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.
Claim 33 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 112(b) as being indefinite. It is unclear whether the claim is intended to be an independent claim or a dependent claim. If it is intended to be an independent claim, any reference to another claim should be deleted. If it is intended to be a dependent claim, it should have the same preamble as the claim on which it depends. Hence, claim 33 has not been treated with regard to the prior art.
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)(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 17-19, 21, 22, and 28 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(2) as being anticipated by US Patent Application US 2021/0127556 A1 (hereinafter Graham).
Regarding claim 17, Graham discloses pneumatic conveying device for conveying a granular material, comprising: a blower (Fig. 4, No. 120) having an outlet; a main air supply line connected to the outlet such that a volumetric air flow generated by the blower flows into the main air supply line (Fig. 12, No. 230); and an air distribution device, wherein the main air supply line leads into an air inlet of the air distribution device for controlling the volumetric air flow, wherein the air distribution device has a number of air outlets, wherein the number of the air outlets is even or divisible by three, wherein a connecting line is connected to each of the air outlets (Fig. 12), wherein a metering device for supplying the granular material is connected to each connecting line (Fig. 4, No. 124), wherein the air distribution device comprises a cylindrical housing with a rotary slide valve arranged therein (Fig. 6B, 7, 8), wherein the rotary slide valve is configured for changing an outlet cross-section of the air outlets in order to manipulate the volumetric air flow for transporting the granular material coming from the respective metering device (Fig 7, 8).
Regarding claim 18, Graham discloses the pneumatic conveying device as in claim 17, wherein the pneumatic conveying device is configured to convey seeds and/or fertilizer (¶0032).
Regarding claim 19, Graham discloses the pneumatic conveying device as in claim 17, wherein an actuator is arranged on the rotary slide valve, and wherein the rotary slide valve is manually or automatically actuatable via the actuator (¶0041).
Regarding claim 21, Graham discloses the pneumatic conveying device as in claim 17, wherein the rotary slide valve is adjustable in discrete steps or continuously (Fig. 8).
Regarding claim 22, Graham discloses the pneumatic conveying device as in claim 17, wherein the housing has a circular cylindrical shape (Fig. 6B, No 114).
Regarding claim 28, Graham discloses the pneumatic conveying device as in claim 17, wherein the air outlets are arranged axially parallel to a longitudinal axis of the housing next to tone another on the housing (¶0033).
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 20, 23-27, and 29-32 are objected to as being dependent upon a rejected base claim, but would be allowable if rewritten in independent form including all of the limitations of the base claim and any intervening claims.
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to AMARI JADAN MEDDLING whose telephone number is (571)272-8178. The examiner can normally be reached M-F 8-5.
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If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Gene Crawford can be reached at 5712726911. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/GENE O CRAWFORD/Supervisory Patent Examiner, Art Unit 3651
/AMARI J MEDDLING/ Examiner, Art Unit 3651