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 . This is a first action on the merits of the application.
Claims 1-8 are pending.
Priority
Applicant’s claim for the benefit of a prior-filed application under 35 U.S.C. 119(e) or
under 35 U.S.C. 120, 121, 365(c), or 386(c) is acknowledged.
Foreign priority is claimed in the Instant Application; EFD is 02/27/2023
Claim Objections
Claim 5 is objected to because of the following informalities:
(i) Claim 5 (page 25, line 1) recites “configured to condenses”. It is respectfully suggested to amend the limitation to “configured to condense”
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.
Claim 4 is 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 regard(s) as the invention.
Claim 4 recites “dropping pressure in the distillation unit to zero by vacuum” in line 4 is indefinite since it fails to reasonably define the required pressure because it is unclear whether “zero” denotes zero absolute pressure, zero-gauge pressure, or a sub-atmospheric operating pressure. The metes and bounds cannot be determined with reasonable certainty. See MPEP 2173 and 2173.02.
Claim interpretation
During examination, “open-top pond”, is broadly reasonably interpreted (BRI) as a pond, tank, reservoir, basin or other liquid receptacle having an upper region, vented or otherwise in fluid communication with the atmosphere, and is not limited to an uncovered outdoor pond. Likewise, “pendant-shaped” is reasonably interpreted as hanging, suspended, depending, or extending downwardly from an upper support including a generally conical or funnel shaped surface. “Peltier surface” encompass a heat transfer surface thermally coupled to a Peltier element; the surface itself need not comprise thermoelectric semiconductor material. See MPEP 2111 and 2141.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 103
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 set forth in Graham v. John Deere Co., 383 U.S. 1, 148 USPQ 459 (1966), that are applied 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 1-2 are rejected under 35 USC 103 as being unpatented over König et al., (US 11,192,801 B2, hereinafter as “König”) in view of Faidi et al., (US 2014/0360859 A1, hereinafter as “Faidi”) and Kirschman et al., (US 4,089,750, hereinafter as “Kirschman”).
Regarding claim 1, König teaches a water purification system (3, Fig. 1; Fig. 1, Fig. 2, Fig. 3 and Fig. 4 belong to the same embodiment: Fig. 1 (shows a partially cutaway perspective view of a water purification system according to the invention), Fig. 2 (shows a back view of the same water purification system), Fig. 3 (shows a cross section of a distillation unit according to the invention) and Fig. 4 (shows a schematic view of a purification process as performed in a water purification system) belong to the same embodiment; ) and distillation unit (1, Fig. 1) in which a Peltier device (10, Fig. 1) simultaneously supplies heat to an evaporation section and removes heat from a condensation section, with raw water input, distilled water output, concentrate removal, and thermal insulation (Abstract) where the system and distillation unit are suitable for an energy efficient and cost effective distillation of water (col. 2, lines 42-44). König discloses a water purification system for minimizing energy consumption and low-cost, comprising:
first Peltier-effect device (10, Fig. 2) functionally connected through the condensation-side distilled-water path to first tank and through the evaporation-side raw-water path to raw water tank (44, Fig. 2) (col. 15, lines, 54-64) (a water line peltier element connected to a clean water pond by a clean water line and to a waste water pond by a waste water line), heatable side (101. Fig. 3) thermally communicating with water in evaporation section (12, Fig. 3) and coolable side (102, Fig. 3) thermally communicating with steam in condensation section 14 (col. 16, lines, 8-19) (providing heating an evaporation of wastewater and cooling and condensation of the clean water), coolable side (102, Fig. 3) and its associated condensation heat-transfer surface (362, Fig. 2) positioned in the distilled-water-producing flow path, and heatable side (101, Fig. 3) and its associated evaporation heat transfer surface positioned in the raw-water evaporation flow path (col. 16, lines 3-40) (comprising a first peltier surface in the clean water line and the a second peltier surface in the waste water line),
first tank 37 receiving purified/distilled water from condensation section 14 through the downstream product-water path; an upper-access liquid receptacle under the stated BRI (col. 16, lines 37-66) (an open-top clean water pond for collecting condensed water from a distillation unit, connected to the water line peltier element by the clean water line),
