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 .
DETAILED ACTION
This Office action is based on the 18/957385 application originally filed November 22, 2024 and is a Continuation of U.S. Application Number 17/633337 now U.S. Patent Number 12,180,427.
Amended claims 28-37, filed November 22, 2024, are pending and have been fully considered. Claims 1-27 and 28 have been canceled.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 102
In the event the determination of the status of the application as subject to AIA 35 U.S.C. 102 and 103 (or as subject to pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 102 and 103) is incorrect, any correction of the statutory basis (i.e., changing from AIA to pre-AIA ) for the rejection will not be considered a new ground of rejection if the prior art relied upon, and the rationale supporting the rejection, would be the same under either status.
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.
The text of those sections of Title 35, U.S. Code not included in this action can be found in a prior Office action.
Claim(s) 28-31 and 33-35 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Mitchell (US 4,389,300).
Regarding Claims 28-30
Mitchell discloses in column 1 lines 5-7, a process for solvent extraction of solvent-extractable materials from a mixture including subdivided solids.
Mitchell discloses in column 10 lines 8-21, solvents which are insoluble (or immiscible) or only slightly soluble (or only slightly miscible) in water are preferred. Preferably, vaporizable primary solvents used in the process have normal boiling points or normal end boiling points below the normal boiling point of water. A preferred primary solvent is a hydrocarbon fraction having a normal boiling range of 40° C. to 90° C. Hexane and cyclohexane are very suitable as to boiling point. In one preferred embodiment, the normal boiling point or normal end boiling point of the vaporizable primary solvent is at least 15° C. below the normal boiling point of water. Preferably the primary solvent employed in extracting bituminous sand has a specific gravity of less than 1.0.
Regarding Claims 31 and 33
Mitchell discloses in column 9 lines 13-42, representative of generally suitable solvents for use as either a primary solvent or a secondary solvent (the primary solvent also being selected to be vaporizable at the operating conditions employed), are: hydrocarbons, including, for example, C4 -C10 or higher aliphatics such as pentanes, hexanes, heptanes, octanes, olefins and cycloolefins such as methylcyclopentene, naphthenes such as cyclopentane, cyclohexane alkylcyclohexanes, as well as C6 -C10 or higher aromatics such as benzene, toluene, xylenes, ethylbenzene, C4 -600° C boiling petroleum fractions such as naphthas, gasoline fractions, etc., especially vaporizable fractions such as 40°-90° C fractions, C4 -600° C and preferably C4 -320° C synthetic hydrocarbon fractions such as may be derived from coking, cracking, fractionation, pyrolysis, gasification, liquefaction or extraction of tar sand, coal, oil shale and the like, especially vaporizable fractions such as synthetic 40°-90° C fractions, halogen-substituted hydrocarbons such as carbon tetrachloride, chloroform, trichlorofluoromethane, ethyl chloride, ethylene dichloride, methylene chloride, perchloroethylene, trichloroethylene; alcohols such as methanol, ethanol, isopropanol, butanol, pentanol, hexanol, etc., phenol, alkylphenols; esters such as methyl acetate, ethyl acetate isopropyl acetate, butyl acetate, vinyl acetate; ketones such as acetone, methyl ethyl ketone, ethers such as tetrahydrofuran; carbon disulfide; dimethylformamide; polyols, glycol ethers, etc.
The claimed invention is anticipated by the reference because the reference teaches a composition which comprises all of the claimed components. In the alternative, no patentable distinction is seen to exist between the reference and the claimed invention absent evidence to the contrary.
Regarding Claims 34 and 35
Mitchell discloses in column 10 lines 3-7, emulsion-breaking components may also be used in the system, as by combining them with one or both of the solvents in an effective amount. Examples of suitable de-emulsifiers polyethoxyalkylene, diethyl ethanolamine, polyols, and polyoxypropylene glycols.
Claim(s) 28 and 32 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Al-Sayed et al. (US 2020/0291311) hereinafter “Sayed”.
Regarding Claims 28 and 32
Sayed discloses in paragraph 0002, processes and systems for producing petrochemicals, such as olefins and aromatics, from crude oil and low value heavy hydrocarbon streams.
Sayed discloses in paragraph 0028, hydrocarbon mixtures disclosed herein may include various hydrocarbon mixtures having a boiling point range, where the end boiling point of the mixture may be greater than 500° C.. The amount of high boiling hydrocarbons, such as hydrocarbons boiling over 550° C, may be as little as 0.1 wt %, 1 wt % or 2 wt %, but can be as high as 10 wt %, 25 wt %, 50 wt % or greater. The description is explained with respect to crude oil, such as whole crude oil, but any high boiling end point hydrocarbon mixture can be used. However, processes disclosed herein can be applied to crudes, condensates and hydrocarbon with a wide boiling curve and end points higher than 500° C. Such hydrocarbon mixtures may include whole crudes, virgin crudes, hydroprocessed crudes, gas oils, vacuum gas oils, heating oils, jet fuels, diesels, kerosenes, gasolines, synthetic naphthas, raffinate reformates, Fischer-Tropsch liquids, Fischer-Tropsch gases, natural gasolines, distillates, virgin naphthas, natural gas condensates, atmospheric pipestill bottoms, vacuum pipestill streams including bottoms, wide boiling range naphtha to gas oil condensates, heavy non-virgin hydrocarbon streams from refineries, vacuum gas oils, heavy gas oils, atmospheric residuum, hydrocracker wax, and Fischer-Tropsch wax, among others. In some embodiments, the hydrocarbon mixture may include hydrocarbons boiling from the naphtha range or lighter to the vacuum gas oil range or heavier.
