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 .
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and the fee set forth in 37 CFR 1.17(e) has been timely paid, the finality of the previous Office action has been withdrawn pursuant to 37 CFR 1.114.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 10/07/2025 and RCE filed 10/09/2025 have been entered.
Claims 1-4, 9-10 and 12-13 are currently being examined.
Claim Objections
Claim 1 is objected to because of the following informalities:
Claim 1: in line 5, “said chamber” should read as – said at least one combustion chamber --; in lines 6-7, “a stationary vane rings” should read as – [[a]] stationary vane rings --; and in line 20, in each of two instances, “van” should read as – [[van]] vane --. Appropriate correction is required.
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.
The factual inquiries for establishing a background for determining obviousness under 35 U.S.C. 103 are summarized as follows:
1. Determining the scope and contents of the prior art.
2. Ascertaining the differences between the prior art and the claims at issue.
3. Resolving the level of ordinary skill in the pertinent art.
4. Considering objective evidence present in the application indicating obviousness or nonobviousness.
This application currently names joint inventors. In considering patentability of the claims the examiner presumes that the subject matter of the various claims was commonly owned as of the effective filing date of the claimed invention(s) absent any evidence to the contrary. Applicant is advised of the obligation under 37 CFR 1.56 to point out the inventor and effective filing dates of each claim that was not commonly owned as of the effective filing date of the later invention in order for the examiner to consider the applicability of 35 U.S.C. 102(b)(2)(C) for any potential 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(2) prior art against the later invention.
Claim(s) 1-3 and 13 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Franchet et al. 20040070211 in view of Harvey 20190136768.
Regarding independent claim 1, Franchet teaches an aircraft turbine engine (Fig. 5; [0055]) comprising at least one combustion chamber (although not shown in Fig. 3, [0015] describes the invention is a turbomachine comprising a combustion chamber, and in particular Franchet claim 3 dependent upon Franchet claim 1 is a turbomachine comprising a combustion chamber and a high pressure shaft and a low pressure shaft which is the embodiment shown in Fig. 3 per [0029]) and a body, in particular a low-pressure body ([0023] describes a low pressure shaft having a low pressure compressor disposed upstream from the high pressure shaft, and a low pressure turbine disposed downstream from the high pressure shaft, i.e., low pressure shaft, low pressure compressor and low pressure turbine together form a low-pressure body), said body comprising, upstream of said at least one combustion chamber (as shown in annotated Fig. 3 low pressure compressor 50, 52 is upstream of high pressure compressor, and per Franchet claim 1 high pressure compressor is upstream of combustion chamber), an axial compressor, in particular low-pressure (in Fig. 3 and as described in [0050] an axial compressor comprising a fan 50 driven by a low pressure shaft 51 of axis X and a low pressure compressor 52 driven by the same low pressure shaft 51), intended to deliver air to said at least one combustion chamber (Franchet claim 3 comprises air delivered to a combustion chamber via low pressure and high pressure compressors) and, downstream of said at least one combustion chamber, a turbine receiving hot gases from said chamber (Franchet claim 3 comprises a low pressure turbine downstream of high pressure shaft connected to high pressure turbine receiving hot gas from a combustion chamber for rotating the rotor of the low pressure compressor) and intended to drive a rotor of said compressor (62 in Fig. 3 which is rotor of low pressure compressor 52 per [0053]), said compressor comprising a plurality of compression stages (as seen in Fig. 3, 50,52 has a plurality of compression stages) having a stationary vane rings secured to a casing and movable vane rings extending radially at a periphery of said rotor of the compressor (Fig. 3 shows and [0053] describes rotor 62 of the low pressure compressor 52 is connected to the wheel of the fan 50 and is constituted by a plurality of disks 63 with rings of moving blades projecting from the peripheries thereof, i.e., movable vane rings, and interposed between rings of stationary blades, i.e., stationary vane rings, secured to a front casing 64),