raw water tank (44, Fig. 4) containing untreated water and supplying evaporation section (12, Fig. 3) through the raw-water flow path, where the untreated water is evaporated by heatable side (101, Fig. 3) 9col. 16, lines 8-40) (an open-top waste water pond, connected to the water line peltier element by the waste water line, containing dirty water configured to be a source of the water vapor to the distillation unit),
wastewater tank (72, Fig. 1) receiving non-evaporated concentrate from evaporation section (12, Fig. 1) through tube (65, Fig. 1) 90 and valve (70, Fig. 1) (col. 15, lines 24-37) (an open-top drainage pond connected to the distillation unit by a drainage line, for a return of waste not evaporated in the distillation unit),
enclosed distillation unit (1, Fig 3) containing liquid-retaining evaporation section (12, Fig. 3), wherein non-evaporated concentrate accumulates before discharge, and heat insulation incorporating at least by part of the distillation unit within a thermally insulated section (col. 8, lines 13-15; col. 5, lines 19-22; col. 16, lines 8-19) (the distillation unit, being closed and insulated, in which an impurity pond is positioned),
condensation section (14, fig. 3), Peltier coolable side (102, Fig. 3), and downstream distilled-water flow path connecting the Peltier condensation side to first tank (37, Fig. 2) (col. 15, line 55 thru col 16, line 19) (connected to the water line peltier element and the open-top clean water pond via the clean water line)
raw water tank (44, Fig. 4) and the raw-water flow path supplying evaporation section (12, Fig. 3) thermally associated with Peltier heatable side (101, Fig. 3) (col. 16, lines 8-40) (connected to the water line peltier element and the open-top waste water pond via the waste water line),
evaporation section (12, Fig. 1) connected by tube (65, Fig. 1) and valve (70, Fig. 1) to wastewater tank (72, Fig. 1) (col. 15, lines 24-37) and raw water (21, Fig. 4) is evaporated in evaporation section (12, Fig 4), steam flows into condensation section (14, Fig. 4), and steam is condensed to distilled water (col. 16, lines 37-50) (and connected to the drainage pond via the drainage line, performing a distillation process),
Peltier-effect device (10, Fig. 3) positioned between evaporation section (12, Fig. 3) condensation section (14, Fig. 3), with coolable side (102, Fig. 3) thermally connected to steam in condensation section 14 (col. 16, lines 7-19) (at least one peltier element in the distillation unit positioned on the distillation unit, and configured to allow evaporated water to cool and condense),
evaporation section (12, Fig 4) retaining raw water and concentrated non-volatile impurities before concentrate discharge through line (90, Fig. 4) (col. 16, lines 41-50) (an impurity pond located in the distillation unit, where non-evaporated impurities in the waste water accumulate),
coolable side (102, Fig. 4) and its thermally connected condensation surface positioned in the distilled-water -producing side of Peltier device (10, Fig. 4) and configured to condense into steam into distilled water (col. 16, lines 51- 52) (at least one first peltier surface on the clean water line, positioned in the water line peltier element, and configured to cool and condense the clean water), and
heatable side (101, Fig. 3) and its thermally connected evaporation surface positioned in the raw-water side of Peltier device (10, Fig. 3) and configured to heat and evaporate the water (col. 16, lines 8-19) (at least one second peltier surface on the waste water line, positioned in the water line peltier element, and configured to provide heating and evaporation of the waste water).
König discloses a Peltier-cooled internal condensation surface that condenses steam (col. 11 lines, 28-17; col. 16, lines 51-54).
But König doesn’t teach (I) the transparent glass at top in the limitation “the distillation unit, being closed and insulated, in which an impurity pond is positioned, with transparent glass at top”) and the (II) the pendant-shaped configuration in the limitation “at least one pendant-shaped peltier surface positioned on an inner surface of the distillation unit, and configured to condenses water vapour into water droplets”
Regarding (I), Faidi teaches a closed-water-boiling tank having transparent glass walls, insulation, and an inlet tank expressly open to atmosphere (Abstract; ¶ [0025]). Faidi discloses a boiling tank (110, Fig. 2) closed to atmosphere and having transparent glass sheets (104 and 106, Fig. 2) with insulating air gap 108 and insulated rear wall (112, Fig. 2) (¶ [0028-0029]). The glass is disclosed as a sun-facing transparent wall rather than expressly a horizontal top. Providing that transparent wall at an upper top portion would have been a predictable orientation if the same known transparent enclosure surface, particularly where exposure to incident solar radiation is desired.
