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 . Claims 1-10 are pending in this application.
Response to Amendment
The amendment filed on 20 August 2025 has been entered. Claim(s) 1-10 remain pending in this application.
Drawings
Figures 2-18 are objected under 35 CFR 1.83 because the numerals associated with the boxes (or circles) are not indicative as to what said symbol represents. Applicant is required to label in words the function of said rectangles, such that a reader would be appraised of their function without having to read the entire specification in order to figure it out. For example, according to the specification, element 10 is a steam generator, therefore it is suggested that applicant labels box 10 “Steam Generator”. Examples of clearly labeled block diagrams may be found in the following U.S. Pre-grant Publications: 2016/0076461, 2015/0330869, 2015/0251766, 2015/0128597.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 103
The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 103 which forms the basis for all obviousness rejections set forth in this Office action:
A patent for a claimed invention may not be obtained, notwithstanding that the claimed invention is not identically disclosed as set forth in section 102, if the differences between the claimed invention and the prior art are such that the claimed invention as a whole would have been obvious before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to a person having ordinary skill in the art to which the claimed invention pertains. Patentability shall not be negated by the manner in which the invention was made.
Claim(s) 1-3, 8-9 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Bannister (U.S. Patent No. 5,953,900), hereinafter Bannister, in view of Pronske (U.S. Pre-grant Publication 2011/0126549), hereinafter Pronske.
Regarding Independent Claim 1, Bannister discloses a steam turbine power generation facility using oxygen-hydrogen combustion (Figure 1), comprising:
a steam generator, 2, that generates steam by combustion of oxygen and hydrogen (Figure 1 - Column 2, Lines 39-47 – the combustor, 2, generates steam by the combustion of hydrogen and oxygen and thus is a steam generator);
a first steam turbine, 12, into which steam, 50, is introduced from the steam generator (the steam, 50, is directed to the turbine, 12);
a first combustor, 4, into which steam, 48, discharged from the first steam turbine is introduced (steam, 48, is discharged from the first steam turbine into the first combustor, 4) and that combusts oxygen, 9, and hydrogen, 7, to reheat the introduced steam (Column 3, Lines 4-13 – the first combustor reheats the steam from the first turbine by combusting oxygen and hydrogen);
a second steam turbine, 14 and 20, into which steam, 52, from the first combustor is introduced (the steam, 52, from the first combustor, 4, is introduced to the second turbine, 14 and 20); and
a condenser, 22, that condenses steam, 62, discharged from the second steam turbine (Column 3, Lines 32-35 – the steam from the second steam turbine is condensed in the condenser).
Bannister does not disclose the steam generator generates steam from supplied feedwater by supplying the supplied feedwater into steam produced by the combustion of oxygen and hydrogen, the condenser producing feedwater for supply to the steam generator.
However, Pronske steam turbine power generation facility using oxygen-hydrogen combustion (Figure 5) with a steam generator, 50, that generates steam from supplied feedwater by supplying the supplied feedwater into steam produced by the combustion of oxygen and hydrogen (Paragraphs 0019 and 0056 – feed water from the condenser, 100, is provided back to the gas generator where it is introduced into the steam of gas generator that is produced through the combustion of oxygen and hydrogen, the result would be steam generated by the feedwater introduced into the steam already present due to combustion), the condenser producing feedwater for supply to the steam generator (the condenser produces feedwater that is provided to the steam generator).
Therefore it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have modified the invention of Bannister to include a conduit to provide feedwater to the gas generator such that the steam generator generates steam from supplied feedwater by supplying the supplied feedwater into steam produced by the combustion of oxygen and hydrogen, the condenser producing feedwater for supply to the steam generator, as taught by Pronske, in order to provide temperature control to maintain the temperature of the steam generator below the maximum temperature thresholds (Pronske – Paragraphs 0017-0018).
Regarding Claim 2, Bannister in view of Pronske disclose the invention as claimed and discussed above. Bannister further discloses a portion of the steam, 42, discharged from the first steam turbine is introduced into the second steam turbine as a cooling medium (Column 4, Lines 7-14 – the steam from the first turbine, 12, is used to cool the second steam turbine, 14 and 20).
Regarding Claim 3, Bannister in view of Pronske disclose the invention as claimed and discussed above. Bannister further discloses an exhaust pipe, 62, that leads steam from the second steam turbine to the condenser (the exhaust pipe, 62, leads steam from the second turbine, 20, to the condenser, 22).
Bannister in view of Pronske, as discussed so far, do not disclose an exhaust pipe heat exchange part provided in the exhaust pipe and the exhaust pipe heat exchange part heating feedwater to be supplied from the condenser to the steam generator by the steam discharged from the second steam turbine, and the exhaust pipe heat exchange part discharging feedwater heated by the steam discharged from the second steam turbine.
