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 .
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.
Status of Claims
Claims 1-7 are currently under examination. Claim 1 is amended.
Continued Examination Under 37 CFR 1.114
A request for continued examination under 37 CFR 1.114, including the fee set forth in 37 CFR 1.17(e), was filed in this application after final rejection. Since this application is eligible for continued examination under 37 CFR 1.114, and the fee set forth in 37 CFR 1.17(e) has been timely paid, the finality of the previous Office action has been withdrawn pursuant to 37 CFR 1.114. Applicant's submission filed on 03/30/2026 has been entered.
Previous Grounds of Rejection
In the light of the amendments, the rejection under 35 U.S.C. 112(b) or 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), second paragraph, as the terms of “catalyst” and “thereby”, with respect to claims 1-7 is amended as set forth below.
New grounds of objection and rejections are set forth below.
Amended & New Grounds of Objection/Rejections
Claim Objections
Claim 1 is objected to because of the following informalities:
Claim 1 is objected to because of the following informalities: There are multiple grammatical errors. However, the examiner is not addressing these grammar errors with possible correction because the examiner does not want to possibly change the interpretation of the claims.
Regarding claim 1, the parentheses around the words should be removed.
Appropriate correction is required.
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 1-7 are rejected 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.
The phrase of “ a catalyst” recited in line 8 and line 13, and “without additional catalyst” in line 21 of claim 1, and “the catalyst” recited in claim 7 are vague. Are these catalysts the same or different? Clarification and appropriated corrections are required.
Claim 1 recites the limitation "the same catalyst". There is insufficient antecedent basis for this limitation in the claim. Clarification and appropriated corrections are required.
Claim 1 recites the limitation "the same carbonization". There is insufficient antecedent basis for this limitation in the claim. Clarification and appropriated corrections are required.
The limitations of “selective carbonization”, “pre-carbonization”, “post-carbonization” recited in claim 1 are unclear and confused. What are the difference between these processes? Clarification and appropriated corrections are required.
The limitation of “polymers exhibit significant differences in a catalyst the smart porous support concentration…” recited in claim 1 is unclear and confused. There is no step for introducing polymers. Clarification and appropriated corrections are required.
The limitations of “the temperature field sensing function is achieved by combining the thermoelectric phase and the conductive phase to form thermocouples utilizing, which utilize the Seebeck effect to realize point-temperature detection;” recited in claim 1 are unclear and confused.
The limitations of “the conductive phase, to form thermocouples utilizing Seebeck effect” recited claim 1 are unclear and confused. Clarification and appropriated corrections are required.
Are the thermocouples are formed by the Seebeck effect or the resulting thermocouples having the Seebeck effect Electrical property? Clarification and appropriated corrections are required.
The limitations of “enabling three-dimensional temperature field detection of the reaction zone via the Seebeck effect
All other claims depend directly or indirectly from the rejected claims and are, therefore, also rejected under 35 USC § 112(b) for the reasons set forth above.
Response to Arguments
With regards to the previous Grounds of Rejection
Applicant's arguments with respect to claims 1-7 filed on 12/30/2025 have been considered but are moot in view of the amended and new grounds of objections and rejections.
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to YUN QIAN whose telephone number is (571)270-5834. The examiner can normally be reached Monday-Thursday 10:00am-4:00pm.
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YUN . QIAN
Examiner
Art Unit 1732
/YUN QIAN/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 1738
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