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 .
Information Disclosure Statement
The information disclosure statement (IDS) submitted on 03/20/2025 has been considered by the Examiner.
Status of Claims
Claims 1-9, filed on 12/13/2024, are under consideration.
Claim interpretation
The recited “crude byproducts SOB and POB” is interpreted as the crude byproducts obtained from slaughterhouses wastes animal oil biodiesel and poultry wastes oil biodiesel which are here named as SOB and POB, respectively ([0002] of Specification). The instant invention handles these low-value crude byproducts SOB and POB having various hydrocarbon contents i.e. huge amount of unconverted-TG,-FFA,-methanol along with glycerol derived from slaughterhouses and poultry animal wastes fat oils biodiesel as novel bio-feedstocks for the production of C5+ hydrocarbons especially bio-aromatics.
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 1-9 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 1 is indefinite because it recites “SBZ” catalyst which is an unknown type! This nomenclature seems to refer to combination of mesoporous creator SBA-15 and microporous zeolite ZSM-5 (see pending claim 8 and [0025] of Specification). For purpose of examination, SBZ is assumed to include SBA-15 and ZSM-5.
Claim 1 is also indefinite because it recites “the reactor” in step b) which lack antecedent basis; this recitation should refer to the “reactor system” as defined in step a) or define “a reactor” in the reactor system. Furthermore, the claim recites “the reaction temperature” and “the pressure” without setting proper antecedent basis. Finally, SOB and POB are recited in parenthesis (step b) which raises question about including or not including these limitations in the claim construction.
Claims 2-9 are also rejected under 35 USC §112 because they depend from claim 1.
Claim 2 is indefinite because it recites “i.e.” which is considered optional language that raises lack of clarity about which limitation to include or not include in the claim construction. This claim also recites “the reactor” which lack antecedent basis.
Claim 5 is indefinite because it recite “100% conversions of both SOB and POB byproducts towards various useful products namely aromatics and H2-rich C3-C4 gases is achieved” which is indefinite because 1) SOB and POB were not recited to both be included in the feeding, “useful products” seems open ended and not definite, and “namely” raises question about the inclusion or exclusion of these compounds.
Claims 6 and 7 recite yield in “C%” which is not clear if this amount only addresses carbon conversion or overall conversion of the SOB or POB.
Claim 8 is indefinite because it recites limitation in parenthesis which raises question about including or excluding these limitations; also, the recitation “C5+ hydrocarbons/aromtics” is indefinite because it is not clear if one or both of these compounds are being claimed.
Reasons for Allowance
The following is an examiner’s statement of reasons for allowance: no prior art was located to teach or suggest the conversion of biodiesel byproduct SOB and/or POB to aromatics by reaction with Zn/SBZ as claimed.
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 ALI Z FADHEL whose telephone number is (571)270-0267. The examiner can normally be reached M-F 9am-6pm PST.
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, In Suk Bullock can be reached at 571-272-5954. 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.
/ALI Z FADHEL/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 1772
