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 .
Response to Arguments
Applicant's arguments filed 9/12/2025 have been fully considered but are moot in view of rejection below.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 102
The following is a quotation of the appropriate paragraphs of 35 U.S.C. 102 that form the basis for the rejections under this section made in this Office action:
A person shall be entitled to a patent unless –
(a)(1) the claimed invention was patented, described in a printed publication, or in public use, on sale, or otherwise available to the public before the effective filing date of the claimed invention.
Claim(s) 1-5 and 7-8 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Perini (US.5015000A).
Perini discloses a sealing device disposed between a stationary body (e.g. similar to 13 and 27) and a rotating body (e.g. similar to 12) and configured to suppress flow of a fluid from a high-pressure side to a low-pressure side, the sealing device comprising a sealing member (e.g. sealing member 20) movably supported by the stationary body in an axial direction and a radial direction of the rotating body (e.g. intended use is given little or no patentable weight when the sealing device of Morrison is capable of being movably supported by the stationary body in an axial direction and a radial direction of the rotating body, see MPEP 2113-2114), a seal fin (e.g. SF, figure below) extending from the sealing member toward the rotating body, a pressure adjustment space (e.g. PAS, figure below) extending in the radial direction (e.g. see figure below) and formed by a contact area (e.g. area of 13 and 17 forming PAS) of the stationary body and a high pressure side end surface (e.g. side end surface of 20 forming PAS) of the sealing member, and a communication passage (e.g. passages P in figure below) inside the sealing member and having 1st end (e.g. 1stE) open to a space close to the low-pressure side than the seal fin is and a 2nd end (e.g. 2ndE) open to the pressure adjustment space (e.g. see figure below), wherein the pressure adjustment space is closed radially and circumferentially except through the communication passage (e.g. closed via seals S).
Regarding claim 2: Wherein the pressure adjustment space is disposed along a circumferential direction of the rotating body (e.g. that is the case see PAS, figure below), and the sealing device further comprises one or more communication passages (e.g. plurality of passages P, see figure above and “Pressure balancing bores extend within the rod seal ring from the proximal end to the space between the central ring seals and the distal ring seal, and from the distal end to a space between the proximal ring seal and the central ring seal.”) that each have a first end communicating with the low pressure side and a second end communicating with the pressure adjustment space (e.g. each bore having 1stE and 2ndE) and that are disposed at intervals in the circumferential direction of the rotating body, along the axial direction of the rotating body (e.g. plurality of passages P).
Regarding claim 3: Wherein the stationary body comprises a recess (e.g. recess having 20) recessed outward in the radial direction of the rotating body (e.g. figure 2), the sealing member comprises a support portion (e.g. SP) disposed in the recess, a fin attachment portion (e.g. FP) extending from the support portion to the rotating body side, and the pressure adjustment space is disposed in the support portion (e.g. that is the case since cutouts on outer diameter of the sealing member 20 forms the pressure adjustment space).
Regarding claim 4: Wherein the stationary body comprises a retainer (e.g. retainer R) mounted in the recess, and the support portion of the sealing member is supported by the retainer (e.g. figure below).
Regarding claim 5: Wherein the communication passage communicates with the low-pressure side by having one end opening to the fin attachment portion (e.g. the fin attachment portion having 39).
Wherein one or more of the additional seal fins (e.g. each SF) extending from the sealing member toward the rotating body and that are disposed at intervals in the axial direction of the rotating body, wherein the first end of the communication passage is open adjacent ones of the seal fins on a lowest pressure side (e.g. passages 39 are adjacent to the seal fins).
Regarding claim 7: Wherein a first sealing portion (e.g. S or R) is disposed between the stationary body and a low-pressure-side end surface of the sealing member (e.g. figure below).
Regarding claim 8: Wherein a second sealing portion (e.g. S adjacent to 30) is disposed in the pressure adjustment space, both inward and outward of the radial direction of the rotating body, between the stationary body and the high-pressure-side end surface.
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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) 6 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Perini in view of Yoshida (JP2018159356A).
Perini discloses the invention as claimed above but fails to disclose that the first end of the communication passage is open to a space between two adjacent ones of the seal fins on the low pressure side. Yoshida teaches a seal member with a passage (e.g. 50a, 50b and 51) that extends inside the seal member, the seal member having seal fins (e.g. 26) and an end of the passage open to a space between the seal fins (e.g. end of 51 extending between the seal fins 26). It would have been obvious to one skilled in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to combine to configure the passage 39 of Perini to have another end that opens to a space between two adjacent seal fins as taught Yoshida with reasonable expectation of success, so as to provide fluid pressure at intermediate pressure (e.g. pressure provided to the balance space that is between the seal fins, inherent due to an ends that communicates with intermediate space).
Claim(s) 9 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Perini in view of Singh et al (US. 20140035231A1).
Perini discloses the invention as claimed above but fails to disclose a biasing member configured to bias the sealing member in a direction in which the seal fin is separated from the rotating body. Singh discloses a sealing member (e.g. figure 2) having sealing fins (e.g. 68), the sealing member configured to be spaced away from a rotating member, the sealing member having a biasing member (e.g. 94) configured to bias the sealing member in a direction in which the seal fin is separated from the rotating member. It would have been obvious to one skilled in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have the sealing device of Perini to have biasing members as taught by Singh with reasonable expectation of success to prevent the sealing device from contacting the rotating member or body (e.g. see paragraph 0026 and description of 94 in Singh).
Claim(s) 10 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Perini in view of Adolfsson (US. 20100270752).
Perini discloses the invention as claimed above but fails to disclose a rotary machine comprising: a stationary body, a rotating body rotatably supported by the stationary body and the sealing device described in claim 1, the sealing device being disposed between the stationary body and the rotating body. Adolfsson discloses that a pressure balance sealing ring 5 that is provided between a reciprocating shaft and stationary housing in figures similar to Perini and also discloses in another embodiment that a pressure balance sealing ring 63 that is between rotating shaft and stationary housing (see figure 10). It would have been obvious to one skilled in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have the seal device of Perini be used in a rotating device instead of reciprocating device as taught by Adolfsson with reasonable expectation of success to provide sealing between rotating element and stationary element (e.g. see description of figure 10) and having seal used in different concepts is considered to art equivalent (both embodiments taught by Adolfsson).
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 VISHAL A PATEL whose telephone number is (571)272-7060. The examiner can normally be reached 7:00 am to 4:00pm.
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/VISHAL A PATEL/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3675
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