wherein said aircraft turbine engine further comprises, downstream of said compressor and upstream of said at least one combustion chamber, at least one electric machine (20 Fig. 3; 20 is downstream of low pressure compressor 50,52, and 20 as coupled to high pressure compressor as shown in Fig. 3 is upstream of combustion chamber since combustion chamber is downstream of high pressure compressor; [0051-0052] describe 20 as a generator/starter and [0044] describes generator 20 delivering electricity, i.e., 20 is an electric machine) which is coaxial or parallel to said body (Franchet claim 3 describes an electricity generator coaxial with high pressure body, and Fig. 3 shows the high pressure body is also coaxial with the low pressure body such that 20 is coaxial with the low pressure body), a stator of the at least one electric machine (secondary magnetic circuit 24 per [0037]) is secured to said casing (as described in [0037] secondary magnetic circuit 24 is secured to support structure 13, i.e., 24 is a stator since 24 is secured to non-rotating structure, and 13 is secured to casing 64 via intermediate casing 53 as shown in Fig. 3), and a rotor of the at least one electric machine (field magnetic circuit 22 per [0037]) drives in rotation a second movable vane ring (labeled in annotated Fig. 3; per [0037] field magnetic circuit 22 of generator/starter 20 is mounted in the inside bore 23 of the disk 10 and surrounds the secondary magnetic circuit 24; [0034] describes moving blades, i.e. movable vanes, extend radially outward of disk 10; when operated as a starter, 20 drives rotation of second movable vane ring including disk 10 and per [0057] since the secondary magnetic circuit is disposed inside the field magnetic circuit means that greater torque is obtained, i.e., driving rotation, when performing the starting function for given overall size) configured to generate a flow of air when the second movable vane ring is rotated (a flow of air is generated when second movable vane ring connected to high pressure compressor is rotated per [0033] which describes air flowing through axial compressor when the rotor of the compressor is driven, i.e., rotated),
said rotor of the at least one electric machine being furthermore guided in rotation by at least one bearing (bearing 14 Fig. 3; per [0050] bearing 14 is interposed between support structure 13 connected to intermediate casing 53 and the front end of the high pressure shaft which is connected to the rotor of the high pressure compressor which comprises second movable vane ring and disk 10 to which rotor 22 of electric machine 20 is mounted) secured to said casing (as seen in Fig. 3, 14 is secured to casing 64 via support structure 13 and intermediate casing 53) so that a speed of rotation of said rotor of the at least one electric machine is independent of the speed of rotation of the rotor of the compressor (as seen in Fig. 3, since rotor 22 of electric machine 20 is secured to the high pressure compressor rotor which is driven by the high pressure turbine via a high pressure shaft, and the rotor of the low pressure compressor is driven by the low pressure turbine on a low pressure shaft separated from the high pressure shaft by bearings and bearing support structures, the speed of rotation of rotor 22 is independent of the speed of rotation of compressor rotor 62 of low pressure compressor 52),
and wherein a first compression stage (labeled in annotated Fig. 3) of the plurality of compression stages is a fan stage (labeled in annotated Fig. 3) comprising a fan (50 Fig. 3) and a stationary vane ring (labeled in annotated Fig. 3), and the other compression stages of the plurality of compression stages are booster stages (labeled in annotated Fig. 3 in light of instant specification [0004] which describes the low-pressure compressor is also referred to as booster) each comprising a movable van ring (labeled in annotated Fig. 3) and a stationary van ring (labeled in annotated Fig. 3), the at least one electric machine being located downstream of the last of the booster stages of said compressor (20 is located downstream of last of the booster stages in annotated Fig. 3) and upstream of the at least one combustion chamber (20 is upstream of the at least one combustion chamber since the combustion chamber is downstream from the high pressure compressor), and a second stationary vane ring (labeled in annotated Fig. 3) being located downstream of and adjacent to the second movable vane ring (second stationary vane ring is downstream of and adjacent to second movable vane ring in annotated Fig. 3).
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Franchet is silent regarding the rotor of the at least one electric machine rotating in the same direction of rotation as the rotor of said compressor.
Harvey teaches a multi-shaft gas turbine engine with plural engine spools per [0002]. According to [0031], in Fig. 3 is a low pressure compressor 13 which is part of a low pressure spool with a low pressure rotor 130 of a first electric machine connected to the rear compressor disk of the rotor of the low pressure compressor 13 to rotate with the low pressure spool, and a high pressure compressor 14 which is part of a high pressure spool with a high pressure rotor 128 of a second electric machine which is connected to the front compressor disc of the rotor of the high pressure compressor 14 to rotate with the high pressure spool. The low pressure spool and the high pressure spools are co-rotating spools per [0030], i.e., rotate in the same direction of rotation, such that the high pressure rotor 128 of the second electric machine connected to the rotor of the high pressure compressor 14 rotates in the same direction of rotation as the rotor of the low pressure compressor 13. In addition, Harvey teaches the configuration of electric machines in Fig. 3 allows both contra-rotating and co-rotating spools to be used per [0014]. The two electric machines each have a respective rotor and stator, with power transfer between the spools being mediated by electrical connection between the coils of the two electric machines which allows some of the power to be tapped off to be used elsewhere in the engine and/or allows power to be fed into either or both of the spools per [0030].
