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 Objections
Claims 1 and 11 are objected to because of the following informalities:
In lines 6 & 8 of claim 1 and lines 5 & 10 of claim 11, “said application heat exchanger” should read “said at least one application heat exchanger”. Appropriate correction is required.
Specification
The disclosure is objected to because of the following informalities:
In [0012], change “The prevent” to –The present invention--,
In [0035], line 3, change “knows” to –known--,
In [0042], line 3, change “devoices” to –devices,
In [0046], line 5, change “89b a first…” to –89b to a first….--.
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 1-10 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.
Claim 1 recites the limitation "said condensate return line" in lines 10-11. There is insufficient antecedent basis for this limitation in the claim.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 102
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 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.
Claim(s) 1-6 and 8-10 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Yamada et al (WO 2012114981). Yamada et al discloses a steam boiler system comprising: a steam boiler (3) comprising a burner (common knowledge in the art) and a chimney (11) for exhausting flue gases; a feedwater line (interpreted as the line from feed water pump 21) for leading feedwater to said steam boiler for producing steam with said burner; a steam line (interpreted as the unlabeled line between elements 39 & 19 in Figure 1) leading from said steam boiler to at least one application heat exchanger (13) for feeding steam to said application heat exchanger, said application heat exchanger for heating an application fluid; a condensate line (25) leading away from said application heat exchanger for recuperating condensate from said application heat exchanger; and a condensing economizer heat exchanger (23 & 39) in said chimney (SEE Figure 1), wherein at least one of said condensate return line (25) and said feedwater line circulates through said condensing economizer heat exchanger (39) for allowing at least one of said condensate and said feedwater to be in heat exchange relationship with the flue gases (via 23) for simultaneously cooling and condensing the flue gases while heating at least one of the condensate and the feedwater (SEE Figure 1). In re claim 2, Yamada et al further discloses that both said condensate return line and said feedwater line circulate through respective portions of said economizer heat exchanger for allowing both said condensate and said feedwater to be in heat exchange relationship with the flue gases for simultaneously cooling the flue gases while heating both the condensate and the feedwater (the condensate return line circulates through economizer 39 via pump 35 and the feedwater line circulates through economizer 23 via pump 21). In re claim 3, Yamada et al discloses that the condensate return line (25) circulates downstream of said feedwater line in said chimney (11), said feedwater line first cooling the flue gases circulating in said chimney (in economizer 23) and said condensate line then further cooling and condensing the flues gases to improve heat transfer. In re claim 4, Yamada et al discloses that the condensate return line (25) further circulates through at least one condensate heat exchanger (37) upstream of said condensing economizer heat exchanger, for cooling the condensate before it comes in heat exchange relationship with the flue gases. In re claim 5, Yamada et al discloses that the at least one condensate heat exchanger (37) comprises a combustion air heat exchanger that is located upstream of said burner for simultaneously preheating the air fed into said burner and cooling the condensate (SEE Abstract and [0024]). In re claim 6, Yamada et al discloses that the at least one condensate heat exchanger comprises at least one heat recovery heat exchanger for simultaneously cooling the condensate and for heating a heat recovery fluid used in a heat recovery application (the air preheater 37 is being interpreted as the “one heat recovery heat exchanger”). In re claim 8, Yamada et al discloses that the condensate line ends in a deaerator (19) downstream of said condensing economizer heat exchanger, and said feedwater line originates at said deaerator upstream of said economizer heat exchanger, said deaerator for removing gases from the feedwater (Figure 1). In re claim 9, Yamada et al discloses that steam is further circulated from said steam boiler to said deaerator for preheating said feedwater (via line 25). In re claim 10, Yamada et al discloses that the application heat exchanger is a flooded heat exchanger capable of subcooling the condensate (element 13 is a condenser which is herein functionally interpreted as a flooded heat exchanger as it contains condensate fluid which is circulated via pump 15). In re claim 11, Yamada et al discloses structure capable of carrying out the method of circulating water and steam in a steam boiler system of the type comprising: a steam boiler (3) comprising a burner (common knowledge in the art) and a chimney (11); a feedwater line (interpreted as the line from feed water pump 21); a steam line (interpreted as the line between elements 39 & 19) leading from said steam boiler (3) (SEE Figure 1) to at least one application heat exchanger (13); a condensate return line (25) leading out of from said application heat exchanger (13); and a condensing economizer heat exchanger (23 & 39) in said chimney; wherein the structure is capable of feeding feedwater to said steam boiler through said feedwater line (via pump 21); using said burner to generate steam from said feedwater; feeding steam from said steam boiler to said application heat exchanger (13) through said steam line (line extending from 39 to turbine 5 to heat exchanger 13); retrieving condensate from said application heat exchanger in said condensate line (25) via pump 15; exhausting flue gases generated by said burner through said condensing economizer heat exchanger (23 & 39) in said chimney (11); and circulating at least one of said condensate return line and said feedwater line through said condensing economizer heat exchanger wherein said at least one of said condensate and said feedwater is in heat exchange relationship with the flue gases for simultaneously cooling and condensing the flue gases while heating the least one of the condensate and the feedwater (Figure 1). In re claim 12, Yamada et al further discloses that both said condensate return line and said feedwater line circulate through respective portions of said economizer heat exchanger (@ 39 & 23), including circulating both said condensate return line and said feedwater line through said economizer heat exchanger wherein both said condensate and said feedwater are in heat exchange relationship with the flue gases for simultaneously cooling the flue gases (in chimney 11) while heating both the condensate and the feedwater. In re claim 13, Yamada et al discloses that said condensate return line (25) circulates downstream (at 39) of said feedwater line (at 23) in said chimney, the method comprising first cooling the flue gases circulating in said