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and the fee set forth in 37 CFR 1.17(e) has been timely paid, the finality of the previous Office action has been withdrawn pursuant to 37 CFR 1.114.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 01/14/2026 has been entered.
Response to Amendment
The amendment submitted 01/14/2026 has been entered. Claims 1-8, 10-15 remain pending. Claim 9 has been cancelled. New claims 16-18 have been entered.
Response to Arguments
Applicant’s arguments, see Remarks, filed 01/14/2026, with respect to the rejection(s) of claim(s) 1, 12, and 15 under 35 USC 103 have been fully considered and are persuasive. Therefore, the rejection has been withdrawn. However, upon further consideration, a new ground(s) of rejection is made in view of US 10753207 to Rathay. Please see new grounds of rejection below.
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.
Claim(s) 1-3, 10-13, and 15-18 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over US 9186757 to Munshi in view of US 7556477 to Sherlock in further view of US 11208902 to Honkomp in even further view of US 10753207 to Rathay.
(a) Regarding claim 1:
(i) Munshi discloses a flow body for a gas turbine (see abstract), comprising:
an airfoil (airfoil 16, Fig 1) extending along a radial direction (Fig 1) between a platform end (end proximate platform 20, Fig 1) and a tip (side walls 22/24; alternatively also including tip cap 48 and weld joints 54; Fig 2D) which has a tip surface (repair surfaces 46; alternatively also including outer surface 50, outer surface of weld joint 54, side surfaces 78/80; Fig 2C),
the airfoil being formed of a first metal material (both sidewalls 22/24 and tip cap 48 made of In-738, Col 4 Lns 40-42 and Col 5 Lns 43-45; weld joint 54 filler material made of Hastelloy W, Col 6 Lns 3-8) and comprising an inner cavity for receiving a gaseous cooling fluid (internal cavity 34; Col 4 Lns 15-21); and
a squealer tip (peripheral portion 56, replacement squealer portion 62, Fig 2G; alternatively also including tip cap 48 and weld joints 54, Fig 2F) protruding from the tip surface of the tip (Fig 2G) and extending along a circumference of the tip so that the squealer tip at least partially surrounds the tip surface (squealer portion 60 is replacement for squealer portion 30, Fig 1; perimeter 92, repair surface 46, Fig 7),
wherein the squealer tip is formed from a second metal material (build-up weld material of peripheral portion 56 is CM-247, Col 6 Lns 63-64; replacement squealer portion made of IN-625, Col 7 Lns 14-16) and includes an internal cooling structure which is in fluid communication with the inner cavity via one or more fluid passages (film cooling holes 72, Fig 2G); and
wherein the squealer tip is material bonded to a contact surface of the tip of the airfoil (repair surface 46, Fig 2D),
the contact surface at least partially surrounding the tip surface of the tip (Fig 7).
(ii) Munshi does not disclose:
wherein the squealer tip is material bonded to a contact surface of the tip of the airfoil by a transition layer that connects the contact surface and a main portion of the squealer tip, nor
wherein a transition layer, compared to at least one of the main portion of the squealer tip and the airfoil, has at least one of a reduced stiffness and an increased ductility in combination with reduced yield strength;
wherein the internal cooling structure of the squealer tip includes a plurality of internal cooling cavities that are enclosed by and separated from each other within the squealer tip, and
wherein each of the internal cooling cavities is fluid communication with the inner cavity of the airfoil via the one or more fluid passages, and
wherein the one or more fluid passages connecting at least some of the internal cooling cavities of the squealer tip to the inner cavity of the airfoil are formed as cooling holes that are inclined such that a central axis of the respective cooling hole intersects a lateral inner surface of the respective internal cooling cavity, the lateral inner surface being adjacent to a lateral surface of the squealer tip that is continuous with an outer surface of the airfoil.
(iii) Sherlock is also in the field of turbine engine blades (turbine bucket 10, Fig 1) and teaches:
a tip cap (cap 120, Fig 2),
an airfoil (sidewalls 24/26 of hollow airfoil 18, Figs 1-2),
wherein the tip cap is material bonded to a contact surface (surfaces where shield 110 is bonded to sidewalls 24/26, Fig 2) that connects the contact surface to a main portion of the tip cap (Fig 2),
wherein the transition layer, compared to at least one of the main portion of the outer additively manufactured layer and the airfoil, has at least one of a reduced stiffness and an increased ductility (Col 3 Lns 24-26) in combination with reduced yield strength (Col 3 Lns 35-37).