The configuration in Fig. 3 of Harvey is similar to Fig. 3 of Franchet in which rotor 22 of electric machine 20 is connected to front discs connected to the rotor of the high pressure compressor and rotor 22 of electric machine 65 is connected to disk 63 of the rotor 62 of the low pressure compressor 52.
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art prior to the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have the invention of Franchet include the rotor of the at least one electric machine rotating in the same direction of rotation as the rotor of said compressor as taught by Harvey as combining prior art elements according to known methods to yield predictable results, in this case having the low pressure spool and the high pressure spool of a dual spool gas turbine engine with two electric machines be co-rotating spools which predictably allows for power to be tapped off to be used elsewhere in the engine and/or allows power to be fed into either or both of the spools.
"The combination of familiar elements according to known methods is likely to be obvious when it does no more than yield predictable results. . . . [W]hen a patent 'simply arranges old elements with each performing the same function it had been known to perform' and yields no more than one would expect from such an arrangement, the combination is obvious." KSR at 1395-66 (citing Sakraida v. AG Pro, Inc., 425 U.S. 273, 282 (1976)).
With the low pressure spool and the high pressure spool rotating in the same rotational directions, the rotor of the at least one electric machine, which is connected to the rotor of the high pressure compressor in the invention of Franchet, rotates in the same direction of rotation as the low pressure compressor as claimed.
Regarding claim 2, Franchet in view of Harvey teaches all that is claimed above and Franchet teaches said aircraft turbine engine being of the dual-body type (as discussed above in claim 1, gas turbine engine in Franchet Fig. 3 is a dual spool engine: per Franchet claim 3 dependent upon Franchet claim 1 is a turbomachine comprising a high pressure shaft and a low pressure shaft which is the embodiment shown in Fig. 3 per [0029]), and wherein a high-pressure compressor (labeled in annotated Fig. 3; [0050] describes high pressure compressor 2) of a high-pressure body (per [0050] high pressure compressor 2 is driven by a high pressure shaft and Franchet claim 3 comprises a turbine for rotating the rotor of the high pressure compressor which is claimed in claim 1, such that the high pressure compressor, high pressure shaft and high pressure turbine form a high pressure body) is located downstream of the low-pressure compressor (high pressure compressor is downstream of low pressure compressor 52 in annotated Fig. 3) and of the at least one electric machine (high pressure compressor is downstream of 20 which is connected to disks forward of and connected to the first stage of the high pressure rotor in annotated Fig. 3) and upstream of the combustion chamber (Franchet claim 3 recites low pressure compressor is upstream of high pressure compressor and high pressure compressor is upstream of combustion chamber per Franchet claim 1), said turbine engine further being double-flow ([0029] describes Fig. 3 shows a double-flow two-shaft turbomachine) with the low-pressure body and the high-pressure body located in a flow duct (labeled in annotated Fig. 3; as shown in annotated Fig. 3 low-pressure compressor of low pressure body and high-pressure compressor of high pressure body are both located in flow duct which is a core duct) of a primary flow (labeled in annotated Fig. 3 which is core flow through the engine).
Regarding claim 3, Franchet in view of Harvey teaches all that is claimed above and Franchet teaches the at least one electric machine is of the annular type (per [0050] 20 of axis X is integrated in the annular space 21 defined by the support structure 13, the rotor of the high pressure compressor 2, and a shroud 15 secured to the high pressure shaft and 20 is shown as annular in Figs. 4 and 6 since [0054] describes electric machine 65 which is shown in Fig. 6 as similar in structure to 20) and comprises a hollow shaft (Fig. 6 of Franchet shows a similar hollow shaft as instant application Fig. 3 which is described in instant application [0034]) configured to drive the second movable vane ring in rotation (20 is configured to operate as a starter per [0015] and [0057] such that the hollow shaft of 20 drives the second movable vane ring in rotation when 20 is operated as a starter).
