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 § 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 2, 4-8, 17, 22 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 2 recites the limitation “the micronized powder comprising the shredded PCBs is washed with caustic soda or a solvent removing epoxy from the shredded PCBs”. In claim 1 the PCBs have been turned into powder, it is unclear to then say that the powder comprises the PCBs, it is the current form of the PCBs. It’s also unclear to then say that epoxy is removed from the PCBs. The scope is unclear.
Claim 2 recites the limitation " the exposed shredded PCBs ". There is insufficient antecedent basis for this limitation in the claim. The claim recites exposing specific materials of the shredded PCB, not exposing the shredded PCB.
Claim 22 recites the limitation “the Cu and the remaining common metals”. There is insufficient antecedent basis for this limitation in the claim. It is unclear what materials are being referred to and also if this is the same Cu recuperated already in claim 1.
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.
(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.
Claim(s) 1-2, 7-11, 17, 20, 22, 25-27, 30 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102a1 and a2 as being anticipated by Kaya ("Recovery of metals and nonmetals from electronic waste by physical and chemical recycling processes", from IDS).
Re Claim 1, Kaya discloses a process for recycling metals and non-metallic components from printed circuit boards (PCBs) comprising solder metals and a least one copper layer (Abstract; pg. 75-76; Fig.12), wherein the process comprises the steps of:a) shredding the PCBs to particles sizes between 5 to 50 mm (see third paragraph on right column of page 75; Abstract; pg. 75-76; Fig.12);b) micronizing the shredded PCBs producing a micronized powder (pg. 75);c) removing plastic and epoxy from the micronized powder (Abstract; pg. 75-76; Fig.12);d) leaching, precipitating and recuperating Al, Fe, Zn, Ni, Cr, Au, Ag, Pd from the micronized powder producing a delaminated content (Abstract; pg. 75-76; Fig.12); ande) leaching the delaminated content comprising Cu producing a filtrate from which the Cu is precipitated (Abstract; pg. 74-76; Fig.12).
Re Claim 2, as best understood, Kaya discloses the micronized powder comprising the shredded PCBs is washed with caustic soda or a solvent removing epoxy from the shredded PCBs and exposing the solder metals and the at least one copper layer of the shredded PCBs; and the exposed shredded PCBs is treated in a solder leaching reactor dissolving the solder metals producing a solid phase and a leachate containing the solder metals which are recuperated (Abstract; pg. 74-76, 83; Fig.12).
Re Claim 7, Kaya discloses the solder metals recuperated are Sn, Pb, Al, Ag, Cu, Fe or a combination thereof (Abstract; pg. 74-76, 83; Fig.12).
Re Claim 8, Kaya discloses the solid phase is micronized to a powder of less than 2 mm (see third paragraph on right column of page 75; Abstract; pg. 74-76, 83; Fig.12).
Re Claim 9, Kaya discloses a step of recuperating ferromagnetic material containing Fe, Ni and Co by magnetic separation of the micronized powder (see pg. 75, section 3.2 and Fig. 12 “magnetic separation”; Abstract; pg. 74-76, 83; Fig.12).
Re Claim 10, Kaya discloses the micronized powder is delaminated producing a delaminated content at a temperature of about 90 to 150 C using a hot solvent (pg. 83, last full paragraph).
Re Claim 11, Kaya discloses the hot solvent is dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO), dimethylformamide (DMF) or a combination of ethylene glycol, solvent N-methyl-2-pyrrolidone (NMP) and a catalyst (pg. 83, last full paragraph).
Re Claim 17, Kaya discloses a step of dissolving the epoxy washed from the shredded PCBs to regenerate the caustic soda or the solvent (inherent; Abstract; pg. 74-76, 83; Fig.12).
Re Claim 20, Kaya discloses the precipitated and recuperated Al, Fe, Zn, Ni, Cr, Cu, Au, Ag, Pd from the micronized powder is treated with H2SO4 producing a liquid phase comprising solubilized Al, Fe, Zn, Ni, Cr and traces of other common metals and a solid phase comprising Cu, traces of common metals, Au, Ag, Pd (Abstract; pg. 74-76, 83; Fig.12).
Re Claim 22, as best understood, Kaya discloses the Cu and the remaining common metals are leached in a second leach reactor (Abstract; pg. 74-76, 83; Fig.12).
Re Claim 25, Kaya discloses Cu is leached at 50 to 75 *C (Abstract; pg. 74-76, 83; Fig.12).
Re Claim 26, Kaya discloses the precipitated and recuperated Al, Fe, Zn, Ni, Cr, Cu, Au, Ag, Pd from the micronized powder is treated with H2SO4 and an oxidant in a single reaction step producing a liquid phase comprising solubilized Al, Fe, Zn, Ni, Cr, Cu and a solid phase comprising Au, Ag, Pd (Abstract; pg. 74-76, 83; Fig.12).
Re Claim 27, Kaya discloses Cu is precipitated in a fully mixed reactor; Cu is precipitated with acetone, methanol, or a combination thereof; or wherein Cu is recovered by cementation or electrowinning (Abstract; pg. 74-76, 83; Fig.12).
Re Claim 30, Kaya discloses recovering residual metals after precipitating Cu by electrodeposition (Abstract; pg. 74-76, 83; Fig.12).
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.
Claim(s) 4-6 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Kaya in view of Hao (“Metal recovery from waste printed circuit…”, from IDS).
Re Claim 4-6, Kaya does not disclose the solder metals are dissolved in a sulfonic acid solution under the effect of an oxidant in the solder leaching reactor, the sulfonic acid solution is methane sulfonic acid (MSA) , the oxidant is hydrogen peroxide, pure oxygen, enriched air, air, ozone, nitric acid, oxone, ammonium chlorite, ammonium chlorate, ammonium iodate, sodium hypochlorite, potassium hypochlorite, ammonium hypochlorite, sodium perchlorate, potassium perchlorate or ammonium perchlorate. However, Hao teaches solder metals are dissolved in a sulfonic acid solution under the effect of an oxidant in the solder leaching reactor, the sulfonic acid solution is methane sulfonic acid (MSA) , the oxidant is hydrogen peroxide, pure oxygen, enriched air, air, ozone, nitric acid, oxone, ammonium chlorite, ammonium chlorate, ammonium iodate, sodium hypochlorite, potassium hypochlorite, ammonium hypochlorite, sodium perchlorate, potassium perchlorate or ammonium perchlorate (pg. 5-7; Table 3). It would be obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art to perform these steps, as taught by Hao, for the purpose of utilizing known techniques for dissolving metals and also since these are well-known in the art and would require little skill to utilize in the method of Kaya.
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 14-16 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 RYAN J WALTERS whose telephone number is (571)270-5429. The examiner can normally be reached M-F 9am-5pm EST.
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/Ryan J. Walters/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3799
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