(iv) 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 squealer tip as disclosed by Munshi with the above aforementioned transition layer as taught by Sherlock for the purpose of facilitating crack free welding (Col 3 Lns 24-26), eliminating the need to use more exotic tip materials, and eliminating the need to apply an aluminized coating to the underside of the squealer tip to reduce both costs and time doing repairs and/or refurbishment (Col 3 Lns 35-43).
(v) Honkomp is also in the field of turbine blades (see title) and teaches:
a squealer tip (solid portions of tip rail 250 and inserts 380, Figs 5/7/15-16/20/31/),
a plurality of internal cooling cavities (plenum 284 and chordwise extending portions of cooling channel 282, Figs 7/16/20; plenum 284 and traversing channel 330, Fig 15; plenum 484 and chordwise extending portions of cooling channel 482, Fig 31) that are enclosed by and separated from each other within the squealer tip (Figs 7/15-16/20/31),
wherein each of the internal cooling cavities is fluid communication with an inner cavity of an airfoil (turbine blade 115, Fig 2; internal cooling cavity 174, Figs 4-5/31) via one or more fluid passages (cooling channels 272, Figs 5/31).
(vi) 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 internal cooling structure as disclosed by Munshi with the above aforementioned plurality of internal cooling cavities as taught by Honkomp for the purpose of cooling a tip of the flow body (Col 2 Lns 58-62) and improve selectable blade tip cooling to reduce cooling flow requirements (Col 19 Lns 4-14).
(vii) Munshi as modified by Sherlock as further modified by Honkomp suggest (Munshi: passages 72 shown as angling outward towards a lateral wall of the squealer tip, Fig 2G; Honkomp: passages 272 shown as being angled towards an outer lateral wall of the squealer tip, Figs 5/10/26) but do not explicitly teach wherein the one or more fluid passages connecting at least some of the internal cooling cavities of the squealer tip to the inner cavity of the airfoil are formed as cooling holes that are inclined such that a central axis of the respective cooling hole intersects a lateral inner surface of the respective internal cooling cavity, the lateral inner surface being adjacent to a lateral surface of the squealer tip that is continuous with an outer surface of the airfoil
(viii) Rathay is also in the field of turbine blades (see abstract) and teaches:
one or more fluid passages (conduit 144/244, Figs 4-6) connecting at least some of internal cooling cavities (cavities 140/240/440a-b, Figs 4-6/8) of a squealer tip (tip rail 96/196, Figs 4-6) to an inner cavity (cooling passages 119/219/419, Figs 4-6/8) of an airfoil (airfoil 88, Fig 2),
wherein the one or more fluid passages connecting at least some of the internal cooling cavities of the squealer tip to the inner cavity of the airfoil are formed as cooling holes that are inclined such that a central axis of the respective cooling hole intersects a lateral inner surface (first surface 136/236, Figs 4-6) of the respective internal cooling cavity (Col 5 Ln 66 – Col 6 Ln 1; Col 6 Lns 44-47; Col 7 Lns 2-4),
the lateral inner surface being adjacent to a lateral surface of the squealer tip that is continuous with an outer surface of the airfoil (outer wall 120/220, Figs 3-6).
(ix) 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 one or more fluid passages as taught by the combined teachings of Munshi as modified by Sherlock as further modified by Honkomp to be inclined as taught by Rathay for the purpose of providing impingement cooling inside the squealer tip thereby increasing the effectiveness of cooling in the squealer tip which improves engine efficiency as well as extending part life and reducing the likelihood of unplanned outages (Col 8 Lns 39-62).
(b) Regarding claim 2:
(i) Munshi as modified by Sherlock as further modified by Honkomp as even further modified by Rathay teaches the flow body of claim 1.
(ii) Munshi further discloses wherein the first metal material is a cast metal material (Col 4 Lns 40-42).
(c) Regarding claim 3:
(i) Munshi as modified by Sherlock as further modified by Honkomp as even further modified by Rathay teaches the flow body of claim 1.
