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 Objections
Claims 7, 8 and 16 are objected to because of the following informalities: Claim 7 requires a period at the end so that it forms a complete sentence. In line 1 of claim 8, “layer” should be inserted after “microporous” for clarity. In line 2, it appears that a comma should be inserted after “inorganic solid support.” Appropriate correction is required.
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 and 15-19 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 4 recites the limitation "the carbon nanotubes" in line 1. There is insufficient antecedent basis for this limitation in the claim. Claim 4 should be amended to depend from claim 3.
Claim 2 is indefinite because it is unclear whether or not the direct air capture system is being positively recited as part of the device, or if it is intended use. If it is intended use, “is utilized” can be changed to “configured for use.” If the DAC system is intended to be required, “is utilized in” can be changed to “is part of.”
Claim 15 is indefinite because it is unclear whether the conductive film providing heat is a structural limitation. It is suggested that “is configured to provide heat” be used in the same way as in claims 1 and 20.
Claims 16-19 are rejected for depending on an indefinite parent claim.
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 1, 3, 5-14 and 20 are allowed.
Claim 15 would be allowable if rewritten or amended to overcome the rejection(s) under 35 U.S.C. 112(b) or 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), 2nd paragraph, set forth in this Office action.
Claims 2, 4 and 15-19 would be allowable if rewritten to overcome the rejection(s) under 35 U.S.C. 112(b) or 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), 2nd paragraph, set forth in this Office action and to include all of the limitations of the base claim and any intervening claims.
The following is a statement of reasons for the indication of allowable subject matter: The closest prior art to WO 2022/192408 A2 discloses a DAC system for CO2 capture, comprising a supported CO2 sorbent and a conductive regeneration material, but fails to disclose or suggest a motivation for an inner support layer, a sorbent layer with CO2 affinity on the support, and at least one conductive film disposed on the sorbent layer, wherein the film layer can provide heat for release of the captured CO2, in combination with the other recited structural limitations.
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure. The additional references listed on the attached PTO-892 form disclose CO2 capture and separation membrane arrangements.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to FRANK LAWRENCE whose telephone number is (571)272-1161. The examiner can normally be reached Mon-Fri 8:30am-7pm.
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, Jennifer Dieterle can be reached at 571-270-7872. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
Information regarding the status of published or unpublished applications may be obtained from Patent Center. Unpublished application information in Patent Center is available to registered users. To file and manage patent submissions in Patent Center, visit: https://patentcenter.uspto.gov. Visit https://www.uspto.gov/patents/apply/patent-center for more information about Patent Center and https://www.uspto.gov/patents/docx for information about filing in DOCX format. For additional questions, contact the Electronic Business Center (EBC) at 866-217-9197 (toll-free). If you would like assistance from a USPTO Customer Service Representative, call 800-786-9199 (IN USA OR CANADA) or 571-272-1000.
/FRANK M LAWRENCE JR/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 1776
fl
Prosecution Insights