Regarding claim 13, Franchet in view of Harvey teaches all that is claimed above and Franchet teaches the at least one bearing is integrated to the at least one electric machine (where integrated is interpreted per Merriam-Webster online dictionary definition of integrate to form, coordinate, or blend into a functioning or unified whole: as shown in Fig. 3, 14 is integrated to 20 via 13 to form a functioning whole).
Claim(s) 4 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Franchet et al. 20040070211 in view of Harvey 20190136768 as applied to claim 1 above and further in view of Munevar 20170260872.
Regarding claim 4, Franchet in view of Harvey teaches all that is claimed above but is silent regarding a plurality of electric machines configured to rotate, by means of gears, the second movable vane ring.
Munevar teaches an aircraft (Fig. 1) with a gas turbine (Fig. 2). Munevar teaches a plurality of electric machines (per [0048] electrical motor generators, i.e., electric machines, in addition to electrical generator 30 may be coupled to HP shaft 40), configured to rotate, by means of gears (per [0047] one or more gears within gearbox 28 rotate due to HP shaft 40, which causes a motor rotor of electrical generator 30 to rotate and cause electrical generator 30 to generate electrical power and per [0050] rather than having electrical generator 30, an HP motor generator may generate power in response to rotation of HP shaft 40 and function like electrical generator 30 and in addition the HP motor generator, in another mode of operation, may provide torque to HP shaft 40, i.e., cause rotation of HP shaft 40), a high pressure shaft (40 Fig. 2) coupled to a high pressure compressor (32 Fig. 2).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art prior to the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify the invention of Franchet in view of Harvey to have a plurality of electric machines configured to rotate, by means of gears, the second movable vane ring as taught by Munevar as combining prior art elements according to known methods to yield predictable results, in this case one of ordinary skill in the art can have a plurality of electric machines connected to gears in a gearbox to drive the second movable vane ring which is connected to the high pressure compressor and high pressure shaft of Franchet as a means of starting the aircraft turbine engine and predictably expect success.
"The combination of familiar elements according to known methods is likely to be obvious when it does no more than yield predictable results. . . . [W]hen a patent 'simply arranges old elements with each performing the same function it had been known to perform' and yields no more than one would expect from such an arrangement, the combination is obvious." KSR at 1395-66 (citing Sakraida v. AG Pro, Inc., 425 U.S. 273, 282 (1976)).
Claim(s) 9-10 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Franchet et al. 20040070211 in view of Harvey 20190136768 as applied to claim 1 above and further in view of Husband et al. 20190264615.
Regarding claim 9, Franchet in view of Harvey teaches all that is claimed above but does not explicitly teach a method for controlling an electric machine of an aircraft turbine engine according to claim 1, said method comprising the following steps, executed by a control unit: a) receiving characteristic data of an operating point of the aircraft turbine engine at a given time; b) determining, from the received data, a target operating regime of the at least one electric machine; c) determining, from the target operating regime, a target power of the at least one electric machine; d) comparing the instantaneous power of the at least one electric machine and the determined target power and, if the difference between the instantaneous power and the target power is less than a determined threshold, returning to the step b),otherwise, e) changing the operating regime of the at least one electric machine intended to achieve the target power; and, f) determining the instantaneous power of the at least one electric machine and returning to the step d).