However, Pronske teaches an exhaust pipe heat exchange part, 120 and 320, provided in an exhaust pipe (Figure 5 – the heat exchange part, 120 and 320, is placed in an exhaust heat pipe, 70, from the steam turbine, 60, to the condenser, 100) and the exhaust pipe heat exchange part heating feedwater to be supplied from the condenser to the steam generator by the steam discharged from the steam turbine (Paragraph 0065 – the feedwater provided to the gas generator is preheated in the heat exchange part, 120, by the steam provided from the exhaust pipe, 70, between the turbine and condenser, via the conduit, 320, of the heat exchange part), and the exhaust pipe heat exchange part discharging feedwater heated by the steam discharged from the steam turbine (Paragraph 0065 – the heated feedwater is discharged from the heat exchange part to the gas generator).
Therefore it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have further modified the invention of Bannister in view of Pronske by including an exhaust pipe heat exchange part provided in the exhaust pipe and the exhaust pipe heat exchange part heating feedwater to be supplied from the condenser to the steam generator by the steam discharged from the second steam turbine, and the exhaust pipe heat exchange part discharging feedwater heated by the steam discharged from the second steam turbine, as taught by Pronske, for the same reasons as discussed above for Claim 1.
Regarding Independent Claim 8, Bannister discloses a steam turbine power generation facility using oxygen-hydrogen combustion (Figure 1), comprising:
a steam generator, 2, that generates steam by combustion of oxygen and hydrogen (Figure 1 - Column 2, Lines 39-47 – the combustor, 2, generates steam by the combustion of hydrogen and oxygen and thus is a steam generator);
a first combustor, 4, into which steam, 48, is introduced from the steam generator (Steam that originates from the generator, 2, is provided to the first combustor, 4) and that combusts oxygen, 9, and hydrogen, 7, to heat the introduced steam (Column 3, Lines 4-13 – the first combustor reheats the steam from the gas generator by combusting oxygen and hydrogen);
a first steam turbine, 14, into which steam, 52, from the first combustor is introduced (the steam, 52, is directed to the turbine, 14);
a second steam turbine, 20, into which steam, 54 and 60, from the first steam turbine is introduced (the steam, 54 and 60, from the first steam turbine, 14, is introduced to the second turbine, 20);
a condenser, 22, that condenses steam, 62, discharged from the second steam turbine (Column 3, Lines 32-35 – the steam from the second steam turbine is condensed in the condenser).
Bannister does not disclose the steam generator generates steam from supplied feedwater by supplying the supplied feedwater into steam produced by the combustion of oxygen and hydrogen, the condenser producing feedwater for supply to the steam generator.
However, Pronske steam turbine power generation facility using oxygen-hydrogen combustion (Figure 5) with a steam generator, 50, that generates steam from supplied feedwater by supplying the supplied feedwater into steam produced by the combustion of oxygen and hydrogen (Paragraphs 0019 and 0056 – feed water from the condenser, 100, is provided back to the gas generator where it is introduced into the steam of gas generator that is produced through the combustion of oxygen and hydrogen, the result would be steam generated by the feedwater introduced into the steam already present due to combustion), the condenser producing feedwater for supply to the steam generator (the condenser produces feedwater that is provided to the steam generator).
Therefore it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have modified the invention of Bannister to include a conduit to provide feedwater to the gas generator such that the steam generator generates steam from supplied feedwater by supplying the supplied feedwater into steam produced by the combustion of oxygen and hydrogen, the condenser producing feedwater for supply to the steam generator, as taught by Pronske, in order to provide temperature control to maintain the temperature of the steam generator below the maximum temperature thresholds (Pronske – Paragraphs 0017-0018).
Regarding Claim 9, Bannister in view of Pronske disclose the invention as claimed and discussed above. Bannister further discloses a portion of the steam, 42 and 56, discharged from the steam generator is introduced into the first steam turbine as a cooling medium (Column 4, Lines 7-14– a portion of the steam from the generator, 56, is provided to the first turbine for cooling).
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 4-7 and 10 are objected to as being dependent upon a rejected base claim, but would be allowable if rewritten in independent form including all of the limitations of the base claim and any intervening claims.
Response to Arguments
Applicant’s arguments have been considered but are moot in view of the new grounds of rejection set forth herein.
Conclusion
Applicant's amendment necessitated the new ground(s) of rejection presented in this Office action. Accordingly, THIS ACTION IS MADE FINAL. See MPEP § 706.07(a). Applicant is reminded of the extension of time policy as set forth in 37 CFR 1.136(a).
A shortened statutory period for reply to this final action is set to expire THREE MONTHS from the mailing date of this action. In the event a first reply is filed within TWO MONTHS of the mailing date of this final action and the advisory action is not mailed until after the end of the THREE-MONTH shortened statutory period, then the shortened statutory period will expire on the date the advisory action is mailed, and any nonprovisional extension fee (37 CFR 1.17(a)) pursuant to 37 CFR 1.136(a) will be calculated from the mailing date of the advisory action. In no event, however, will the statutory period for reply expire later than SIX MONTHS from the mailing date of this final action.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to KYLE ROBERT THOMAS whose telephone number is (571)272-4813. The examiner can normally be reached Monday-Friday 8:00am-4pm EST.
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/KYLE ROBERT THOMAS/Examiner, Art Unit 3741