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 5 and 6 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.
Regarding claim 5, “the product streams” (plural) lacks antecedent basis in the claim.
Regarding claim 5, it is unclear whether or not “a plurality of reactors” includes the “reactor” of independent claims 1 and 2.
Regarding claim 6, “the low-pressure steam exiting a plurality of re-boilers” lacks antecedent basis in the claim. Although claims 1 and 2 recite a “low-pressure steam”, these claims do not recite a low pressure steam exiting a plurality of re-boilers.
Regarding claim 6, it is unclear whether or not “a plurality of re-boilers” includes the “re-boiler” of independent claims 1 and 2.
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 1-4 are allowed.
The following is an examiner’s statement of reasons for allowance: The prior art fails to disclose or make obvious the methods of independent claims 1 and 2. Regarding claim 1, the prior art fails to disclose or make obvious this method of heat recovery in a CO2 capture and separation system including passing a high-pressure plant steam through a jet-ejector in liquid contact with the low-pressure steam to reduce pressure of the high-pressure plant steam to create a stream of process steam and as a motive force to pull the low-pressure steam exiting the re-boiler through the jet-ejector into the stream of process steam to recover heat contained in the low-pressure steam into the process steam. Regarding claim 2, the prior art fails to disclose or make obvious this method of heat recovery in a CO2 capture and separation system including passing the low-pressure steam exiting the re-boiler through a vapor re-compressor wherein the low-pressure steam exiting the re-boiler is compressed to a higher pressure steam which passes into the stream of process steam to recover heat contained in the low-pressure steam into the process steam.
Any comments considered necessary by applicant must be submitted no later than the payment of the issue fee and, to avoid processing delays, should preferably accompany the issue fee. Such submissions should be clearly labeled “Comments on Statement of Reasons for Allowance.”
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to CHRISTOPHER P JONES whose telephone number is (571)270-7383. The examiner can normally be reached 9AM-6PM EST M-F.
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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.
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/CHRISTOPHER P JONES/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 1776
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