Sayed discloses in paragraph 0091, the heavy cut may have an API gravity of less than 40°, such as less than 35°, less than 25°, less than 20°, less than 15°, or less than 10°. The API gravity is of less than 10° is equal to the specific gravity is less than 1.
Sayed discloses in paragraph 0094, the heavy cut, including hydrocarbons having a boiling point greater than about 300° C, may have an API gravity of less than about 40°. When the heavy cut includes hydrocarbons having a boiling point above about 350° C, the heavy cut may have an API gravity of less than about 20°. When the heavy cut includes hydrocarbons having a boiling point above about 400° C, the heavy cut may have an API gravity of less than about 10°. In embodiments where the heavy cut includes hydrocarbons having a boiling point above about 490° C, the heavy cut may have an API gravity of less than 7°, for example. The heavy cut hydrocarbons include kerosene.
The claimed invention is anticipated by the reference because the reference teaches a composition which comprises all of the claimed components. In the alternative, no patentable distinction is seen to exist between the reference and the claimed invention absent evidence to the contrary.
Claim(s) 28 and 36-37 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Kremer et al. (US 2014/0166537) hereinafter “Kremer”.
Regarding Claims 28 and 36-37
Kremer discloses in the abstract, a demulsifying agent may be added to a hydrocarbon stream in an effective amount where the hydrocarbon stream includes a plurality of solids.
Kremer discloses 0014, the hydrocarbon stream may be part of an oil-in-water emulsion and/or a water-in-oil emulsion (hereinafter referred to as ‘the emulsion’), and the demulsifying agent may be added to either the oil phase, the water phase, or both of the emulsion. The amount of water within the emulsion may be greater than 50 vol %, or range from about 2 vol % independently to about 95 vol %, alternatively from about 0.01 vol % independently to about 20 vol %. The hydrocarbon stream may be or include, but is not limited to crude oil, asphalt, bitumen, shale condensates, decant oil (also known as treated slop oil), and combinations thereof. The types of crude oil may be or include heavy Canadian crudes, bitumen, shale oils, heavy Californian crudes, South American crudes, Russian crudes, topped crudes, West Texas intermediate crude (WTI), and combinations thereof. For example, specific crudes may include crudes produced by Steam Assisted Gravity Drainage (SAGD) or PFT, Dillbit (diluted bitumen also known as Synbit), and conventional crudes. ‘Heavy’ as used in the context of crudes is a crude that has an API gravity less than about 30; API gravity is a measure of how heavy or light a petroleum liquid is when compared to water. The API gravity is of less than 30° is equal to the specific gravity is less than 1.
Kremer discloses in paragraph 0017, at least one maleic acid derivative may be used as the demulsifying agent; in one non-limiting embodiment, two or more maleic acid derivatives may be used as the demulsifying agent (known in the art as emulsion breaker). The maleic acid derivative may be a sulfosuccinate having a C6-C18 sulfosuccinate, and the maleic acid derivative may be a sodium salt, an amine salt, a potassium salt, an ammonium salt, and combinations thereof. Maleic acid derivatives include, but are not necessarily limited to, di-lauryl succinate, dioctyl succinate, di-hexyl succinate, octyl pheno succinate, dodecyl diphenyl succinate, ditridecyl succinate, dioctyl sulfosuccinate, disodium laureth sulfosuccinate, diammonium 1-icosyl 2 sulfosuccinate, ammonium 1,4 didecyl sulfosuccinate, dihexyl sodium sulfosuccinate, sodium dinonyl sulfosuccinate, sodium lauryl sulfoacetate, salts thereof, and combinations thereof. In one non-limiting embodiment, the succinate may be a sulfosuccinate. The maleic acid derivative may be used in conjunction with an alkali salt, such as sodium, in one non-limiting embodiment.
Kremer discloses in paragraph 0026, the amount of the demulsifying agent may range from about 0.1 ppm independently to about 200 ppm, in another non-limiting embodiment.
The claimed invention is anticipated by the reference because the reference teaches a composition which comprises all of the claimed components. In the alternative, no patentable distinction is seen to exist between the reference and the claimed invention absent evidence to the contrary.
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure.
Cooks et al. (US 9,733,228) discloses in the abstract, methods of analyzing crude oil. In certain embodiments, methods of the invention involve obtaining a crude oil sample, and subjecting the crude oil sample to mass spectrometry analysis. In certain embodiments, the method is performed without any sample pre-purification steps.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to LATOSHA D HINES whose telephone number is (571)270-5551. The examiner can normally be reached Monday thru Friday 9:00 AM - 6:00 PM.
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If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Prem Singh can be reached at 571-272-6381. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/Latosha Hines/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 1771
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