Husband teaches a method for controlling an electric machine (second electrical machine 18 Fig. 1) of an aircraft turbine engine (12 Fig. 1) according to claim 1, said method comprising the following steps, executed by a control unit (14 Fig. 1):
a) receiving characteristic data of an operating point of the turbine engine at a given time (per [0051] sensor arrangement 22 may include any suitable sensor or sensors for sensing one or more properties of the gas turbine engine 12 and sensor arrangement 22 may include a first sensor for sensing the angular velocity of the low pressure compressor 32 and a second sensor for sensing the angular velocity of the high pressure compressor 34 and controller 14 is configured to receive data from the sensor arrangement 22);
b) determining, from the received data, a target operating regime of the at least one electric machine (per [0053] a method of controlling at least a part of a start-up or re-light process of the gas turbine engine includes per [0056] controller 14 controlling the supply of electrical power to the first electrical machine 16 to enable the first electrical machine 16 to function as an electrical motor to increase the angular velocity of the low pressure compressor 32 and rotation of 32 increases pressure at the entrance of the high pressure compressor 34 to a pressure above ambient pressure, and per [0057] accordingly the controller controls rotation of the high pressure compressor 34 using the second electrical machine 18 to restrict the angular velocity of the high pressure compressor 34 while the angular velocity of the low pressure compressor 32 is being increased by the first electrical machine 16),
c) determining, from the target operating regime, a target power of the at least one electric machine (per [0052] load 23 comprises an electrical network that is configured to use and/or store electrical power generated by at least the second electrical machine 18 such as an electrical energy storage device, i.e., a battery or a supercapacitor, that is configured to store electrical energy generated by at least the second electrical machine 18 and load 23 may alternatively or additionally comprise one or more electronic devices that operate using the electrical power supplied from at least the second electrical machine 18; per [0057] the controller 14 connects the second electrical machine 18 to load 23 to enable the second electrical machine 18 to function as an electrical generator and thus extract energy from the high pressure compressor 34 or the controller 14 may connect the output from the second electrical machine 18 to the input of the first electrical machine 16 to enable the second electrical machine 18 to function as an electrical generator and provide electrical power to the first electrical machine 16 to drive the low pressure compressor 32),
d) comparing the instantaneous power of the at least one electric machine and the determined target power and, if the difference between the instantaneous power and the target power is less than a determined threshold, returning to the step b) (per [0057] the controller 14 may control the angular acceleration of the high pressure compressor 34 so that the angular velocity of the high pressure compressor 34 does not exceed a threshold velocity, and per [0059] the controller 14 may determine the torque and angular velocity of the low pressure compressor 32 and the high pressure compressor 34 from the control data for the first and second electrical machines 16, 18; in particular the speed of the first electrical machine 16 and the second electrical machine 18 is directly related to the electrical frequency, and the torque is related to the electrical current, and the power to the current and voltage product; the determined exit pressure is compared with a threshold exit pressure stored in the memory 58 and if exit pressure is less than the threshold exit pressure which also indicates the difference between the instantaneous power and the target power of the second electrical machine 18 is less than determined threshold, the controller returns to step of increasing the angular velocity of the low pressure compressor 32, as also shown in Fig. 2, and rotation of 32 increases pressure at the entrance of the high pressure compressor 34 to a pressure above ambient pressure, and accordingly the controller controls rotation of the high pressure compressor 34 using the second electrical machine 18 to restrict the angular velocity of the high pressure compressor 34 while the angular velocity of the low pressure compressor 32 is being increased by the first electrical machine 16),
otherwise,
e) changing the operating regime of the at least one electric machine intended to achieve the target power (per [0060] if the determined exit pressure of the low pressure compressor is equal to or greater than the threshold exit pressure, the controller controls rotation of the high pressure compressor 34 using the second electrical machine 18 to increase the angular velocity of the high pressure compressor 34); and,
f) determining the instantaneous power of the at least one electric machine and returning to the step d) (per [0062] the controller 14 may control the supply of electrical power to the second electrical machine 18 to enable the second electrical machine 18 to function as an electrical motor to increase the angular velocity of the high pressure compressor 34; and again per [0057] the controller 14 may control the angular acceleration of the high pressure compressor 34 so that the angular velocity of the high pressure compressor 34 does not exceed a threshold velocity, and per [0059] the controller 14 may determine the torque and angular velocity of the low pressure compressor 32 and the high pressure compressor 34 from the control data for the first and second electrical machines 16, 18; in particular the speed of the first electrical machine 16 and the second electrical machine 18 is directly related to the electrical frequency, and the torque is related to the electrical current, and the power to the current and voltage product).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art prior to the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify the invention of Franchet in view of Harvey to have a method for controlling an electric machine of an aircraft turbine engine according to claim 1, said method comprising the following steps, executed by a control unit: a) receiving characteristic data of an operating point of the aircraft turbine engine at a given time; b) determining, from the received data, a target operating regime of the at least one electric machine; c) determining, from the target operating regime, a target power of the at least one electric machine; d) comparing the instantaneous power of the at least one electric machine and the determined target power and, if the difference between the instantaneous power and the target power is less than a determined threshold, returning to the step b),otherwise, e) changing the operating regime of the at least one electric machine intended to achieve the target power; and, f) determining the instantaneous power of the at least one electric machine and returning to the step d) as taught by Husband to prevent ‘front end stall’ of the high pressure compressor (see [0003-0004] of Husband) especially during a start-up or re-light process while reducing bleed since per [0066] of Husband the driving of the low pressure compressor and the restriction of the high pressure compressor by the first and second electrical machines respectively may reduce the impact of induced drag in the high pressure compressor and may thus prevent the downstream stages of the high pressure compressor from choking, and the upstream stages of the high pressure compressor from stalling and surging and this may enable the use of the start bleed of the gas turbine engine to be minimized or eliminated.
