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
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) 1-14 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by DE 3011111 A1 (hereinafter Bauer).
Regarding claim 1, Bauer discloses a drain system (see Fig. 2) for recovering thermal energy from a flow of shower or faucet greywater, the drain system comprising:
a drain inlet (3) for receiving greywater,
a “plate heat exchanger” (5) arranged downstream of the drain inlet and comprising a grey water inlet (where 3 is connected) and grey water outlet (where 12 connected to 2), the heat exchanger being configured to heat a flow of incoming cold water (from 4) with the greywater flowing from the grey water inlet to the grey water outlet,
a water level control pipe portion (top horizontal portion of 12 at the top) arranged downstream of the grey water outlet, the water level control pipe portion being configured to control the wetting level (h) of the plate heat exchanger, wherein the drain system further comprises a downcomer (left most 12 in Fig. 2) arranged downstream of the water level control pipe portion and comprising a contraction (throttle 10) for increasing the flowrate of greywater from the grey water inlet to the grey water outlet.
Regarding claim 2, Bauer discloses a drain system (see Fig. 2) for recovering thermal energy from a flow of shower or faucet greywater, the drain system comprising:
a drain inlet (3) for receiving greywater,
a heat exchanger (5) arranged downstream of the drain inlet and comprising a grey water inlet (where 3 is connected) and grey water outlet (where 12 connected to 2), the heat exchanger being configured to heat a flow of incoming cold water (from 4) with the greywater flowing from the grey water inlet to the grey water outlet,
a water level control pipe portion (top horizontal portion of 12 at the top) arranged downstream of the grey water outlet, wherein the drain system further comprises a downcomer (left most 12 in Fig. 2) arranged downstream of the water level control pipe portion and comprising a contraction (throttle 10) for increasing the flowrate of greywater from the grey water inlet to the grey water outlet.
Regarding claim 3, the drain system according to claim 1, wherein the water level control pipe portion has a water flow section (within 12) with a lowest point (bottom of horizontal portion of 12 at the top) arranged vertically above at least a portion of the grey water outlet.
Regarding claim 4, the drain system according to claim 1, further comprises a water trap (formed by 12 adjacent to 2) arranged downstream of the grey water outlet, and wherein the water level control pipe portion is comprised in the water trap or is arranged downstream of the water trap (see Fig. 2).
Regarding claim 5, the drain system according to claim 1, wherein the water level control pipe portion is a horizontally arranged pipe portion, or is comprised in a pipe bend (see Fig. 2).
Regarding claim 6, the drain system according to claim 1, wherein the downcomer is a vertically arranged pipe portion (see Fig. 2).
Regarding claim 7, the drain system according to claim 1, wherein the contraction (throttle 10) is tapering in a downstream direction (see Fig. 1).
Regarding claim 8, the drain system according to claim 1, further comprising a drain manifold (13) having a first manifold inlet (where 13 connected to 12) arranged downstream of the downcomer, and a manifold outlet (outlet of 9) arranged to supply any received grey water to a drain outlet (outlet to public sewage or to septic tank).
Regarding claim 9, the drain system according to claim 8, wherein the downcomer ends in the first manifold inlet (where 12 connected to 13).
Regarding claim 10, the drain system according to claim 8, wherein the drain manifold comprises a second manifold inlet (where 13 connected to 11), and the drain system further comprises a by-pass conduit (11) arranged to supply greywater to the second manifold inlet by by-passing the heat exchanger (5) via 11.
Regarding claim 11, the drain system according to claim 10, wherein the downcomer is a first downcomer, and the drain system comprises a second downcomer (passage within 11) arranged in the by-pass conduit (11) and comprising a contraction (about the outlet of 13) for increasing the flowrate of greywater in the by-pass conduit (138).
Regarding claim 12, the drain system according to claim 2, when being dependent on claim 2, wherein the heat exchanger is considered a “plate heat exchanger.”
Regarding claim 13, the drain system according to claim 1, wherein the radial cross section (the cross section of the horizontal length) the water level control pipe portion is non-circular.
Regarding claim 14, the drain system according to claim 4, wherein the water trap is a U-shaped pipe portion (see Fig. 2, 12 is inverted U-shaped) or an S-shaped pipe portion.
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) 15 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Bauer in view of FR 3,087,457 A1 (hereinafter Barbry).
Bauer teaches all of the claimed limitations as discussed regarding claim 1 above but remains silent as to a shower or shower cabin comprising a shower arrangement having a shower mixer configured to mix hot water from a hot water supply and pre-heated cold water from a cold water supply, and a shower head fluidly connected to the shower mixer for supplying shower water.
Barbry discloses an analogous drain system (1) in combination with a shower (51) or shower cabin (see Fig. 4) comprising a shower arrangement having a shower mixer (where 51 is pointing) configured to mix hot water from a hot water supply and pre-heated cold water from a cold water supply, and a shower head fluidly connected to the shower mixer for supplying shower water.
Accordingly, it would have been obvious to one having ordinary skill in the art at the time the invention was effectively filed to combine the drain system of Bauer with a shower or shower cabin as taught by Barbry in order to conserve thermal energy used which effectively reduce cost.
Conclusion
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/TUAN N NGUYEN/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3754
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