(ii) Munshi further discloses wherein the second metal material is a metal material (build-up weld material of peripheral portion 56 is CM-247, Col 6 Lns 63-64; replacement squealer portion made of IN-625, Col 7 Lns 14-16) deposited in an additive manufacturing process (build up welding, see abstract).
(d) Regarding claim 10:
(i) Munshi as modified by Sherlock as further modified by Honkomp as even further modified by Rathay teaches the flow body of claim 1.
(ii) Munshi as modified by Sherlock as further modified by Honkomp as even further modified by Rathay further teach a gas turbine (Munshi: Col 3 Lns 56-57) comprising a flow body of claim 1 (see rejection of claim 1 above).
(e) Regarding claim 11:
(i) Munshi as modified by Sherlock as further modified by Honkomp as even further modified by Rathay teaches the flow body of claim 10.
(ii) Munshi further discloses wherein the flow body forms a rotating blade (turbine blade 10, Fig 1).
(f) Regarding claim 12:
(i) Munshi as modified by Sherlock as further modified by Honkomp as even further modified by Rathay teaches the flow body of claim 1.
(ii) Munshi as modified by Sherlock as further modified by Honkomp as even further modified by Rathay further teaches a method (Munshi: see title) for manufacturing a flow body for a gas turbine according to claim 1 (see rejection of claim 1 above), the method comprising:
casting the airfoil from the first metal material (per materials described in the rejection of claim 1 above) with the inner cavity, the tip surface and the contact surface (original blade was made by casting, Col 4 Lns 40-42);
forming a plurality of fluid passages between the inner cavity and the contact surface of the tip (film cooling holes 72, Fig 2G); and
building the squealer tip from the second metal material (per materials described in the rejection of claim 1 above) and the transition layer on the contact surface of the tip by means of an additive manufacturing process (Munshi: build up welding, see abstract; Sherlock: Col 3 Lns 30-34),
such that the internal cooling structure is formed and is in fluid communication with the inner cavity via the one or more of the plurality of fluid passages (Munshi: Fig 2G) and such that the transition layer material bonds the main portion of the squealer tip to the tip of the airfoil (Sherlock: Col 3 Lns 26-34);
wherein the internal cooling structure of the squealer tip includes a plurality of internal cooling cavities (Honkomp: plenum 284 and chordwise extending portions of cooling channel 282, Figs 7/16/20; plenum 284 and traversing channel 330, Fig 15; plenum 484 and chordwise extending portions of cooling channel 482, Fig 31) that are enclosed by and separated from each other within the squealer tip (Figs 7/15-16/20/31),
wherein each of the internal cooling cavities is fluid communication with the inner cavity of an airfoil (Honkomp: turbine blade 115, Fig 2; internal cooling cavity 174, Figs 4-5/31) via the one or more fluid passages (Honkomp: cooling channels 272, Figs 5/31), and
wherein the one or more fluid passages connecting at least some of the internal cooling cavities of the squealer tip to the inner cavity of the airfoil are formed as cooling holes that are inclined such that a central axis of the respective cooling hole intersects a lateral inner surface (Rathay: first surface 136/236, Figs 4-6) of the respective internal cooling cavity (Rathay: Col 5 Ln 66 – Col 6 Ln 1; Col 6 Lns 44-47; Col 7 Lns 2-4),
the lateral inner surface being adjacent to a lateral surface of the squealer tip that is continuous with an outer surface of the airfoil (outer wall 120/220, Figs 3-6).
(g) Regarding claim 13:
(i) Munshi as modified by Sherlock as further modified by Honkomp as even further modified by Rathay teaches the method of claim 12.
(ii) Munshi as modified by Sherlock as further modified by Honkomp as even further modified by Rathay further teaches wherein the contact surface extends inclined relative to the tip surface (Munshi: side surface 78/80 shown as inclined, Fig 2D).
