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 .
Election/Restrictions
Applicant's election with traverse of Species IV in the reply filed on 5/18/2026 is acknowledged. The traversal is on the ground(s) that searching all Species I-IV would not be a serious burden. This is not found persuasive because Species I-IV have distinct features that would require different search queries to search.
The requirement is still deemed proper and is therefore made FINAL. However, no claims were withdrawn from considerations because all claims were directed to Species IV.
Claim Objections
Claims 2 and 9 objected to because of the following informalities:
In claims and 9, “a lubricant reservoir in fluidly coupled with the pitot tube” should be corrected to “a lubricant reservoir fluidly coupled with the pitot tube” or “a lubricant reservoir in fluid communication with the pitot tube.”
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 112
The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 112(b):
(b) CONCLUSION.—The specification shall conclude with one or more claims particularly pointing out and distinctly claiming the subject matter which the inventor or a joint inventor regards as the invention.
The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), second paragraph:
The specification shall conclude with one or more claims particularly pointing out and distinctly claiming the subject matter which the applicant regards as his invention.
Claims 3, 9 and 14-20 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 112(b) or 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), second paragraph, as being indefinite for failing to particularly point out and distinctly claim the subject matter which the inventor or a joint inventor (or for applications subject to pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, the applicant), regards as the invention.
Claims 3, 9 and 14 recite “the like” which is a vague and unclear expression.
Claims 15-20 are also rejected under 35 U.S.C. 112(b) by virtue of their dependency.
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.
Claim(s) 1-5 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Doerner (U.S. Patent No. 3,744,246).
As per claim 1, Doerner discloses a lubrication system comprising: a bearing compartment housing defining a bearing compartment housing interior having a bearing compartment housing interior surface and a bearing compartment housing exterior having a bearing compartment housing exterior surface (bearing 26 having an interior surface and an exterior surface; figure 1); a shaft supported by bearings located within the bearing compartment housing (shaft 25 within bearing 26); a lubricant dispenser (40, 46, collectively) in operative communication with the bearing compartment housing interior, the lubricant dispenser configured to contain at least one lubricant, the at least one lubricant configured to be released onto the bearings (via passages 50, 52, 54, 55, 56; figure 1); and a pitot tube fluidly coupled to the lubricant dispenser (L-shaped tip 51 forming a pitot tube for pumping; figure 1; column 4, lines 26-44).
As per claim 2, Doerner discloses the lubrication system according to claim 1, and further discloses wherein the lubricant dispenser comprises: a lubricant reservoir (48, 52) in fluidly coupled with the pitot tube (51), the lubricant reservoir fluidly coupled with the bearing compartment housing interior (as shown; figure 1); and at least one dispensing feature fluidly coupled to the lubricant reservoir (L-shaped tip 51 coupled to bath 52 or sump 48; figure 1).
As per claim 3, Doerner discloses the lubrication system according to claim 2, and further discloses wherein the at least one dispensing feature is selected from the group comprising nozzles, orifices, slits, weep holes, and the like (radial passage 56 (dispensing feature) that opens to bearing 26 is in a form of a nozzle or an orifice; figure 1).
As per claim 4, Doerner discloses the lubrication system according to claim 1, and further discloses wherein the lubricant dispenser is integral with the bearing compartment housing (integrally formed within the assembly shown in figure 1).
As per claim 5, Doerner discloses the lubrication system according to claim 1, and further discloses wherein the lubricant dispenser comprises a pressurizer in operative communication with the pitot tube, and the pressurizer in operative communication with a lubricant reservoir and dispensing features fluidly coupled to the lubricant reservoir (radial passage 50 (pressurizer) connected to L-shaped tip (pitot tube) and in fluid communication with sump 48 and radial passage 56 (dispensing feature); figure 1).
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) 7 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Doerner in view of Miller (U.S. Pre-Grant Publication No. 2025/0043697).
As per claim 7, Doerner discloses the lubrication system according to claim 1. Doerner does not explicitly teach a flow control valve in operative communication with at least one of the pitot tube, a lubricant reservoir, tubing, a dispensing feature, and a pressurizer, the flow control valve configured to control a flow of the lubricant for deployment to the bearings.
Miller (U.S. Pre-Grant Publication No. 2025/0043697) is related prior art in that it deals with a lubrication system that utilizes relative rotational motion between planetary gears and the reservoir to lubricate bearings. Miller teaches a flow control valve in fluid communication with the lubricant reservoir to drain the lubricant from the reservoir to prevent overfilling (paragraph [0063]). Therefore, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art, before the effective filing date, to modify Doerner’s lubricant reservoir to add a drain valve as it allows to drain the lubricant to prevent overfilling.
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 8, 10-14 are allowed.
Claims 6, 9, 15-20 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:
Claim 6 contains allowable subject matter because there is no motivation to combine the prior arts.
In the closest prior art, Smith (U.S. Patent No. 4,497,172) teaches wherein the pitot tube comprises a pitot tube inlet located proximate a vehicle exterior, the pitot tube inlet configured to fluidly couple with a vehicle air stream flowing past the vehicle (pitot pickup aperture 20 (pitot inlet tube) within the gas turbine engine which is located proximate an aircraft; figures 1, 2). However, there is no motivation to modify Doerner’s pitot pump to incorporate Smith’s pitot pickup in the gas turbine engine as Smith’s pitot pickup is not intended for dispersing lubricant to the bearing. Therefore, it would not have been obvious to modify Doerner’s pitot pump to incorporate Smith’s pitot pickup located within the gas turbine engine.