chimney with said feedwater line and then further cooling and condensing the flues gases with said condensate line to improve heat transfer. In re claim 14, Yamada et al discloses that the condensate return line (25) further circulates through at least one condensate heat exchanger (37) upstream of said condensing economizer heat exchanger, the method comprising cooling the condensate before it comes in heat exchange relationship with the flue gases within the condensing economizer heat exchanger. In re claim 15, Yamada et al discloses that the said at least one condensate heat exchanger (37) comprises a combustion air heat exchanger (it is an air preheater) that is located upstream of said burner, the method comprising simultaneously preheating the air fed into said burner and cooling the condensate within the combustion air heat exchanger. In re claim 16, Yamada et al discloses that the said at least one condensate heat exchanger comprises at least one heat recovery heat exchanger (the air preheater 37 is being interpreted as the “one heat recovery heat exchanger”), the method comprising simultaneously cooling the condensate and heating a heat recovery fluid used in a heat recovery application, within the heat recovery heat exchanger. In re claim 18, Yamada et al discloses that said condensate line ends in a deaerator (19) downstream of said economizer heat exchanger, and said feedwater line originates at said deaerator upstream of said economizer heat exchanger, such that removing gases from the feedwater in the deaerator and circulating said condensate back at least in part to said steam boiler through said deaerator then through said feedwater line as feedwater (SEE Figure 1). In re claim 19, Yamada et al discloses circulating steam to said deaerator from said steam boiler for preheating said feedwater (via line 25). In re claim 20, Yamada et al discloses that said application heat exchanger is a flooded heat exchanger capable of subcooling the condensate (element 13 is a condenser which is herein functionally interpreted as a flooded heat exchanger as it contains condensate fluid which is circulated via pump 15).
Claim(s) 1 & 11 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Johansson et al (WO 2016064332). Johansson et al discloses a steam boiler system (1) comprising: a steam boiler (5) comprising a burner (common knowledge in the art) and a chimney (illustrated schematically as element 10) for exhausting flue gases; a feedwater line (6) for leading feedwater to said steam boiler for producing steam with said burner; a steam line (11) leading from said steam boiler to at least one application heat exchanger (2) for feeding steam to said application heat exchanger (2), said application heat exchanger for heating an application fluid (4); a condensate line (14, 15) leading away from said application heat exchanger for recuperating condensate from said application heat exchanger; and a condensing economizer heat exchanger (9b) in said chimney, wherein at least one of said condensate return line and said feedwater line circulates through said condensing economizer heat exchanger for allowing at least one of said condensate and said feedwater to be in heat exchange relationship with the flue gases for simultaneously cooling and condensing the flue gases while heating at least one of the condensate and the feedwater (Johansson et al discloses a feedwater line 6 which circulates through the condensing economizer heat exchanger 9b, SEE Figure 1). In re claim 11, Johansson et al discloses structure capable of carrying out the method of circulating water and steam in a steam boiler system (1) of the type comprising: a steam boiler (5) comprising a burner (well known in the art) and a chimney (10); a feedwater line (6); a steam line (11) leading from said steam boiler to at least one application heat exchanger (2) (SEE Figure 1); a condensate return line (14, 15) leading out of from said application heat exchanger (2); and a condensing economizer heat exchanger (9b) in said chimney; said method comprising: feeding feedwater to said steam boiler through said feedwater line (6); using said burner to generate steam from said feedwater; feeding steam (8, 11) from said steam boiler to said application heat exchanger (2) through said steam line; retrieving condensate from said application heat exchanger in said condensate line (14, 15); exhausting flue gases generated by said burner through said condensing economizer heat exchanger in said chimney (10); and circulating at least one of said condensate return line (6) and said feedwater line through said condensing economizer heat exchanger wherein said at least one of said condensate and said feedwater is in heat exchange relationship with the flue gases for simultaneously cooling and condensing the flue gases while heating the least one of the condensate and the feedwater (in this case, Johansson et al discloses a feedwater line 6 which circulates through the condensing economizer heat exchanger 9b, SEE Figure 1).
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.
Claim(s) 7 & 17 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Yamada et al (WO2012114981) in view of Schroeder et al (9,581,328). Yamada et al discloses the applicants primary inventive concept, as stated above, including a steam boiler system with an economizer heat exchanger and a feedwater line for leading feedwater to said steam boiler for producing steam, however Yamada et al does not specifically recite that the feedwater line circulates through a further heat exchanger prior to reaching the economizer heat exchanger. Schroeder et al teaches a high efficiency feedwater heater including a boiler system (SEE Figure 2) having an economizer heat exchanger (16) that is fed with a feedwater line (12) and further teaches that it was already known in the art for a feedwater line to circulate through a feedwater heat exchanger located upstream of an economizer heat exchanger for cooling the feedwater before it comes into heat exchange relationship with the flue gas of the boiler system (SEE column 3, line 52 – column 4, line 15 and Figure 2) wherein Schroeder et al teaches that cooling the feedwater before reaching the flue gas of the feedwater heat exchanger upstream from the economizer heat exchanger is beneficial for reducing the flue gas outlet temperature and avoiding stress corrosion cracking associated with some high alloy heater tubes (SEE column 4, lines 7-14). It 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 subject matter pertains to have modified the system of Yamada et al by incorporating the teaching of a feedwater heat exchanger of Schroeder et al upstream of the economizer heat exchanger and arrived at the applicants claimed invention for the purpose of reducing the flue gas outlet temperature and avoiding stress corrosion cracking that could be likely to occur.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to GREGORY A WILSON whose telephone number is (571)272-4882. The examiner can normally be reached M-F; 7:00am-4:30pm.
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/GREGORY A WILSON/ Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3762 September 16, 2026
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