(h) Regarding claim 15:
(i) Munshi discloses:
a method for repairing a flow body of a gas turbine (see title and abstract), the flow body comprising an airfoil (airfoil 16, Fig 1) extending along a radial direction (Fig 1) between a platform end (end proximate platform 20, Fig 1) and a tip (side walls 22/24; alternatively also including tip cap 48 and weld joints 54; Fig 4D) which has a tip surface (repair surfaces 46; alternatively also including outer surface 50 and/or side surfaces 78/80; Fig 2C), and
a squealer tip (peripheral portion 56, replacement squealer portion 62, Fig 2G; alternatively also including tip cap 48 and weld joints 54, Fig 2F) protruding from the tip surface (Fig 2G) and extending along a circumference of the tip so that the squealer tip at least partially surrounds the tip surface (squealer portion 60 is replacement for squealer portion 30, Fig 1; perimeter 92, repair surface 46, Fig 7),
wherein the airfoil includes an inner cavity for receiving a gaseous cooling fluid (internal cavity 34; Col 4 Lns 15-21), and
wherein the squealer tip includes a cooling system in fluid communication with the inner cavity of the airfoil via a plurality of fluid passages (film cooling holes 72, Fig 2G),
the method comprising:
removing the squealer tip from the airfoil in a subtractive process (see abstract),
forming a contact surface (repair surface 46, Fig 2B) that at least partially surrounds the tip surface of the tip of the airfoil (Fig 7); and
building a new squealer tip and a transition layer on the contact surface of the tip by means of an additive manufacturing process (build up welding, see abstract),
such that the new squealer tip includes an internal cooling structure in fluid communication with the inner cavity via the one or more of the plurality of fluid passages (Fig 2G).
(ii) Munshi does not disclose:
building a transition layer on the contact surface of the tip by means of an additive manufacturing process
such that the transition layer bonds a main portion of the squealer tip to the tip of the airfoil,
wherein the transition layer, compared to at least one of the main portion of the squealer tip and the airfoil, has at least one of a reduced stiffness and an increased ductility in combination with reduced yield strength
wherein the internal cooling structure of the squealer tip includes a plurality of internal cooling cavities that are enclosed by and separated from each other within the squealer tip, and
wherein each of the internal cooling cavities is fluid communication with the inner cavity of the airfoil via the one or more fluid passages.
(iii) Sherlock is also in the field of turbine engine blades (turbine bucket 10, Fig 1) and teaches:
• a tip cap (cap 120, Fig 2),
• an airfoil (sidewalls 24/26 of hollow airfoil 18, Figs 1-2),
• building the tip cap and a transition layer (shield 110, Fig 2) on a contact surface (surfaces where shield 110 is bonded to sidewalls 24/26, Fig 2) by means of an additive manufacturing process (Col 3 Lns 30-34),
such that the transition layer material bonds a main portion of the tip cap to the tip of an airfoil (Col 3 Lns 20-34),
• wherein the transition layer, compared to at least one of the main portion of the outer additively manufactured layer and the airfoil, has at least one of a reduced stiffness and an increased ductility (Col 3 Lns 24-26) in combination with reduced yield strength (Col 3 Lns 35-37).
(iv) 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 squealer tip as disclosed by Munshi with the above aforementioned transition layer as taught by Sherlock for the purpose of facilitating crack free welding (Col 3 Lns 24-26), eliminating the need to use more exotic tip materials, and eliminating the need to apply an aluminized coating to the underside of the squealer tip to reduce both costs and time doing repairs and/or refurbishment (Col 3 Lns 35-43).
(v) Honkomp is also in the field of turbine blades (see title) and teaches:
a squealer tip (solid portions of tip rail 250 and inserts 380, Figs 5/7/15-16/20/31/),
a plurality of internal cooling cavities (plenum 284 and chordwise extending portions of cooling channel 282, Figs 7/16/20; plenum 284 and traversing channel 330, Fig 15; plenum 484 and chordwise extending portions of cooling channel 482, Fig 31) that are enclosed by and separated from each other within the squealer tip (Figs 7/15-16/20/31),
wherein each of the internal cooling cavities is fluid communication with an inner cavity of an airfoil (turbine blade 115, Fig 2; internal cooling cavity 174, Figs 4-5/31) via one or more fluid passages (cooling channels 272, Figs 5/31).
(vi) 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 internal cooling structure as disclosed by Munshi with the above aforementioned plurality of internal cooling cavities as taught by Honkomp for the purpose of cooling a tip of the flow body (Col 2 Lns 58-62) and improve selectable blade tip cooling to reduce cooling flow requirements (Col 19 Lns 4-14).
