Appeal No. 2003-0659
Application 09/463,540
simultaneously reducing the concentrations of soot and oxides of
nitrogen in internal combustion engine exhaust (col. 5, lines 29-
32 and 45-48). The thermal oxidizer (10a) includes a reductant
delivery system (148) for injecting a reductant stream (7) into a
process stream (9) which contains exhaust gas (col. 8, lines 12-
17; col. 11, lines 4-6). The reductant preferably is injected
upstream of a matrix (14a), which is a bed of solid, heat
resistant media, to enable the reductant to be heated by the
matrix and to enhance mixing (col. 8, lines 25-26; col. 11,
lines 6-8). The reductant also can be injected directly into the
matrix, or can be combined with an air stream (4), fuel
stream (5) or hot gas stream (6), each of which is a component of
the process stream (col. 11, lines 9-14; figure 1).
The examiner argues that Martin discloses “periodically
injecting reducing gases in bursts into the narrow chamber (88)”
(answer page 6). Martin calls chamber 88 a fuel vaporization
chamber and discloses spraying supplemental fuel into that
chamber (col. 10, lines 38-53). Even if the supplemental fuel
can be considered a reducing gas,1 Martin does not disclose
1 Martin’s supplemental fuel stream (5) and reductant
stream (7) are different streams (col. 10, lines 42-43; col. 11,
lines 5-6).
7
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