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 . This office action is in response to the applicant’s election without traverse filed 11/03/2025.
Election/Restrictions
Applicant’s election without traverse of Species I (claims 1-18) in the reply filed on 11/03/2025 is acknowledged. Claims 1-18 are being examined. Claims 19-20 are withdrawn as being directed to a non-elected species.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 102
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 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.
Claims 1-7, 9, 12 and 14 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102a1 as being anticipated by Nifenecker et al. (US 2021/0131322).
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In regards to Independent Claim 1, and with particular reference to Figures 1 and 2a, with marked-up Figure 2a shown immediately above, Nifenecker discloses a fluid system for a powerplant (the degasser of an air-oil mixture of a turbine engine shown in figures 1, 2a; abstract), comprising:
a gear rotor 28 rotatable about an axis X, the gear rotor including a web 32, a toothed rim (rim having the unlabeled teeth of the gear rotor 28; par. 56 mentions the annular teeth of the gear rotor 28) and a plurality of liquid ports (ports 30 receive an air/oil mixture thus has a liquid, thus liquid port; figure 2a show plural ports 30) , the web projecting radially inward towards the axis from the toothed rim (as shown in figures 1, 2a), the toothed rim circumscribing the web, and each of the plurality of liquid ports 30 extending axially through the web 32; and
a deaerator impeller rotor 10 mounted to and rotatable with the gear rotor 28 about the axis X, the deaerator impeller rotor 10 including a fluid inlet 18a, a liquid outlet 22 and a gas outlet 20a, the fluid inlet 18a upstream of and fluidly coupled to the liquid outlet 22 and the gas outlet 20a, and the liquid outlet 22 axially adjacent the gear rotor 28 and fluidly coupled to the plurality of liquid ports 30.
Regarding dependent Claim 2, Nifenecker discloses wherein the deaerator impeller rotor is mounted to the gear rotor by an interference fit (interpreted as the deaerator impeller abutted against the gear rotor, as shown in figures 1, 2a) between the deaerator impeller rotor and the gear rotor.
Regarding dependent Claim 3, Nifenecker discloses wherein the deaerator impeller rotor is mounted to the gear rotor by one or more bolts (bolt not labeled but shown in the marked-up figure 1 below; the force applied by the bolt allows the impeller-gear rotor assembly to remain mounted together).
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Regarding dependent Claim 4, Nifenecker discloses wherein the deaerator impeller rotor is mounted to the gear rotor by a nut (nut not labeled but shown in the marked-up figure 1 below; the force applied by the nut allows the impeller-gear rotor assembly to remain mounted together; as extrinsic evidence that such component is a nut, see paragraphs 70, 71 and element 20 in figure 1 of US 2024/0084717).
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Regarding dependent Claim 5, Nifenecker discloses wherein the gear rotor 28 further includes a shaft 12 and a gear (the toothed rim is the gear); the shaft 12 extends axially through an inner bore of the deaerator impeller rotor (at least a portion of the shaft extends axially through an inner bore of the deaerator impeller, as shown in the marked-up figure 1 below); and the gear includes the web and the toothed rim, and the web projects radially inward towards the axis from the toothed rim to the shaft, as shown in figures 1, 2a.
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Regarding dependent Claim 6, Nifenecker discloses wherein the gear is formed integral with the shaft, as seen below the gear and the shaft have the same cross-hatching implying an integral structure.
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Regarding dependent Claim 7, Nifenecker discloses wherein a hub of the deaerator impeller rotor is connected to the shaft by an interference fit (interpreted as the deaerator impeller hub abutted against the shaft, as shown in marked-up figures 1 and 2a below) between the hub of the deaerator impeller rotor and the shaft.
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Regarding dependent Claim 9, Nifenecker discloses wherein a hub of the deaerator impeller rotor is mounted on the shaft and clamped axially between the gear and a nut threaded onto the shaft (as shown in marked-up figures 1 and 2 a above for the rejection of claim 7).
Regarding dependent Claim 12, Nifenecker discloses wherein the liquid outlet 22 is radially outboard of and circumscribes the gas outlet 20a, refer to figures 1 and 2a.
Regarding dependent Claim 14, Nifenecker discloses wherein the deaerator impeller rotor further includes a vane structure 26/16 and a network of passages (network formed by multiple passages/channels, as shown in marked-up figure 2a below) ; the vane structure at least partially forms the network of passages within the deaerator impeller rotor; and the network of passages fluidly couples the fluid inlet 18a to the liquid outlet 22 and the gas outlet 20a in parallel (at least in passage/channel 1 the liquid/oil to be discharged through outlet 22 is parallel to the air to be discharge through port 20a for the fluid is an air-oil mixture both flowing parallel along the passage 1).
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Claim 17 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102a1 as being anticipated by Fulleringer et al. (US 11,060,456).
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In regards to Independent Claim 1, and with particular reference to Figures 1 and 2, with marked-up Figure 2 shown immediately above, Fulleringer discloses a fluid system for a powerplant (the degasser of an air-oil mixture of a turbine engine as shown in figures 1, 2; abstract), comprising: a gear rotor 20 rotatable about an axis X, the gear rotor including a shaft 11 and a gear (toothed rim portion of the gear rotor 20) formed integral with the shaft (shaft and gear shown with the same cross-hatching implying integral); and a deaerator impeller rotor 10 fixed to the gear rotor (abutted/mounted to each other as shown in figures 1 and 2), the deaerator impeller rotor 10 circumscribing the shaft 11 and abutted axially against the gear (as shown in figures 1 and 2), the deaerator impeller rotor including a vane structure (annular wall 13), a network of passages (as shown in marked-up figure 2; above wall 13 passage 1 and below wall 13 passage 2), a fluid inlet 14, a liquid outlet 15 and a gas outlet 16, the vane structure 13 at least partially forming the network of passages within the deaerator impeller rotor 10 (annular wall 13 defines/separates the passages), and the network of passages fluidly coupling the fluid inlet 14 to the liquid outlet 15 and the gas outlet 16 in parallel (the flow in passage 1 is parallel to the flow in passage 2).
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.
Claim 8 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Nifenecker in view of Obligado (US 3,712,032).
Nifenecker teaches the invention as claimed and as disclosed above including connecting the deaerator impeller to the gear. Nifenecker is silent about connecting these components together via a flange connection with fasteners. Particularly, Nifenecker does not teach wherein a flange of the deaerator impeller rotor is connected to the gear by one or more fasteners.
Obligado teaches that air-oil separator that comprises a flange connection with fasteners are well-known in the art, shown in figure 2.
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 Nifenecker’s deaerator impeller to include a flange to connect it to the gear by one or more fasteners, as taught by Obligado because such a modification would have been considered an obvious matter of design choice within the level of one of ordinary skill in the art which fails to patentably distinguish over the prior art. Ex parte Clapp, 227 USPQ 972 (Bd. Pat. App. & Inter. 1985). MPEP 2144 I.
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 10, 11 13, 15, 16 and 18 are objected to as being dependent upon a rejected base claim, but would be allowable if rewritten in independent form including all of the limitations of the base claim and any intervening claims.
Pertinent Prior Art
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure.
The following reference(s) are also relevant for at least claim 17.
Pajard et al. (US 11,401,863). Particularly refer to figures 1 and 2;
Contact Information
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to WILLIAM H RODRIGUEZ whose telephone number is (571)272-4831. The examiner can normally be reached Mon-Fri 8:30-6:30.
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If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Phutthiwat Wongwian can be reached at 571-270-5426. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/William H Rodriguez/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3741