line 49-51) which is about 648°C; this value overlaps the claimed temperature of 250-1000°C.
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to ALI Z FADHEL whose telephone number is (571)270-0267. The examiner can normally be reached M-F 9am-6pm PST.
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/ALI Z FADHEL/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 1772
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