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 § 102/103
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.
(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.
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.
This application currently names joint inventors. In considering patentability of the claims the examiner presumes that the subject matter of the various claims was commonly owned as of the effective filing date of the claimed invention(s) absent any evidence to the contrary. Applicant is advised of the obligation under 37 CFR 1.56 to point out the inventor and effective filing dates of each claim that was not commonly owned as of the effective filing date of the later invention in order for the examiner to consider the applicability of 35 U.S.C. 102(b)(2)(C) for any potential 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(2) prior art against the later invention.
Claim(s) 1-8 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as anticipated by or, in the alternative, under 35 U.S.C. 103 as obvious over Nakamura (JP 2012000539A).
With regards to Claim 1:
A carbon dioxide recovery device, part 4, which comprises a cooling tower, part 40, which reads on applicant's claimed cooling tower configured to cool a gas, part G, containing carbon dioxide by bringing the gas into contact with cooling water. The cooled gas then flows to an absorption tower, part 10, which reads on applicant's claimed absorption tower configured to cause the carbon dioxide to be absorbed into an absorbing liquid. A regeneration tower, part 20, which reads on applicant's claimed regeneration tower configured to release the carbon dioxide from the absorbing liquid by heating the absorbing liquid in which the carbon dioxide is absorbed in the absorption tower, part 10. (See Nakamura Paragraphs 38-41) A heat pump configured to indirectly heat the absorbing liquid in the regeneration tower with the heat of the cooling water. (See Nakamura Paragraph 39)
The heat pump comprises a refrigeration cycle including a refrigerant circulation cycle which reads on applicant's claimed refrigerant circulation line though which a refrigerant can circulate. (See Nakamura Para. 38) A heat exchanger, part 31c, which reads on applicant's claimed evaporator, a compressor, part 34, an expander, part 35, which reads on applicant's claimed decompressor, which then flows the refrigerant back to the evaporator, part 31c. (See Nakamura Para. 38 and 39 and Fig. 4)
With regards to Claim 2:
It would be obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art at the time of filing to monitor the water quality and provide a drainage and water makeup system which reads on applicant's claimed water quality improvement device in order to adjust the water quality of the cooling water in the cooling tower for regular maintenance and pipe blockage prevention.
With regards to Claim 3:
A steam heater, part 22, which reads on applicant's claimed reboiler configured to heat the absorbing liquid by exchanging heat between the absorbing liquid and steam in the regeneration tower wherein the reboiler heats the absorbing liquid in the regeneration tower. (See Nakamura Para. 20 and 40 and Fig. 4)
With regards to Claim 4:
Additional heat exchangers for exchanging heat between the cooling water and the gas supplied to the cooling tower would be obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art at the time of filing as taught by Nakamura Paragraphs 42-43.
With regards to Claims 5 and 6:
The heat pump comprises a refrigeration cycle including a refrigerant circulation cycle which reads on applicant's claimed refrigerant circulation line though which a refrigerant can circulate. (See Nakamura Para. 38) A heat exchanger, part 31c, which reads on applicant's claimed evaporator, a compressor, part 34, an expander, part 35, which reads on applicant's claimed decompressor, which then flows the refrigerant back to the evaporator, part 31c. (See Nakamura Para. 38 and 39 and Fig. 4)
A heat exchanger for exchanging heat with the absorption liquid A2 of the regeneration tower 20 may be provided before the cooler 27 or the heat exchanger 31b for cooling the recovered gas released from the regeneration tower. (See Nakamura Paragraph 42) Using the heat of the gas discharged from a hot gas G to heat other parts of the system. (See Nakamura Para. 40)
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art at the time of filing to optimize the flow of heat by adding an additional heater (Claim 5) or evaporator (Claim 6) in order to improve the thermal efficiency of the recovery system as taught by Nakamura Paragraph 40 and 42.
