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 .
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.
(a)(2) the claimed invention was described in a patent issued under section 151, or in an application for patent published or deemed published under section 122(b), in which the patent or application, as the case may be, names another inventor and was effectively filed before the effective filing date of the claimed invention.
Claims 1 – 6, 8, 9, and 11 – 13 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by EP 3647686 to Sun et al. (hereinafter referred to as Sun).
In regard to claim 1, as shown in figures 2 and 3, Sun discloses a system (200, 300) that is considered to be capable of being used for recovering oil from an air/oil mixture. The system includes an oil separator (205) that forms a first separator that can receive an air/oil mixture from an air/oil mixture source. The first separator (205) can separate at least a portion of oil form the air/oil mixture. An ejector (108) is shown to have a first inlet, a second inlet, and an outlet. The first inlet is connected to a compressor (130) and can receive compress air. The flow from the compressor draws a flow from the first separator (205) through the valve (220) to the second inlet. Thus, the compressed air from the compressor can be used to draw an air/oil mixture contained in the first separator into the ejector through the second inlet. The ejector can combine the drawn air/oil mixture and the compressed air such that the resulting combined mixture of compressed air and drawn air/oil mixture has a lower temperature as compared to a temperature of the air/oil mixture contained in the first separator, Further, the recovered oil can be captured.
In regard to claim 2, what the compressor is used in association with relates to its intended usage. The compressor in Sun can be used in association with a gas turbine engine, as broadly recited in the claim.
In regard to claim 3, the system of Sun includes a further flash tank (110) that forms a second separator coupled to receive the combined mixture discharged from the outlet of the ejector (108). The second separator (110) can separate at least a portion of oil from the air/oil mixture, and the recovered oil can be captured.
In regard to claim 4, the first separator (205) is capable of receiving the air/oil mixture source from an area in proximity to one or more mechanical components of a gas turbine engine.
In regard to claim 5, the ejector (108) includes all of the required structural features and is considered to be capable of facilitating cooling of the combined mixture to a temperature that is below about 200 °F.
In regard to claim 6, the recovered oil is capable of being returned to one or more mechanical components of a gas turbine engine.
In regard to claim 8, as shown in figures 2 and 3, Sun discloses a system (200, 300) that is considered to be capable of being used for recovering oil from an air/oil mixture. The system includes an ejector (108) that is shown to have a first inlet, a second inlet, and an outlet. The first inlet is connected to a compressor (130) and can receive compress air. The flow from the compressor draws a flow from an oil separator (205) through the valve (220) to the second inlet. This flow can be an air/oil mixture from an air/oil source. Thus, the compressed air from the compressor can be used to draw an air/oil mixture contained in the first separator into the ejector through the second inlet. The ejector can combine the drawn air/oil mixture and the compressed air such that the resulting combined mixture of compressed air and drawn air/oil mixture has a lower temperature as compared to a temperature of the air/oil mixture contained in the first separator. Alternately, the flash tank (110) can be considered to form a first separator capable of receiving the combined mixture from the ejector (108). The first separator (110) can separate at least a portion of oil from the air/oil mixture, and the recovered oil can be captured.
In regard to claim 9, what the compressor is used in association with relates to its intended usage. The compressor in Sun can be used in association with a gas turbine engine, as broadly recited in the claim.
In regard to claim 11, the first separator (110) is capable of receiving the air/oil mixture source from an area in proximity to one or more mechanical components of a gas turbine engine.
In regard to claim 12, the ejector (108) includes all of the required structural features and is considered to be capable of facilitating cooling of the combined mixture to a temperature that is below about 200 °F.
In regard to claim 13, the recovered oil is capable of being returned to one or more mechanical components of a gas turbine engine.
Claims 1, 2, 4 – 6, 17, and 19 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by US Patent Application Publication No. 2019/0120140 to Glahn et al. (hereinafter referred to as Glahn).
In regard to claim 1, as shown in figures 1 – 4, Glahn discloses a system for recovering oil from an air/oil mixture from a gas turbine engine. The system includes a first separator (68) coupled to receive the air/oil mixture from an air/oil mixture source (60, 62). The first separator (68) separates at least a portion of oil from the air/oil mixture, as shown in figures 2 and 3. The system further includes an ejector (70, 170) having a first inlet, a second inlet, and an outlet. The first inlet connects to an air supply system (76) and can receive compressed air, as discussed in paragraph [0039], to draw the air/oil mixture contained in the first separator into the ejector (70, 170) through the second inlet. The ejector (70, 170) is capable of combining the drawn air/oil mixture and the compressed air such that the resulting combined mixture of compressed air and drawn air/oil mixture has a lower temperature as compared to a temperature of the air/oil mixture contained in the first separator. The recovered oil from the first separator (68) is capable of being captured and returned to the oil source (62), as discussed in paragraph [0037].
In regard to claim 2, what the compressor is used in association with relates to its intended usage. The compressor in Glahn can be used in association with a gas turbine engine, as broadly recited in the claim.
In regard to claim 4, the first separator (68) is capable of receiving the air/oil mixture source from an area in proximity to one or more mechanical components of a gas turbine engine.
In regard to claim 5, the ejector (70, 170) includes all of the required structural features and is considered to be capable of facilitating cooling of the combined mixture to a temperature that is below about 200 °F.
In regard to claim 6, the recovered oil is capable of being returned to one or more mechanical components of a gas turbine engine.
In regard to claim 17, in operation, the system of Glahn inherently performs a method comprising: drawing an air/oil mixture from an air/oil source (60, 62) into a first separator (68); separating a first amount of oil from the air/oil mixture by the first separator creating a reduced oil mixture; delivering compressed air to a first inlet of an ejector (70, 170), causing the reduced oil mixture contained in the first separator to be drawn into a second inlet of the ejector, wherein compressed air and the drawn reduced oil mixture is mixed within a main channel of the ejector, and the reduced oil mixture is decreased in temperature compared to the temperature of the air/oil mixture contained in the first separator; and ejecting the combined mixture through an outlet of the ejector.
In regard to claim 19, in Glahn, drawing the air/oil mixture from the air/oil source includes drawing the air/oil mixture from an area surrounding bearing systems (38), which are one or more mechanical components of a gas turbine engine.
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 7, 10, 14 – 16, 18, and 20 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.
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to Robert Clemente whose telephone number is (571)272-1476. The examiner can normally be reached M-F 9-5.
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/ROBERT CLEMENTE/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 1773