Regarding (II), Kirschman teaches a water distiller having an internal downwardly extending funnel-shaped condenser and a gravity-directed distilled-water passage (col. 1, lines 20-34). Kirschman discloses a first and secondary generally conical walls 25 and 30 extending downwardly within housing 11 and defining funnel shaped condensation passageway 32 (col. 2, lines 8-34); König supplies the Peltier thermal coupling (at least pendant-shaped Peltier surface positioned on an inner surface of the distillation unit.
Under BRI, “pendant-shaped” encompasses a depending or downwardly extending funnel/conical surface. Kirschman teaches vapour condenses and flow downward along conical wall 30 toward outlet tube 37(col. 2, lines 46-52).
König, Kirschman and Faidi are analogous arts because each is within the same field of endeavor: purification of water through evaporation and condensation. Each addresses efficient vapour generation, condensation-surface configuration, feed water supply, purified-water recovery, and management of thermal energy.
Therefore, before the effective filing date of the claimed invention, it would have been prima facie obvious to configure König’s distillation enclosure with Faidi’s transparent glass wall positioned at an upper, sun-facing portion to provide the feature “ the distillation unit, being closed and insulated, in which an impurity pond is positioned, with transparent glass at top” because transparent glass admits solar energy to heat the water while the air gap and insulated wall reduce heat loss, thereby supplementing the Peltier heating input and improving thermal efficiency (Faidi: ¶¶ [0007, 0009]); it would have been further obvious to configure König’s Peltier-coupled cooling surface taught by Kirschman downwardly extending funnel-shaped condenser to provide the feature “ at least one pendant-shaped peltier surface positioned on an inner surface of the distillation unit, and configured to condenses water vapour into water droplets” because this particular geometry provides adequate condensation area in otherwise unused internal space and gravitationally directs condensed water to the distilled-water outlet, thereby provide compactness, adequate condensation area, and controlled condensate delivery (Kirschman: col. 1, lines 20-40).
In regard to claim 2, Kirschman discloses a raw-water inlet tube (34, Fig. 1) supplying internal pre-heat chamber (26, Fig. 1) upstream of boiling chamber (21, Fig. 1), wherein vapour condensing in surrounding passageway (32, Fig. 1) transfers heat though wall (25, Fig. 1) to preheat the incoming water before it enters the boiling chamber (col. 2, lines 8-34) (a heater positioned on the waste water line, between the water line Peltier element and the distillation unit, accelerating an evaporation of the waste water to be treated before the waste water reaches the distillation unit). It would have been obvious to incorporate Kirschman’s upstream feed-water preheater in König’s raw-water flow path because that heat otherwise discharged during condensation is recovered to preheat incoming water, reducing the additional thermal energy required for evaporation and enabling compact distiller (Kirschman: col. 1, lines 35-40).
Claims 3 and 6 are rejected under 35 USC 103 as being unpatented over König in view of Faidi and Kirschman, as applied to claim 1, and further in view of Stout (US 6,893,540 B2, hereinafter as “Stout”).
In regard to claim 3, König, in view of Faidi and Kirschman, teaches purification of water through evaporation and condensation (Abstract) but does not disclose at least one peltier element and the at least pendant-shape peltier surface in the distillation unit are of monoblock construction.
However, Stout teaches a distillation system 10 and method having a thermoelectric Peltier effect device (Abstract). Stout discloses a system 10 having a thermoelectric section 60, including Peltier-effect device 65, thermally coupled through cold-side conductive plate 61b to condenser section 50 formed from a single heat-conductive metal block 51, the block being a cast or machined as a unitary condenser body containing condensation passageway 54 (referring to the only Figure; col. 2, lines 41-67).
Stout does not expressly form the semiconductor Peltier device and condenser block from one continuous material; however, under the broadest reasonable interpretation, “of monoblock construction” encompasses a Peltier-coupled condensing assembly having a unitary, one-block heat-transfer surface directly and contiguously thermally connected to the Peltier element.
Stout is analogous König, Faidi and Kirschman because Stout is in the same field of endeavor of water purification by thermoelectric (Peltier)-assisted evaporation and condensation and is reasonably pertinent to the claimed problem of thermally coupling a Peltier device to an integral condenser surface to improve heat transfer, condensation efficiency and structural integration.
Therefore, before the effective filing date of the claimed invention, it would have been prima facie obvious to configure form König’s Peltier-coupled cooling surface, configured with Kirschman’s depending geometry, as Stout’s unitary conductive condenser block because direct contiguous thermal contact between the Peltier cold side and a cast or machine one-black condenser containing the condensation passage, predictably provide compact construction, reliability and efficient heat transfer (Stout: col. 2, lines 3-18).