Regarding claim 10, Franchet in view of Harvey and Husband teaches all that is claimed above and Franchet teaches said aircraft turbine engine being of the dual-body type (as discussed above in claim 1, gas turbine engine in Franchet Fig. 3 is a dual spool, i.e., dual-body, engine: per Franchet claim 3 dependent upon Franchet claim 1 is a turbomachine comprising a high pressure shaft and a low pressure shaft which is the embodiment shown in Fig. 3 per [0029]), and wherein a high-pressure compressor (labeled in annotated Fig. 3) of a high-pressure body (Franchet claim 1 describes a high pressure compressor, high pressure shaft and a turbine for rotating the high pressure compressor via the high pressure shaft, i.e., a high-pressure body) is located downstream of the low-pressure compressor (as shown in annotated Fig. 3, high pressure compressor is downstream of 50,52) and of the at least one electric machine (high pressure compressor is downstream of 20 in annotated Fig. 3) and upstream of the combustion chamber (in Franchet claim 1, high pressure compressor is upstream of combustion chamber), said aircraft turbine engine further being double-flow ([0029] describes aircraft turbine engine in Fig. 3 as being double-flow) with the low-pressure body and the high-pressure body located in a flow duct (labeled in annotated Fig. 3; as shown in annotated Fig. 3 low-pressure compressor of low pressure body and high-pressure compressor of high pressure body are both located in flow duct which is core duct) of a primary flow (labeled in annotated Fig. 3 which is core flow through the engine) and
Husband teaches wherein the characteristic data of an operating point of the aircraft turbine engine comprises, at least one of the following data:
- the operating regime of the low-pressure compressor of the aircraft turbine engine (torque and angular velocity measurements of the low pressure compressor 32, i.e., operating regime of 32, per [0059]);
- the operating regime of the high-pressure compressor of the aircraft turbine engine (torque and angular velocity measurements of the high pressure compressor 34, i.e., operating regime of 34, per [0059]);
- the pressure measured at the inlet of the high-pressure compressor of the aircraft turbine engine;
- the pressure measured at the inlet of the low-pressure compressor of the aircraft turbine engine;
- the temperature measured at the inlet of the low-pressure compressor of the aircraft turbine engine; and,
- the temperature measured at the inlet of the high-pressure compressor of the aircraft turbine engine.
Claim(s) 12 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Franchet et al. 20040070211 in view of Harvey 20190136768 as applied to claim 1 above and further in view of Maljean 20200340406.
Regarding claim 12, Franchet in view of Harvey teaches all that is claimed above but is silent wherein the at least one electric machine is configured to rotate the rotor of the at least one electric machine in two directions of rotation.
Maljean teaches a gas turbine engine (Fig. 1) including an electric motor (70 Fig. 2). Maljean teaches means for varying the speed and the direction of rotation of the rotor of the electric motor such as electrical circuits such as rectifiers, variators, inverters, etc., or means can also be mechanical, such as a belt variator, a motor shaft output pinion, etc. in paragraph 0007.
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art prior to the effective filing date of the claimed invention to modify the invention of Franchet in view of Harvey wherein the at least one electric machine is configured to rotate its rotor in two directions of rotation such as by electrical circuits such as rectifiers, variators, inverters, etc., or by mechanical means such as a belt variator, a motor shaft output pinion, etc. which allow varying the direction of rotation of the rotor as taught by Maljean to promote flexible use of the energies which can supply the aircraft turbine engine and aims to optimize the use of these energies according to the conditions of use of the aircraft turbine engine (Maljean para. 0003).
Response to Arguments
Applicant’s arguments with respect to claim(s) 1 have been considered but are moot because the new ground of rejection does not rely on any reference applied in the prior rejection of record for any teaching or matter specifically challenged in the argument. Applicant does not argue the dependent claims.
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to ALYSON JOAN HARRINGTON whose telephone number is (571)272-2359. The examiner can normally be reached M-F 9 am - 5 pm EST.
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/A.J.H./Examiner, Art Unit 3741
/LORNE E MEADE/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3741