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 Objections
Claim 3 is objected to because of the following informalities: in claim 3, line 2, the phrase “portion the bearing” should be changed to “portion of the bearing”. Appropriate correction is required.
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.
Claim(s) 1-3, 7-12 and 18-19 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Jin (CN116867975A, Examiner using its English equivalent, US 12,234,838 for purposes of this examination).
Claim 1: Jin discloses a compressor comprising a compressor rotor (21) configured to compress air (Fig. 2); a motor (30) for driving the compressor rotor, the motor and compressor rotor disposed about a common axis (Fig. 2), the motor comprising a rotor shaft (31) coupled to the compressor rotor and configured to drive the compressor rotor (Fig. 2), the rotor shaft comprising a plurality of orifices (312/313); and a thrust shaft (Examiner viewing “thrust shaft” broadly and notes shaft portion that includes 42 which is a fan that provides cooling fluid; in operation, the low pressure incoming fluid will provide a left-ward net thrust upon 42, qualifying this element as a “thrust shaft”) disposed at an opposite end of the motor from the rotor shaft; a tie rod (31e) disposed on the common axis and extending through the rotor shaft, thrust shaft, and the compressor rotor (Fig. 2), the tie rod axially retaining the compressor rotor at a forward end and the motor at an aft end (Fig. 2); a first journal bearing (34) disposed concentrically about the common axis to radially support the rotor shaft, wherein the first journal bearing is disposed about the rotor shaft (Fig. 2); a journal bearing support disposed concentrically about the first journal bearing (Fig. 2, note support from 11 adjacent 34); and a cooling fluid inlet (41c) disposed adjacent to the bearing support and in fluid communication with the first journal bearing (Fig. 2).
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Claim 2: Jin further discloses an annular heat shield (see Figure above), the annular heat shield and bearing support defining a first cavity (41) therebetween, the first cavity open to the cooling fluid inlet (Fig. 2).
Claim 3: Jin further discloses the bearing support comprises an opening at an inner diameter opening to the first cavity (note “opening” depicted above) and the journal bearing and the plurality of orifices of the rotor shaft (Fig. 2).
Claim 7: Jun further discloses a first bearing cooling flow path extending axially from a forward end of the first journal bearing to an aft end of the first journal bearing (as can be appreciated from col. 8, lines 23-29).
Claim 8: Jin further discloses that the cooling fluid inlet is in fluid communication with an inner diameter of the rotor shaft (Fig 2).
Claim 9: Jin further discloses that the bearing support is configured to divide a cooling fluid received in the cooling fluid inlet between a bearing cooling stream and a rotor cooling stream, the bearing cooling stream having a flow path extending through the first journal bearing, the rotor cooling stream having a flow path extending through an inner diameter of the rotor shaft (Fig. 2, as can also be appreciated from col. 8, lines 23-29)
Claim 10: Jin further discloses a tie rod support (note inward protrusions from 31 and 33; e.g., 31a) disposed between the tie rod and the rotor shaft, the tie rod support comprising a plurality of orifices (note openings for cooling stream between tie rod and protrusions) configured to receive the rotor cooling stream (Fig. 2, note openings .
Claim 11: Jin further discloses that that the thrust rotor comprises a plurality of radially extending orifices (313) configured to receive a first portion of the rotor cooling stream.
Claim 12: Jin further discloses that the thrust rotor comprises a plurality of axially extending orifices (Fig. 2, Examiner noting the impeller volute portions within the impeller which could be viewed as axially extending orifices) configured to receive a second portion of the rotor cooling stream (Fig. 2).
Claim 18: Jin discloses a method for cooling a compressor (Fig. 2) having a compressor rotor (31) driven by a motor (30), wherein the motor and compressor rotor are disposed on a common axis with the compressor rotor arranged forward of the motor (Fig. 2), the method comprising providing a cooling stream to an inlet (41) disposed at a forward end of the motor; and dividing the cooling stream into a first cooling stream directed to a first journal bearing (34) supporting a rotor shaft coupled to the compressor rotor; and a rotor cooling stream directed to an inner diameter of the rotor shaft (Fig. 2, as can also be appreciated from col. 8, lines 23-29 of the equivalent US Patent 12234838, Examiner noting the cooling streams that split up towards the bearing and rotor).
Claim 19: Jin further discloses providing a first portion of the rotor cooling stream to a second journal bearing (Fig. 2, note cooling stream which passes by 24 near 42), the second journal bearing supporting a thrust shaft (Examiner viewing “thrust shaft” broadly and notes shaft portion that includes 42 which is a fan that provides cooling fluid; in operation, the low pressure incoming fluid will provide a left-ward net thrust upon 42, qualifying this element as a “thrust shaft”) coupled to an aft end of the motor opposite the rotor shaft (Fig. 2).
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 4-6, 13-17 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.
The following is a statement of reasons for the indication of allowable subject matter: regarding claim 4, the prior art of record does not further disclose or reasonably teach in combination wherein the opening is disposed adjacent to a forward end of the first journal bearing.
Regarding claim 5, the prior art of record does not further disclose or reasonably teach in combination the bearing support comprises a seal plate disposed between the compressor rotor and a radially extending portion the bearing support, the seal plate and the radially extending portion of the bearing support defining a second cavity therebetween, the second cavity open to each of the journal bearing, the plurality of orifices of the rotor shaft, and the first cavity.
Regarding claim 13, the prior art of record does not further disclose or reasonably teach in combination the compressor further comprises a second journal bearing disposed concentrically about the common axis and the thrust shaft to radially support the thrust shaft wherein the plurality of radially extending orifices is located forward of the second journal bearing and wherein the second journal bearing is disposed to receive the first portion of the rotor cooling stream, wherein the first portion of the rotor cooling stream is a second bearing cooling stream.
Regarding claim 20, the prior art of record does not further disclose or reasonably teach in combination providing the first portion of the rotor cooling stream to a first thrust bearing disposed downstream of the second journal bearing; providing a second portion of the rotor cooling stream to a second thrust bearing; and combining the first and second portions of the rotor stream in a cooling outlet downstream of the first and second thrust bearings.
Any comments considered necessary by applicant must be submitted no later than the payment of the issue fee and, to avoid processing delays, should preferably accompany the issue fee. Such submissions should be clearly labeled “Comments on Statement of Reasons for Allowance.”
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to NATHAN C ZOLLINGER whose telephone number is (571)270-7815. The examiner can normally be reached Generally M-F 9-4 EST.
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/NATHAN C ZOLLINGER/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3746