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 .
Priority
Acknowledgment is made of applicant's claim for foreign priority based on an application filed in France on November 10, 2023. It is noted, however, that applicant has not filed a certified copy of the FR 2023114940613 application as required by 37 CFR 1.55.
Specification
Applicant is reminded of the proper content of an abstract of the disclosure.
Extensive mechanical and design details of an apparatus should not be included in the abstract. The abstract should be in narrative form and generally limited to a single paragraph within the range of 50 to 150 words in length.
The abstract of the disclosure is objected to because the abstract is over 150 words in length. A corrected abstract of the disclosure is required and must be presented on a separate sheet, apart from any other text. See MPEP § 608.01(b).
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 1-11 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. Any claims not directly addressed are only rejected under 35 U.S.C. 112(b) for being dependent on a rejected base claim.
Regarding claim 1,
it is unclear if itself within the limitation “said silo having inside a vertical screw located in a vertical pipe, the lower end of the shaft of the vertical screw extending outside of the vertical pipe, itself extending outside of the silo” refers to the lower end of the shaft or the vertical pipe extending outside of the silo.
Applicant is advised to amend “itself extending outside of the silo” to “the lower end of the shaft extending outside of the silo”. Appropriate correction is required.
It is unclear if the ring in line 28 is directed to “the ring of the secondary water circuit” or the “rotating ring”.
Regarding Claim 2,
The limitation the upper end is recited in line 1. There is insufficient antecedent basis for this limitation in the claim.
Regarding claim 5,
The limitation the space is recited in line 1. There is insufficient antecedent basis for this limitation in the claim.
The limitation the crest is recited in line 2. There is insufficient antecedent basis for this limitation in the claim.
Regarding claim 6,
The limitation the internal surface is recited in line 1. There is insufficient antecedent basis for this limitation in the claim.
Regarding claim 9,
The term “big” in line 2 is a relative term which renders the claim indefinite. The term “big” is not defined by the claim, the specification does not provide a standard for ascertaining the requisite degree, and one of ordinary skill in the art would not be reasonably apprised of the scope of the invention.
Pertinent Prior Art
The following prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant’s disclosure:
Nichols et al. (US9067182) - at least the figures are pertinent to various features of at least the independent claim.
Mitchell et al. (US 11465155 B1) - at least the figures are pertinent to various features of at least the independent claim.
Coody et al. (US 20040008571 A1) - at least the figures are pertinent to various features of at least the independent claim.
Stegemoeller et al. (US 20050155667 A1) – at least the figures are pertinent to various features of at least the independent claim.
Barthelmess et al. (US 20160102245 A1) - at least the figures are pertinent to various features of at least the independent claim.
Lewis-Gray et al. (US 20100193618 A1) - at least the figures are pertinent to various features of at least the independent claim.
Kykyri et al. (US 20210069751 A1) - at least the figures are pertinent to various features of at least the independent claim.
Esson et al. (US 20210086156 A1) - at least the figures are pertinent to various features of at least the independent claim.
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 1-11 would be allowable if rewritten or amended to overcome the rejections under U.S.C. 112(b) set forth in this Office Action.
The following is a statement of reasons for the indication of allowable subject matter:
Nichols et al. (US9067182) is the prior art closest to the subject matter of the independent claim and discloses: A compact and transportable equipment adapted to be used for hydraulic fracturing operations on gas or oil fields, [Abstract, lines 1-2] said equipment comprising, successively: a means for supplying a polymer powder to a silo, [col. 2, lines 55-56] - a silo for storing polymer in powder form, [col. 2, line 57] a feed hopper of a polymer metering device, [col. 2, line 60]- a device for metering out the powder polymer, [col. 2, line 62] - a device for dispersing and grinding the polymer, [col. 2, line 63] said device comprising: - a cone for wetting the powder polymer connected to a primary water inlet circuit, [col. 2, lines 65-66] - at the lower end of the cone: [col. 2, line 67] - a dispersed polymer grinding and drainage chamber [col. 3, line 1] comprising: - a motor-driven rotor equipped with blades, [col. 3, line 3] - a fixed stator constituted of a cylinder equipped with thin slots, [col. 3, lines 4-5] - over all or part of the periphery of the chamber, [col. 3, line 5] a ring supplied by a secondary water circuit, [col. 3, lines 5-6] the ring communicating with the chamber so as to ensure spraying of pressurized water over an outside of the stator, [col. 3, lines 7-10] thus enabling release of ground and swollen polymer at a surface of said stator, [col. 3, lines 10-11] - at least one tank for hydrating and dissolving the dispersed polymer originating from the dispersing and grinding device, [col. 3, lines 12-14] and - at least one volumetric pump enabling injection and metering of the polymer solution. [col. 3, lines 15-16]
However, Nichols does not disclose a means for unloading powder polymer having a size in the range from 20 to 500 micrometers (μm), said silo having inside a vertical screw located in a vertical pipe, the lower end of the shaft of the vertical screw extending outside of the vertical pipe, itself extending outside of the silo, wherein the lower end of the shaft of the vertical screw comprises a rotating ring, said rotating ring being perpendicularly fixed on the shaft and being equipped with at least three straight paddles, positioned perpendicularly to the horizontal plan of the ring.
Mitchell et al. (US 11465155 B1) teaches: a portable aggregate processing plant with a means for unloading powder polymer having a size in the range from 20 to 500 micrometers (μm), [col. 8, lines 5-7](The vibratory hopper is a means for unloading powder polymer).
Stegemoeller et al. (US 20050155667 A1) teaches: an apparatus and method for accurately metering and conveying a dry powder or granular material with a silo (12) having inside a vertical screw (14) located in a vertical pipe (18), (fig. 1) the lower end of the shaft of the vertical screw extending outside of the vertical pipe, itself extending outside of the silo, (fig. 1)(The vertical pipe extends out of the silo, the lower end of the shaft goes outside of vertical pipe into connection box. (20))
Coody et al. (US 20040008571 A1) teaches: an apparatus and method for hydrating particulate polymer wherein the lower end of the shaft (174)(fig. 2) has paddles (176). [para. 0036, lines 13-16] (fig 2).
Coody does not teach the lower end of the shaft of the vertical screw comprises a rotating ring, said rotating ring being perpendicularly fixed on the shaft and being equipped with at least three straight paddles, positioned perpendicularly to the horizontal plan of the ring. None of the other cited prior art references make up for the shortfalls of Nichols, Mitchell, Stegemoeller, and Coody, whether taken alone or in some combination. Indeed, the independent claim presents a combination of features that were neither anticipated by or obvious in view of the prior art available before the effective filing date of the claimed invention. Consequently, the claims are deemed to be allowable over the prior art.
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to JUEVARA SAOOD ISSA whose telephone number is (571)482-9980. The examiner can normally be reached Monday-Thursday 9:00am-5pm and every other Friday 9:00am-5pm.
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If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Christopher Templeton can be reached at (571) 270-1477. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/J.S.I./Examiner, Art Unit 3725 /Christopher L Templeton/Supervisory Patent Examiner, Art Unit 3725
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