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 1-2, 5-16 and 20 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 claims 1-2, 5-16 and 20, each independent claim 1, 6 and 9 recites in “said heating furnace” paragraph “the bottom” and “the middle part”; there is insufficient antecedent basis for these limitations in the claims; applicant would need to recite “the bottom portion” and “the middle portion”, respectively, for clear antecedent basis.
Regarding claims 1-2, 5, 7, 15-16 and 20, in claim 1, last paragraph, recitation “the combustion apparatus” (recited twice) disagrees with “a combustion device” (earlier recited), applicant must amend these recitations to recite “the combustion device” (twice), to overcome this rejection.
Regarding claims 6 and 8, in claim 6, last paragraph, “said intermediate section” has insufficient antecedent basis in the claim.
Regarding claim 7, “the discharge unit” has insufficient antecedent basis; reciting “the discharge section” would provide antecedent basis.
Regarding claim 8, “the discharge unit” has insufficient antecedent basis; reciting “the discharge section” would provide antecedent basis.
Regarding claim 8, “the discharge port” has insufficient antecedent basis; claim 8 would need to depend upon claim 7 to provide antecedent basis for this recitation.
Regarding claims 9-14, in claim 9, last paragraph “the discharge unit” has insufficient antecedent basis; reciting “the discharge section” would provide antecedent basis.
Regarding claim 13, “said introduction pipe” has insufficient antecedent basis; it appears this would need to recite “said inlet pipe” for antecedent basis.
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 1-2, 5-16 and 20 would be allowable if rewritten or amended to overcome the rejection(s) under 35 U.S.C. 112(b) or 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), 2nd paragraph, set forth in this Office action.
The following is a statement of reasons for the indication of allowable subject matter:
Considering claim 1 and its dependents, the prior art does not teach or fairly suggest an oil-liquefaction apparatus which comprises: a pyrolysis furnace for pyrolyzing a synthetic resin-containing material that is input, and a condenser for condensing a pyrolysis gas generated in the pyrolysis furnace, said pyrolysis furnace including at least a pyrolysis cauldron for holding the material to be treated, a heating furnace for heating the pyrolysis cauldron from the outside, a stirring device for stirring the material within the pyrolysis cauldron, and a discharge section for discharging pyrolysis gas generated in the pyrolysis cauldron to the condenser, said pyrolysis cauldron has a bottom portion having a bottom surface formed by a body of revolution of a line segment whose center is convex downward, a substantially cylindrical middle portion having an inner annular surface continuous with the bottom surface, and a lid portion covering an upper portion of the middle portion, said heating furnace heats the bottom and at least a lower portion of the middle part of the pyrolysis cauldron, said stirring device has a shaft portion that rotates at the center of the pyrolysis cauldron and a blade portion attached to the shaft portion, and the blade portion being brought into sliding contact with the bottom surface and the annular surface by the rotation of the shaft portion, and said heating furnace has a combustion device and an off gas piping for directing the off gas passing through the condenser to the combustion device as a combustion fuel, and which further comprises: an air supplier which supplies combustion air to the combustion apparatus, the air piping of the air supplier being connected to the combustion apparatus through a venturi, and the off-gas piping being further connected to the venturi to supply the off-gas to the combustion apparatus by suction.
Considering claim 6 and its dependents, the prior art does not teach or fairly suggest an oil-liquefaction apparatus which comprises: a pyrolysis furnace for pyrolyzing a synthetic resin-containing material that is input, and a condenser for condensing a pyrolysis gas generated in the pyrolysis furnace, said pyrolysis furnace including at least a pyrolysis cauldron for holding the material to be treated, a heating furnace for heating the pyrolysis cauldron from the outside, a stirring device for stirring the material within the pyrolysis cauldron, and a discharge section for discharging pyrolysis gas generated in the pyrolysis cauldron to the condenser, said pyrolysis cauldron has a bottom portion having a bottom surface formed by a body of revolution of a line segment whose center is convex downward, a substantially cylindrical middle portion having an inner annular surface continuous with the bottom surface, and a lid portion covering an upper portion of the middle portion, said heating furnace heats the bottom and at least a lower portion of the middle part of the pyrolysis cauldron, said stirring device has a shaft portion that rotates at the center of the pyrolysis cauldron and a blade portion attached to the shaft portion, and the blade portion being brought into sliding contact with the bottom surface and the annular surface by the rotation of the shaft portion, and in which a drive unit of said stirring device is provided in the lid of the pyrolysis vessel, and the lid is capable of being opened and closed with respect to the intermediate section, said shaft portion is divided into a lower shaft part to which the blade is attached and an upper shaft part that can be inserted and fitted into the lower shaft part and is connected to the drive unit, and said intermediate section has a shaft holding section that rotatably holds the lower shaft part.
