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 Objections
Claim 9 objected to because of the following informalities: line 2: “a first heat dissipation medium” should read “the first heat dissipation medium”. Appropriate correction is required.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 103
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.
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.
Claims 1-10 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Bond (US-Pub 20220220924) in view of Bulin (8499822) and Ribarov (10612860).
Regarding claim 1, Bond discloses a thermal management system for an aircraft, the thermal management system comprising a first gas turbine engine (104, fig 14), a first thermal bus (flow circuit 44, 45, fig 14), and a first heat exchanger (103, fig 14); wherein the first thermal bus comprises a first heat transfer fluid (heat transfer medium separate from fuel, par. 0034), the first heat exchanger being controlled to direct a flow of the first heat transfer fluid to the first heat dissipation portion such that a quantity QFiRST_IN of heat energy is transferred from a first dissipation medium to the first heat transfer fluid, and subsequently to the second heat dissipation portion such that a quantity QSECOND_OUT of heat energy is transferred from the first heat transfer fluid to a second dissipation medium (par. 101, the heat exchange medium flows from the air, where it takes heat, to the fuel where it dumps the heat), based upon a temperature of the first heat dissipation medium, and a temperature of the second heat dissipation medium (Par 0064 discloses controlling the air heat exchanger arrangement based upon the temperature of the air, 0074 discloses controlling the heat exchanger arrangement based upon fuel temperature to prevent it from reaching a maximum).
Bond does not disclose one or more first electric machines rotatably coupled to the first gas turbine engine, the or each first electric machine being in fluid communication with the thermal bus, or a third flow path, wherein the third flow path is arranged as a parallel flow path that is a bypass duct that permits bypass of the first flow path and the second flow path, between the first gas turbine engine and the first heat exchanger, such that waste heat energy generated by at least one of the first gas turbine engine, is transferred to the first heat transfer fluid, and wherein the first heat exchanger module is controlled by a controller and comprises a first flow path and a second flow path, wherein the first flow path and the second flow path are arranged as parallel flow paths for the first heat transfer fluid of the first thermal bus, wherein a first heat dissipation portion is disposed on the first flow path, and a second heat dissipation portion is disposed on the second flow path, such that the first heat dissipation portion and the second heat dissipation portion are arranged in parallel in the first heat exchanger, and controlling in dependence on a temperature of the first heat transfer fluid entering the first heat exchange.
Bulin teaches a thermal bus (24, fig 4) for a gas turbine engine, wherein the gas turbine engine (23, fig 4) has one or more first electric machines (10, fig 4) rotatably coupled to the first gas turbine engine (col 1, lines 35-40), the or each first electric machine being in fluid communication with the thermal bus (col 4, lines 12-24, the heat exchangers for the turbine engine and electric machine transfer heat via the lubrication system, meaning that the flow system is in fluid communication with the electric machine and turbine engines via their lubrication system) in a closed loop flow sequence such that waste heat energy generated by at least one of the first gas turbine engine and the electric machine is transferred to the first heat transfer fluid (both transfer heat into a system such as the one in Bond with both an air and fuel heat exchanger).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have modified the gas turbine engine disclosed by Bond by having an electric machine and the gas turbine waste heat coupled to the thermal bus based on the teachings of Bulin. Doing so would allow for cooling capacity to be combined among multiple heat producers, allowing them to share cooling needs along different operating phases (col 3, lines 20-25).
Ribarov teaches a heat exchanger (130, fig 1) for a gas turbine engine controlled by a controller (col 3, lines 14-25), wherein there is a first flow path (108, fig 1) with a first heat dissipation portion (132, fig 1), a second flow path (110, fig 1) with a second heat dissipation portion (134, fig 1), and a third flow path (112, fig 1) which serves as a bypass duct that permits bypass of the first flow path and the second flow path (408, fig 4), where the flowpath are all in parallel, and wherein the controller is configured to control the thermal management system based upon temperature of the first heat transfer fluid entering the first heat exchanger (col 2, lines 7-20) in addition to temperature of heat dissipation medium (col 3, lines 40-45).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to have modified the heat exchanger disclosed by Bond by having a single heat exchanger with a first flow path with a first heat dissipation portion, a second flowpath with a second heat dissipation portion, and a third flow path which serves as a bypass duct and controlling said system by a controller which keeps the coolant within the correct temperature range based on the temperature of the dissipation medium as well as the coolant based on the teachings of Ribarov. Doing so would prevent the coolant from exceeding operational temperature limits while minimizing thermal stresses within the cooler (col 1, lines 7-15), as suggested by Ribarov.