Claim 8 contains allowable subject matter because modifying the prior arts to create the claimed invention a) may require impermissible hindsight, b) may lack reasonable expectation of success and c) may render prior art unsatisfactory for its intended purposes.
In the closest prior art, Doerner teaches a lubrication system comprising: a bearing compartment housing defining a bearing compartment housing interior having a bearing compartment housing interior surface and a bearing compartment housing exterior having a bearing compartment housing exterior surface (bearing 26 having an interior surface and an exterior surface; figure 1); a shaft supported by bearings located within the bearing compartment housing (shaft 25 within bearing 26); a lubricant dispenser (40, 46, collectively) in operative communication with the bearing compartment housing interior, the lubricant dispenser configured to contain at least one lubricant, the at least one lubricant configured to be released onto the bearings (via passages 50, 52, 54, 55, 56; figure 1); and a pitot tube fluidly coupled to the lubricant dispenser (L-shaped tip 51 forming a pitot tube for pumping; figure 1; column 4, lines 26-44).
Doerner fails to teach a gas turbine engine having a gas turbine engine housing, the gas turbine engine housing having a forward portion opposite an aft portion.
In another prior art, Miller teaches a lubrication system for a gas turbine engine. Miller disperses lubricant by scooping oil from a reservoir by employing rotating scoops. However, it would not be obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art to modify Miller’s lubricant dispersion device to incorporate Doerner’s pitot pump because Doerner’s pitot pump is stationary device while Miller’s scoops are rotary. It would require further complex fluid joinery between passage segments to deliver the lubricant through rotating component and Doerner’s pitot pump is not designed for such rotation because it is intended to be used as a stationary component. Additionally, Doerner’s pitot pump is only intended to lubricate the innermost bearing (sun gear) and does not lubricate the outer gears (ring gear and planet gears). To allow lubrication to the outer gears, it would require further complex fluid engineering. Obviousness requires a reasonable expectation of success.
Therefore, modifying Miller’s lubrication to incorporate Doerner’s pitot pump would require undue experimentation and may have unsatisfactory result in providing lubrication to Miller’s gear system in the gas turbine engine which would not be obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art.
Claims 9-14 also contain allowable subject matter by virtue of their dependency on claim 8.
Claim 14 contains allowable subject matter because modifying the prior arts to create the claimed invention a) may require impermissible hindsight, b) may lack reasonable expectation of success and c) may render prior art unsatisfactory for its intended purposes.
In the closest prior art, Doerner teaches a process for delivering a lubricant in a lubrication system comprising: mounting a shaft (25) within a housing of a rotary device having a forward portion opposite an aft portion, the shaft having an axis extending from the forward portion to the aft portion (as shown; figure 1); forming a bearing compartment housing within the gas turbine engine housing, the bearing compartment housing comprising an interior surface and an exterior surface (bearing 26 having an interior surface and an exterior surface; figure 1), and the bearing compartment housing being configured to house at least one bearing configured to support the shaft (shaft 25 within bearing 26); forming a lubricant dispenser (40, 46, collectively) in operative communication with the bearing compartment housing interior; wherein the lubricant dispenser is configured to dispense at least one lubricant, the at least one lubricant configured for release onto the at least one bearing (via passages 50, 52, 54, 55, 56; figure 1); forming a pitot tube in operative communication with the lubricant dispenser (L-shaped tip 51 forming a pitot tube for pumping; figure 1; column 4, lines 26-44); fluidly coupling a lubricant reservoir with the bearing compartment housing interior; the lubricant reservoir configured to contain the at least one lubricant (sump 48 or bath 52; figure 1); and fluidly coupling at least one dispensing feature (56) to the lubricant reservoir, wherein the dispensing feature is selected from the group comprising nozzles, orifices, slits, weep holes, and the like (radial passage 56 (dispensing feature) that opens to bearing 26 is in a form of a nozzle or an orifice; figure 1).
Doerner does not teach wherein the rotary device is a gas turbine engine.
In another prior art, Miller teaches a lubrication system for a gas turbine engine. Miller disperses lubricant by scooping oil from a reservoir by employing rotating scoops. However, it would not be obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art to modify Miller’s lubricant dispersion device to incorporate Doerner’s pitot pump because Doerner’s pitot pump is stationary device while Miller’s scoops are rotary. It would require further complex fluid joinery between passage segments to deliver the lubricant through rotating component and Doerner’s pitot pump is not designed for such rotation because it is intended to be used as a stationary component. Additionally, Doerner’s pitot pump is only intended to lubricate the innermost bearing (sun gear) and does not lubricate the outer gears (ring gear and planet gears). To allow lubrication to the outer gears, it would require further complex fluid engineering. Obviousness requires a reasonable expectation of success.
Therefore, modifying Miller’s lubrication to incorporate Doerner’s pitot pump would require undue experimentation and may have unsatisfactory result in providing lubrication to Miller’s gear system in the gas turbine engine which would not be obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art.
Claims 15-20 also contain allowable subject matter by virtue of their dependency on claim 14.
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure.
Newcomb (U.S. Patent No. 2,672,010) teaches a pressurized lubrication system for gas turbine engine.
Moniz (U.S. Patent No. 10,550,724) teaches a system and method for pressurizing a sump of a gas turbine engine.
Erickson (U.S. Patent No. 4,073,596) lubrication system for a pitot pump.
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/SANG K KIM/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3745
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