In regard to claim 6, Stout discloses a system 10 having a thermoelectric section 60, including Peltier-effect device 65, thermally coupled through cold-side conductive plate 61b in contiguous thermal communication with condenser section 50 fabricated from a single block 51 having an integral condensation passageway 54 (referring to the single Figure; col. 2, lines 41-67). It would have been obvious to perform the method of claim 4 using Stout’s unitary Peltier-coupled condenser block because one-block condenser provides direct thermal communication with the Peltier cold side and predictably improves condensation heat transfer while simplifying the condenser structure (Stout: col. 1 line 49 thru col. 2, line 2).
Claims 4, 5, and 7 are rejected under 35 USC 103 as being unpatented over König in view of Faidi and Kirschman, and further in view of Levine (US 7,431,806 B2 hereinafter as “Levine”).
The water purification system recited in claim 1 is taught by König, in view of Faidi and Kirschman, as set forth above (discussion about claim 1).
Regarding claim 4, König teaches supplying impure water, Peltier-assisted evaporation, internal condensation on a depending surface, collection of purified water accumulation of non-volatile impurities, and discharge of concentrated waste (Abstract; col. 8, lines 6-49).
König discloses a method of operation of water purification using a system according to claim 1, comprising:
i. pumping raw water 21 from raw-water tank 44 with first pump 82 into distillation unit 1, through pre-heating section 16 and into evaporation section (12, Fig. 1) (col. 15, lines 24-37) (taking the waste water to be treated into the open-top waste water pond);
iv. Peltier heatable side (101, Fig. 3) heating evaporation section (12, Fig. 3) to generate water (col. 16, lines 7-19) (evaporation through the second peltier surface in the waste water line and filling of the evaporated water into the distillation unit);
v. coolable Peltier side 102 thermally coupled to a condensation element (col. 16, lines 7-19) (condensing the clean water vapour filled the distillation unit);
vi. retaining non-evaporated water and dissolved or suspended impurities as concentrate within evaporation section (12, Fig. 3) while water is evaporated (col. 16, lines 41-50) (descending condensed clean water to a surface of the distillation unit and filling polluting substances in the waste water into the impurity pond);
(vii) concentrate discharged from evaporation section (12, Fig. 3) through concentrate line (90, Fig. 3) to wastewater tank (72, Fig. 3) (col. 16, lines 49-50) (filling the polluting substances accumulated in the impurity pond into the open-top drainage pond via the drainage line);
(viii) condensed purified water directed from condensation section 14 to purified-water tank 37 (col. 16, lines 51-61) (filling the clean water accumulated in the distillation unit to the open-top clean water pond by contacting the first peltier surface in the clean water line through the clean water line).
But König does not disclose: (I) dropping the pressure of the distillation to zero by vacuum; (II) rising the wastewater which is taken into the open-top waste water pond under the influence of open-air pressure and the rising the waste water in the waste water line; (III) the pendant-shaped peltier surface in the limitation, “condensing the clean water vapour filled with distillation unit by contact with the at least one pendant-shaped peltier surface”.
Regarding (I), Levine teaches a closed-top, open-bottom column producing a sub-atmospheric pressure volume above the source water column (Abstract). Levine discloses forming a sub-atmospheric or Torricellian-vacuum volume at the top of an enclosed water column (12, Fig. 1) (col. 2, lines 23-39) (zero is interoperated by prior art examination as a substantially evacuated or atmospheric condition).
Regarding (II), Levine discloses source water rising in column (12, Fig. 1) to the maximum height supportable by atmospheric pressure acting on the source-water body beneath the evacuated chamber (col. 2 lines 23- ), and further discloses that the pumped water could be cascaded over inclined planar surfaces or operated on to maximize its area exposed to enhanced evaporation of the water introduced (col. 2, lines 44-56).
Regarding (III), Kirschman teaches a water distiller having an internal downwardly extending funnel-shaped condenser and a gravity-directed distilled-water passage (col. 1, lines 20-34). Kirschman discloses a first and secondary generally conical walls 25 and 30 extending downwardly within housing 11 and defining funnel shaped condensation passageway 32 (col. 2, lines 8-34); König supplies the Peltier thermal coupling (at least pendant-shaped Peltier surface positioned on an inner surface of the distillation unit. Under BRI, “pendant-shaped” encompasses a depending or downwardly extending funnel/conical surface. Kirschman teaches vapour condenses and flow downward along conical wall 30 toward outlet tube 37(col. 2, lines 46-52).