Regarding claim 2, Bond discloses wherein the first heat sink dissipation portion comprises a first sink heat exchanger (103, fig 14), wherein the first sink heat exchanger is configured to transfer heat energy between the first heat dissipation medium and the first heat transfer fluid (par. 0109).
Regarding claim 3, Bond discloses wherein the second heat sink dissipation portion comprises a second sink heat exchanger (inside 40, fig 14), wherein the first sink heat exchanger is configured to transfer heat energy between the second heat dissipation medium and the first heat transfer fluid (par. 0109).
Regarding claim 4, Bond discloses wherein, the first heat exchanger is configured to direct a flow of the first heat transfer fluid to a second heat dissipation portion in which a quantity QSECOND_INof heat energy is transferred from the second heat dissipation medium to the first heat transfer fluid, and subsequently (since the fluid system is a closed loop system, the fluid will cycle continuously, meaning that the fluid will flow around the entire loop and go to every heat exchanger subsequently after the others) to a first heat dissipation portion in which a quantity QFIRST_OUT of heat energy is transferred from the first heat transfer fluid to the first heat dissipation medium (par. 0109), in dependence on a temperature of the first heat transfer fluid entering the first heat exchanger module, a temperature of the first heat dissipation medium, and a temperature of the second heat dissipation medium.
Regarding claim 5, Bond discloses wherein a temperature difference between a temperature of the first heat dissipation medium and a temperature of the first heat transfer fluid is at least 5C (this claim represents intended use of the system as this is just based on an input temperature and is not claimed as being actively controlled by the controller, thus there must simply be some flight regimes where it would meet the claimed conditions, which it would be, in conditions such as startup on a hot day where the ambient air is very hot but the heat transfer fluid has not had a chance to warm up yet).
Regarding claim 6, Bond discloses wherein a temperature difference between a temperature of the first heat transfer fluid and a temperature of the second heat dissipation medium is at least 5C (this claim represents intended use of the system as this is just based on an input temperature and is not claimed as being actively controlled by the controller, thus there must simply be some flight regimes where it would meet the claimed conditions, which it would be, as one of ordinary skill in the art would recognize that fuel from the fuel tanks would be at a temperature similar to the engine frame, which is far lower than heat exchange fluid that has been used to cool the engine oil).
Regarding claim 7, Bond discloses wherein, if a temperature of one of the first heat dissipation medium and the second heat dissipation medium is greater than a first predetermined limit value, the first flow path is configured to direct a flow of the first heat transfer fluid to the one of the first heat dissipation medium and the second heat dissipation medium with a temperature less than the first predetermined limit value (par. 0109).
Regarding claim 8, Bond as modified by Ribarov discloses wherein if either one of the outlet temperatures TOUT1 and TOUT2is less than a second predetermined limit value, then the thermal management system is configured to direct the first heat transfer fluid around both of the first heat dissipation portion and the second heat dissipation portion (col 3, lines 4-7, Ribarov).
Regarding claim 9, Bond discloses wherein the quantity QFIRST_INof heat energy that is transferred from the first heat dissipation medium to the first heat transfer fluid is limited to a third predetermined value (par. 0109, the fuel is cooled once it becomes too hot, this means that there would be a predetermined value where it is too hot and the heat exchanger switches to cooling).
Regarding claim 10, Bond discloses wherein, during a start-up phase of operation of the gas turbine engine (the general conditions below happen during any flight mode, thus it would also happen during startup), if the temperature of the first heat transfer fluid is less than a fourth predetermined value, and the temperature of either of the first heat dissipation portion and the second heat dissipation portion, then the first flow path is configured to direct the flow of the first heat transfer fluid to a first heat dissipation portion (103, fig 14) in which a quantity of heat energy is transferred from the first heat dissipation medium (main airflow) to the first heat transfer fluid, and Qfirst-in subsequently (along 44, fig 14) to a second heat dissipation portion (heat exchanging inside 40, fig 14) in which a quantity QSECOND_OUT of heat energy is transferred from the first heat transfer fluid to the second heat dissipation medium (par. 0109).
Response to Arguments
Applicant's arguments filed 7/9/2026 have been fully considered but they are not persuasive. Applicant argues that the newly added limitation wherein the controller controls the system based upon a temperature of the first and second heat dissipation medium and the first heat transfer fluid is not persuasive. Bond discloses wherein the first and second heat dissipation medium control the thermal management system, and Ribarov teaches controlling the heat exchanger based upon a heat transfer fluid.
Conclusion
THIS ACTION IS MADE FINAL. 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.
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/SEAN V MEILLER/Examiner, Art Unit 3741
/DEVON C KRAMER/Supervisory Patent Examiner, Art Unit 3741
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