With regards to Claim 7:
A steam heater, part 22, which reads on applicant's claimed reclaimer configured to generate steam by heating the absorbing liquid in the regeneration tower a steam supply line thought which the steam generated is supplied to the regeneration tower (See Nakamura Fig. 4 and Para. 38-40)
The heat pump comprises a refrigeration cycle including a refrigerant circulation cycle which reads on applicant's claimed refrigerant circulation line though which a refrigerant can circulate. (See Nakamura Para. 38) A heat exchanger, part 31c, which reads on applicant's claimed evaporator, a compressor, part 34, an expander, part 35, which reads on applicant's claimed decompressor, which then flows the refrigerant back to the evaporator, part 31c. (See Nakamura Para. 38 and 39 and Fig. 4)
The absorbing liquid in the reclaimer is indirectly heated by heat of the refrigerant circulating though the refrigerant circulation line in the heat exchanger, part 33. (See Nakamura Para. 39-42 and Fig. 4)
With regards to Claim 8:
The heat pump comprises a refrigeration cycle including a refrigerant circulation cycle which reads on applicant's claimed refrigerant circulation line though which a refrigerant can circulate. (See Nakamura Para. 38) A heat exchanger, part 31c, which reads on applicant's claimed evaporator, a compressor, part 34, an expander, part 35, which reads on applicant's claimed decompressor, which then flows the refrigerant back to the evaporator, part 31c. (See Nakamura Para. 38 and 39 and Fig. 4)
Controlling the absorbent concentration appropriately according to the amount of the of carbon dioxide contained in the gas to be processed, the processing speed, etc. (See Nakamura Para. 26)
It would be obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art at the time of filing to appropriately use sensors and control devices in order to automate the control of the system to detect an amount of carbon dioxide to be absorbed and control the system to maintain appropriate parameters for so absorbing that detected carbon dioxide as taught by Nakamura Paragraph 26.
Claim(s) 9-11 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as anticipated by or, in the alternative, under 35 U.S.C. 103 as obvious over Nakamura (JP 2012000539A) in view of Kaneko et al. (WO 2020/004125 A1).
With regards to Claim 9 and 10:
Nakamura teaches
The heat pump comprises a refrigeration cycle including a refrigerant circulation cycle which reads on applicant's claimed refrigerant circulation line though which a refrigerant can circulate. (See Nakamura Para. 38) A heat exchanger, part 31c, which reads on applicant's claimed evaporator, a compressor, part 34, an expander, part 35, which reads on applicant's claimed decompressor, which then flows the refrigerant back to the evaporator, part 31c. (See Nakamura Para. 38 and 39 and Fig. 4)
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art at the time of filing to utilize multiple compressors which split the compressive load necessary in order to reduce the load or strain on any single compressor or to allow for the system to continue to function in the case of maintenance of one of the compressors.
Nakamura does not explicitly teach:
Two or more compressors.
An economizer
Kaneko teaches:
An economizer, part 30, which connects a turbo compressor, part 21A having two-stage impellers, parts 21a and 21b, which reads on applicant's claimed two or more compressors, a sub-expansion valve 31, which reads on applicant's claimed decompressor, and an intercooler 32 by a refrigerant pipe 25. The refrigerant circuit combined with the economizer cycle 30 adiabatically expands a part of the refrigerant R from the condenser 24 by the sub-expansion valve 31, cools the remaining part of the refrigerant R from the condenser 24, which reads on applicant's claimed economizer configured to exchange heat between a refrigerant adiabatically expanded by the decompressor and a remnant of the refrigerant flowing out of the condenser.
Nakamura discloses the claimed invention except for Nakamura does not explicitly teach two condensers with an economizer. Kaneko teaches that it is known to utilize two compressors and an economizer. It would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art at the time of filing to modify the system of Nakamura to include an economizer as taught by Kaneko, since Kaneko states at pg. 2, Description of Embodiments Paragraph 4 that such a modification would increase the refrigerating effect. See MPEP 2144
With regards to Claim 11:
Nakamura in view of Kaneko as above in the rejection of Claim 9 teaches an economizer which reads on applicant's claimed internal heat exchanger configured to exchange heat between the refrigerant flowing out of the evaporator and the refrigerant flowing out of the condenser.
Other Applicable Prior Art
All other art cited not detailed above in a rejection is considered relevant to at least some portion or feature of the current application and is cited for possible future use for reference. Applicant may find it useful to be familiar with all cited art for possible future rejections or discussion.
Contact Information
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to BRIT E ANBACHT whose telephone number is (571)272-9876. The examiner can normally be reached on M, T, R, F 11 am - 4 pm.
If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Jennifer Dieterle can be reached on (571) 270-7872. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-9876.
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/BRIT E. ANBACHT/Examiner, Art Unit 1776
BRIT E. ANBACHT
Examiner
Art Unit 1776
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