DETAILED ACTION
Examiner has received and accepted the amended claims and remarks filed on 23 June 2026. These amended claims and remarks are the claims and remarks being referred to in the instant Office Action. Examiner acknowledges Claim 4 has been cancelled.
Response to Arguments
Applicant’s arguments with respect to the Drawings have been fully considered and are persuasive-in-part. The Objection to the Drawings has been withdrawn-in-part.
The objection with respect to the jacket of the glass container is maintained as element 2a does not appear to illustrate any features which could be considered a “jacket”. Claim 2 specifically recites the glass container is jacketed i.e. the glass container is not the jacket, however element 2a appears to simply indicate some lower portion of the glass container (2) itself. As such, the drawing objection is maintained.
Applicant’s arguments with respect to Claims 1 – 3 and 5 have been fully considered and are persuasive. The 112(a) Rejection of Claims 1 – 3 and 5 has been withdrawn.
Applicant’s arguments with respect to Claims 1 – 3 and 5 have been fully considered and are persuasive. The 112(b) Rejection of Claims 1 – 3 and 5 has been withdrawn.
Drawings
The drawings are objected to under 37 CFR 1.83(a). The drawings must show every feature of the invention specified in the claims. Therefore, the
jacket of the glass container Claim 2
must be shown or the feature(s) canceled from the claim(s). No new matter should be entered.
Corrected drawing sheets in compliance with 37 CFR 1.121(d) are required in reply to the Office action to avoid abandonment of the application. Any amended replacement drawing sheet should include all of the figures appearing on the immediate prior version of the sheet, even if only one figure is being amended. The figure or figure number of an amended drawing should not be labeled as “amended.” If a drawing figure is to be canceled, the appropriate figure must be removed from the replacement sheet, and where necessary, the remaining figures must be renumbered and appropriate changes made to the brief description of the several views of the drawings for consistency. Additional replacement sheets may be necessary to show the renumbering of the remaining figures. Each drawing sheet submitted after the filing date of an application must be labeled in the top margin as either “Replacement Sheet” or “New Sheet” pursuant to 37 CFR 1.121(d). If the changes are not accepted by the examiner, the applicant will be notified and informed of any required corrective action in the next Office action. The objection to the drawings will not be held in abeyance.
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 – 3 and 5 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Swan et al. (US 5090617).
Regarding Claim 1, Swan discloses an apparatus, in at least Figures 1 and 5, comprising, a plurality of internal compartments configured to receive a rock sample (compartments formed by element 38 which are inherently capable of receiving a rock sample) (Figure 5); and an external component (component bounding 36) configured to receive the plurality of compartments (Figure 5), wherein the external component comprises a glass container (22 forming a portion of the component bounding 36) (Col 2, lines 60 – 65) (Figure 5).
Regarding Claim 2, Swan discloses the glass container is jacketed to allow for circulation of water (Col 3, lines 15 – 19).
Regarding Claim 3, Swan discloses the circulation of water maintains a temperature of the apparatus from about 40 °C to about 80 °C (Col 14, lines 13 - 21).
Regarding Claim 5, Swan discloses the apparatus is configured to remove hydrocarbons and salts from the rock sample (as Swan teaches all of the claimed structural limitations, Swan is configured to remove hydrocarbons and salts from a rock sample).
Conclusion
Applicant's amendment necessitated the new ground(s) of rejection presented in this Office action. Accordingly, THIS ACTION IS MADE FINAL. See MPEP § 706.07(a). Applicant is reminded of the extension of time policy as set forth in 37 CFR 1.136(a).
A shortened statutory period for reply to this final action is set to expire THREE MONTHS from the mailing date of this action. In the event a first reply is filed within TWO MONTHS of the mailing date of this final action and the advisory action is not mailed until after the end of the THREE-MONTH shortened statutory period, then the shortened statutory period will expire on the date the advisory action is mailed, and any nonprovisional extension fee (37 CFR 1.17(a)) pursuant to 37 CFR 1.136(a) will be calculated from the mailing date of the advisory action. In no event, however, will the statutory period for reply expire later than SIX MONTHS from the mailing date of this final action.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to ALEXANDER MERCADO whose telephone number is (571)270-7094. The examiner can normally be reached Monday - Thursday 9am - 4pm EST.
Examiner interviews are available via telephone, in-person, and video conferencing using a USPTO supplied web-based collaboration tool. To schedule an interview, applicant is encouraged to use the USPTO Automated Interview Request (AIR) at http://www.uspto.gov/interviewpractice.
If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Laura Martin can be reached at (571) 272-2160. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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ALEXANDER A. MERCADO
Primary Examiner
Art Unit 2855
/ALEXANDER A MERCADO/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2855
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