König, Faidi and Kirschman, and Levine are analogous arts because each concerns water purification by evaporation and condensation. Levine is reasonably pertinent to the particular claimed problems of supplying water to an elevated distillation chamber, reducing evaporation pressure, and recovering condensed water while maintaining reduced pressure.
Therefore, before the effective filing date of the claimed invention, it would have been prima facie obvious to operate the modified König’s distiller using Levine’s atmospheric-pressure supported vacuum feed supporting the features “ dropping the pressure of the distillation to zero by vacuum”, “rising the wastewater which is taken into the open-top waste water pond under the influence of open-air pressure” and “ rising the waste water in the waste water line” because a Torricellian water column creates a sub-atmospheric evaporation volume, permits source water to be supported by atmospheric pressure, and allows evaporation at reduced pressure while surplus water and condensate move by gravity which predictably reduces the temperature and pumping energy otherwise required for distillation (Levine: col. 1 lines 41-56); it would have been further obvious to configure König’s Peltier-coupled cooling surface taught by Kirschman downwardly extending funnel-shaped condenser to provide the feature “condensing the clean water vapour filled the distillation unit by contact with the at least one pendant-shaped peltier surface” because this particular geometry provides adequate condensation area in otherwise unused internal space and gravitationally directs condensed water to the distilled-water outlet, thereby provide compactness, adequate condensation area, and controlled condensate delivery (Kirschman: col. 1, lines 20-40).
In regard to claim 5, Kirchsman discloses electrical heating unit (24, Fig. 1) immersed in boiling chamber (21, Fig. 1) to heat water and generate vapour (col. 2, lines 8-19). It would have been obvious to supplement König’s Peltier-heated evaporation surface with Kirschman’s heater because additional controlled heat predictably increases the evaporation rate and shortens startup time (Kirschman: col. 1, lines 20-40).
In regard to claim 7, Kirschman discloses an inlet tube (34, Fig. 1) feeding upstream preheat chamber (26, Fig. 1) where condensation heat pre-heats the incoming water before it enters boiling chamber (21, Fig. 1) (col. 2, lines 8-45). It would have been obvious to employ the disclosed pre-heater by Kirschman because recovering condensation heat reduces the thermal load required at the subsequent evaporation stage with the compact configuration (Kirschman: col. 1 lines 35-40).
Claim 8 is rejected under 35 USC 103 as being unpatented over König in view of Faidi and Kirschman, Levine, as applied to claim 4, and further in view of Stout.
In regard to claim 8, König, in view of Faidi, Kirschman and Levine, teaches purification of water through evaporation and condensation (Abstract) but does not disclose at least one peltier element and the at least pendant-shape peltier surface in the distillation unit are of monoblock construction.
However, Stout discloses a system 10 having a thermoelectric section 60, including Peltier-effect device 65, thermally coupled through cold-side conductive plate 61b in contiguous thermal communication with condenser section 50 fabricated from a single block 51 having an integral condensation passageway 54 (referring to the only Figure; col. 2, lines 41-67).
König, Faidi and Kirschman, Levine and Stout are analogous arts because each concerns water purification by evaporation and condensation and Stout is in the same field of endeavor of water purification by thermoelectric (Peltier)-assisted evaporation and condensation and is reasonably pertinent to the claimed problem of thermally coupling a Peltier device to an integral condenser surface to improve heat transfer, condensation efficiency and structural integration.
Therefore, before the effective filing date of the claimed invention, it would have been prima facie obvious to use Stout’s unitary condenser-block construction in the claimed modified purification system of König because a compact one-block condensation body in contiguous thermal contact with the Peltier cold side, predictably improve thermal conduction, condensation and increase reliability and reduce maintenance (Stout: col. 1 line 49 thru col. 2, line 18).
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communication from the examiner Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communication from the examiner should be directed to Wilson Mendoza whose telephone number is (571) 272-8443. The examiner can normally be reached on Monday – Friday from 9:00 AM until 5:00 PM.
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If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, In Suk Bullock can be reached on 571-272-5954. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or processing is assigned is 571-273-8300.
If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, In Suk Bullock can be reached on 571-272-5954. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or processing is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/WILSON GALLARDO MENDOZA/Examiner, Art Unit 1772
/YOUNGSUL JEONG/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 1772
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