(vii) Munshi as modified by Sherlock as further modified by Honkomp suggest (Munshi: passages 72 shown as angling outward towards a lateral wall of the squealer tip, Fig 2G; Honkomp: passages 272 shown as being angled towards an outer lateral wall of the squealer tip, Figs 5/10/26) but do not explicitly teach wherein the one or more fluid passages connecting at least some of the internal cooling cavities of the squealer tip to the inner cavity of the airfoil are formed as cooling holes that are inclined such that a central axis of the respective cooling hole intersects a lateral inner surface of the respective internal cooling cavity, the lateral inner surface being adjacent to a lateral surface of the squealer tip that is continuous with an outer surface of the airfoil
(viii) Rathay is also in the field of turbine blades (see abstract) and teaches:
one or more fluid passages (conduit 144/244, Figs 4-6) connecting at least some of internal cooling cavities (cavities 140/240/440a-b, Figs 4-6/8) of a squealer tip (tip rail 96/196, Figs 4-6) to an inner cavity (cooling passages 119/219/419, Figs 4-6/8) of an airfoil (airfoil 88, Fig 2),
wherein the one or more fluid passages connecting at least some of the internal cooling cavities of the squealer tip to the inner cavity of the airfoil are formed as cooling holes that are inclined such that a central axis of the respective cooling hole intersects a lateral inner surface (first surface 136/236, Figs 4-6) of the respective internal cooling cavity (Col 5 Ln 66 – Col 6 Ln 1; Col 6 Lns 44-47; Col 7 Lns 2-4),
the lateral inner surface being adjacent to a lateral surface of the squealer tip that is continuous with an outer surface of the airfoil (outer wall 120/220, Figs 3-6).
(ix) 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 one or more fluid passages as taught by the combined teachings of Munshi as modified by Sherlock as further modified by Honkomp to be inclined as taught by Rathay for the purpose of providing impingement cooling inside the squealer tip thereby increasing the effectiveness of cooling in the squealer tip which improves engine efficiency as well as extending part life and reducing the likelihood of unplanned outages (Col 8 Lns 39-62).
(i) Regarding claim 16:
(i) Munshi as modified by Sherlock as further modified by Honkomp as even further modified by Rathay teaches the flow body of claim 1.
(ii) Honkomp further teaches wherein the plurality of internal cavities comprises a first internal cooling cavity (radially inner one of radially inner and outer cavities 320, Fig 7; one of plenum 284 and channel 330, Fig 15) and a second internal cooling cavity (radially outer one of radially inner and outer cavities 320, Fig 7; the other one of plenum 284 and channel 330, Fig 15) that are separated along the radial direction (Figs 7/15).
(j) Regarding claim 17:
(i) Munshi as modified by Sherlock as further modified by Honkomp as even further modified by Rathay teaches the flow body of claim 16.
(ii) Honkomp further teaches a second cooling passage (channels 282, Fig 15) connecting the first internal cooling cavity and the second internal cooling cavity (Fig 15), the second cooling passage comprising an axis that intersects a second lateral inner surface of the second internal cooling cavity (reasonably disclosed in Fig 15 as being directed to an outer lateral wall of channel 330), the second lateral inner surface being adjacent to the lateral surface of the squealer tip (outer rail surface 159, Fig 10; surface 312C of tip rail pocket 270 into which insert 280 is inserted, Fig 13).
(k) Regarding claim 18:
(i) Munshi as modified by Sherlock as further modified by Honkomp as even further modified by Rathay teaches the flow body of claim 1.
(ii) Honkomp further teaches wherein the first lateral inner surface is generally parallel to the lateral surface of the squealer tip where the central axis intersects the first lateral inner surface (reasonably disclosed in Fig 15 in view of Figs 10/13).
Claim(s) 4-8 and 14 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over US 9186757 to Munshi in view of US 7556477 to Sherlock in further view of US 11208902 to Honkomp in even further view of US 10753207 to Rathay as applied to claims 1 and 12 above, and further in view of US 10190220 to Kamel.
(a) Regarding claim 4:
(i) Munshi as modified by Sherlock as further modified by Honkomp as even further modified by Rathay teaches the flow body of claim 1.