Considering claim 9 and its dependents, the prior art does not teach or fairly suggest an oil-liquefaction apparatus which comprises: a pyrolysis furnace for pyrolyzing a synthetic resin-containing material that is input, and a condenser for condensing a pyrolysis gas generated in the pyrolysis furnace, said pyrolysis furnace including at least a pyrolysis cauldron for holding the material to be treated, a heating furnace for heating the pyrolysis cauldron from the outside, a stirring device for stirring the material within the pyrolysis cauldron, and a discharge section for discharging pyrolysis gas generated in the pyrolysis cauldron to the condenser, said pyrolysis cauldron has a bottom portion having a bottom surface formed by a body of revolution of a line segment whose center is convex downward, a substantially cylindrical middle portion having an inner annular surface continuous with the bottom surface, and a lid portion covering an upper portion of the middle portion, said heating furnace heats the bottom and at least a lower portion of the middle part of the pyrolysis cauldron, said stirring device has a shaft portion that rotates at the center of the pyrolysis cauldron and a blade portion attached to the shaft portion, and the blade portion being brought into sliding contact with the bottom surface and the annular surface by the rotation of the shaft portion, and in which a water trap is interposed in the middle of the discharge unit, and the water trap has an inlet pipe for introducing the pyrolysis gas, an outlet pipe for leading the pyrolysis gas that has passed through the water trap to the condenser, and a water contact section for bringing water into contact with the pyrolysis gas.
Yamaguchi (US 5,316,734) is regarded as the closest relevant prior art, Yamaguchi teaches a synthetic oil liquefaction apparatus for converting synthetic resins into oil via thermal decomposition (title, abstract), the system comprising pyrolysis furnace 1, with feeding means 20, and condenser 5, in pyrolysis furnace 1 is cauldron 2, having stirring means 3, including shaft 9, blades 10 and driving motor 11, and heating furnace 4 for heating vessel 2, the vessel 2 is comprised of main body 2A and lid plate 2B, gas pipe 8 is connected with lid plate 2B connected with condenser 5 (FIG 1, C3:L40-C4:L42), however Yamaguchi does not teach or fairly suggest 1) the system further comprises: an air supplier which supplies combustion air to the combustion apparatus, the air piping of the air supplier being connected to the combustion apparatus through a venturi, and the off-gas piping being further connected to the venturi to supply the off-gas to the combustion apparatus by suction; 2) said shaft portion is divided into a lower shaft part to which the blade is attached and an upper shaft part that can be inserted and fitted into the lower shaft part and is connected to the drive unit, and said intermediate section has a shaft holding section that rotatably holds the lower shaft part; or 3) a water trap is interposed in the middle of the discharge unit, and the water trap has an inlet pipe for introducing the pyrolysis gas, an outlet pipe for leading the pyrolysis gas that has passed through the water trap to the condenser, and a water contact section for bringing water into contact with the pyrolysis gas.
Pertinent Art
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure. Nagai (US 5,584,969) teaches plastic thermal decomposition system. Yoshimura (US 2007/0187224) teaches oil pyrolysis conversion system. Yoshimura (US 2024/0360365) teaches waste plastic oil conversion system. Reimers (US 12,291,676) teaches waste plastic conversion system.
Conclusion
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/JONATHAN MILLER/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 1772
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