(ii) Munshi as modified by Sherlock as further modified by Honkomp as even further modified by Rathay further teaches wherein the transition layer is made of the second metal material (Sherlock: shield 110 is a nickel-based superalloy; Munshi: INC-625, INC-738, and CM-247 are all nickel-based superalloys). Further, the selection of a known material based on its suitability for its intended use supports a prima facie obvious determination, see MPEP 2144.07.
(iii) Munshi as modified by Sherlock as further modified by Honkomp as even further modified by Rathay does not teach wherein a porosity of the second metal material is increased within the transition layer compared to the main portion of the squealer tip.
(iii) Kamel is also in the field of repairs (see title) and teaches:
an outer additively manufactured layer (layers 26/28, Fig 2) made of a material,
a transition layer (at least one of layers 22/24, Fig 2) made of the material,
wherein a porosity of the material is increased within the transition layer compared to the outer additively manufactured layer (see abstract; Col 3 Lns 63-64).
(iv) 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 transition layer as taught by Munshi as modified by Sherlock as further modified by Honkomp as even further modified by Rathay to have an increased porosity as taught by Kamel for the purpose of improving performance of the flow body by increasing its resistance to cracking (see abstract).
(b) Regarding claim 5:
(i) Munshi as modified by Sherlock as further modified by Honkomp as even further modified by Rathay as even further modified by Kamel teaches the flow body of claim 4.
(ii) Munshi as modified by Sherlock as further modified by Honkomp as even further modified by Rathay as even further modified by Kamel further teaches wherein the porosity varies within the transition layer between the contact surface of the tip of the airfoil and the main portion of the squealer tip (Kamel: Col 4 Lns 47-50).
(c) Regarding claim 6:
(i) Munshi as modified by Sherlock as further modified by Honkomp as even further modified by Rathay as even further modified by Kamel teaches the flow body of claim 5.
(ii) Munshi as modified by Sherlock as further modified by Kamel further teaches wherein the transition layer is made of a third metal material (Sherlock: all materials disclosed are nickel-based superalloys; Sherlock: shield 110 comprises a cobalt based superalloy, Col 2 Lns 59-61) comprising an increased ductility and reduced yield strength compared to the first and the second metal material (see rejection of claim 1 above).
(d) Regarding claim 7:
(i) Munshi as modified by Sherlock as further modified by Honkomp as even further modified by Rathay as even further modified by Kamel teaches the flow body of claim 6.
(ii) Honkomp further teaches wherein the one or more fluid passages comprise:
first cooling passages (cooling channels 272, Figs 5/31) that directly connect the inner cavity of the airfoil to one of the internal cooling cavities (Figs 5/31), and
second cooling passages (radially extending portions of cooling channel 282, Figs 7/16/20; cooling channels 282, Fig 15; radially extending portions of cooling channel 482, Fig 31) that directly connect two internal cooling cavities to each other (Figs 7/15-16/20/31).
(e) Regarding claim 8:
(i) Munshi as modified by Sherlock as further modified by Honkomp as even further modified by Rathay as even further modified by Kamel as even further modified by Honkomp teaches the flow body of claim 7.
(ii) Honkomp further teaches wherein the internal cooling cavities of the squealer tip are spaced from each other along the circumference of the tip (Fig 5).
(f) Regarding claim 14:
(i) Munshi as modified by Sherlock as further modified by Honkomp as even further modified by Rathay teaches the method of claim 12.
(ii) Munshi suggests (squealer tip formed by build up welding; all of the claimed additive manufacturing processes are forms of welding) but does not explicitly disclose wherein the additive manufacturing process of building the squealer tip includes selective laser melting, direct metal deposition, or electron beam welding.
(iii) Kamel is also in the field of repairs (see title) and teaches the additive manufacturing process of selective laser melting (Col 2 Lns 38-40).
(iv) 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 additive manufacturing process of building the squealer tip with the above aforementioned additive manufacturing process as taught by Kamel for the purpose of forming the squealer tip, protecting molten alloy material from the atmosphere, and creating a crack-free surface of the squealer tip (Col 2 Lns 38-44).
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to Justin A Pruitt whose telephone number is (571)272-8383. The examiner can normally be reached T-F 8:30am - 6:30pm.
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If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Nathaniel Wiehe can be reached at (571) 272-8648. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/JUSTIN A PRUITT/Examiner, Art Unit 3745
/NATHANIEL E WIEHE/Supervisory Patent Examiner, Art Unit 3745